Websites: Direct Mail’s First Cousin

Cousins
How Websites Follow in Direct Mail’s Footsteps
Direct Mail and Websites have special family ties. So if you are developing a website or landing page, look to Direct Mail for insight.

“Oh no! …”

Oh No

“…I may miss out”
Visual cues and our emotions work to compel us to take action. Whether we are purchasing lotion at a pharmacy, responding to a call-to-action on a website or direct mail piece, similar techniques can be used to elicit a response.

How to Give Your Images More Impact

Context Image Can you guess what the illustration above represents?
If you are having difficulty it’s because an important component is missing — CONTEXT.

Wary of Lightbox Ads?

LightboxQ&A on why you shouldn’t be.
Lightboxes may be one of the least favorite user experiences on the web. What are they? Why are they a growing trend? And why am I touting their use?

Direct Response in Action

schoolyard
What Happened When I Taught My Nephew 5 Simple Tactics
We all know that direct response isn’t child’s play. It’s hard work. Nevertheless, if you keep just a few things in mind, even a novice can make a difference — and the story of my teenage nephew, Ian, and what he was able to accomplish is a good example.

Lift Your Click-Through Rates: 2 Tips from the Trenches

Email success Part 1
Alt Tags; Retina Images in Email
We all know that emails are the “workhorse channel.” But are you working everything available to you to optimize your open and click-through rates? In this Part 1 of a special 2-part series of newsletters I address frequent mistakes and ways to avoid them.

Lift Your Open Rates: 2 Tips from the Trenches

Email Success Part 2
Spam Filters & Preheaders
I learn a lot from my email work with clients. In Part 2 of my series on mistakes to avoid, I want to alert you to Mistake 3 and Mistake 4, which — when it comes to lifting open rates — you should never, ever ignore!

How to Stand Out with More Visual Promotions

Pie Chart
Top 3 Reasons for Charts
Charts (pie, bar, and others) are proven attention-winners. Of course, they’re perfect for presentation of data. But, with a little creative flair, you can also employ them to make your most important sales messages pop, online and off.

Raise Response with Email + Direct Mail

“pow”
2 Proven Ways to Team Them Up
When email and direct mail join forces, their combined strengths can really put some POW in your response rates and give your business or nonprofit greater ROI.

Responsive Emails: Make Them Work for You

Responsive web devices
What’s a responsive email? How does the same newsletter look on the desktop and on a mobile device? How does improper formatting affect the click-through rate? Get answers here.

2-Minute Direct Response Design Critique

“magazine
By making just six simple tweaks to the above magazine insert card I was able to transform a simple insert card into a more effective and powerful acquisition tool.

Don’t Litter Between 11AM-12:30PM?

“NYC
The Importance of the 2C’s
The above street sign is a perfect example of why the 2C’s — Conciseness and Clarity — need to be considered in every creative.

Unopened Email: How It Can Bring In Sales

“email
By making just six simple tweaks to the above magazine insert card I was able to transform a simple insert card into a more effective and powerful acquisition tool.

Ugly and Unorganized Worked!

arrows going in many directions

A Valuable Early Lesson
How looking at a sweepstakes package changed my mind about what can work in direct response design.

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