| In my life, I've had two freelance careers, | | | | many times, and over a long period of time. |
| one that limped along miserably for a number | | | | |
| of years, and one that took off like a rocket | | | | Personally, I've never used Who's Mailing |
| after only three months of marketing. | | | | What! to see what others are doing since I |
| | | | have an extensive swipe file of my own. But |
| What happened in between was eight year of | | | | I've often used it to build my prospect |
| excitement, growth and misery at a | | | | database. |
| high-powered direct response agency, and a | | | | |
| life-changing event at a hospital from | | | | What makes Who's Mailing What! such a |
| overwork. What I'll always be thankful for, | | | | valuable resource for the copywriter is that |
| however, is that I learned exactly what it | | | | it lists known mailers. You don't do better |
| takes to get a lead, and convert them. | | | | than that when trying to determine whether a |
| | | | company is a likely prospect for copywriting |
| Prior to my years at the agency I managed to | | | | services. |
| maneuver myself onto the board of the Oregon | | | | |
| Direct Marketing Association. During this | | | | What's more, in the Who's Mailing What! |
| time I was often in the company of list | | | | database you can search by niched category. |
| brokers. | | | | For instance, if you specialize in |
| | | | nutritional supplements you can search |
| One broker I wrote copy for was fond of | | | | category #346 (Nutritional Supplements and |
| reciting the "40/40/20 rule," which I thought | | | | Vitamins) for high quality prospects. |
| was a not-so-subtle attempt to put me in my | | | | |
| place. | | | | You'll find many repeat entries, but that's |
| | | | ok; it just means that particular mailer is |
| According to the 40/40/20 rule, 40 percent of | | | | mailing frequently, which making them all the |
| the success of a mailing comes from the | | | | more desirable for your list. |
| quality of the list; another 40 percent comes | | | | |
| from the quality of the offer, and only 20 | | | | An example: In a quick search of the database |
| percent comes from the copy. | | | | for the Nutritional Supplements and Vitamins |
| | | | category - and limiting to just the last two |
| I'll grant he was right, except in the case | | | | years - I found 66 entries. One strong mailer |
| where a mature marketer has tested all the | | | | is Mountain Home Nutritionals, with eight |
| lists, and tested all the offers, and now all | | | | mailings in two years. |
| that's left to test is copy or creative. | | | | |
| | | | Now that's all I need to know in order to |
| New businesses (and new copywriters) must | | | | "qualify them" for my list. |
| start with the list, and the more qualified | | | | |
| it is, the greater (and faster) the success. | | | | However, if you wanted to go deeper, you'd |
| | | | learn that Mountain Home Nutritionals doesn't |
| That's why I spend several sessions with my | | | | mail the same package over and over; rather, |
| coaching students when it's time to start | | | | it appears they test offers, as well as |
| building their lists. I emphasize that | | | | certain products. |
| nothing is more important than targeting the | | | | |
| right people! | | | | Go even deeper, and you'll find that on one |
| | | | mailing, they used a #11 envelope, that the |
| One of my list-building secrets is the online | | | | mailing specs were 13 pages of four-color |
| database, Who's Mailing What!. | | | | process, that it was an acquisition |
| | | | (prospecting) mailing...and that the concept |
| Who's Mailing What! is a huge archive of | | | | copy for the outer envelope was: |
| "classic" direct mail packages, postcards, | | | | |
| magalogs, catalogs, and self-mailers. It | | | | "Stock Up Now on Dr. Williams' Top |
| exists to give businesses access to | | | | Health-Boosting Formulas!" |
| competitive marketing materials, and to | | | | |
| provide copywriters with a research tool and | | | | Now one caution: this is all very |
| copying service. | | | | fascinating, but you're simply looking to |
| | | | qualify a potential prospect. Resist the urge |
| For instance, say you got your first job | | | | to look deeper as time is of the essence. |
| writing a promotion for the Seminars trade. | | | | |
| You could spend about $70 for a one-year | | | | What you need to do next is go to your |
| membership to Who's Mailing What! and pull up | | | | potential prospect's Web site to get contact |
| information on thousands of archived mailers | | | | data...and that may not be as easy as it |
| selling seminars. | | | | seems. |
| | | | |
| For an extra $40 or so, you can request that | | | | For instance, plugging "Mountain Home |
| one of these mailers be copied and sent to | | | | Nutritionals" into Google didn't bring it |
| you in either a traditional photocopied | | | | up...but it did bring up "Dr. David |
| format, or (if available) an instantly | | | | Williams"...and that's the brand under which |
| downloadable PDF. | | | | Mountain Home Nutritionals is sold. So this |
| | | | is where you gather your contact information. |
| Sometimes you'll find a sample that the Who's | | | | |
| Mailing What! editors suspect is a control | | | | With hundreds of categories...from fund |
| (due to the fact that same package keeps | | | | raising and investments to technology and |
| reappearing). | | | | insurance...Who's Mailing What! is an ideal |
| | | | source for building your prospect list. Start |
| There are two types of control identified: | | | | here, and I guarantee you'll step into the |
| the "Control," and the "Grand Control." The | | | | marketing side of copywriting with more |
| Grand Control is a mailer that has mailed | | | | confidence...and more success. |