In the previous two segments of this series, we covered methods for contacting potential customers through classified and print ads, as well as the stationery used in direct mail contact, including the use of postcards. In this article we give some clues about what is called copywriting or the art of selling your stuff.
You will need to think about what you write in your advertising and in your print and classified ads. There are many books on copywriting available in libraries and at very low prices on the Internet (Amazon.com, Alibris.com, BarnesandNoble.com, etc.).
For your direct mail or mail order business, you will need Copy for your advertisements, your web pages and your direct mail package.
Here are some tips to help your writing, but there may come a time when you don’t want to perform this feature because you’re too busy counting your money (but don’t gamble). That may be the time to hire a professional copywriter.
classified ads
Classified ads are sold by word. Usually there is a minimal charge for maybe 15 or 25 words. If you have the thought in your head I must use only 15 words you are in self destruct mode. You have placed an unnecessary restraint on yourself.
A few more words can often improve response to your ad and cost just a fraction more than a 15 or 25 word ad. If your ad fails to get your point across, you’re dead in the water.
You need a title for your ad. This is the case for a small classified ad and a full page ad. The title MUST provide a BENEFIT to the potential buyer.
A benefit is something like Get rich quick without going broke first!
The following is not a perk: The Slam-Po 3 comes in red, green, and purple. That describes a property (color) of the product but not a benefit.
A classified ad gives little room for more than one or two benefits. The fact that your contact information takes up a good part of the ad doesn’t help. That’s why many carriers only give a phone number or website as contact information.
That is also the reason why many carriers also use PO Box addresses. Box 32A, Slamdunk, AR 12345 is shorter than
The “A” in Box 32A or PO 32A or PO Box 32A is a “key” that reveals to the operator the publication in which the advertisement appeared. Any of the above designations will cause mail to be delivered to PO Box 32 because that is the way the United States Postal Service operates.
Certain words “pull” ads better than others. Are here:
Absolutely, Amazing, Approved, Attractive, Authentic,
Bargain, Beautiful, Best, Large, Showy, Colossal,
Full, Confidential, Crammed, Delivered, Direct,
discount, easily, backed, huge, excellent, exciting,
Exclusive, Expert, Famous, Fascinating, Fortune, Free, Full,
Genuine, Gift, Gigantic, Greater, Guaranteed, Useful,
Higher, Huge, Immediately, Improved, Informative,
Instructive, Interesting, Largest, Latest, Luxuriously,
Liberal, Lifetime, Limited, Lower, Magical, Mammoth,
Miraculous, New, Featured, Odd, Outstanding, Custom, Popular,
Powerful, Practical, Professional, Profitable, Profusely,
Tested, Quality, Fast, Rare, Reduced, Refundable,
Remarkable, Reliable, Revealing, Revolutionary, Scarce,
Secrets, Security, Selected, Sensational, Simplified,
Important, Special, Surprising, Strange, Strong, Robust,
Successful, Superior, Surprise, Fabulous, Proven,
Tremendous, Unconditional, Unique, Unlimited, Incomparable,
Unsurpassed, Unusual, Useful, Valuable, Wealth, Strange and Wonderful.
Read the classified ads and put together a collection of the best ads and print ads you can find. They will help you a lot in writing your ads.
Mail order operators know that they need to identify and test ads to optimize performance (response). If you don’t do this and succeed, you’re lucky. You need to minimize luck and maximize the performance of your ads.
print ads
Print ads give you room to expand. A full page ad allows you to fully describe your product or service and provide an order form. You can even include a photo or two of your product.
Check out the topics below to help you write your copy.
The Powerful Mail or Web Order Package
If your classified ad leads your prospect to your direct mail package or your website, you’re in business. There is a high rate of return on the information requested. That is, if the ad reader asks for more information, it has it. made in the shade. That is IF YOU SELL YOUR COPY.
Go to some websites that are trying to sell you something. Here is an ad that is found in Google search results when I put the words get rich book
Earn guaranteed money
Don’t spend a lot of money on scams
I Found 3 Proven Home Money Makers
This ad was a sponsored link on the right hand side of the search results. The sponsor paid for their ad to appear when the words get rich book were placed in the Google search box. If you clicked on the link, you landed on a launch page that has a title and a list of benefits.
If you provided enough information, including your phone number, you could get a free copy of a popular book plus access to the main sales pitch.
I didn’t give out my phone number, so I didn’t get the free book (which I’ve read hundreds of times) or get to the sales page.
The reason I didn’t get access to the free book and even the sales page is because the site filters respondents to the ad. Eliminate those without phones and those who are not willing to share phone information.
It also filters out some potential customers, but that’s a risk the site owner is willing to take. More and more site owners are doing this type of filtering.
On mail order, you can filter by asking for a couple bucks shipping and handling for more information. An alternative is to ask for a pair of stamps or a SASE.
Watch a free book launch at http://tinyurl.com/lpgss Before you get to the front page, the writer tries to capture your email address, but lets you go to his free books page even if you don’t information.
The free books page has a headline, benefits, and testimonials from happy readers. To get the book for free, just click.
The book is called The Ultimate Super Tip. It’s a .PDF file that you can save to your desktop and hopefully lure you into your system to make money.
Giving away something for free is a great way to convince clients to read your material.
Remember these things in your sales copy:
Write to your friend, Charlie
What I mean here is to act like you’ve known the recipient since you were both in kindergarten. Be casual in your approach. You are bringing new and exciting information to charlie who is your good friend
Now don’t start your letter Dear Charlie, because that won’t get you anywhere fast. Try something like Dear Money Maker of the Future:
use testimonials
A testimonial that your product or service is simply amazing is a gold mine. Collect these testimonials when they come to you. Ask permission to use them. Edit them to idiomatic English with decent grammar, but don’t hide the message or the tone in which it was delivered. When I say idiomatic english I mean the way people actually talk.
Let’s say you get a testimonial that says:
I got the stuff from your kit and did what you said and made $270.00 the first day selling stuff to my relatives and friends.
Do some repairs on this testimonial:
I got your sales kit, did as you told me and made $270.00 my first day selling to my family and friends.
Testimonials are like the spice. Don’t go overboard and, if possible, make sure each state has a different benefit.
Never ever false testimonials.
Use common words and phrases, vary sentence length, stay to the point, drop verbiage
Stay away from flowery language, big words that most people don’t know, and “nice” words. Remember, you are talking to your friend, Charlie, on the other side of the fence.
Avoid long and complex sentences. But vary the length of your sentences.
Sometimes you need adjectives and adverbs. An adjective modifies a noun. An adverb modifies an adjective or another adverb. Drops ineffective modifiers. They slow down the reader and don’t cut to speed. If you are wondering if a modifier is needed, just remove it from the sentence and decide which one is most effective. For example:
The big mean brown dog jumped over the white fence.
The angry dog jumped over the picket fence.
What phrase did you like the most?
A long letter is usually better than a short one.
If you read the sales pitch on an Internet site, it goes on and on and on. Direct mail pieces often have a very long letter to describe all the advantages and benefits of the product or service and to eliminate purchase objections that the reader may have in mind.
You have plenty of space on a web page or direct mail piece, so why skimp? Don’t start repeating yourself. When you’ve said what needs to be said, you don’t have to embellish it.
Let your sales copy sit for a while and then come back to it. Let your spouse read it and your good friend. See what they think. Okay, ask your old English teacher to take a look at it. He edits and polishes until he is nearly perfect in his opinion.
Remember that you want to generate illusion and desire to buy.
You want the prospect to feel bad if they don’t buy. You want them to think that they will “lose out” and not enjoy the benefits of your product or service.
use color
Color is free on the Internet. There is an additional cost on direct mail packages that include letters and brochures. A splash of color can go a long way. You’ve probably seen little notes in blue ink on sales letters.
A full color or 4 color brochure can be very effective in describing your product or service. A short letter, brochure, order form and return envelope can be very effective. Printers will often help you create a brochure because they want your printing business.
What? After all that, you don’t have any products or services for sale? Well, what can you do to find or create a product or service? That will be in the next segment.