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Internet Direct Mail (IDM) and Traditional Direct Mail (TDM) both have the same goals in mind. They are to generate leads or orders.

However, marketers need to respect that online media and print media present different hurdles in achieving this goal. Some of thes

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

e hurdles will require that copy be written differently for each media. And some not.

Here is a list of 14 things you should remember when writing copy for Internet Direct Mail. And how each one relates to Traditional Direct Mail.

1. FROM and SUBJECT are very imp

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

rtant. During the anthrax scare in America, these two items became very important in TDM because any given envelope could contain a deadly poison. And while this fear has passed for TDM, it is still very present in IDM. That's because any given e-mail could contain

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

a computer virus. Prospects are more apt to simply delete a message they are unsure of nowadays than risk opening it and ruining their computer.

Here are a couple of tips to solve this problem:

FROM line should display someone the readers will trust

<

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

i>for house lists, the prospect has presumably bought from the company before and would trust them. So include some company identifier: "FROM: Macromedia FLASH Team"

SUBJECT line should be treated like envelope teaser copy. You have to give the prospect some r

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

ason to open the e-mail to see what is inside. "SUBJECT: Try The New Update For Your Macromedia Product!" 2. Your first paragraph or two should contain a mini-version of your whole e-mail. So instead of carefully spreading out your 4 P's (Promise, Picture,

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

Proof, Push) or AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action), you should try to get all these elements in early. Online users have little patience in general and they need to know your whole offer fast.

3. For readers willing to spend the time to read every word of

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

your e-mail (God bless them), you can expand on your opening later. Just remember that less people will read right to the end than will scan your first couple of paragraphs. So include all your best stuff up front.

4. Avoid using "hard-sell" techniques in IDM. The

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

e tend to produce poor results. Readers on the internet expect to see information. The information can be on the benefits of your product and how to order, but the tone must remain helpful. If it's slick, your email will be trashed.

5. You should include multiple

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

esponse options for your prospects. But ALWAYS remember to have a web-based response form. Many online users prefer to keep the entire transaction online. That way the user keeps control and does not have to worry about more sales talk or being upsold when they pho

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

e in.

6. Limit the amount of click throughs in your IDM piece. Usually only the first 2 or 3 get used. The rest are ignored.

7. Premiums still work online. Maybe even better. You have the opportunity online to animate your premiums in action or even make them int

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

ractive. Try this out and see how it effects your results.

8. Sweepstakes work great online. This is because it is usually much easier for the prospect to quickly fill out their information on an online form than to fill out a paper-based form and then have to mai

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

it.

9. Avoid the word FREE in the subject line. FREE is too blatantly promotional a word for people to bother opening your e-mail. Besides that, many online users now employ "spam filters" which work to screen out unwanted mail. FREE is often a word that these fi

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

ters pick up and then they'll delete your message before it ever reaches the prospect's inbox.

10. A headline is a headline is a headline. Start your email off with one that will draw your reader into the package. Try to make it different from your SUBJECT line. Y

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

our best benefit up front usually does the trick. Injecting a news feel and some self-interest doesn't hurt either.

11. ALWAYS include an opt-out statement! The only thing more powerful than good will towards your company is ill will. Don't make any prospect feel

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

ike they've been spammed. Include an un-subscribe or remove statement at the end of your e-mail.

"We here at ABC Company respect your online privacy. If you received this message in error or simply do not wish to receive further e-mails from us, please reply to th

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

s e-mail and type REMOVE in the subject line."

12. For once, shorter is better. In TDM, we all know that long copy generally works better. But in IDM, brevity is the key. If some of your prospects require more information before they make a purchasing decision, in

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

lude a click-through to an expanded version of your e-mail.

13. Remember in IDM, you can use viral marketing techniques. This is not possible with TDM as you cannot tell a prospect to make 10 copies of your message and then pass them on to neighbors and friends. B

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

t in IDM, make sure the prospect understands that your fantastic deal is not exclusive to them. They should pass on this message to others they think would be interested.

14. Online users prefer free trials or bill me later offers to money-back guarantees. While o

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

line transactions are rising every day. Some prospects are still wary about sending their credit card info over the internet. They would much rather just send their shipping info. Try the product for a while. And then choose their payment option when the time comes

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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