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Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail

byrnehobart.com

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Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail

#11

Post by adammichaelc »

vinhboy wrote: post #5

I 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.

He's referring to those super long letters that are sent out, & they do work. The trick is not just in the copy, but also in the list. A good marketer will choose 10 lists or so, each targeting a slightly different demographic. To these lists the marketer will A/B test and see what the conversion rates are. After finding the best conversion rate, the rest of the campaign will go to the list that performs the best. After years and years of iterating through hundreds of demographic segments & lists, different copy/headlines, & even minute details like whether to have a hand-written note inside, whether to have a "P.S." message, whether to use the word "Guarantee" or "No-Risk", etc. (These little details actually make a repeatable difference in conversion rates)

After all this, a particular company will know exactly the demographic that buys, exactly the headline that grabs attention, the copy that gets people to keep turning the page, the post-script message that increases conversions, etc.

This kind of marketing has been perfected, as the author says. A good direct-mail marketer will get a conversion rate of 5%-10%. There are some books you can read to get at specific numbers of different campaigns... This is one of them http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Everything-You-Can-Youve/dp/03....

Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail

#12

Post by noodle »

i both agree and disagree.

i disagree with the premise that years and years and billions of dollars have been spent, so it must be the best way. times are changing, people are changing. i've been trained to throw away every piece of junk mail, and so have most of my friends. junk mail is being actively read by a shrinking demographic. just because something has worked does not mean it will continue to do so, or that the statistics are representative. it might not be a good plan to hitch your line to a sinking ship.

i agree in the sense that there are some effective design patterns with respect to effective copywriting, and that some people are forgoing them for something else, perhaps something more aesthetically pleasing when aesthetics don't necessarily get the job done.

Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail

#13

Post by mahmud »

ryanelkins wrote: post #3

This 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.

The entire premise is that junk mail is compelling and should be emulated. I wholeheartedly agree, but only if you're producing something junk-mail flavored. Membership drive for an online game is not the same thing as a call for papers for an academic conference, and one of them benefits from emulating junk-mail copy.

FWIW, I found the article refreshingly unique and "outside the box".

Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail

#14

Post by ezy »

billybob wrote: post #4

The "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."

I was wondering about this. It seems to me that the 10% conversion rate for junk mail is based on selling to a credulous consumer. Hence the urgent tone. Most people (the other 90%?) toss the shit out because they know even if the copy sounds vaguely interesting, you're most likely not going to get something for nothing. Everything from the 4 (bright) color ad to the fake christmas card goes in the recycling immediately from the mailbox because you know you're going to be manipulated.

Are people more or less credulous on the web? I dunno, that has to depend on the category. In some ways, it's harder to avoid reading the copy -- but for experienced users there is a degree of resentment when you realize you've been "SEO"ed by an interesting sounding google link into a page of marketing bullshit.

Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail

#15

Post by teej »

vinhboy wrote: post #5

I 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?

Here are statistics that show that people respond to direct mail. This data is old (2003) but it's quite comprehensive.

http://www.the-dma.org/cgi/disppressrelease?article=519

Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail

#18

Post by cedsav »

While I find junk mail material sometime entertaining, I can't help to think that it's designed to sell to a certain category of people. Especially long copy. It's often for questionable products, dubious benefits or almost scams. And while I don't doubt it works for them, I'm not sure at all it would work for my target demographic.

I think a good version of 'long copy' is something like this: http://highrisehq.com where a lot of info is packed on a single page, and it's very far from "junk mail" copy.

Re: Why I Stopped Throwing Out Junk Mail

#19

Post by rms »

wmeredith wrote: post #8

Working 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.)

Probably the most power of instant arbitrary financial transfer any member of the proletariat has is to search for asbestos or mesothelioma and click on every ad.
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