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Started reading
May 30, 2019
There are many techniques you can use to prove your big promise when your reader is skeptical. These include testimonials, case studies, test results, favorable reviews, superior product design, track record, system or methodology, reputation of the manufacturer.
Understanding the customer and her motivation for buying the product is the key to writing copy that sells.
When you write copy, don’t write in a vacuum. Don’t just sit down at the typewriter and pick the features and benefits that suit your fancy. Instead, find out which benefits and features your readers care about—and write about the sales points that will motivate readers to buy the product.
A special invitation to the hero of American business Dear Entrepreneur: You’re it! You’re the kind of person free enterprise is built on. The ambition, vision, and guts of small business people like yourself have always been the driving force behind the American economy. Unfortunately, that’s a fact which the general business press seems to have forgotten. In their emphasis on everything big, like conglomerates, multinationals, oil companies the size of countries, most business publications pay very little attention to the little guy.
have to go beyond the demographics to understand what really motivates these people: who they are, what they want, how they feel, and what their biggest problems and concerns are that your product can help solve.
copy should reach prospects on three levels: intellectual, emotional, and personal.
Emotions that can be tapped include fear, greed, love, vanity, and, for fund-raising, benevolence.
The most powerful way you can reach people is on a personal
BFD formula, which stands for beliefs, feelings, and desires.
Once you understand what makes people buy things, you know how to sell—and how to write copy.
the length will depend upon three things: the product, the audience, and the purpose of the copy.
an ad that asks for the order by mail must give all the facts the reader needs to make a buying decision and order the product.
And you can’t persuade consumers to buy unless you tell what the product can do for them and why the product does it better than other products can.
copywriting can be divided into a three-stage process,
Manufacturers use magazines for campaigns that build product awareness and company image.
the headline and visual must stop the reader in her tracks with an attention-getting concept centered around a strong reader benefit or the promise of a reward.
a few things that add interest to advertisements:
Sales appeals that work in classified mail-order advertising include promises that the customer will obtain love, money, health, popularity, success, leisure, security, self-confidence, better appearance, self-improvement, pride of accomplishment, prestige, pride of ownership, or comfort; will receive entertainment; will save time; will eliminate worry and fear; will satisfy curiosity, self-expression, or creativity; or will avoid work or risk.
Effective words and phrases to use in your classified ads include: free, new, amazing, now, how to, easy, discover, method, plan, reveals, show, simple, startling, advanced, improved, and you.
two key measurements of two-step classified advertising: the cost per inquiry and the percentage of inquiries converted to orders.
In a subscription letter for Writer’s Digest, the pitch is made by one writer talking to other writers: Dear Writer: I don’t have the great American novel in me. I flunked Poetry 102 in college. My first, last, and only short story was rejected by 14 magazines.
this one from John L. Blair, president of the New Process Company, a mail-order clothing manufacturer: Dear Mr. Bly: A memo recently crossed my desk that said I would have to RAISE MY PRICES—NOW—to offset our spiraling operating costs! But I said, “NO! NOT YET!” I know that customers like you, Mr. Bly, expect the BEST VALUE for their money when they shop at NPC. And that’s why I’m going to hold the line on higher prices just as long as I possibly can! . . .
Here are a few examples of letters that lead with a question: Dear Friend, What do you think when you see a letter that starts with “Dear Friend” . . . a letter from someone you’ve never met? WHAT DO JAPANESE MANAGERS HAVE THAT AMERICAN MANAGERS SOMETIMES LACK? How about workers with good attitudes? Dear Mr. Blake: Is freelance a dirty word to you? It really shouldn’t be . .
Dear Mr. Bly: You know how difficult it is to look your best if dental problems are causing discomfort and pain or if the appearance of your teeth needs improvement. Have you been putting off a dental checkup or consultation on an existing problem? This note may encourage you to take the important step to help yourself feel better by making a dental appointment.
Dear Mrs. Vanderbilt: If you can’t afford higher taxes. If you’re afraid to walk the streets at night. If you’re sick and tired of corrupt government officials. If your children aren’t getting the education they deserve. Then you don’t need a Governor appointed by Chicago’s City Hall. . . .
Here’s exclusive news from a cover letter mailed along with a reprint of a magazine ad: Here’s a fresh-from-the-printer reprint of our latest WALL STREET JOURNAL ad . . . We’ll be running the ad in June because we want potential customers to know more about our latest financial planning services. But, as someone we’ve done business with before, we consider YOU even more important than the “new business” out there. Which is why we’re sending you our new ad months before it will break in the press. You see, we wanted you to be the first to know about our new services which can save you time and
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However, most teasers seem to follow one of three basic formats: 1. THIS IS THE BEST WIDGET EVER MADE 2. THIS WIDGET MAY SAVE YOU UP TO $500 3. ENCLOSED IS YOUR FREE WIDGET
But a good sales brochure does more than explain and inform. It also persuades. Remember, the brochure is a sales tool, not an instruction manual. Good brochure copy does more than list facts or product features; it translates these facts and features into customer benefits—reasons why the customer should buy the product.
Here are some of the ways brochures can fit into the buying process:
• To respond to inquiries. An inquiry is a request for more information about your product. The person making the inquiry became interested in you through your advertising, publicity, or referral, and represents a “hot” sales lead—someone much more likely to buy than a prospect who has not contacted you. The inquiry fulfillment package should contain enough information to answer the prospect’s questions and convince him to take the next step in the buying process. The hot prospect has already expressed interest in your product, so don’t hesitate to load your inquiry fulfillment package full of
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THE NEXT STEP Now that you know something about us, we’d like to know a little bit more about you. Send us your current ads, sales literature, and press releases for a free, no-obligation evaluation of your marketing communications program. If you’d like to meet with us, give us a call. We’ll be glad to show you some of the work we’ve done for our clients, and take a look at what we can do for you.
You can write a press release about:
