Table of Contents
Introduction

Chapter 1

The Science and Mechanics of Sending and Receiving Emails

  • 3 easy steps to accelerating your mastery of direct mail.
  • Why direct mail has made a made a roaring comeback in the digital age.
  • 12 reasons why direct mail may work well for you
  • Getting a direct mail “mindset”
  • 60 ways to use DM in your marketing
Chapter 2

Planning: The Professional Approach

  • 10 steps to creating a winning mail plan.
  • How to establish campaign objectives.
  • Determining your unique selling proposition.
  • Targeting the right mailing lists.
  • Scheduling your mail promotion.
Chapter 3

Creating Irresistible Offers

  • The 6 characteristics of an irresistible offer.
  • Response-boosting guarantees.
  • Deadlines and other act-now incentives.
  • Lead magnets and other free offers.
  • Offers for increasing direct sales.
Chapter 4

Mailing Lists

  • Where to rent mailing lists.
  • 16 tips for profitable list selection and usage.
  • The recency, frequency, monetary (RFM) formula.
  • Optimal number of names on the list to mail.
  • Identifying list requirements.
Chapter 5

Writing Direct Mail Copy

  • The 4S formula for clear writing.
  • The BDF formula for writing what prospects care about.
  • 10 tips for writing DM copy that sells.
  • The Motivating Sequence.
  • 9 fundamentals of persuasion in print.
Chapter 6

Direct Mail Graphic Design

  • Outer envelopes.
  • Sales letters.
  • Reply forms.
  • Buck slips.
  • Self-mailers.
Chapter 7

Direct Mail Production

  • Setting the production schedule.
  • Calculating cost per thousand.Calculating break-even
  • Business reply mail.
  • Printing and letter shop.
Chapter 8

Direct Mail Testing

  • A/B split tests
  • Multivariate testing
  • Statistically valid tests
  • 10 rules for DM testing
  • Rollouts.
The Direct Mail Revolution
Chapter 9

Write Winning Sales Letters

  • Long copy vs. short copy
  • 50 tips for lead-generating sales letters.
  • Outer envelope teasers
  • Sales letter copywriting checklist
  • B2B sales letters
Chapter 10

DM Brochures

  • Content
  • Design
  • Writing DM brochures
Chapter 11

Reply Elements

  • Are reply elements necessary?
  • Quick Response codes.
Chapter 12

Self-Mailers

  • Formats
  • 8 tips for self-mailer success.
Chapter 13

Postcards

  • Advantages
  • Copywriting
  • Design
Chapter 14

Landing Pages as Online DM Response Elements

  • Principle of copy connectivity
  • How landing pages work.
  • Qualifying online leads
  • 10 landing page copywriting tips
  • Optimal copy length
Chapter 15

Content Marketing

  • The role of content in DM
  • Winning titles for lead magnets
  • The content marketing plan
  • Eliminating “content pollution”
Chapter 16

Integrating DM with Email

  • Comparison of DM vs. email
  • Integrating email into your DM campaign
  • Hyperlinks in emails
  • 26 tips for writing high-performance email
Chapter 17

Sales Funnels

  • The top of the funnel
  • The role of DM in sales funnels
  • Auto-responder follow-ups
  • Order pages
  • Shopping carts
Appendix I

Vendors

Appendix II

Bibliography

BOB BLY

Bob Bly is an independent copywriter, marketing consultant, and internet marketer with 4 decades of experience.

Bob has written copy and consulted for over 100 companies including IBM, AT&T, Medical Economics, Praxair, Ingersoll-Rand, and Agora Publishing.

He is the author of more than 100 books including The Digital Marketing Handbook and The Marketing Plan Handbook, both from Entrepreneur Press.

His articles have appeared in many publications including Cosmopolitan, Writer’s Digest, City Paper, and Successful Meetings.

Awards include a Gold Echo from the Direct Marketing Association and AWAI Copywriter of the Year. Bob has been interviewed on many radio and TV shows including CBS Hard Copy and CNBC, as well as featured in major media ranging from the New York Post to Nation’s Business.

The Direct Mail Revolution
FREE Sample Chapter gets you started: “10 steps to planning a winning DM campaign”

“Reports of the death of direct mail have been greatly exaggerated, and Bob Bly proves it in this powerful new book, The Direct Mail Revolution. With email response rates dropping like a rock, postal mail is now poised for a major comeback as one of the world's most effective marketing media. Bly's book--which could be called ‘Direct Mail 2.0’--serves as both a superb primer for those who've never managed a direct-mail campaign before and an excellent refresher for those who have.”
--Richard Armstrong, Direct-Mail Copywriter