Some advertising people think that as long as you send something in the mail, it is likely to be effective.

Wrong, very wrong! Direct mail can be more effective than almost any other advertising. If you make it interesting to the reader, they will actually sit down and concentrate on it (rare for advertising). But if you do not interest them, it will fail.

Direct mail brochures are always crammed with words, because those companies have learned that "The more you tell, the more you sell!"

Direct mail brochures selling cheap watches will often include twice as much selling copy and twice as much interesting information about benefits than what car dealers will tell you about their $39,000 car. So, does that mean that people are less interested in information about their car than their watch?? Absolutely not! All it means is that if you're a car dealer, you should learn from the direct mail companies. Their results show them that the more they tell in their advertising, the more they sell! It's no different than selling on your yard. You have to TALK to people to be able to persuade them to buy from you. Try talking to them in your ads too. You'll be amazed at the results.

Successful direct mail always uses LONG headlines.

Successful direct mail companies use long headlines because they get more sales when they do. Research shows that people find it easier to understand one another when spoken to in whole sentences. For that reason, ads that speak to them in whole sentences are easier to understand too. Only the most brilliant writers can say something interesting and compelling in four or five words. The rest of us have to be content with writing (and speaking) in whole sentences. The headline "NEW AUDI" is much less effective than "This new 4 litre Audi has an engine that many are saying is quieter than the Mercedes and more reliable than the BMW".

Direct mail experts use powerful selling words.

For some reason, designers and marketers are now shying away from the words research has always shown to be strongest in advertising. If you want results from your advertising, you can't afford to drop the proven selling words from your ads. Some of the most effective selling words in the English language STILL are: You. Yours. Now. New. Sale. Hurry. Free. Save. Own. Best. Fast. Quiet. Start using them and your results will improve over time. But make sure you use them in sentences! Don't just say "Diamond Ring Sale". Instead try "Hurry, this new diamond ring can now be yours at half the price of last years'! But to own it, you'll need to move fast!"

Direct mail companies show photos of their products in several different situations.

A successful direct mail brochure for a watch will show it up close, in a photo with bold arrows to special features worth pointing out to the reader. It will also show the watch being worn, and may even show the watch in its box, particularly if the box is worth talking about. So, if you're selling a new clothesline, don't just show one photo, show several, and make every one of them interesting and informative. For example, one photo might be a close-up that allows you to use an arrow to point out the fact that the line turns silently because of nylon bushes. Another photo might show that the height can be adjusted to suit people of different heights. And still another photo might show how even the elderly or children can operate the height-adjustment - no hard turning! The more you tell someone about your product, the more they are likely to buy it. Use your photos to tell more too.

Direct mail makes it very clear that the advertiser wants a specific response.

Our research shows that if you don't tell the customer how you want them to respond to the ad, they won't respond. This research, using our own ads, shows that even if they are highly motivated by the ad and would like to respond, if you don't tell them how, chances are they won't try to figure it out themselves. In our own ads we give customers at least three different ways to respond.