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Bob Bly's Direct Response Letter:

Resources, ideas, and tips for improving response

to business-to-business, high-tech, industrial,

Internet, and direct marketing.

August, 2003

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GET YOUR BOOK WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED NOW!

If you're looking to learn a system to write

and publish your own book, this is a CAN'T MISS event.

On August 9th, in NYC, Fred Gleeck, master

information product marketer, will be re-recording

one of his most popular programs on self-publishing.

This event is ONLY for those who want to make

serious money with their books. If your goal is

simply prestige, take a pass on

this event. This is about the cash!

All proceeds from this event will be donated to

AuntMarysDoghouse.com. The minimum fee for the event

is $197. The highest 8 bidders will be admitted.

Take a look at http://www.selfpublishingsuccess.com

to get an idea of what will be covered.

If interested, submit your bid to Fred directly

at fred@fredgleeck.com. He will let you know if

you've won a spot.

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3 PROVEN WAYS TO CREATE A SENSE OF URGENCY

IN YOUR COPY

When you encourage prospects to act now instead

of later, response rates increase.

1. One way to do this is to put a deadline on your offer.

Since third-class mail takes an average of 2 ½ weeks

to be delivered nationwide, make the deadline at least

8 to 12 weeks from the mail drop date. Alternatively,

for any mailing that goes out September or later,

a good deadline date is December 231.

Copywriter David Yale recommends emphasizing that the

deadline date is final by adding the phrase

"it's too late" as follows: "This offer expires

December 31, 2003. After that, it's too late."

For e-mail marketing, you can say the offer is good

only if the recipient replies "today" or "this week."

2. If you are not comfortable putting a deadline date

on your mail piece, specify a time frame within

which the reader must reply, e.g.,

"reply within the next 10 days."

3. Or at least make it clear that this is a

time-limited offer. Copywriter Milt Pierce suggests

this wording:

"But I urge you to hurry. This offer is for

a limited time only. And once it expires, it may

never be repeated again."

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DO WORDS MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

If you believe the techies or the Internet gurus,

technology is what sells. "Touching the customer"

at the right point with the right content or offer is

the key, they say; it doesn't matter how it's said

(although they think fancy graphics are pretty important).

CRM systems are based on this principle.

Nonsense, of course. Copy is still king,

and there is ample proof everywhere.

Example: Scientists at the University of Illinois

found that when a restaurant named dishes using

geographic, sensory, or nostalgic labels

(e.g., "traditional Cajun read beans with rice,"

"satin chocolate pudding," "grandma's zucchini cookie"),

sales rose 27% compared to the same menu items with plain

names (red beans with rice, chocolate pudding,

zucchini cookies).

Source: Reader's Digest, July 2003, p. 182

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GRAPHIC DESIGN TIP: "PUT A BOX AROUND IT"

Why did Microsoft design Word with a "border" feature

that lets you put a box around any text in your document?

Why do professional graphic designers use the same

technique (e.g., a Johnson box in a direct

mail letter)?

During WW II, aircraft designers found that new pilots

often made errors in reading legends and labels on control

panels. By testing various typefaces, sizes, and layouts,

they realized that drawing a box around a piece of text made

it easier to find and to read. This principle is still

widely applied in signage, instruction manuals, and