ADVERTISING SECRETS
FOR MAIL ORDER SELLING

Copyright © 1997 Town & Country Enterprises, Inc, USA.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any
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That advertising works is no secret. You see it everyday, hear it everywhere. It convinces you -- as it does everyone else -- to buy. Millions of dollars are invested by large corporations to develop ad campaigns that will persuade consumers to purchase a given product. Can the same basic selling techniques be applied to mail order selling? You bet they can!
Mail order advertising is conducted in two forms: classified and displays ads. We will examine both styles of advertising in this report. We'll look at the way these ads are composed, how effectively they pull in orders, and how you can use them to build your own mail order business. You can learn the inside secrets of successful mail order advertising. And those secrets can turn your business into a winner!
Classified Ads - From Pennies To Prosperity
Classified ads are, dollar-for-dollar the best, most responsive ad medium in existence. They are inexpensive to run, costing sometimes only pennies a word. In even the largest circulation magazines classified ads cost just pennies per contact.
Most beginners believe that classified ads are easy to write...just 10 to 30 words. They think that just because everyone's doing it, it can't be difficult! After all, look at the size of those classified sections in the opportunity magazines! But, this is only a superficial knowledge of classifieds. It takes more to produce a profitable classified ad than just knowing what your product is.
Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the majority of advertisers approach their planning wrong. Their products often represent a good buy, but are poorly promoted. They often feel they can place an inexpensive classified ad worded any which way and hope to pull in sales. However, only ads that produce profit are good buys. Any ad that loses money was too expensive, no matter how cheap it was.
How do you determine which ads are a bargain? Generally speaking, an ad that is a financial bargain may initially cost more since it will appear in a large circulation magazine. Look at the publications with the largest circulation. Here, the cost per 1,000 readers is far lower than for magazines with a lower cost per word, but far lower circulation. Next, look through the magazines with the largest classified sections. Believe it or not, these sections are generally the best place to advertise. Don't think that your ad will be lost in the crowd. A good ad will pull in orders no matter what location it has.
Successful classified advertisers test constantly. They advertise where the results are best, sometimes inserting three to five ads in the same publications under different classified sections. Take advantage of their experience. Advertise in several sections as they do and see if your properly worded ad doesn't pull for you.
Having pre-screened your ad, you are now set to Test! Test! Test! Place an identical ad in a several different publications that will appear the same month. Measure the total response from each ad by keying the response (explained below). Then, divide the cost of each ad by the number of responses received within 60 days after release. This gives you the cost per response (C/R). The ad with the lowest C/R is obviously the best buy (although there is still the conversion factor to consider).
Keying classified ads is simply a matter of including some kind of coded information in the return address listed in the ad. When a reader writes to you, the way the address on the envelope is written usually tells you which ad produced the response. It helps you to track which of your ads are convincing readers to write for further details, and which are not. By keying your ads you can determine how successful a particular ad is, if it should be changed, and in which magazines or papers your ads work the best. Here are a few examples of ads that have been keyed:
A different letter used after the box number can key an ad for you.
Kashbuilder
Box 123-A
Anytown, USA 12345

Using different addresses (perhaps your home rather than P.O. Box number) is a good key.
Kashbuilder
114 Main St.
Anytown, USA 12345

A different spelling of the company name in each ad will key it for you.
Cash Builder
Box 123
Anytown, USA 12345

In addition to finding the best publication, you need to test for the best possible ad. Do this by putting two ads in the same publication in the same month and see which one out pulls the other. Make sure you key each differently. To be sure that position in the publication didn't affect your results, you can reverse the order of the ads the next month and see if the ad that performed better during the first test still out pulls the other.
Your testing could go on and on. But, it shouldn't. Find a good ad, get it into some good publications, and start pulling responses. Testing alone will never make you wealthy. It's following through to make the sale that counts.
This brings us to the question of the offer. Should you sell directly from a classified ad? Or, should you whet the reader's appetite and offer additional free details?
The second approach is far and away the most profitable This is especially true since you will find it almost impossible to sell anything for more than $3 directly from a classified ad. And, $3 books are not big profit-makers by themselves. However, if you mentally tease the readers into writing for more details, not only will you have the name of a likely prospect to whom you can make offers over and over again, but you'll have a reader who is predisposed to buy.
Results show that the average conversion rate for classifieds -- the transforming of an inquirer who wrote for free details into a customer who bought what you're selling -- is approximately 5%. That means that an ad that produces 100 inquiries will probably result in 5 sales from the first mailing. The mailing includes sending the free details to the inquirer -- usually a sales letter, sales circular or flyer, an order coupon or reply card and a reply envelope. The more your product costs, the more elaborate your sales package should be.
But, remember, you can make additional mailings to the same prospect. Each successive mailing will produce about 50% to 75% of the response from the first one. You should make at least three mailings to your original inquirers, spaced several weeks apart. This could amount to a total conversion of 10% or more! Once response has slowed, you can offer a follow-up item, and/or rent the list to other advertisers, gaining even more profit
Success with classified ads, once achieved, can quickly build upon itself. Let's say that you have only $100 for your first ad campaign. With $40 you could buy a couple of small classifieds. That leaves $60 to produce copies of your sales literature and pay postage for outgoing details to inquirers. How might your progress look? Well, take a look at this. The results may astonish you!

Ad Number Total Investment Gross Return
1 $ 100 $ 300
2 $ 300 $ 900
3 $ 900 $ 2,700
4 $ 2,700 $ 8,100
5 $ 8,100 $ 24,300
6 $ 24,300 $ 72,900
7 $ 72,900 $ 2,187,000

Depending on a number of variables, things can grow quite rapidly. You will soon discover that you have run out of good advertising sources. That's because you'll already have an ad in every publication worth using. Now what?
Start over again. Insert a second ad in the big circulation magazine. You can even insert a third and fourth ad in the really big ones. True, these additional ads will not double your response rate. But, they will increase the total number of inquirers and give you more people to reach with your advertising message.
How long can a classified ad last? Some ads have been appearing unchanged for many years. Old subscribers fade away. New ones subscribe. And, inquiries keep pouring in. This phenomenon offers an effective research tool. By comparing new and old issues of the same publication, you can determine who has been advertising consistently over the years. The steady advertisers obviously have been making money with successful ads.
Note how the successful sellers write their ads and what they're selling. In nearly every case, you'll find that they are offering books or information of some kind. Study their style. Learn to match the concise, telegraphic way in which they convince readers to respond in as few words as possible. Master their techniques and you will master the art of classified advertising.

Display Ad Book Selling - Standing Out Among The Crowd
The techniques for the use of large display ads are similar to those for classifieds. Display ads can significantly increase the number of responses you receive. However, display ads also cost substantially more than classifieds. You must test display advertising carefully in order to determine if the rate of response justifies the added expense. In most cases, if you have a well-designed ad, it will.
A second major difference is that display ads can be designed to make sales directly, without the mailing of follow-up literature. Because this is true, ad size is very important. A very small ad can never hope to sell very expensive books. And, a very large ad for selling inexpensive books represents advertising overkill. Testing of ad size versus sales volume can help you determine the most effective ad in promoting a given book.
To learn the fine points of display advertising, virtually every magazine is your textbook. Study all of the ads with care. If you hope to make sales directly from your ad, take a look at the current direct response ads. These are the ads which advertise a product or service and make a sale directly from the ad.
Learn the various steps taken by each successful ad to attract attention. Notice the headline and subheadings. Did they use an accompanying photograph or illustration? What benefit does the ad promise the prospect? How is the ad copy written? Does the ad create desire in the last half of the body copy through tantalizing, irresistible benefits? Does the entire ad stimulate immediate action to order at once in the final sentences? Does the order coupon make it easy to order? Does the ad offer a toll-free telephone number for ordering?
You'll be able to ask yourself these same questions about each of the display ads that appear throughout any publication. Dissect them. Learn each of their elements and its specific function. Study some of the various publications on advertising composition and copywriting. Soon you will be able to begin writing your own successful ads just by copying the successful techniques of professional ad writers.

Direct Mail Book Selling Secrets
Some masters of mail order book selling are convinced that the display and classified ad approaches are the ultimate medium for reaching customers. Still others rely almost entirely on direct mail to make massive book sales. A few suggest a combination of the two. However, nearly every seasoned advertiser agrees that those who follow the rules of direct mail marketing with care will guarantee their success -- if they stick with it.
While super-expensive display ads can create a financial crisis before an ad campaign ever gets started, direct mail can be controlled, tested, and rolled out under almost perfect conditions. And, because a portion of the cost of the advertising (the inserting, addressing, sealing, and affixing of postage) can be handled by the individual seller during the testing stage, cost can be kept to a minimum until the "winning combination" is found.
Just as magazines are the textbook for effective display advertising, your mailbox is the textbook for learning to create effective direct mail (DM) packages. Disregard the expensive trick mailings with pop-up displays, die-cut, punch out, slick, four-color brochures, and letters that talk back to you. Concentrate on the standard packages, the ones you can afford to use yourself. These usually contain a sales letter, brochure or sales flyer, order card, and return envelope. While everything but a brochure or letter are optional, the more of these standard elements that are present, the more believable your package will be to the person who receives it.
Brochures or sales circulars are relatively easy to obtain. Many wholesale book dealers offer them at very reasonable prices to their retail dealers. Many will provide free camera-ready copies of circulars that their dealers can have imprinted with their own name and address. The dealer only has the cost of producing the copies himself, preferably on an inexpensive, high-quality photocopier.
Sales letters need to be personal. You'll want to write your own -- with a little help from the letters you've studied from other advertisers. Highlight the points made in the brochure, testify from personal experience, and renew the encouragement to act at once in ordering.
Because letters should look like letters, have them printed on white paper in a typewriter-style type or font. For computer users, this style is the standard font called Courier. If you compose your letter on a typewriter, make sure you have a courier-style print ball or printwheel. Also, forget about fancy papers and colored inks for sales letters. The only portion of the letter that testing has shown helps boost response when colored is the signature...which should be blue if possible. Initial test quantities of letters can be signed by hand in blue ink, making them more personal.
A well-written sales letter is a must for your direct mail package. The simple letter seems closer to a source of inside information. It is personal. While the ad circular helps reinforce the sale, the letter personally calls upon the prospect to make a decision. It should always include a postscript (PS) at the end that either reinforces the call to act now, restates the guarantee, or offers a bonus for ordering immediately.
The outer envelope can be imprinted by hand with a good rubber stamp at first. At a future date you will want to have your envelopes printed with your return address and an eye-catching sales teaser printed on the front. However, some experts assert that a rubber-stamped return address will often get the recipient to open the letter more often than a professionally imprinted one. Testing will prove to you which method will work the best for you.
Tests show that including a reply envelope in which your customer can mail his order will increase response. A business reply envelope where you pay return postage is usually helpful in increasing response, but can substantially increase your costs. You must weigh the expenses against the differences in response rates during testing.
The order form, or reply card is the single most important item in the direct mailing. In tests with hundreds of people, the process of reviewing the order is almost identical with everyone.
· They open the envelope.
· They read the first few sentences of the letter or brochure to see what is being offered.
· They glance at the "PS" at the end of the letter.
· They go immediately to the order form to see what it costs and what the terms are.
· They finish reading the letter and/or brochure if their interest has been piqued.
· They complete the order form, insert in the envelope, and mail. If there is a telephone number to make ordering easier, they may call.
Direct mail selling can be pyramided just like classified or display ads. With a good list you can start with as few as 1,000 names and work up to a substantial mailing of thousands of pieces at a time. Unlike classifieds, there is much less time between each ad sequence. If you are mailing first class (as you will be at first), you can schedule your mailings as close as 10 days apart using the following formula to insure profit.
Count the day you mail as day one. On day 10, you should have received about half the total orders that can be expected from this mailing. (Some mail order experts use day 13, but this formula gives you some financial padding to assure success.) So, multiply total dollars received by two, subtract cost of filled orders (which must also be multiplied by two, since there will be twice as many orders as already received) and finally subtract total printing and mailing costs. The amount left is your projected profit from this mailing.
By continuing to plow profits back into your promotions, you can soon generate a sizeable cash flow from direct mail promotions. As your mail volume increases, you can afford to mail at bulk rate, a substantial savings off the first class rate. As the size of your mailing increase, your per piece printing costs also go down since you are printing greater quantities. And, the total cost of preparing your mailing can be reduced as you grow and begin using automatic folders, stuffers, and sealers. All these reduced costs will mean greater profits in the long run. Even the cost of the books you sell goes down as you buy them in larger lots. And the great thing is, you can do it all from your home in your spare time. Few businesses provide all these advantages with a built-in raise as you become more successful.
So, start gaining additional experience by beginning a book selling promotion right now. There is no reason not to begin at once. Once you begin, you will find that book selling can be your road to ultimate happiness. Best of Luck!
 

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