You may have read the research: when it comes to Internet marketing, long copy converts more than short. In fact, it’s been proven that long copy can offer as much as double the ROI short copy provides.
That’s the Internet, though. While it is true that long-form pieces in print media do also tend to get a higher response rate than shorter ads, there’s still a very strong case for short copy, and you’re about to find out why.
Direct Mail Is a Numbers Game
The big difference between online media, traditional print media and direct mail really does come down to numbers.
Once you’ve paid for the copywriting itself and your site hosting is covered, you can keep driving traffic to your long-form marketing pieces time and again very cheaply or for free. You’re going to spend for Internet marketing anyway, so why not use more copy to gain the benefits of long-form content? Success still depends on driving targeted traffic effectively, but a good marketer can get high volumes this way.
In traditional print media, there are ways to get around the costs associated with long-form copy too; for instance, both press releases and editorials can be promoted cheaply or free. Many publications also run monthly or quarterly, so there’s a higher chance that your message will be seen more than once.
With direct mail, however, you’ll pay for every piece you mail out, and you’re probably going to need to send more than one piece to get the response you want. The longer and more complex the piece, the more it will cost. All of this means that the costs associated with direct mail almost preclude long-form content, purely based on the ROI.
The equation for direct mail success is simple: Shorter copy x more pieces = higher marketing ROI.
How to Write Effective Short Copy
The problem with writing short copy as opposed to long-form content is that you need a small number of words to pack a big punch. Here are a few great ways to get more out of less when you don’t have any words to waste:
- Know your target market and write directly to them.
- Identify their most important pain points and address them directly.
- Focus on one thought.
- Have a clear call to action.
- Stick to short words and clear language.
- Make them an offer they can’t refuse.
- Keep the message short enough to fit on a lower-cost mailer, like a postcard.
- Reach more people with your message.
- Save enough on your campaign to allow for multiple individual contacts with your target market.
When creating effective short copy, the winning formula really is in identifying the customer’s problem, offering a solution and giving customers a reason to use it. When you can fit your whole message on a postcard, you can cut costs for each individual contact, send out direct mail campaigns more frequently and beat the marketing ROI odds.
