Robert W. Bly — well-known author, copywriter, and a former teacher of business-to-business copywriting and technical writing at New York University — presents several interesting ideas about how to generate more leads in your ads (and direct mail). Here’s just a quick excerpt of SELECTED tips. Look for the full article on the National Mail Order Association’s website.
- Ask for action. Tell the reader to phone, write, contact his sales rep, request technical literature or place an order.
- Offer free information, such as a color brochure or catalog.
- Use a direct headline-one that promises a benefit or stresses the offer of free information-rather than a headline that is cute or clever.
- Highlight the free offer in a copy subhead. The last subhead of your ad could read, “Get the facts-Free.”
- Consider using more than one reader service number. For example, one number for people who want literature, another for immediate response from a salesperson.
- Test different ads. Keep track of how many inquiries each ad pulls. Then run only those ads that pull the best.
Have any lead generation tips of your own? What do you think works best for YOUR company?