Award-winning tabloid promotion for investment letter bucks market to garner several thousand online subscribers. (Promotion).Craig Huey's full-color, glossy tabloid tab·loid n. A newspaper of small format giving the news in condensed form, usually with illustrated, often sensational material. adj. 1. In summary form; condensed. 2. Lurid or sensational. self-mailer for the online investment service VectorVest won the Gold Award in the 2002 Newsletter Promotion Awards Competition, sponsored by The Newsletter on Newsletters. The judges were impressed with a number of unusual features of the mailing, not the least of which was using a traditional print DM package to market an online newsletter. Huey, president of Creative Direct Marketing Group, explained their marketing challenge: "This was an extremely difficult project to undertake because investors are used to subscribing to a hard copy newsletter rather than to an online product. Furthermore, the handful of investors who are now subscribing to online products do so with online marketing. Our challenge was to prove that direct mail could generate subscriptions cost-effectively for an online product. "Further compounding this problem was the fact that the market has been so depressed," Huey continued. "With investor portfolios down over 50 percent and no one willing to subscribe to Verb 1. subscribe to - receive or obtain regularly; "We take the Times every day" subscribe, take buy, purchase - obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; "The family purchased a new car"; "The conglomerate acquired a new company"; an investment newsletter, how do you convince someone to subscribe? "Other publications are failing in their marketing efforts. Finally, most prospects are over 65 and may not be computer literate computer literacy n. The ability to operate a computer and to understand the language used in working with a specific system or systems. computer literate adj. or may be afraid to use the computer for investing." Objectives Huey provided these four objectives for the mailing: * To prove that even in this depressed market Depressed market Market in which supply overwhelms demand, leading to weak and lower prices. , there was a way to make money using a revolutionary, new computerized online investing system. * Overcome the fear and the hurt of investors that has resulted in their not subscribing to hard copy newsletters. * To prove to investors that they can utilize a computerized system. Knowing that the target audience is over 65, we saw this as a very difficult objective to meet. * To break even and to generate several thousand new subscribers. Creative solution Huey said, "The creative strategy we employed was to develop a mailing package that: * Uses a tabloid (tabalog) size because: 1) It clearly displays screens and charts; 2) It dramatically stands out from the competition by its tabalog size. * Features photos of the inventor and president on the cover to produce confidence-inspiring, eye-to-eye contact with the reader. * Counters natural reader skepticism by emphasizing the incontrovertible in·con·tro·vert·i·ble adj. Impossible to dispute; unquestionable: incontrovertible proof of the defendant's innocence. in·con statistical evidence of VectorVest's superiority. * Illustrates the program's ease of use in order to provide greater appeal to those who may think such a program is complicated or can't use the computer. * Show that this online system is for all investors." On that last point, the back page of the mailer (1) An e-mail program. See e-mail program. (2) A message sent by an e-mail program. (3) A person or organization sending e-mail. features the photos of four different types of investors--aggressive, prudent, conservative, and speculator--with appropriate copy for each type and highlighted "See p...." for articles on each approach. The VectorVest order form is also a gem. The offer is worth repeating, if only to see what they were offering and the price structure they were using. YES! I want to earn 61.7% annual returns buying safe, undervalued stocks An undervalued stock is defined as a stock that is selling at a price significantly below its intrinsic value (finance). For example, if a stock is selling for $50, but can be determined to be worth $100 based on future cash flows, then it is an undervalued stock. whose stock prices are going up. Send me VectorVest Pro Graphics on CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). along with: five weeks of daily toll-free updates; a user's manual; an instructional video that walks me through the program; and a copy of Dr. DiLiddo's best-selling best·sell·er also best seller n. A product, such as a book, that is among those sold in the largest numbers. best book, Stocks, Strategies & Common Sense. I understand this is all mine for just $9.95. At the end of the five-week trial, if I'm not satisfied with VectorVest ProGraphics, I'll let you know and you agree to return every penny I've paid. The CD-ROM and all the other items I've received are mine to keep. On the other hand, if I like VectorVest, I'll be able to receive updated data every trading day In Business, the trading day is the time span that a particular stock exchange is open. For example, the New York Stock Exchange is, as of 2006, open from 09:30AM to 4:00PM. Trading days never take place on weekends. . I'll receive daily updates from the internet for just $49.00 a month (or from your toll-free service for just $59 a month). I understand that I always have the right to cancel the update service at any time. There are absolutely no long-term commitments, no hidden fees, no fine print, and no gimmicks of any kind. Results Huey reported, "This has probably been one of the most successful marketing campaigns for any investment newsletter in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. for any online product. It's the first one to use direct mail successfully, and the first one to grow to over 35,000 paid subscribers in the last year while other newsletters have lost over 40-50 percent of their subscriber base." Bill Heim designed the piece. CDMG CDMG California Division of Mines and Geology , 2360 Plaza Del Ama, #105, Torrance, 0490501, 310-212-5727, fax 310-212-5773, www.directmarketingcenter.com |
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