Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
byrnehobart.com
Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
1–10 of 50 posts
Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
#2Nicely done. What is it about magazine renewals that seem so effective to you?
Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
#3This is a good approach. I do wonder how much of it translates over (from junk mail to a website or email) but that's something that can be tested. At the very least it provides a good starting foundation to work off of for those unsure of their copywriting abilities.
Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
#4The "junk mail" approach to persuasion is only one approach, and it tends to be urgent-sounding. When I think about the businesses I like the most, one common factor is that they have a much more honest-sounding tone.
Maybe the question is not "which technique works best," but "which technique works best on my target audience."
Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
#5I don't buy it. Can you show me some statistics to prove that this (junk mail) works? I have always thought of junk mail as a last ditch effort. You have no other means to reach your customer, so you do the "throw it against the wall and see what sticks" approach.
Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
#6Agree for the most part - direct mailers were doing A/B testing before the internet existed to maximize their ROI. There's definitely some carry over between what works in print and on the internet.
That being said, its important to know why the junk mail is presented like it is, it may not always work for your users.
Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
#7I don't buy it. Can you show me some statistics to prove that this (junk mail) works? I have always thought of junk mail as a last ditch effort. You have no other means to reach your customer, so you do the "throw it against the wall and see what sticks" approach.
I think his whole point is that junk mail's mere existence means that it works.
Junk mailers pay real hard currency for every letter they send, so they've can't afford to use ineffective copy. Online, there is no cost to to sending an email, publishing a blog post, etc., so it's more difficult to determine what copy actually works.
Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
#8Working in Search marketing for a few years has taught me something similar about writing PPC ad-copy; if you want to see masters at work search for something like "Home Refinancing" and check out the ad-copy on the sponsored results. (These guys are paying $50+ per click. You can bet they know what they're doing; that is, they must if they're going to be doing it for any amount of time.)
Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
#9I don't buy it. Can you show me some statistics to prove that this (junk mail) works? I have always thought of junk mail as a last ditch effort. You have no other means to reach your customer, so you do the "throw it against the wall and see what sticks" approach.
> Can you show me some statistics to prove that this
> (junk mail) works?
One could argue that it must be effective, as it's expensive to print and post mail, yet marketers have been doing it for decades. Its results are also generally more measurable than those of mass market advertising.
> You have no other means to reach your customer
On the contrary, (addressed) direct mail is generally sent to as targeted a market as possible. If you know your market, you're generally better off putting a lot of resources into a well-qualified set of prospects, than taking a more "shotgun" approach.
Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail
#10I don't buy it. Can you show me some statistics to prove that this (junk mail) works? I have always thought of junk mail as a last ditch effort. You have no other means to reach your customer, so you do the "throw it against the wall and see what sticks" approach.
Well, just keep saving what you get and see which companies keep sending more junk - they're the ones that work.