![]() | |
![]() | |
![]() |
Ecommerce Information |
|
![]() |
Your Site is all Direct Marketing
This may not be a popular view, but I think writing a web site is very similar to writing a piece of direct mail. I'm not talking about smash-and-grab fliers. I'm talking about those large mailings with brochures, a four or eight-page letter and a reply card. And no, I'm not saying that the experience or the approach is identical. There are numerous differences too. But the similarities are significant, and can guide us in how we write for the web. Here are some similarities: 1. We can guess that our conversion rate will be pretty low. In the area of one to two percent. More, if we do a good job. 2. We have very little control over the sequence in which people will read the information we provide. With a direct mail piece, people might start with the letter, or the brochure. And who knows where their attention will settle first within either one. You never really know which part of a direct mail brochure people will read first. And the same goes for a web site. (If you have ever sat in on a web site usability test, you know what I mean. Sometimes it's hard to figure out why people choose particular links or pathways through a site.) 3. We know we are losing readers at every stage of the process and have to write in a way that is clear, engaging and compelling. This is very true for both direct mail and web sites. Of the hundred people who start reading, we will lose the interest and attention of almost all of them before the 'task' is completed. 4. We can identify significant 'danger points' when it comes to losing a reader. In a direct mail piece we know we lose readers at the end of pages...at the end of page one of a four-page letter for instance. Or after someone has completed reading a page in a brochure. Online, we know we are losing readers when they read or skim a page and don't click forward one step closer to completing a task. 5. We know that we lose a significant number of people at the point of completing an application or purchase. They get that far and then back away at the last moment. This is very true for both direct mail and the web. Now for one very significant difference between direct mail writers and web writers. Direst mail copywriters KNOW all this and write accordingly. - A direct marketing copywriter pays very close attention to the end of each page in a letter, writing in a way to pull people forward to the next page. - A direct marketing copywriter looks through years of test results to write an application or purchase form that will yield the best results. (As does the DM designer.) - A direct marketing copywriter writes in a way that is deliberately and carefully both compelling and informative. A complex product takes several pages to sell. Knowing that, a copywriter needs to cover a lot of information for readers with a very fragile level of attention. The writer has to write in a way that is fluid, engaging, informative and persuasive. - A direct marketing copywriter knows that key benefits and offers need to be repeated throughout the package. When you know that most readers don't read every word, you need to repeat key messages so that everyone gets to read them more than once. What's my point? I have two points to make. First, there is a degree of sophistication in writing good direct mail that is rarely evident online yet. DM writers understand the nature of their medium and their readers in minute detail. At least, the good ones do. However, online, while the quality of writers may be good, the sophistication with which they apply their craft just can't compete right now. For instance, it's very rare to find a web page where you can see how carefully the writer and designer have worked together to maximize the number of people who click forward to another page. In time, all this will change. It's just a factor of the relative immaturity of the online medium. My second point is that DM copywriters live or die by results. Every single day. And to give themselves the best chance of success, they study the successful work of others, and they obsess over test results. DM marketers test everything and are always learning. This is the second element that hasn't got up to speed online. It's so easy to test everything and anything online. We should be doing more of that and adding to our knowledge of what works best in given situations. By way of wrapping this up, online writers can learn a great deal from DM writers. (The same is true for online designers, who can learn a lot from DM designers.) Both media depend on action, repeated actions - whether it is paper pages being turned or links being clicked. Good DM writers are masters at driving action. We should learn more from them. Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocat of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his Excess Voice site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at his Freelance Writing Success site.
MORE RESOURCES: TikTok says it regrets Indonesia's decision to ban e-commerce sales on social media platforms The Associated Press Indonesia bans e-commerce transactions on social media Times of India Visma-Soudal merger to be backed by e-commerce giant Amazon Global Cycling Network How B2B companies are driving ecommerce trends to higher sales Digital Commerce 360 Costco ecommerce sales improve compared with previous quarters, but still down overall Digital Commerce 360 8 Common B2B Ecommerce Myths – Debunked! Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Top Austin, TX E-commerce Companies You Should Know Built In Austin E-Commerce Innovations ACHR NEWS Economics Newsletter: Ecommerce is Here to Stay Manhattan Institute Shopistry Launches White-Label eCommerce Platform Enabling Banks, Merchant Acquirers, and Payment Processors Yahoo Finance Best E-Commerce Platforms of 2023 | U.S. News U.S. News & World Report Reducing eCommerce Cart Abandonment with Alternative ... Home Furnishings Association Mirakl and Havas form global partnership to accelerate eCommerce ... Enterprise Times B2B ecommerce survey: Companies largely experiencing growth Digital Commerce 360 Ecommerce marketing next year: 5 ways to set up for success Search Engine Land Shopify Invests in Wholesale Marketplace Faire, Expands Reach ... Retail TouchPoints Top 10 eCommerce Website Development Companies in India Hindustan Times A Guide to Squash eCommerce Fraud for Furniture Retailers Home Furnishings Association AI and E-commerce: Simplifying the Sales Process CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce In-person Markets Spur Mountain Apparel Brand Practical Ecommerce TikTok Replaces 'Storefront' with 'Shop' Practical Ecommerce Streamlining Ecommerce Fulfillment with Packaging Automation ... Packaging Digest Mollie Unveils Findings from Annual European Ecommerce Report Fintech Finance MEMA Announces H-D eCommerce Committee Appointments AftermarketNews.com (AMN) FTC sues Amazon, says the ecommerce giant is a monopoly Supermarket News eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing 2023 focuses on ... Retail Technology Innovation Hub How to optimize your ecommerce ad spend and budget for the best ... Search Engine Land E-commerce+supply+business+opens+storefront+in+downtown+ ... Journal Record How Supply Chain Visibility Helps E-commerce Brands Overcome ... - Supply and Demand Chain Executive How Supply Chain Visibility Helps E-commerce Brands Overcome ... Supply and Demand Chain Executive Optimizing the ecommerce payment experience Digital Commerce 360 Dark Patterns In E-commerce, And Other Evils Free Press Journal Exploring Crypto Ecommerce Payment Solutions in 2023 hackernoon.com eMarketer Podcast: Around the World: TikTok's global ecommerce ... Insider Intelligence Senators Coons, Tillis introduce SHOP SAFE Act to crack down on ... Senator Chris Coons BigCommerce modernises its B2B eCommerce with launch of B2B ... Enterprise Times Krepling No-Code Platform Unlocks E-Commerce Scalability E-Commerce Times 3 Stocks Gearing Up for an E-Commerce Liftoff InvestorPlace THG on ecommerce industry charm offensive | TheBusinessDesk.com The Business Desk Deal agreed for direct-to-consumer ecommerce group Insider Media Borsheims Promotes Andy Brabec to Vice President of Marketing ... Columbus Telegram Gen Z views AI as e-commerce booster Retail Customer Experience How Can an eCommerce brand use data to identify and capitalise on new growth opportunities? Express Computer Alternative payments account for 60% of e-commerce market in ... India Retailing Laravel Ecommerce with Lunar PHP Laravel News How 404s Impact Organic Rankings Practical Ecommerce Merchants increase spend to tackle e-commerce fraud crisis Electronic Payments International Charts: Retail Trends in China Q3 2023 Practical Ecommerce Ralph Lauren expands in Canada with first namesake store, e ... Chain Store Age ChatGPT Prompts for Social Media Marketing Practical Ecommerce Robots, e-commerce and sustainability drive packaging machine ... BeverageDaily.com |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
RELATED ARTICLES
How Merchant Accounts Can Save You Money We all know that accepting credit cards is the key to online sales. Unfortunately, most merchants are unaware that acquiring a merchant account can actually save them money. Accept Credit Cards Online Without A Merchant Account It is often assumed if you want to accept creditcards on your website that you must have a merchantaccount. This is not the case. How Measuring Key Performance Indicators Can Improve E-Commerce Strategy - Part One The problem with most e-commerce marketing strategy today is that companies don't understand how they use things like web analytics. Most e-commerce directors or web marketers are given a budget and told to stick to it, and good analytics don't usually come cheap. How to Gain Your Visitors Trust If you are serious about selling on the world wide web and being successful, your number one priority must be gaining your visitor's trust. Without trust you won't sale much and that's really being optimistic. How To Start An Internet Business - Site Layout The fourth step of how to start an Internet business involves the layout of your site. When organizing it, two audiences must be considered. Products for a Successful Web Business There are F words in business. We have seen many small businesses on the internet flourish and fulfil their dream, but sadly we have seen some flounder and fail because they had the wrong product. Select a Niche Market for Ecommerce Choosing a carefully pinpointed niche market should be one of the first steps that an internet business owner has to take. A very common way of describing a niche market is 'a targeted group of individuals with very specific and similar needs or interests. Is ClickBanks Popularity Drawing To An End? ClickBank is the Internet's most popular payment processor for online payments but with many rivals appearing on the scene is ClickBank's popularity drawing to an end?ClickBank allows website owners to accept credit and debit card payments online and then deliver the products to their customers instantly. Since August 2005, ClickBank has integrated with PayPal so that people who either do not have a credit or debit card or choose not to use their cards online, can now pay using funds from their PayPal account instead. Paypal Primer To conduct business on the Internet, whether informal, one-time only transactions between two friends, or a full-fledged business selling products or services, payment arrangements have to be made. Before 1998, this often meant either checks sent through snail-mail, or very expensive, and often hard-to-obtain, merchant accounts for online credit card processing. How To Prevent Your 3rd Party Merchant Account From Suspension What would you do if you were sent an email from your online credit card processor telling you that your account has been suspended or frozen?How are you going to pay the bills in the meantime?It is extremely important for you to familiarize yourself with the terms of your contract with your credit card processor.As long as you comply with their set regulation and guidelines to maintain your account in good standing you should have no problems. Rules for Achieving Online Success The Internet brought a great deal of benefits to our life. Access to a lot of free and useful information is, probably, one of the most important out of them. How to Generate Cash from Your Web Site The Internet has changed the way people do business today. Most business owners don't have to rent an office in order to run their business. Shopping Carts and the E-Aisles Have you ever gone to the store and thought you only needed a few things so you didn't grab a cart? The next thing you know your hands are full and groceries are crashing everywhere making a big mess. If only you had gotten a cart. Is Your Business Afraid of the Internet? My Business is Afraid of the InternetBill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, once said that there would soon be two types of businesses, those online, and those out of business. Those words still ring true today, and many small businesses are missing a huge boat by not getting online. The Check is in the E-mail Have you ever had someone who owed your business money say, "the check is in the mail." Well now there is an answer to that old tired way of brushing you off and not seeing that check come in the mail week after week after week. Turn Your Rusty Junk Into eBay Gold Often times people to stop to realize the income potential of their "junk". And, when they DO decide it might be worth selling, they never give eBay a second thought. Developing a Winning e-Commerce Strategy One bright spot on the economic horizons around the world seems to be continued consumer spending and e-commerce is clearly a part of this, with sales estimated to be in excess of $9.9 billion in the next three months according to ACNielsen. Projecting Your Image Whether you sell a product or merely sell time to your employer in your labor, your main product is you. You sell yourself with every move you make, every word you speak or write, every attitude you display. Ecommerce Marketing Plan Concept of ServiceThe current work deals with marketing offer of e-commerce service. It highlights the essential steps of marketing of a brand-new firm offering services of website construction, design, programming, development, and promotion. Grow your Business with Emarketplace - Part III Increase Company ProductivityAfter years of hard work, finally your business started to pick up. You are selling more products then ever! You have lined up a good number of suppliers and buyers. ![]() |
home | site map |
© 2006 |