FunMarketer Lesson of the Week

Craig, what’s the difference between Envelope Teaser copy and AdWords copy?

The FunMarketer answer is: Suprisingly little!

Direct Mail Envelope “Teaser Copy” and Google AdWords Ad Copy occupy the same function in the parallel universes of Direct Mail and Paid Search. Both push the prospect into taking the next action – either open the envelope or click on the ad. Yes each has important differences, but the savvy marketer working in either universe can learn from experts in the other.

The key rule in either universe: “Know Thy Audience…and what they are doing.”

1. What they are doing…

Craig, what’s that second half mean: “…and what they are doing”? Well, that’s the key difference – behavior at the time of the ad encounter.

OK, for AdWords Copy your prospect is searching for something. For right now, let’s ignore content ads – the copy may end up being slightly different for these, especially if you are coat-tailing on a bigger competitors ads (more on that in a later post).

So, they are searching for something and see your AdWords ad…and you want to reinforce as close as possible what their fingers just typed. If they were searching for a “Brown Hat” and your AdWords ad mentions “Brown Hat” then you have a better chance of a Clickthrough.

What’s the person looking at the teaser copy on the envelope doing? That person is qualifying the mailpiece – does it live or die? They are in a totally different frame of mind than the AdWords searcher – your Direct Mail prospect is sorting, not searching.

So guess what – you need a different message in your envelope teaser copy. There aren’t any ‘key word phrases’ lingering in their mind you can then repeat back to them. Instead, you have to literally tease them into opening your envelope.

2. Know Your Audience – then write the copy

OK, for the envelope teaser copy, you will know something about the audience because you will know what lists have worked for you in the past. You have some idea in your mind about who the potential customer is. You then use your copy skills to get them to act. Experienced Direct Mail copywriter Dean Rieck has some great advice on envelope teaser copy. (Check out what Dean says about Business to Business teaser copy.)

For the AdWords copy, in addition to the repeating of the keyword phrase in your text, it’s also important to have a clear Call To Action (CTA). You must tell the person exactly what they should do.

Also, AdWords Maven Jeremy Schoemaker has a neat little trick – his AdWords arrow. Check it out on his Shoemoney post.

Will Jeremy’s arrow trick work for you? The answer is…

3. …Test.

Yes, AdWords is much easier to test than Envelope Teaser Copy. Your results are quicker, A/B splits are easier to control. Remember, don’t just focus on Click Through Rate as your benchmark for success. Conversions and Cost per Conversion are critical to review when you are evaluating your success.

FunMarketer Free Campaign Idea of the Week

Save this one for a campaign or ad that runs just before the Beijing Olympics start, when all the media coverage is focused on Beijing but before everybody is burned out on hearing about the games:

Photo: Istock #5832009

Headline: Missed Your Flight to Beijing? Race Over to Our Olmpic Sale!

Alternate Headline: Forget Beijing – The Real Race is to Our Store for Olympic-Sized Values

Got any great ideas of your own? Just reply to the Funmarketer blog with your istock number and your headline and subhead (Clean Only, Please).

Oh, if you do use the campaign, make sure you give credit where due.

FunMarketer Tip of The Week

Develop a corporate Measuring Mentality–even if you are a corporation of One. It’s tough, but if you hammer away at it, you can infect your company with this healthiest of habits. Learn which marketing metrics matter most in your company, then create ways to make sure you measure whatever you can.

One of the best new technology companies for measuring inbound calls generated through paid or natural search is Voicestar. I have worked with them and they are excellent at helping companies capture value. Shoot me an email at funmarketer@marketinghawks.com for more info on them.

FunMarketer Phrase of The Week

“Campaign Trail”. I am a bit weary of this presidential campaign. The phrase ‘campaign trail’ tugs up images of the old west, of the Chisolm or Oregon or some other ‘trail’ to the frontier. You might say I personally feel like a cowflop on the campaign trail.

Maybe it’s time to put a widget on your website …. a counter that counts down, not to when Dubya leaves the White House, but when the election is over.

Happy trails….and

Happy Marketing!

Craig Lutz-Priefert