You may have heard the quote, “Big doors swing on little hinges,” from successful business owner and author, W. Clement Stone, in the book, The Success System That Never Fails.

It’s a great quote because it really paints the picture of what any business can do for its customers, clients, and patients. One little tweak (from your business) to someone’s life can make a world of a difference.

I love this quote so much I built a marketing campaign around it several years ago, and still use it today. I call it my “little hinge” marketing template.

As you can see above, the original marketing piece I created had an actual brass hinge attached to it, which I ordered online. The hinge helped the piece get the reader’s attention and it also made the letter a lumpy mailing piece so when people received it in the mail, they would open it immediately.

The letter went out to people who were attending a workshop I was running. I used the letter to remind them to be diligent in looking for all the tips and tricks and strategies I was going to share with them because I knew it could have a huge impact on their business.

Next is a Thank You Card that went out to people who were attending a workshop I ran. It also has the little hinge which you can see on the bottom right hand side of the card.

Again, I was reminding them to be on the lookout for key ideas attendees could pick up while at the workshop.

Recently, I attended an event where there were going to be a number of publishing agents in attendance and I wanted to make an impact so I created a business card and on the back used a little Elmer’s Rubber Cement to attach an actual brass hinge.

All of the above examples are using real brass hinges and they are very simple to attach and send or use.

If you are an online marketer, you obviously can’t use a real brass hinge, but you can do the next best thing by adding the brass hinge image and CopyComic to emails, websites, videos, and more.

This CopyTemplate is perfect for marketing where you want to point out the specific benefits of your product or service that might not be instantly obvious or for having attendees on the look-out for the big benefits of your event.

If you’d like to get access to this month’s “little hinge” CopyDoodles CopyTemplate, simply log into the CopyDoodles Access Club and you will be able to access:

• My letter template with my hinge image (if you would like to send without an actual hinge attached) and copy ready for you to edit and tweak for your business
• My envelope template with a personalized CopyComic
• My envelope template with a personalized CopyStamp
• 11 Unique CopyDoodles you can use on any “little hinge” marketing piece you create
• The resource I use for purchasing brass hinges

If you’re not yet a CopyDoodles Access Club member and would like access to this template, simply head over to our brand new for 2012 www.copydoodles.com site for more details on becoming a member.

Love the template? Have any comments? I’d love to hear them below!

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Event marketers have used tickets for centuries to give their events a special feel of exclusivity and as a way to know who to let in. Tickets are cost-effective attention-grabbers that (done right) can really add spice to your marketing. You can use tickets to fill events, seminars, webinars, teleseminars, even for pre-tradeshow marketing. However, as I’m going to show you in a moment, you don’t necessarily have to be hosting an event to be able to use this attention-grabbing marketing tactic. This means EVERYBODY reading this marketing how-to article, can use this tactic in their marketing.

One such company that used tickets in their marketing was a client of mine who was hosting a local seminar. We came up with the idea of including printed tickets to be sent in a direct mail package to a cold prospect (meaning we bought a list and they were not current clients of my client). We thought we did everything right, but the initial response was only around 1.1%, which we thought was low given the importance of the seminar topic and the fact it was free.

Then I had the idea of sending the package out again, but this time letting them know the tickets were in the envelope by adding a CopyDoodle® on the outside of the envelope. The result was a phenomenal bump in response (to 8.7%) and one of my first CopyDoodles success stories.

Recently, a number of other excellent examples of “ticket marketing” have come across my desk and I thought I would share them here. Probably one of the best examples of using tickets to fill an event (and fill it it did) comes from Mike Crow of Dallas, Texas. At the recent GKIC Info Summit(SM), Mike handed out these great0looking tickets inviting attendees to a special breakfast. They were printed on a high-quality metallic gold paper and they got attention. Notice the effective use of copy cosmetics and good “reason why” copywriting. Nice job Mike and his marketing guy, John!

Speaking of the GKIC Info Summit, GKIC sent out a great looking ticket to help fill that event.

James Malinchak, who spoke at the Info Summit created another great-looking, high-response ticket for his recent bootcamp that had over 600 people in the room.

And finally, to show one more example of using tickets to fill up events, here are the tickets Charlie McDermott and I are using to get business owners to attend our Business and Entrepreneurs Networking meetings (www.benphilly.com). We print these up and hand them out to members to allow them to invite their friends to our next meeting.

But what if you’re not hosting events, can you still use tickets in your marketing? Absolutely and one way to do this, would be to create a graphic that looks like a ticket and use it in your ezines, newsletters, sales letters, HTML emails, web site, etc. The idea is to use the ticket to get attention and get your recipients engaging with your marketing.

This month, I released a Ticket CopyTemplate for my CopyDoodles Access Club Platinum members and it contained a number of ticket templates and special ticket marketing CopyDoodles for our members. One such template was a ticket design just about any business owner could use (as you can see) as an attention-grabber.

So I hope I’ve triggered an idea or two on for you to consider how you can use tickets in your marketing. If you have any other ideas or ways you’ve used tickets in your marketing, leave me a comment below!

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It’s expressing your appreciation and gratitude to friends, customers, clients, and colleagues by sending handwritten thank you notes.

Today, when 99% of people complain of too many emails, text messages, advertisements, and intrusions, NOBODY is complaining about receiving too many thank you notes and cards!

This is an important leverage point for everybody watching this video!

You should be using handwritten business thank you notes:

• When you get a new client, customer, patient
• When an existing client, customer, patient gives you a new project
• When someone make a referral to your company
• When a peer gives you helpful advice
• As a follow-up after a meeting or phone call
• For a job well done by an employee, vendor, or associate
• When someone shows you an act of kindness
• Or whenever you simply feel like making somebody’s day a bit brighter!

Here are a few helpful business thank you card tips you should keep in mind when determining what type of card you would like to send:

• Make your own card!
• Use a “tent” design for more space to write a note (and so someone could place on their desk as a reminder)!
• Hand write your message and envelope (use a high quality pen)
• Use CopyDoodles, CopyComics, CopyStamps, photos, caricatures, etc.. to personalize your thank you card and make it unique!
• Use a unique, first-class stamp (think one that even may tie in with your business)

Below is an example of a thank you card I currently use in my business:

This is a great personalized thank you card I received in the mail from Mara Glazer at Glazer-Kennedy (nothing wrong with a bit of humor!).

Below is a thank you card I received from James Malinchak and is a great example of how to maximize the real-estate of the envelope and card.

If you’re looking to create your own thank you card to send to your customers, clients, and patients, check out the brand new CopyDoodles Gratitude Card CopyTemplate which was just posted in the CopyDoodles Access Club site.

With this Gratitude CopyTemplate you receive:

• 6 customizable card templates ready for you to edit
• 165 unique gratitude-themed CopyDoodles
• Six unique Thanksgiving-Themed CopyComics
• The ability to mix and match to design your own card

For more information on handwritten business thank you notes and the November 2011 CopyTemplate, check out the below CopyDoodles TV episodes and blog posts:

www.mikecapuzzi.tv/business-thank-you-letters

http://www.mikecapuzzi.tv/lost-art-of-personal-correspondence-cdtv-episode

http://www.mikecapuzzi.tv/power-of-personalized-handwritten-notes-cdtv-episode/

I’d love to hear the ways you’re using handwritten thank you notes in your business and your thoughts on receiving them.

Please leave all your comments below.

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Below, I’m going to share three easy, yet effective strategies anybody can use to write better copy.

The first technique is to create a survey for your customers to fill out and ask specific open-ended questions about your product or service. Then you want to go through all the responses and look for valuable “copy nuggets”, which are gems of copy, written by your customers in their language, as they describe your product or service. You want to look for recurring themes and unique descriptions that you can later use as you write your own copy.

A great way to create surveys is through Survey Monkey (non-affiliate link). Survey Monkey allows you to create any length survey and it will host it online so you can direct prospective or current customers, clients, and patients directly to the survey where you can then analyze the results of, online. You can even embed the surveys into your web page, email them, or more!

What you can do when analyzing your survey results, is to browse through for interesting copy nuggets. Just looking in my own account with surveys I've done I've found some great items such as, "saves me time," "keeps the reader engaged," "quick to use."

You can also dump all of your survey results out into a report so you can view all of the answers at once and browse through for customer-written open ended responses you can pull copy writing nuggets from to use in your copy.

Another unique way to write better copy is to review comments on Amazon.com (non-affiliate link).

Here’s how this works:

The first thing you want to do is search for books on your topic. Let’s use copy writing as an example.

Recently I went into Amazon.com and just searched for the keyword "copy writing." When I clicked on the first  book that came up I was able to see all  of the reviews from customers and pull out words, phrases, and triggers I could use in my marketing copy. I always find some great phrases that I may not be thinking of, but customers are.

Just looking at the first review I recently came across, the word, "indispensable" stuck out for me. This isn't a word I would normally use, but it is a great word to add to my marketing and I can write about how CopyDoodles are indispensable for copy writers.

My last easy copy writing tip is the easiest of the three to use immediately. It has to do with writing email subject lines for your business.

Most of us are doing some sort of email marketing in our businesses and as we write these emails, often times we have our marketer/sales hat on and not our me to you, "I’m a friend" hat on.

The result can be a very corporate and impersonal sounding email and subject line and if your subject line doesn’t get attention, the email isn’t going to get opened.

What you want to do is go through your personal sent emails to friends and family and identify the difference in the way you write these subject lines versus the way you write your business subject lines. Chances are there’s a difference, not only in the words themselves, but also in how they look.

Next time you write a business email subject line, picture your best friend as you craft it, write in that style and see the difference it can make in your open rates.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these easy copy writing tips. Start implementing today to start seeing great results.

I'd love to  hear your easy copy writing tips, too so please leave them below!

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Starting a marketing campaign from scratch each and every time is tedious and not a great way to leverage time and creativity, which is why most successful marketers build and maintain a marketing swipe file.

A swipe file is your own personal collection of creative marketing examples that can include direct mail packages, sales letters, emails, advertisements, etc.

Personally, I have several large boxes in my office where I keep my creative marketing examples and my marketing radar is always on – looking for new things to add – which might help me in the future (I recently wrote about just such an example in this article (http://www.mikecapuzzi.com/marketing-ideas).

I also maintain a set of folders on my computer hard drive where I collect and store online creative marketing examples, like emails and web pages.

I use these swipe files to generate ideas and spark creativity. Sometimes I use the materials for to get ideas for my copy writing, but regardless of what I need to accomplish, by simply maintaining a healthy swipe file of both print and web materials, I can beat the blank page blues.

If you haven’t been keeping a swipe file of creative marketing examples, here’s several ideas to help you get started.

Offline Marketing (print) – study the mail you’re receiving each day and be on the look out for unique and creative ideas that grabbed your attention. Read magazines and newspapers and pay attention to the advertisements. Again, you’re looking for examples that catch your attention. Pay particular attention to headlines and eye-catching ads.

Recently I took home several ads, from the SkyMall catalog that you find on every airline flight, because the headlines were so good.

When you attend tradeshows or marketing events, don’t just walk through the vendor area – look for marketing ideas you can use in your business.

Online Marketing (web) – watch for email headlines and emails that grab your attention. Either print them off or store them in a folder on your computer. I like to use SnagIt from TechSmith to capture web sites, optin pages and sales letters. SnagIt take a picture of the entire site – no matter how long it is – and I use it many times throughout the day to build my digital swipe file.

And speaking of swipe files… we just put together a HUGE collection of creative marketing examples from over 160 CopyDoodles members. It’s our brand new CopyDoodles Swipe File book and you can learn more about it by visiting:
http://www.copydoodlesbook.com

The CopyDoodles Swipe File book is the ultimate companion for anybody who uses CopyDoodles to improve their marketing and is the short-cut for smart marketing ideas and strategies for boosting response with over 180 real-world examples from real-world business owners around the world. It’s over 5 lbs. and 700 pages of idea-generating examples covering just about every type of media possible, including...

• Advertisements
• Books
• Business cards
• Emails
• Envelopes
• Faxes
• Flyers
• Greeting cards
• Newsletters
• Order forms
• Postcards
• Sales letters
• Special reports
• Websites

There’s even a CD-ROM containing the full-color versions of each example in the CopyDoodles Swipe File book and a special interview video with a number of individuals who submitted examples describing their marketing and results generated. For example you will see…

• The business card from the dentist in Texas that’s stopping people in their tracks…
• The postcard from the restaurant owner in California that brought in the biggest turnout he’s ever seen in one of his locations…
• The advertisements from the magician in New Jersey that took his marketing to another level…
• The email from the insurance agent in Ohio that brought in 632 more sales…
• And the list goes on.

You can grab your copy of the CopyDoodles Swipe File book and CD at a very special introductory price by visiting:

http://www.copydoodlesbook.com

Finally, one last point I feel it’s important to make – swipe files should be used for inspiration and to spark creative ideas. I do not recommend simply copying these creative marketing examples verbatim.

The bottom line is to always have your marketing radar set to on and keep your eye open for creative marketing examples you can use add to your swipe files!

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I also created an episode of CopyDoodles TV (http://www.mikecapuzzi.tv/lost-art-of-personal-correspondence-cdtv-episode), where I show several additional promotion ideas and examples of “the lost art of personal correspondence” and its ability to connect with people in this day and age of plain-vanilla, everything looks the same marketing.

I wanted to share one additional example of smart promotion ideas and marketing with you in today’s article.  Again, it’s from a recent automotive industry mailing I received.

Promotion ideas you can pull from this marketing piece:

As you can see it was sent via DHL Global Mail, which practically guarantees its going to get opened.  While it doesn’t quite have the impact of Federal Express or even Priority Mail in my opinion, this format has a higher level of significance and impact than an ordinary envelope.

This was also a “blind mailing” meaning I could not tell who it came from, which probably increased readership in this specific case.

Once I opened it, I was greeted by a unique letter that included a personalized “Trade Appraisal” certificate at the top complete with my name and car model in a blue handwritten font.

Promotion Ideas I would add to this marketing piece:

While this letter tends to be much better than 90% of the direct mail I receive, there are three things I would have done to make it even better (so make sure to write down these promotion ideas).

The first would have been to explain why the letter was being sent via DHL and why time was of the essence.  They tell part of this story by explaining the “market demand story” (which is pretty good), but could have created more urgency.

I would also have added some type of CopyStamp to create another visual eye-magnet and to reinforce the urgency.  Creating these simulated rubber stamps is a breeze in the CopyDoodles Access Club.

And finally, I would increase the correct use of “copy cosmetics” to make this letter a bit more readable.  Copy cosmetics are design techniques to make your copy easier to read (and if it’s easier to read, response should go up).

Unfortunately most marketers and business owners don’t understand the right ways to apply copy cosmetics, which is why I created my one-of-a-kind Copy Boosting Profit Secrets course, which I am putting on sale for the next few days (the discount will be applied at checkout).

In this unique three-part course, I show you how to not only write BETTER copy, but how to use copy cosmetics effectively.  Plus there is a bonus session with master copywriter, Bill Glazer on the topic of “The Psychology of Writing Copy That Sells.”

Knowing how to write good sales copy is critically important for every marketer and knowing how to make it look right is equally important!  If you’re looking to get more response from your copy and better promotion ideas, you definitely want to invest in my Copy Boosting Profit Secrets!

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Both examples follow the principles I outline in my "3 Steps to Incredible Response" webinar (and soon to be book). The mailings are personal, distinctive and they look "me to you." These are three strategies I believe everybody reading this article should be using in their marketing campaigns.

One of the examples is very good and the other borders on excellent and both should give you some new marketing ideas for your own marketing campaigns.

Let’s look at the one that is almost perfect in its execution, staring with the envelope it arrived in, which you can also pull some great marketing ideas from.

First off, this envelope is an “odd size.” It is 6.75 inches wide by 3.75 inches tall. Right off the bat, it stands out because of its unique, personal correspondence-sized format.

Combine that with a blue handwritten font and a return address and sender names and this envelope begs to be open.

I had no idea who Chris and Ryan were, but their address is local and this has all the indications of a personal piece of mail, which is great to pull some marketing ideas from because everyone is more likely to open something looking like personal mail.

Could they have done better by using a non-pre-sorted, first-class stamp? Probably. But the presorted first-class stamp is a decent alternative.

The marketing ideas you can pull from this envelope are...

• personal (addressed directly to me)
• distinctive (unique size and stamp)
• and has a “me to you” look (handwritten address and return info in blue)

Whoever put this together did a great job and they continued the smart marketing strategies inside where you can pull even more marketing ideas from…

The first thing that sticks out, and you should mark down with your other marketing ideas, is the personal-looking correspondence format of the letter. This piece has the look and feel of a personal letter being sent directly from Chris and Ryan using their own personal letterhead that is 6 inches wide and 9 inches long.

If you've ever pulled marketing ideas from very old letters, back in the day when people use to write letters (instead of texting, email, etc.), this personal letterhead format was used quite often. It is a very distinctive look that stands out from everything else in your mail and ironically is one I recently started using myself as you will see below in another example you can get great marketing ideas from.

One of the marketing ideas I'm pulling from this example is that I like the personal feel of the “From the desks of…” headline.

Then, using the same blue handwritten font, they write me a letter about my wife’s minivan. They know the exact model and year of the van and they use that data smartly.

• Letter is personal to me – smart.

• They have a August 31 deadline – smart.

• They use a P.S. – smart.

• And I especially like the circle CopyDoodle that calls attention to the call-to-action – very smart.

Overall, an excellent job (and if we still owned the van would inspire me to call).

The one area I could see improvement would be multiple ways to respond (call, email or fax) and I would have stressed the idea of contacting Chris or Ryan directly, instead of going into some generic call center. This call-to-action would have been more congruent with the feel of the piece.

Again, the marketing ideas you can pull from this mailing are:

- personal (uses my name, car model, etc.)
- distinctive (personal letterhead size)
- and has a “me to you” look (blue handwriting, CopyDoodle)

The format of this mailing is very smart and can be very effective, so make sure to save all of the marketing ideas you're pulling from it!

Just yesterday I had a consulting day with a successful info-marketer who was putting together a direct mail campaign for an upcoming event. I suggested this same exact format and marketing ideas to help her break through the clutter and get opened and as I mentioned, I recently started using this format myself and sending out a personal note to new CopyDoodles Access Club members.

Next week, I will share the other notable mailer I received from another local car dealer, which is also great for pulling more marketing ideas from. It’s pretty neat.

I would love to hear your thoughts about this particular marketing example and marketing ideas how you’ve used other similar personalized marketing styles in your marketing. So leave a comment below before next week's post (9/1) and in return, I will email you a PDF that contains the full-sized images of both marketing pieces above so you can print them out and swipe all the marketing ideas you need!

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What follows below is my analysis into the results of each of the six split tests done on advertisement examples I mentioned on CopyDoodles TV. Of course, the real reasons why people respond to one advertisement versus another are buried deep into human psychology, timing and other factors we’ll never know, however, in this article I will give you my best reasons why one advertisement out-performed another.

And while some of the advertisement examples answers may surprise you, a closer look at each ad after knowing the right answer is useful as you prepare your next marketing campaign!

If the study of what design factors affect response intrigues you further, I would recommend you check out my Copy Boosting Profit Secrets and Response Boosting Profit Secrets. These two unique courses take an in-depth look at HOW marketing looks and the effect on response.

http://www.mikecapuzzi.com/resources

Advertisement Examples #1: Ad A outperformed Ad B by 3:1

These two advertisement examples were run in the same publication at different times of the year.  Ad A, the first to appear, pulled more than 1,050 inquiries. Ad B pulled 339.

While no definitive reasons are given for this considerable difference of the advertisement examples, I believe Ad A does a better job of grabbing attention with a stronger headline with an illustration.  Ad B has a “cute” headline that doesn’t really offer any specific benefit or reason why I should read further.

I also think Ad A is easier to read and is a good example of using subheads and two columns for making it easier for people who like to skim.

SIDE NOTE: Ad A carried a line at the bottom of the coupon, “A few Multistamp sales territories are open to responsible men of executive ability.  If interested, check here.”

Ad B did not carry this line.  Approximately 150 inquiries were received from men seeking distributorships.

Adding this “check here” on Ad A’s coupon allowed them to collect even more relevant data at no extra expense from those responding.  Smart strategy!

Advertisement Examples #2: Ad A brought in six times as many leads as Ad B

Just about everybody incorrectly guessed the answer to these advertisement examples. Evidently, there is something about Ad A’s specific question headline that attracted attention.  The development of income insurance in 1933 was still in its pioneering stage and an offer of information apparently proved welcome.

In these advertisement examples, the use of three indented paragraphs instead of a single justified paragraph in Ad B makes it easier on the eye and the copy in Ad A is stronger and supports the ad’s call to action better.

Looking at the coupon, the direct mention of the booklet explaining Equitable Annuities increases the effectiveness of the ad versus the offer in Ad B.

Advertisement Examples #3:  Advertisement B outperforms Ad A by 60%

Unlike the second test above, just about everybody got the answer to this set of advertisement examples correct!  Couple of things to point out on the advertisement examples above.

The opening line in Ad B carries authority by citing what a veterinarian would say about the summer months.  This is stronger and more compelling than the copy in Ad A.

Ad B uses a picture of a dog that helps grab attention.

While I am not a big fan of reverse print (white copy on black background), the minimal use in this headline works.  This headline is much easier to read than the headline on Ad A, plus it’s a stronger, more benefit-oriented headline.

I also like the copy in the coupon on Ad B.  “Certainly, I want to keep my dog safe this summer…”  Who wouldn’t want that?

Advertisement Examples #4: Ad B outperformed Ad A by 100%

This test was another one that may surprise you, especially since at first glance of the advertisement examples, Ad A is easier to read then Ad B.

While Ad A uses a picture (which is a proven attention-grabber) this particular picture does little to add to the message.  A more personal approach may have proved more effective with this ad.

The copy in Ad B strikes an emotional connection with readers by tapping into “leisurely life.”  Look closer to the illustrations in the headline – these images are much more compelling than the photo in Ad A.  It seems obvious that this focus on leisure has more appeal to the average human than the idea of sticking to a job forever (per the headline in Ad A).

This is an important question for everybody.  What is the deeper emotional benefit your product or service offers?

Advertisement Examples #5: Ad B brought in twice as many coupons as Ad A

These advertisement examples have interesting results that may surprise you (it surprised me).  In studying these two ads, I have a few comments.

Ad B’s headline is stronger than Ad A.  Ad A uses a more “cutesy” approach that is less personal than Ad B.

My only other comment is that the use of the fisherman in the first of the two advertisement examples may have only appealed to only a limited group of prospects, while the other ad was more universal in its appeal.  These advertisements were run in city newspapers, not niche publications. I am sure if these tests were conducted in a fishing magazine, Ad A would have out-pulled Ad B.

This is why it’s so critically important to understand your target market and use photos, illustrations and copy that’s relevant to them!

Advertisement Examples #6: Ad A received 3.5 times more leads

This is another one of the advertisement examples that somewhat surprised me, but closer inspection reveals several reasons why Ad A is the winner.

During first glance at the advertisement examples, Ad A tells a more complete story than Ad B.  Ad B’s headline is weak. Plus the use of different fonts and bold and italics is much more eye-catching in Ad A.

The lively illustration of the couple with joy on their faces and having fun has more appeal than the stern-faced multi-panel comic.

The copy in Ad A is much more specific and compelling than Ad B and the offer “Don’t say no until you’ve read this book” is strong and direct.

Final comment

I hope you enjoyed this fun exercise and review of a few classic advertisement examples I pulled from the 1930’s.  While much has been said about the average attention span and intelligence of people in the 21^st century compared to those in the previous century one thing is crystal clear.  What grabs readers’ attention and what fulfills their emotional needs has not changed and by studying past successes and advertisement examples can help us all create our own future successes!

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I want to continue sharing a few cool direct marketing examples that recently caught my eye, including a really smart online up sell strategy that got me to spend more money.

To download a high-resolution version of these direct marketing examples, click here.

http://mikefiles.com/example2.zip

This direct marketing example came to me in the mail from Google. Inside, Google is giving me a $100 credit to try out AdWords. This in and of itself is a smart strategy, but what I like the most about this direct marketing example was the fact Google showed me the “gift card” through the envelope. They did not hide it in the envelope but instead used the window to allow me to see it.

Many direct marketing examples and packages I critique for clients make the mistake of hiding the big benefit inside an envelope that offers no indication of what’s inside. If you’re sending something valuable in the package, make sure the recipient knows about it on the outside of the package!

This next direct marketing example was a fun-looking piece I received after enrolling in Cigars International Cigar of the Month club. They sent me my own “passport” in the welcome package, which reminded me of all the benefits I was going to receive. Very smart and fun strategy for those of you who offer membership packages and one I am going to swipe for future use!

Finally, this last direct marketing example is one that blew me away (and got me to open up my wallet to spend even more money). It comes from Cigars International again, and after placing my online order, rather than present me with a typical upsell offer, they asked me if I wanted to play their “Whack-a-Deal” game which is a variation of the classic ‘whac-a- mole” carnival game.

Words cannot due this justice, so check out this video I captured as I went through the process.

http://www.mikecapuzzi.com/evp/?seed=whack

So there you have several unique direct marketing examples, which I hope can help you in your marketing. If you have any other direct marketing examples you’d like to share with me, leave me a note below!

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There’s a lot of neat ideas and strategies you can use in your business, if you simply have your “marketing radar” on and are always looking for good marketing examples that are getting your attention.

This is why I am such a fan of swipe files and why I am publishing the CopyDoodles Swipe File book, which you can be a part of for free! Visit www.copydoodlesbook.com for more information!

Recently, a number of good marketing examples caught my eye and I thought you would enjoy seeing them along with my notes as to what I think they’re doing right. There’s a total of six good marketing examples and I’m going to cover the first three this week and the final three next week. Make sure you look out for next week’s article, where I am going to show you one of the most unique upsell strategies I’ve ever seen (I think its genius)!

To download a high-resolution version of these good marketing examples, click here:

http://mikefiles.com/example1.zip

In this first good marketing example, CopyDoodles Access Club Member Shannon Harvey, created a great-looking direct mail package to help raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Here’s a few of the smart things Shannon did on this direct mail package:

Envelope: I like the association with Shannon and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on the outside of the envelope. This may have been a part of the mailing requirement, however I would like to have tested having the letter come directly from Shannon and add a note about the Society on the outside (basically flip-flopping the content on the envelope).

I like the CopyDoodle® choice Shannon made for the outside of the envelope, however I would have preferred if the CopyDoodle was in color. Again the one-color may have been a requirement for the envelope.

The blue handwritten font (and the partial red handwritten note) showing through the window caught my eye immediately.

Live, first-class stamp adds to the overall package.

Letter: Shannon did a great job with the use of CopyDoodles, photos and captions that tell a story and the clincher that got me to donate was the personal note at the top of the letter from Shannon right to me. Great job Shannon and I hope your campaign paid off big time for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

I saw this next good marketing example at a recent marketing event and it comes from Benjamin Bressington. It’s a four page sales letter that’s disguised as a comic strip. I’m a big fan of using comics and cartoons and Ben’s good marketing example caught my eye at the conference. It’s different, it’s easy to read and it stands out from 99% of the marketing out there. Nice job Ben!

Check out the course I put together on using cartoons in your marketing by visiting www.marketingresponseshop.com.

This next good marketing example is from long-time CopyDoodles member, Linda Steele Thom. Linda used one of our CopyTemplates and created her own unique-looking “check self-mailer.”

While it’s hard to see in the image above, this is a single sheet of paper that is folded lengthwise and gets mailed. On the side opposite the address side, is a personalized “check.” The recipient opens it up to a singe-page sales letter.

This is a very unique-looking direct mail piece that is inexpensive to send out and is a good marketing example.

So there’s the first three good marketing examples I wanted to share with you. The next three are a bit more “corporate”, but excellent examples none-the-less. Stay tuned for next week where I’ll share these good marketing examples with you!

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