6 Steps to Improve E-mail & Direct Mail Content

August 20, 2008 By Ethan Boldt, Editor, Inside Direct Mail

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3. Understand the Guess Gamble
A wrong guess about gender, age or buying power is less deadly online than in direct mail, claims Lewis. "It's an attitudinal thing. The same individual who looks at direct mail with a critical eye may be much more forgiving ... or for that matter, regard himself or herself as more of a soul mate ... when looking at e-mail," he illustrates.

4. Save Your Stories for Direct Mail
Storytelling content still flourishes in direct mail-and it will always remain a mainstay for this medium-but it doesn't fare so well in an e-mail. "Storytelling is a dangerous ploy for e-mail. The finger is on the mouse: ‘Gotta go, gotta go! Eight more to look at,'" demonstrates Lewis, who says that danger lessens substantially on Web sites.

5. Use Current News Online
It's more important to incorporate current news into the e-mail format than direct mail because e-mail has an immediacy direct mail can't match. "Direct marketing copy that reflects current news and events usually outpulls copy that is not written with references to current affairs," says Bob Bly, a Dumont, N.J.-based copywriter and author of "The Copywriter's Handbook, Third Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells." "And incorporating news into copy is even more important in e-mail marketing than it is in paper direct mail. In promoting investment newsletters, for example, if the Fed is going to announce a rate hike this week, your e-mails virtually have to be built around that theme," he says.

6. Be Careful When Wielding the Classic Motivators
The classic direct mail motivators, like fear and guilt, can damage any effort if not used skillfully. "Fear is such a powerful motivator [that] it can backfire. Guilt requires top-notch professionalism," maintains Lewis.

The explosive power of fear and guilt can be used for good or ill when it comes to your direct marketing campaigns. "If a marketer has tried a straightforward, sedate approach, then fear or guilt may deliver a boost. [But novice] writers, faced with this challenge, are likely to slop out a subject line such as ‘You're in trouble,' [which is] not validated," says Lewis, who claims that such poor application may generate a negative reaction toward the e-mail effort as a whole.