6 Steps to Improve E-mail & Direct Mail Content

Because of today's challenging economic climate, consumers are time-crunched and cash-strapped. They not only have less time to read their direct mail and e-mails, they also are less willing to part with their money. These are significant hurdles for marketers who rely on direct mail and e-mail channels for building revenue.

The best way to overcome these obstacles? Better content. Not the content of old-slightly meandering, too general, perhaps a bit windy or even clumsy. "This is 2008. Straightforward, dynamic, quickly-get-to-the-point copy works in both channels," asserts famed copywriter Herschell Gordon Lewis, author of recently released "Creative Rules for the 21st Century-the Richest Resource of Copywriting Secrets for Today's Market" and president of Lewis Enterprises in Pompano Beach, Fla.

Most important, if you send out both direct mail and marketing e-mail in coordinated campaigns, then there must be no false steps in the composition of this new kind of content. Here are the right steps to take.

1. Operate at Different Speeds
While some content may work unaltered in both channels, there is a fundamental difference in how a consumer receives each effort containing that content: namely, speed. Michael Bloom, vice president of direct marketing operations for Datran Media in New York City, says, "With e-mail, everything is compressed. You don't have the 10 to 15 seconds that a direct mail piece usually gives you. You have a few seconds to get them to click through, otherwise they're gone. It's a much faster medium." In other words, make the most of that fleeting impression.

People, of course, can be equally quick with their direct mail, but it's far more difficult to expunge, especially if there's anything about that mail piece that intrigues the prospect. "Extended copy works in direct mail, especially when the mailing has multiple enclosures so the recipient can decide how much to digest," comments Lewis.

2. Be, or Don't Be, a Wise Guy
It all depends on the channel. According to Lewis, "wise guy" copy works well for a specific demographic segment on the Web. "‘Wise guy' copy is copy that says to the reader, ‘See how clever I am?' It depends on puns and jokes rather than a factual core. The more inexperienced the copywriter, the more likely it is that copy will be skewed in that direction," he explains. Lewis also adds that it's a poor choice for direct mail.

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.