Tuning Your Copy for Multiple Channels:
Mixing Your Media Without Sending Mixed Messages
By Jonathan Kranz
A little over a year ago, I worked with a B2B client who wanted an integrated campaign with one clear goal: get five hundred qualified leads. Not five hundred responses, mind you, but five hundred leads qualified by titles, company size and purchasing timeframe – as in sooner rather than later.
We didn’t get the five hundred leads; we got twelve hundred, representing $1.2 million in new business off a marketing investment in the low five figures. Why did it work? And why have subsequent, similar efforts succeeded? Because we maintained a relentless focus on the offer while making appropriate adjustments for each medium in the mix: mail, collateral, e-mail, Web and print.
Make ‘em an offer. And make it again. And again.
It’s downright weird: direct marketing professionals who know how to craft an outstanding mail program often go weak in the knees as soon as the campaign opens up into multiple channels. The mail stays focused on the offer, but the print ads, Website, collateral and other pieces drift into the foggy mists of branding. The offer evaporates as wisps of “market visions” and “corporate philosophies” take its place. Instead of a provocative call to action, these pieces invite prospects to “get more information.” As if.
Stop. Don’t let this happen to you or your client. Stand by your offer and make it the axis around which your other channel efforts will revolve. (See the accompanying sidebar for a powerful offer tactic that can work wonders, especially in B2B.)
Mail: Sell the value
If you’re a regular reader of DIRECT, you know what to do so I’ll keep this brief: sell the value of the offer. Not the brand. Not the company. Not the vision. The offer. Think in terms of phrases like these:
- “Discover the five most successful franchise strategies for 2008...”
- “See what the top Fortune 50 CIO’s have to say about data management...”
- “Compare your HR policies to our free Regulatory Checklist...”
- “Hear hedge fund expert Nancy Bigbucks pick her favorites for Q2...”
One thing about the response mechanism: yeah, it would be nice (and cheap) if everyone simply went to your Website to fill out a form, etc. But you’re mailing anyway, so include a prepaid response device to capture prospects who simply won’t go to the trouble of typing your URL into their browsers.
Collateral: Tell them what they don’t know, but need to know
Traditionally, collateral has always meant brochures about our products, our services, our businesses. In other words, filler for our prospects’ recycling bins. Who says we can’t expand our definition to embrace a wider array of printed material? Better yet, why don’t we rethink of our collateral as an opportunity to satisfy authentic needs, a chance to give prospects material they actually want to read? Why not create material that positions your company as a credible, expert resource prospects can trust? For starters, here are three things you might consider:
- Case studies, based on real-life success stories, showing how your company solved problems/created opportunities/overcame obstacles/achieved results for people just like your prospects.
- How-to articles that give readers insights into accomplishing things that matter to them – while, by the way, demonstrating both your company’s brilliance and its eagerness to be useful.
- E-books, an ambitious effort on your part to discuss trends, introduce new ideas, dismiss conventional myths or review options in a comprehensive way that ultimately sends one clear message: you’re the thought leader in your field.
For reasons I honestly don’t understand, most collateral eschews the call-to-action in favor of a mere recitation of contact information. Break the rules: at the conclusion of your pieces, invite readers to take “the next step,” i.e., respond to your offer.
E-mail: Think fast – because they sure will
Your prospects are as impatient as you are. E-mail just isn’t the forum for telling a long story or communicating lots of information. (Exception: An e-newsletter prospects have chosen to subscribe to.) Many of the most successful marketing e-mails are little more than fat hyperlinks – the message is merely a vehicle for the link (your offer) with a brief list of reasons why the recipient should click on the link or graphic button to accept it. Make it short, make it simple – and many of your prospects may make it all the way to your site to accept or download your offer.
Web: Welcome them to your home
Instead of thinking of your website as a package of information, think of it as a place. You, the voice of the site, are the host. And just as you wouldn’t welcome guests to your home by talking about yourself, you shouldn’t welcome visitors to your site by barraging them with information about your business, your unique products, your uncompromising commitments, etc.
Just as good hosts acknowledge their guests and extend hospitality (“May I take your coat? Would you like something to drink?”), you should do the same on your site. Talk about their needs and concerns, then point them to resources that can help them, including your offer. For example:
Like many smart investors, you may be bewildered by the conflicting claims of investment funds and brokerage houses. We can help. Here, you’ll find a glossary of investment terms, a real-time market tracker, and a free guide you may download, 10 Simple Steps to Selecting the Best Investment Strategy for You...
Print: What was that offer again?
Make the offer the hero. Give us a picture of it; tell us why it’s desirable; show us how to get it.
But what about the brand? Well, you tell me which approach is more credible in the minds of prospects: a print ad that tells me what I should believe about a company, or a print ad that offers me something I can actually use to my advantage?
Extra credit: Package your expertise into killer premiums
So what’s a good offer in a B2B multi-channel campaign? My clients have had a great deal of success with guide books – visually attractive, reader-friendly booklets about 14 -24 pages long that offer advice, recommendations and insights qualified prospects can really use. Here’s how to create them:
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Look within for wisdom. You’re probably sitting on treasure you don’t realize you have. Think about your recent customer success stories. Then list all the things you had to know – the experience and expertise you brought to the table – that made success possible. That’s the source of great content.
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Apply the power of numbers. To organize your thoughts, and to attract readers, think in terms of numerical titles like these:
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10 Ways to Streamline Your Supply Chain
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8 Secrets for Flipping Real Estate, Fast
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5 Negotiating Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make
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Create a consistent format. Don’t write an essay. Break your content into easily digested pieces that follow a consistent format, page by page. In addition to a compelling headline and explanatory body copy, consider using:
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Direct quotes from customers or subject matter experts
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Call-outs that highlight key ideas from the body copy
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Sidebars with mini-case studies or real-life anecdotes that illustrate your ideas
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Graphics, charts, illustrations to support your points
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Conclude with a strong call-to-action. Here’s a technique that works beautifully. Distill your guide into a list of ideas and invite readers to check “yes,” “no” or “sometimes” to whether or not these thoughts apply to their situations. Now you can ask them to take the next step: talk to an expert (you or a representative of your business) about how these issues affect their lives and what they can do about it. In one stroke, your brief quiz reinforces the value of your knowledge, forces readers to apply it to themselves, and encourages them to see you or your business as resource for further insight, not just another sales person at the door.
You’re a direct kind of person. When you go multi-channel, stick to your guns. Sure, be sensitive to the unique demands of a given medium. But trust the power of your offer. And you’re more likely to be rewarded with the returns you desire.
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Kranz Communications
(781) 620-1154
This article originally appeared in DIRECT magazine. You may read it in its original format here.
