I recently got an email from the Guardian Weekly (I know, he’s going on about that paper again…), and I decided I’d share it with you, because it’s a really good example of direct marketing through email. They get everything right here, and the landing page is great too. Have a look at the email and landing page:

The only problem I’ve found with this email is the use of ‘free’ in the subject line (”Explore world news with four free issues”), which might explain why it was sent to my Junk Email folder.

But apart from that it’s an excellent email. The headline font stays true to the Guardian’s ‘brand’ font, the headline is clear and obvious, and the images of the four free issues tangibilise what you’ll be getting.

The use of the ‘Click for your free trial offer’ button, both to the right of the images and at the bottom of the page, are very effective calls to action.

The copy (”The world isn’t simple…”) draws you in and is fairly straight to the point. The email gets across the selling point of the Guardian Weekly - because it’s a weekly paper, they have the perspective on the world news that dailies lack.

If you click on any of the calls to action, you’re brought to a landing page. The landing page is another classic example of direct response. The headline (”Explore the world”) restates the 4-week free trial, and the use of sub-headings (”Gain a global perspective”, etc.) really gets across the benefits the Weekly has to offer.

The landing page is peppered with testimonials, outlined in different shades to grab the eye. And the killer punch: 5 reasons to subscribe, at the bottom and in a different colour to the rest of the page. The 5 reasons uses many vintage direct marketing tactics - “no obligation”, “save money”, “money-back guarantee”, “free trial”.

The first start of the ordering process asks you what country you are in. You are then taken onto a quite long subscription process, which really could have been condensed a bit. But no matter. The email and landing page will already have done its job with a lot of people. This is how email marketing should be done.

I use Firefox, it’s a much better Web browser than Internet Explorer. It’s got great pop-up blocking tools, it very rarely crashes, and its tabbed browsing makes visiting different websites so easy. Plus, of course, its free, which is the reason that 13% of users (and growing) use Firefox. In Europe, 20% of us use it. In Germany, 39% of internet users browse the Web with Firefox. But, according to the BBC, one in ten UK websites don’t work properly with Firefox. Make sure that your site works well with Firefox - it’s going to get a lot more popular in the coming years.

Online forms that ask users to enter data (such as name, address, credit card number, email address, etc.) are an integral part of most web sites today. If you are selling something online, your online form will guide users through the purchase process, collecting credit card and delivery details. If you are using your web site as a lead-generation tool, your forms will request contact details from interested prospects. If you are trying to build your email newsletter subscription list, an online form is the best means of getting them to sign up.

Yet when we talk of “conversion rates” (the percentage of web site visitors who convert to a customer or sales lead), many companies are disappointed with the business that is being done through the web site. They invest in online marketing, and get a lot of targeted visitors to their web site, only to end up disillusioned when too few of these visitors convert to users. Here are a few tips to ensure that your online forms work well:

- Don’t hide your form. If at all possible, have a prominent link to it on the homepage. Even better, place a “Quick Contact” form on your homepage. This will definitely improve the response rate.
- Display the form prominently on product pages and areas that are only visited by users with a definite interest.
- Tell users the benefits of filling out the form, and if possible incentivise the process by offering a free white paper or a free consultation.
- Forms are often complicated and ask you more than you want to tell. Only ask for the bare details – but of course, get the required information.
- Don’t design your form around your database, design it around your user. For example, don’t use a form field each for First Name and Surname – users find it easier to fill out their name in one field.
- If your form needs to be long, break it up into two or more pages – people don’t like to scroll down to finish a form. Provide users with a progress indicator to show how many more steps are involved.
- Pressing the “Back” button on the form should not erase all of the information that has been filled out on the previous page.
- In a drop-down menu, list more popular selections first. If most of your visitors are from Ireland, offer that as the default selection on forms.
- State clearly what information is optional and what is required.
- Ensure that your offline sales team treat leads from the web site as they would treat a lead that came in through any other channel. Often, the offline team don’t see web-generated leads as solid prospects.
- Let users know what you’ll be doing with their contact details. Provide a privacy policy, and let users know if or when you’ll be contacting them (e.g. within the next 24 hours).
- Provide other contact options for users, such as your telephone number and email address. Some users prefer the less structured approach of an email. Others may prefer to pick up the phone.
- Some users make mistakes when filling out a form. If you have a “Form Error” page, you should use this page to give tips on the more common errors that are made when filling out your form.
- Test different forms and observe the effect on conversion rates. The form that you are using at the moment probably isn’t the optimal one.

Most of the visitors to your web site have at least some intention of doing business with you. Make it easy for them, and they are more likely to convert.

1. Know Your Objective
Do you want to sell through your website? Do you want to develop a reputation for being a knowledgeable service provider? Do you want to inform and educate? When you understand what the objective of your site is, your content will reflect that objective. This applies to different section of the site. For example, if you wish to get people to download your brochures, your content should qualify visitors and incite action.

2. Make it Scannable
People scan web pages and pick out highlighted keywords, links, sub-headings and bullet points. Paragraphs should deal with one idea, and it’s a good idea to use the “Tell them what you’re going to say, say it, tell them what you’ve said” structure to pages and paragraphs. Alternatively, the “inverted pyramid” style of writing (starting with the conclusion) is a good idea for the Web. A call to action early in the content works better, as most users will not read all of the content on a page.

3. Keep it Short
In line with the above point, short copy always works best. Use (at most) half the word count that you’d use in offline writing. Edit out buffer words and phrases. Aim for economy and immediacy when writing. For a good primer on this, see “The Elements of Style” (Strunk & White) - it’s a short book, and well worth a read.

4. Direct Marketing
Certain techniques from traditional direct marketing translate well to the online arena. A good headline will guarantee a higher readership. Sub-headings, bullet points (see point 1), and bold text for emphasis is also recommended. Talking personally (”I”, “You”) is recommended - that goes for B2B as well as B2C marketing. In addition, font is important. Research has shown that a sans-serif font (such as Arial, Verdana or Tahoma) reads better on a monitor than does serif fonts such as Times New Roman.

5. Avoid Marketing-Speak
While certain terms may be bandied about regularly in your office, they may not be understood by your target market. Don’t talk about your “turnkey solution”, your “valued customers”, your “paradigm-shifting” consultancy, or how your service can “achieve our client’s objectives”. Don’t start your home page with “Welcome”. And don’t say “We believe”. Remember, you’re marketing to humans here. And most of these humans are too busy to sift through blurb and filler. Get to the point.

6. Provide Real-Life Examples
I’m on your website to book a hotel. Or get a mortgage. Or buy your software. Or enquire about your services. I’m a human being. And I want to see what you’re doing for other human beings! So hit me with the testimonials. Hit me with the case studies. The more specific, the better. I want to know how your hotel inspired people, how your mortgage helped make dreams come true, how your software increased revenues by 22%. This is what matters to your target market. Credibility is important on the Web, so testimonials and case studies are a really good way of strengthening your position.

7. Use the Call To Action
I’ve read your copy, and I’m impressed. But…what should I do? Sometimes, it helps to spell out the next step to users. What is the next step?

- For a free brochure, send an email to freebrochure@ourcompany.com.
- To speak with one of our travel consultants, call 1800-XXX-XXXX now.
- Clicking this link will take you directly to our order page.
- To read the rest of this article, click here to become a subscriber.

It’s the call to action that will cause users to make a conscious decision. Do I want to email/call/click? Some will, and some won’t. But excluding a call to action will mean that most of these users will leave your site, never to return. Ask for the order.

Ultimately, copywriting for the Web is not all that different from offline copywriting. Good copy need not be floral and boastful, but it does need to do the job of selling.

Your new website has just gone live. You’ve invested quite a bit in it - money, hours, sweat, etc. It’s been project-managed perfectly; the brief has been adhered to perfectly.

And it’s been worth it. Beautiful Flash design, swirling animations, all the bleeding-edge technologies that your designers advocated, a shimmering Java applet of your office’s reflection on the Liffey…beautiful. Just beautiful.

You sit back and wait for the enquiries.

Nothing.

Three months later, you’re wondering where it all went wrong. Where has your target market disappeared to?

The likely answer is they’ve gone down the road to a competitor with a website that they can use.

If you’re planning a web project, these tips will give you a bit of a background to usabililty. Your website needs to CONVERT visitors to customers and qualified sales leads. Usability is the science of doing this.

A recent study found that users decide whether they like a website or not within half a second. Yours needs to appeal from the start. So read these tips and use them.

TIP #1: Visit the following websites: Google, Yahoo, Amazon, Ireland.com, DAFT.ie and RTE.ie Spend a few minutes on them. This is the Internet to millions of people, and these people want all websites to work like this. The more your site is like these websites, the better your site will convert. Simplicity is key.

TIP #2: If you want visitors to do business with you, make it as simple as possible to do business with you. If Dunnes Stores made you run an obstacle course with shopping basket in hand, would you keep shopping there? People don’t have much time these days - make it easy for them. Don’t make them have to open an account before they can purchase anything. Don’t make them have to click six times to get to their product. Don’t use long, unwieldy forms to collect personal data. This is an extension of TIP #1. Keep it simple!

TIP #3: “Speak to the dog, about what matters to the dog, in the language of the dog” (Jeff Eisenberg, ‘Call to Action‘. Your copy needs to be geared towards your target market. People don’t want to know that:

- they’re welcome to your website.
- you are a total solutions provider.
- you empower global communications providers with real-time data.
- they are visitor number 538.People do want to know that:

- there’s a 40% discount on blue widgets until Friday.
- your site is on a secure server.
- you offer free delivery.
- you guarantee the cheapest widgets in Ireland.Remember, unless the first impression is favourable, visitors will leave your site and never return. A few simple changes can make a big difference. And if you’re planning a re-design, make sure you take these tips on board.

Have you seen any of the above design mistakes? Leave a comment below.