In the previous two segments of this series, we discussed the methods of contacting potential customers using classified and print ads and also the stationery used in direct contact by mail, including the use of postcards. In this article we give some clues about what is called copywriting or the art of selling your things.
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 or package.
Here are some suggestions to help you type, but there may come a time when you don’t want to perform this function because you are 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 the word. Usually there is a minimum charge of maybe 15 or 25 words. If you have the thought in your head I should only use 15 words you’re in self-destruct mode. An unnecessary restriction has been imposed.
A few more words can often improve the response to your ad and costs only a fraction more than the 15 or 25 word ad. If your ad fails to convey your point of view, you are dead in the water.
You need a title for your ad. This is true for a small classified ad and a full page ad. The owner MUST give a PROFIT to the potential buyer.
A benefit is something like Get rich quick without breaking the bank first!
The following is not a benefit: the Slam-Po 3 comes in red, green, and purple. That describes a property (the color) of the product, but not a benefit.
A classified ad leaves little room for more than one or two benefits. Just because your contact information takes up a good portion of the ad doesn’t help. This is why many operators simply give a phone number or a website as contact information.
This is also why many operators also use mailbox 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 ad appeared. Any of the above designations will cause the mail to be delivered to Post Office Box 32 because that is the way the United States Postal Service operates.
Some words “attract” ads better than others. Are here:
Absolutely, amazing, approved, attractive, authentic,
Bargain, Beautiful, Better, Big, Colorful, Colossal,
Complete, confidential, crowded, delivered, direct,
Discount, Easily, Supported, Huge, Excellent, Exciting,
Exclusive, Expert, Famous, Fascinating, Fortune, Free, Full,
Genuine, gift, gigantic, best, guaranteed, useful,
Higher, Huge, Immediate, Enhanced, Informative,
Instructive, interesting, bigger, newer, profusely,
Liberal, Lifetime, Limited, Lower, Magical, Mammoth,
Miracle, New, Featured, Strange, Featured, Custom, Popular,
Powerful, practical, professional, profitable, profusely,
Tested, Quality, Quickly, Rare, Reduced, Refundable,
Featured, Reliable, Revealing, Revolutionary, Scarce,
Secrets, Security, Selected, Sensational, Simplified,
Of considerable size, special, surprising, strange, strong, robust,
Successful, Superior, Surprise, Great, Proven,
Tremendous, unconditional, unique, unlimited, incomparable,
Unsurpassed, unusual, useful, valuable, rich, strange and wonderful.
Read the classifieds and collect a collection of the best advertisements and print ads you can find. They will help you enormously to write your ads.
Mail order operators know that they must write and test ads to optimize performance (response). If you don’t and are successful, you’re in luck. 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.
See the topics below to help you write your copy.
The powerful mail order package or website
If your classified ad leads your potential customer to your direct mail package or to your website, you’re in business. There is a high rate of return on the requested information. That is, if the ad reader asks for more information, you have it made in the shade. That’s IF YOUR COPY SELLS.
Go to some websites that are trying to sell you something. Here is an ad found in Google search results when I type the words get rich book:
Make money guaranteed
Don’t spend a lot of money on scams
I found 3 proven household money generators
This ad was a sponsored link on the right 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 came to a presentation 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 my phone number, so I didn’t get the free book (which I’ve read hundreds of times) and didn’t get to the sales page.
The reason they didn’t give me access to the free book and even the sales page is because the site filters respondents to the ad. Eliminate those who do not have a phone and those who are unwilling to share phone information.
It also filters out some potential customers, but that’s an opportunity the site owner is willing to take. More and more site owners are doing this type of filtering.
In mail order, you can filter by asking for a couple dollars shipping and handling to get more information. An alternative is to order a couple of stamps or a SASE.
Look at the proposal for a free book at http://tinyurl.com/lpgss Before reaching the front page, the writer tries to capture your email address, but allows you to go to your free book page even if you don’t give information.
The free book page has a headline, benefits, and testimonials from happy readers. To get the free book, just click.
The book is called The ultimate SuperTip. It’s a .PDF file that you can save to your desktop that will hopefully lure you into your system to make money.
Giving away something for free is a great way to convince customers to read your material.
Remember these things in your sales copy:
Write to your friend Charlie
What I mean here is 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 quickly. Try something like Dear future money maker:
Use testimonials
A testimonial that your product or service is simply wonderful is a gold mine. Collect these testimonials when they come to you. Ask permission to use them. Edit them in 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 talk.
Let’s say you get a testimonial that says:
I got the stuff from your team and did what you said and made $ 270.00 the first day selling stuff to my relatives and friends.
Make some repairs on this testimonial:
I got his sales kit, did what he said, and made $ 270.00 my first day selling to friends and family.
Testimonials are like spices. Don’t overdo it and, if possible, make sure each indicates that it has a different benefit.
Never ever falsify testimonials.
Use common words and phrases, vary sentence lengths, focus on point, eliminate verbiage
Stay away from flowery language, big words that most people don’t know, and “cute” 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 modified to a noun. An adverb modifies an adjective or another adverb. Eliminate ineffective modifiers. They slow down the reader and not quick cut. If you’re wondering if a modifier is needed, just remove them from the sentence and decide which one is the most effective. For example:
The big evil brown dog jumped over the white fence.
The angry dog jumped 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. Direct mail pieces often have a very long letter to describe all the advantages and benefits of the product or service and to eliminate any objections to the purchase that the reader may have in mind.
You have a lot of room on a web page or direct mail piece, so why skimp? Just 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 read it again. Let your spouse and good friend read it. See what they think. Okay, ask your old English teacher to take a look. Edit and polish until almost perfect in your opinion.
Remember that you want to generate illusion and desire to buy.
You want the potential customer to feel bad if they don’t buy. You want him to think that he will “get lost” and not enjoy the benefits of your product or service.
Use color
Color is free on the Internet. It costs more in direct mail packages, including letters and brochures. A touch of color can go a long way. You’ve probably seen little blue ink notes on sales letters.
A full-color or four-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 business to print.
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.
