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WWW Sales Copy Vs. Direct Mail Copy? Two Different Things? In What Way?

by saleswriter101
6 replies
Hiho Warriors!

Do you write sales copy for both WWW and DIRECT MAIL?

What's the chief way (or couple of ways) you find the two differ?

I've been reading Maria Veloso's "Web Copy That Sells" ... one of her main points is that WWW users are so completely BOMBARDED with ads they've become ULTRA-skeptical so now it's more important than ever for ads on the WWW not to appear like ads ... but more like information articles ... with the offer being made much later into the piece than if it were direct mail.

Do you agree?

Is this how you find it in your experience?

Thanks for your thoughts,

-Scott
#copy #differs #direct #important #mail #sales #web
  • Profile picture of the author The Marketeer
    Originally Posted by saleswriter101 View Post

    Hiho Warriors!

    Do you write sales copy for both WWW and DIRECT MAIL?

    What's the chief way (or couple of ways) you find the two differ?

    I've been reading Maria Veloso's "Web Copy That Sells" ... one of her main points is that WWW users are so completely BOMBARDED with ads they've become ULTRA-skeptical so now it's more important than ever for ads on the WWW not to appear like ads ... but more like information articles ... with the offer being made much later into the piece than if it were direct mail.

    Do you agree?

    Is this how you find it in your experience?

    Thanks for your thoughts,

    -Scott
    The attention span of web users is much lower than direct mail because technology has given them the power of choice at the click of a mouse.

    Just imagine you're pitching to a prospect with ADHD/ADD. You've got to get straight ---> to the point with web copy. If they snooozzze ...... you loose!

    Direct mail affords you the luxury of more time as there are less distractions when someone reads a direct mail piece and there's no mouse in sight. Although there's still other things like the mobile phone or TV that could possibly distract one's attention. All in all direct mail buys you more time.

    An educational approach is likely to work better in both mediums.

    Another thing with web copy especially the IM niche is the amount of hype. You must have heard that the FTC is clamping down on hype. Some of the big players on clickbank discourage using too much hype.

    P.S. Direct Mail = Can be quite costly if mailing in bulk whereas web based copy has very minimal costs in comparison.
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    • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
      Originally Posted by The Marketeer View Post

      The attention span of web users is much lower than direct mail because technology has given them the power of choice at the click of a mouse.
      .
      That's true, yet at the same time people sort their mail over the trash can so you're dealing with the same challenge when writing direct mail. One thing I have found about direct mail though, the companies who hire you to do it usually have a much bigger budget and are willing to pay more for good copywriting.
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  • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
    Web sales copy can obviously include video with its opportunity to directly address the prospect, add sound and visual elements not available on paper, demonstrate how something is used, etc.

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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    Web copy affords you all the space you want. With DM you are often
    restricted by meeting printers demands and layout possibilities.

    Web copy is really DM brought online and often mimic the same
    layout and elements. I've had some of my clients use the
    sales letter I wrote for online use as a DM piece with great
    success.

    Just don't use "Click Here ..."

    -Ray Edwards
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    The most powerful and concentrated copywriting training online today bar none! Autoresponder Writing Email SECRETS
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Hill
    This is a little outside the scope of your question, but also don't forget the degree of personalization available through dynamic copy generation.

    For example, if a user clicks on a personalized link, the resulting sales page can be built on the fly based on their previous preferences, current subscriptions, and a host of other parameters.

    That degree of message customizing can make the offer even more irresistable to a specific customer, and additionally, a much higher degree of immediate response tracking is available.
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