"Be wary of using the web page to promote".

That was the message of Dani Levinas, president of Georgetown Publishing House and Global Network, at the NPA electronic publishing conference wrap-up panel, called "The Internet--A Threat or an Opportunity."

Levinas's company did a mailing of about 50,000 pieces to promote a publication and split the mailing three ways to test if people would subscribe through the web site.

* Package #1, the control, made no mention of Georgetown's web site in the response card. It drew 170 paid orders.

* Package #2 "was exactly the same except that in the address line in the response card we just mentioned the web site," he said. It drew 110 paid orders.

* Package #3 had a different response panel. "It was just one page and said to save 25% of your time go visit this web site," Levinas said. "It didn't say anything else. It just sent them to the web page." It drew 2,200 hits but only 7 paid orders.

The moral of the story:

"Unless you have a great web page that sells, and we don't know what sells on the web but we do know from the printed package what sells, don't send them there.

"Just mentioning the web page address distracted the people from buying directly. The person says, 'Okay, let's go visit them at the web site before we send them the check.' That step interrupted many of them from ordering directly from the promotion piece."

1101 30th St., NW Washington, DC 20007, 202-337-5980, fax [phone], www.gph.com.