The talking machine world (Oct-Dec 1921)

OCTOBEK IS, 1921 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD 17 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim Securing Talking Machine Business Through Use of Uncle Sam's Postage Stamps IllllllllllUllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllU^ By D. G. Baird | iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Direct mail is the one_ form of advertising in which it is possible for the merchant to pick his prospects. In direct mail the advertiser can choose the very people whom he wishes to read his advertisements and can feel sure that no others will see what he has to say or to offer. Direct mail is the one form of advertising in which he can group all of a certain class of prospects and appeal to them directly, forcefully and intimately without wasting effort on people outside of that particular group or groups. Merchants in every line have long since realized these advantages of direct-mail advertising and many of them have employed this form of publicity to excellent purpose. Like all other forms of advertising, directmail must be properly prepared and directed, however, if it is to accomplish the results for which the advertiser hopes. We are told in treatises on the subject that an advertisement, to be successful, must do four things — it must catch the attention, arouse desire for the article or thing advertised, convince the reader that the very one advertised is the right one for him to buy, and then move him to action — start him right off to the advertiser's place of business for the purpose of buying the advertised goods. Now, inasmuch as direct-mail advertising is still advertising, these principles apply to this form of publicity just as they apply to a newspaper advertisement or to any other form of advertising. The difference comes from the fact that direct mail is, or at least ought to be, more personal than the general advertisement. This difference should be carefully borne in mind when preparing a letter to be sent out to one's customers or prospects. The personal element should be emphasized to the fullest possible extent. One may, for example, prepare a letter to be sent out to all female prospects and address the circular simply to "Dear Madam," without any name whatever. Many such letters are so addressed. This, of course, saves a few cents in that it is then unnecessary to "have the typist write in the name and address of the recipient of each letter. All of us have received hundreds of such letters— letters from all manner of merchants wanting to sell us all manner of merchandise. Invariably, almost, we read the heading — ''Dear lUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Sir" or "Dear Madam" — and toss the letter into the waste basket. Why? Because we know as soon as we see that impersonal greeting that it is an advertisement and we are not particularly interested. There is nothing about it to comply with the first fundamental principle of advertising; it does not attract the attention. Sometimes it isn't even necessary to read the salutation of the letter. Many such efforts are sent out in unsealed envelopes, under one-cent postage, and we know what they are without the trouble of removing the sheet from its container. Very few people care to read general, unsolicited advertising matter. There is too much of it, for one thing. Someone is forever trying to sell us something, and we don't care to I Direct Mail Is a Form | ■ of Advertising inWhich ■ I aCertainClassofPros | B pec/5 Can Be Appeal | 1 ed to Most Successfully B buy just now. We are on the defensive, and it is a very easy matter to just toss this secondclass mail matter into the waste basket. This practice of sending out direct-mail advertising, in the form of letters anyway, under onecent postage saves the sender one cent on each letter. But if some or many of such letters are going to be therefore cast aside without a glance at their contents, isn't the advertiser wasting instead of saving by this practice? A letter that gets results is cheap at almost any price; one that does not get even a casual reading is dear at any price. It costs more to type in the prospect's name and address and to send the letter under firstclass postage, but if one is going to undertake a direct-mail campaign at all it would seem the part of reason to spend a little more and use lllllllllllllllllllllllllllll methods that have at least some chance of meeting, with success. A letter bearing a two-cent stamp on the envelope and addressed to one personally by name at the head of the sheet will command one's attention and will receive a respectful reading; the other kind will not. Not only so, but if the letter is from a store where one is accustomed to trade more or less, and if it is presented in a cheerful, helpful spirit, the recipient will appreciate the dealer's interest in him. He may feel just a little flattered to think that this dealer appreciates his little patronage enough to send him a personal letter. On the same grounds, it may be said that the use of the addressee's given name, or even of his nickname, will make the communication seem all the more personal and will, therefore, produce better results. If a dealer is accustomed to address an old friend as "Jim" when the latter is in his shop, why should he not address him in the same way in the salutation of a letter? Imagine Jim's feelings on receiving a letter from his personal friend, the village talking machine dealer, addressed merely to "Dear Sir"! Getting Human Interest Into Letters The heading of a direct-mail advertisement is not the only part of the letter that should be made personal, however. That is just the beginning. Advertising authorities say that the ad must first catch the attention. Very well, what will most surely catch the attention of a reader? Something that concerns him personally or something that directly concerns another human being, preferably a person or a class that commands universal sympathy. This is what is called "human interest" and it is human interest that has been responsible for the phenomenal growth of some of the biggest concerns in America to-day. Every talking machine dealer, of course, carries a more or less complete stock of records for his machine, if not for others. Suppose a dealer should send out a circular letter for the purpose of stimulating record sales and should begin that letter with the exclamation, "Phonograph Records— The New Perfect-Tone Kind!" What results would such a letter be likelj' to secure? A large motor car manufacturer is at present sending out letters that begin just like that, with {Continued on page 18) REG. U.S.PAtOFF WE PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH We believe that Victor merchandise should be displayed in a superlative manner. Our new home at 15 West 37th St., New York to which we have just moved, will allow us to accomplish this and will provide us with the best of facilities for serving you. ORMES, Inc. Wholesale Exclusively