Emotions act first

Everyone knows the central goal of all advertising efforts is to persuade the prospect to act on your appeal to them and buy into your product, service or cause. Persuasion seems as if it should be simple, right? Simply explain the benefits of your product and your prospect should want to purchase. If only it were this simple. Research shows our brains don’t take decision-making quite so lightly—they make decisions in a much more complex manner.

The human brain is comprised of two main decision-processing stations. The first station is referred to by researchers as the “First Brain” or what is commonly knows as our Limbic System. The Limbic System is the root of our primary emotions, such as survival instincts, desires and self-protection. This system is the first stop on the road to decision-making.

The second station in our brain is referred to as the “New Brain” or the Cerebrum and Cerebral Cortex. The Cerebral Cortex is responsible for organizing, retaining, communicating, learning and creating. In short, this is the root of our logic. This system is the second stop in our decision-making process.

As a message travels through the brain, it is stopped at the emotional First Brain before it is allowed to proceed through to the logical New Brain. Many advertisers make the mistake of thinking that a logical presentation of information will sell their product, however this brain model refutes this thinking. In order for your message to be processed logically, it must first be processed emotionally. Credibility is the secret to getting through the gate-keeping, emotional First Brain.

Credibility basically translates to trust, and transparency and like-ability are two key factors in building trust. If your brand and promotion are transparent and honest in nature and presented in a like-able manner, they are likely to be allowed through to the logical brain. Less like-able brands and shady promotion tactics will always be questioned at the gate-keeping First Brain station, and will require more information before these messages are allowed to proceed.

Over all, this research shows that we base our initial response to messaging on our emotional reactions, and support these reactions with logical information evaluated by our logical minds. When creating your next mail campaign, be sure to keep this in mind. Create your promotions to be honest, transparent and like-able, and you will be able to connect with and persuade your audience much easier.

This post is based on information presented in the book, Design for Response: Creative Direct Marketing that Works, by Leslie H. Sherr and David J. Katz.

Start out your 2009 with a Bang!

With the shaky state that our nation’s economy is in, organizations everywhere are feeling pressure to acquire new business and retain current clientele. Businesses everywhere need reliable ways to bring in leads and revenue in 2009. The good news is that direct mail is the perfect medium for these uncertain times. Direct mail possesses a unique set of properties that lend to its effectiveness. It is affordable, time-tested, targeted and measurable—all items that work for your bottom line.

Direct mail is affordable.  It is a price-conscious medium that can be used by organizations of any size. You are in control of the quantity of prospects you mail to, which greatly affects the ultimate cost of the mailing. Plus, with direct mail, there are endless formats to experiment with which vary in cost from extremely affordable to more expensive.

Direct mail is time-tested.  It has been around for decades. Many gimmicky forms of advertising have come and gone throughout the years, but ultimately direct mail has stood the test of time. It continues to perform for organizations across the world, helping them generate leads and revenue.

Direct mail is targeted.  This is probably the biggest reason that direct mail has been an effective advertising medium for so many years. Direct mail lists can segmented into many different categories using different criteria, such as age, income, or location, just to name a few. The options are limited only by your budget.

Direct mail is measurable.  By using tracking codes on your website URL, coupons or simply asking responders, you can see how many responses or inquiries your mailing has produced. Using this data, you can slowly tweak your campaigns as needed to drive up the response rate. If you don’t gather the correct data, you will not understand how to modify your campaigns to improve response.

If your existing campaign has lost its luster, you may wish to rethink and retool the campaign for the new year. Keep in mind that even experienced mailers might not see their perfect response on the first try of a new campaign, and so don’t be a quitter! Allow yourself the time to refine a new campaign to perform at its best. Once you have fine-tuned your campaign, consistency is the key—you never know when your prospects will need you. By using the unique properties of direct mail to their fullest you can achieve soaring sales results in 2009!

The Mail Messenger is born.

Because the world of direct mail is constantly changing, we have decided to begin publishing this blog, entitled the Mail Messenger. The goal is to publish articles and bits of information on a regular basis that showcase the latest direct mail concepts, techniques and formats. We hope you will find this to be a valuable, informational and inspirational tool as you continue to produce your direct mail campaigns.