CopyCopy

Stylishness

Should your direct marketing copywriter be an expert in AP style (or some other style)?

Well, it won't hurt. And it's a sign that the writer subscribes to at least some kind of code, and that's a good thing.

But please, please don't universally enforce style guidelines -- whether they're AP, Chicago, Strunk & White, or your own corporate guidelines -- on direct marketing copy. In some cases, following those rules will diminish readability, undermine clarity, and sabotage your campaigns.

Case in point: Every. Period. Makes. Every. Reader. At. Least. Pause. And pausing (or, dread the throught, stopping reading altogether) is the LAST thing we want to happen. But some style guides demand that we place a period after every bullet in a series of bullets; others insist on semicolons.

Sorry, but stop action is the opposite of what we want in copy that's supposed to drive action. End the last bullet in a series with a period if you must, but leave the others alone. If you MUST include something, use an ellipsis (these keep the reader's eyes moving).

Here's another one: omitting the serial comma before a conjunction. My personal belief is that this is Just Wrong Anyway, but that's beside the point. Omitting that last comma saves column space in newspapers and magazines but it also reduces clarity except in the simplist of sentences. And when we're trying to educate and evoke action in one shot, we can't afford to sacrifice clarity.

It may be stylish to follow this or that code, but we must never forget: in direct marketing, it's not about style. It's about response rates. Save the style guide for your annual report and corporate brochure, and get your money's worth on your DM campaigns.

Last-minute messaging changes.

Just when you thought everyone had approved the creative, someone puts the brakes on.

"We just heard from a customer/partner/analyst/weblog/sales rep/whoever came out of the woodwork lately that our message has to include 'AQUAMARINE'" (or whatever). So "we have to rework the email/directmail/banner/e-newsletter ad to say AQUAMARINE."

Before you add more delay and expense to your campaign, consider these points:

• Unless you're selling low-cost items involving 30-second sales cycles, your campaign is supposed to be promoting the offer, not necessarily the product. Does AQUAMARINE have anything to do with the offer? And even if it does, will it make the offer more attractive? Really?
  
• Your campaign has been deemed to have a solid offer and message before Aquawhatever came along. Does the fact that Aqua might resonate with SOME audience members mean you need a do-over? Would the added cost of making the change pay for itself in higher response rates?
  
• Even if AQUAMARINE is an ideal message, what will it take to incorporate it in existing creative? Make the change quickly and you could end up with awkward language and flawed logic -- either of which can kill response rates. Or, take a long time, completely redevelop the creative, and ... well, okay, you just decided to start over. Worth it? You decide.

Finally, look carefully at the source of the AQUAMARINE imperative. Focus group? Anecdotal? One-off? How seriously should you even take the idea?

Of course, when the idea comes from the CEO, it may not be possible to say "no." But you can test -- and you should.

Making benefits personal

The other day I was asked to recast a broadcast email campaign (outbound email and landing page), created to target Audience A,  to fit Audience B. For the sake of illustration, let's call Audience A real estate developers and Audience B architects (though that's not who these folks are). And our client sells ... roofs.

Our architects serve in a consulting/advisory role for for our developers, and would likely be making  recommendations to them about what kind of roofs to use The idea behind the copy rework was to let the architects know how they could help the developers by making the "right" recommendation (my client's roofs, of course!).

The copy rework went reasonably well, and the client will get some extra return on its initial creative investment. But doing the work reminded me of a critical direct response maxim: the offer and the benefit must appear to be personally rewarding to the audience.

It wasn't enough to tell architects "You can help the real estate developers.. This free info will show you how." Being helpful is fine, but it as a benefit it's not powerful enough to evoke a click or a BRC. There has to be something "in it" -- and probably more immediately personal and less altruistic -- for the reader.

In this case, we decided to claim that the free information would enable architects to

• Grow their practice by giving great advice and getting more referrals. Still a bit of a stretch.
• Avoid hassles by getting fewer complaints about roofs
• Save time by being armed with tools to quickly and easily recommend the right roof for each client of their customers.

Legitimate benefits? Sure. Compelling? Maybe not but probably the best we can do given no change in offer -- just a change in audience.

Ideally, though, the best offers and messaging will save the audience time, money, grief, hassle, etc. -- or bring fortune, fame, admiration, promotion, or some other wondrous condition -- and will do so quickly and obviously.

Inside Their Heads: the next summer blockbuster?

Yesterday an art director asked me how I like to approach a new direct mail or broadcast email project. How do I decide on concept, message, and that all-important opening paragraph?

Here's what's the most fun: I imagine my audience as a character in a movie. The opening scenes show me what kind of day my "audience member" character is having, who he's dealing with, what he wants, and why he's having trouble getting it. A good movie puts me right inside that character's head; so now I'm right inside my audience's head.

Now all I have to do is "talk" to him.  I can be the buddy who shares his plight; the Disembodied Voice that whispers in his ear; the evening news anchor that tells him what's what; or any other character I like, as long as it's one  capable of dialogue. Once in character, all I have to be is compelling -- and it's my script, so that should be doable.

True, I haven't sold any screenplays lately. I'm weak with Plot. But the method seems to work okay for direct response.