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Tighten Up Your Sales Letter Copy
Needless copy clutters up a sales letter and can be distracting to the prospect. Eliminate useless words like "very, quite, rather, also and presently". These are useless words that add nothing to the sales message. Be on the lookout for the number of times you use the words "the", "a" and "an". Many times these words can be eliminated without harming the message.

Direct Response Tips
Craig Aramian, president of Aramian associates, a 20-year old award-winning marketing agency, offers these tips when planning a direct response marketing campaign:

"Although there are exceptions to every rule, our own experience, backed by extensive direct response studies over the years, suggest these pointers that could help your next direct response effort succeed:

1) Generally avoid using self-mailers to a business audience.
2) Try illustrating your fulfillment offer to boost response.
3) Test a dupe mailing that sometimes will do as well as the original.
4) Get production advice at the layout stage, not when you're going to press.
5) Use standard envelopes and paper sizes.
6) Ask about using screens to produce a multi-color effect with one color
7) Limit variable copy to your letter to keep your brochure generic and give it longer shelf life.
8) Consider using stock photos or clip art to reduce graphic costs.
9) Avoid unusual folds, embossing or die-cut windows.
10) Order lists as soon as possible.
11) Never send bulk mail in December.
12) Don't do anything on a rush basis, unless you're willing to pay for it."

Check out more at: http://www.aramians.com

Free Business Cards
Waltham, Massachusetts-based VistaPrint.com has an offer many small business people can't pass up: get 250 full-color business cards - a value of more than $80 - for free. You can personalize your design online using VistaPrint's Web-based tools. All cards have "Printed for FREE at www.vistaprint.com" discreetly printed on the back of each card and you must pay the cost of shipping.

Check out more at: http://www.vistaprint.com

"To Do List" Ad
The City of Norfolk, VA is running a very interesting ad campaign to promote its summer events, festivals, and concerts. The ad appears with the headline "Bad News. Your to-do list is getting shorter". The whole summer schedule is listed in the ad and the events that have already occurred are crossed out with "strike through" lines. The copy continues with the message:"It's OK. You've missed some. But there are still plenty of other events to enjoy." Grabs your attention as you read through the paper.

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