Making Space Ads Work
While product ads can help qualify the leads, they may also reduce the number of inquiries you receive.
The layout is critical to your success. “Free Catalog” should always appear as your headline and the cover of the catalog should be shown (black and white is fine, although some market segments may need color to get noticed). Give the catalog some dimension to make it appear substantial. I also believe catalog ads are more effective when they include a coupon that can be clipped, even if you decide to test the use of an 800 number in your ads. A brief description of the catalog is also important. Mention you guarantee satisfaction, too. And be sure to put a street address in your ad, not a P.O. box number.
- Companies:
- Lett Direct Inc.
Steve Lett graduated from Indiana University in 1970 and immediately began his 50-year career in Direct Marketing; mainly catalogs.
Steve spent the first 25 years of his career in executive level positions at both consumer and business-to-business companies. The next 25 years have been with Lett Direct, Inc., the company Steve founded in early 1995. Lett Direct, Inc., is a catalog and internet consulting firm specializing in circulation planning, plan execution, analysis and digital marketing (Google Premier Partner).
Steve has served on the Ethics Committee of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and on a number of company boards, both public and private. He served on the Board of the ACMA. He has been the subject of two Harvard Business School case studies. He is the author of a book, Strategic Catalog Marketing. Steve is a past Chairman of both the Catalog Council and Business Mail Council of the DMA. He spent a few years teaching Direct Marketing at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
You can contact Steve at stevelett@lettdirect.com.
