Ten tips for increasing response to direct mail packages selling directories.

1. Target previous buyers. Mail to past buyers and tell them specifically why, although they already own a copy, why they should get the new edition. For one directory, a test mailing to 3-year-old buyers pulled off almost triple the response to a rented list.

2. Play on your good name. When Medical Economics successfully launched Physicians Desk Reference for Nurses, direct mail copy positioned it as "the PDR for nurses." If your flagship product or publishing company has name recognition, play that off in promotions for other products.

3. Offer a pre-publication discount. The most effective incentive for the prospect to order now instead of later is a pre-publication discount. This can be an actual cast discount or free shipping and handling--or both.

4. Stress the urgency and importance of having up-to-date information. Many prospects don't ask, "Why buy?" when they see your offer; instead they ask, "Why buy now?" Demonstrate to prospects why they need or should want the most current data available. For instance, bringing a manager up-to-date on new safety regulations might help him achieve compliance at lower cost.

5. Differentiate yourself from the competition. If your data is approved by a regulatory agency, for example, then your advantage is that it's official. On the other hand, if your data is not reviewed by a governing body prior to publication, then you provide expert ratings, guidance, unbiased opinions, or some other advantages that the "official" competitor does not. Identify what makes you unique and communicate it clearly in your mailings.

6. Show the potential buyer how he or she can profit by putting your directory to use. One obvious benefit is saving time. Your prospect knows that using old directories means wasted mailings and phone calls to update old listings and reach the right people. Position the purchase of the new edition as a drop in the bucket compared to time and money saved, as well as results obtained.

7. Talk about the important people or companies who rely on your book. Communication Briefings uses this technique in direct mail selling its newsletters; half of a page of the 4-page letter is a box listing Fortune 500 companies that subscribe. Tell your prospect about the prestigious companies in the field that buy your directory, or about the important associations that endorse it.

8. Quantify the improvements in the forthcoming edition. Be specific. How many listings out of the total have been revised or updated? How many are new? Give percentages; e.g., "25% of listings updated." The most important improvement buyers look for is new and updated information. Second is expanded listings (e.g., more data on each company or product; e-mail addresses added). Third is new features such as photos, maps, guides, glossaries, background articles, etc.

9. Spell out the negatives and penalties of working with old information. A classic example is a mailing for Physicians Desk Reference that warned buyers of older editions that the information was dated and should not be used when making clinical decisions. The mailing included a warning sticker the buyer could place on the cover of the old directory until the new one arrived.

10. Test a guarantee. A number of directory publishers are successful without offering a money-back guarantee. That may be the case with you; however, you should still split test no-guarantee vs. 3-day money-back guarantee (or even 60 to 90 days) if you are currently not offering a guarantee. Doesn't it make sense to confirm whether your current offer is the most profitable possible?

Bob Bly is a freelance copywriter with 20 years of experience in business-to-business and direct marketing. He has written DM packages for Phillips Publishing International, Agora Publishing, KCI communications, McGraw-Hill, Medical Economics, Reed Reference Publishing, and numerous other publishers.