Direct Marketing Sale Ideas

1.Pretend you are a direct response copywriter marketing microwave ovens and dishwashers. Identify three features of each product and convert each one into a benefit.

The dishwasher is of compact size, cleans dishes quickly and comes in a choice of colors and designs. This all means for the counsumer that there is plenty of choice, the product is economical and no more need to wash dishes by hand.

The microwave oven is of compact size, has many preset functions and cooks and reheats food a lot quicker than an conventional oven. This all means for the consumer that it will fit in a small space, saves time and is convenient.

2.Identify and explain the many formats for direct response advertising and selling.

As expected there are many different formats of direct response Advertising and Selling. They are divided into direct mail, print, broadcast, electronic and other. Direct mail includes a lot of different items that can be sent through the regular mail and is often relationship marketing. Sometimes this is promotional material such as letters and sometimes it's collateral free gifts like cd's. For existing customers it may also be things like birthday and Christmas cards. Print includes items that appear in Newspapers and Magazines these are typically targeted advertisements towards certain market segments. Broadcast includes all marketing appearing on television and radio this is typically advertsing. Infomercials are also common which gives the customer more chance to see product. Electronic is anything that appears on telephone and Internet. Due to the difficulty with marketing over these mediums they are typically special offers and deals. There are of course other types of general advertising as well as sales people.

3.Discuss the importance of the well-known "AIDA" copywriting formula. Be sure to identify what each letter stands for in your discussion.

Copy writers are vital to the selling and marketing process as their job is to make marketing materials clear, concise as well as attractive. AIDA is a formula used as important characteristics. A stands for Attract Attention, I Arouse Interest, D Stimulate Desire and A Call for Action.

4.Discuss the importance of the "PPPP" copywriting formula. Be sure to identify what each letter stands for in your discussion.

It's important that in the PPPP formula standing for Picture, Promise, Prove, and Push that all steps are finished. Picture is to get attention early with a visual image to create desire. Promise is describing what it's the product will do. Prove is to show evidence that it will deliver this may include customer testimonials. Push is to ask for the purchase action.

5.Name and briefly explain the components of the classic format of a direct mail package.

In the classic format of direct mail there is mailing envelope, a letter and a circular. The most important is the mailing envelope as unless it's is opened then the contents is useless. The design is vital to increase chances of the item being opened. The letter is the sales tool and should be interesting and give the customer an immediate chance for action if they wish. In my opinion the letter shouldn't be too long as the customer may become distracted or bored. The circular provides additional information on the product to make a purchase more likely. The packet should also come with a reply envelope to easily allow the customer to take action.

6.Compare and contrast cooperative mailings with statement/invoice stuffers.

The concepts of cooperative mailings and statement/invoice stuffers are similar in a way. They both feature more than one use within a single envelope. I would think that the stuffers would be more effective as everyone opens their bills. I think that the cooperative mailings is information overload and is very unlikely to be read.

7.Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of magazines for direct response advertisers.

Advertising through magazines is an effective strategy as it's an effective way to reach certain segments easily. Magazines don't come out that frequently and the number of people reading them is likely to be high especially if they get passed around and get read multiple times. The problems are there is limited space and response time is typically slow.

8.Identify and explain the five major categories of magazines. Be sure to include an example for each category.

There are five types of magazines these are general mass, women's service, shelter, business, and special interest. General mass are cheap to produce and appeal to a wide range of people an example is Reader's Digest. Women's service again have a large number of readers and are cheap to produce, but these are targeted at women an example is Seventeen. Shelter magazines are ones that focus on home, decorating and garden an example is House & Garden. Business are magazines that focus on economy and business news and an example is Forbes. Special interest really includes everything else often sport and leisure are included an example is Golf Digest.

9.Discuss the three categories of newspaper advertising.

The three types of newspaper advertising are run of paper, preprinted inserts and syndicated Sunday supplements. Run of paper are typically small and usually occur in the mail order sections of the newspaper. Preprinted inserts are provided ahead of time and are usually run on Sunday, Wednesday or Thursday. Sunday supplements are edited nationally and appear locally and typically reach a very large number of people. These are often highly successful for direct response advertisers.

10.Overview the advantages and disadvantages of newspaper for direct response advertisers.

The key advantages are quick response times and short closing dates. As an disadvantage response success is usually short lived as there is another paper the next day. Newspaper allow direct marketers to penetrate the market. One challenge for direct marketers is they often to to keep their message general/generic because of the large and different market segments.