Post Mortem of a Failure?

You’ve heard it said that we often learn our best lessons in life when we have setbacks, problems, even failures. We learn more during those times then when everything is going along just fine and dandy.

Same holds true for direct marketing. More often than not, we can learn the big lessons when things don’t go as well as expected.

I’ve had the opportunity to create many hugely successful promotions for my clients—home runs—and many others that were big, big winners as well.

But I’ve also had a few strikeouts—promos that never lived up to expectations.

What went wrong with those promos? Here are a few of my thoughts…

The promo did not have a clear Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of the product.
As you may know, the USP is what makes the product better and more unique than any other product. It’s what fills in the blanks: “Nowhere else will you find______” and “It’s the only widget with _______.”

If the USP is not powerful enough, fix the product so it becomes more unique.

Case in point is nutritional supplements. If a nutrient, supplement or formula is not clearly superior to anything else in its field based on ingredients, processing, mechanisms of action or some other factor, making it a big winner is going to be hard, if not impossible. It must stand out, stand alone, as the #1 choice for prospects.

The promo did not have enough compelling proof to make a persuasive sale of the product.
If you’re not armed with an arsenal of proof elements, it’s going to be hard to sell enough of the product.

For nutritional products, that means loads of clinical studies, scientific research and medical findings that prove that this nutrient or supplement works. It’s not just my word—it’s proven to work by doctors, scientists and researchers. The more proof, the more sales. The less proof, the less sales.

Not enough proof? Dig deeper.

The promo did not have an offer that motivated prospects to buy and buy now.
Direct marketing 101 states that the offer is 40% of the success or failure of a promo. If a promo falls short, one place to take a hard look is the offer.

For nutritional supplements, the offer is vital for success. If the offer is loaded up with FREE bottles of the product with purchase, plus FREE Premiums (usually special reports or books on the subjects), FREE shipping PLUS special savings, you can drive the average order way up.

But if the offer is lacking, the promo may falter, even fail.

In the case of nutritional supplements—products customers buy once and hopefully keep buying—getting the initial offer is more critical than ever. If a client is willing to make a generous offer to get in new customers, it will usually pay off in the long run.

But a short-sighted offer usually leads to poor results.

What to do? Test offers regularly and let the market decide what works best. Then track buyers to see how much they re-purchase.

The promo’s main theme was not on target.
This is one of the most overlooked factors in the success or failure of a direct marketing promo. If the main theme is off track or if it completely misses the prospects’ needs, hurts and problems, the promo will likely fall short.

That’s why it’s vital you learn everything you can about the prospects. Their likes, fears, worries, biggest problems, biggest needs. Read everything you can about them from surveys, testimonials or from anything else.

The main theme needs to hit prospects right between the eyes—so they pay attention and read what you’re writing.

Work extra hard on the right main theme. It’s that important!

The promo did not solve an urgent problem.
People are inundated with marketing and advertising messages all day long. But they always want to know, “What’s in it for me?” This is the question you must answer as you promote a product to customers.

If you fail to answer it well and in a timely manner, you’ve lost them.

But if you address the urgent problem head on, you’ll likely gain a reader and a customer.





This I’ve learned: Any one of these factors can either make or break a promotion. So if I’m not satisfied with any one of them, I need to step back, take a hard look and get what I need before I write the promo.

Putting it another way…the most successful promotions I’ve written in the past 20 years had all of the factors above—and the results proved how vital they were for success.

The Two-Headed Baby

Remember the old Carnival Sideshows? Boy, did they have a way of getting you to STOP and ENTER their tent to see SOMETHING UNUSUAL.

Like this actual transcript from a famous carnival company…

BARKER: “Step right up to see a real two-headed baby, with two perfectly normal heads, four perfectly formed arms and hands, and only two legs and two feet on the single body. Born or normal parents of a normal birth, the same as you and I. Come in now and visit with the baby just as long as you like…”

Gotcha, right? Despite all the distractions of a carnival—the music, the crowds, the foods—you stop, pull out your wallet, pay and go in. You have to see the unusual baby.

Same challenge I face in marketing a product or service and breaking through all the clutter and the distractions.

What can I write that’s just not the same old thing? What can I write that makes the reader say, “I’d better check this out—now.”

Recently, I had to write a promotion for a new resveratrol product. As you may know, resveratrol is the molecule found in the grapes of red wine that helps fight off aging.

One of the biggest challenges was there have been many mailings marketing resveratrol—so it’s not a new story.

Fortunately, the new formula I was marketing included resveratrol and a new, little-known nutrient that works together with resveratrol to give even better anti-aging benefits.

So I came up with this cover copy :

The Next Resveratrol

You’ve heard about red wine resveratrol on 60 Minutes, Oprah, ABC News and CNN. Maybe you’ve taken it, but haven’t gotten the results you want.

But now, is there a better way for you to get the resveratrol you need to help you…
*Outlive your doctors? *Avoid most “old age” ailments?
*Add an extra decade or two of healthy living to your life?

More than 30 clinical studies say, “Absolutely!”

I was able to catch readers attention…

By promising something new, i.e., “The Next”
By piggybacking on something they knew about: Resveratrol
By making a big promise: A better way to get resveratrol

This was a new story, something they’d want to read.

It worked! On initial response, this cover was the winning cover from a three-way test…and well on its way to being a successful mailing.

A question to always ask myself: Am I getting my prospects’ attention and making sure they put down whatever they’re doing to read what I write.

Come one, come all—and see the two headed baby!