Those few words might be the first and only thing that will catch your recipient’s attention.

There are good and not so good styles of subject lines to it’s important to know more about the nature of the email subject line and why people click on it, before you send your next email campaign.

Also, be sure to split test subject lines to see which ones give the greatest click-through.

Here are some great suggestions for your subject line.

1. Recipient’s name.

“Fred, here’s the widget I promised” or “here’s the widget I promised”. A few years ago, personalizing the email subject line was a must for greater click-through. Today, it depends on the email savviness of your list. Today, people realize that personalization is easy to do and that most emails with personalization are sales-focused emails and not personal ones.

2. Simple and concise words.

Make your subject line stand out among the inbox clutter by using as few words as possible. Use short but persuasive words that will rouse the interest of the reader.

3. Upper case letter.

Done on rare and special occasions, using upper case letters can improve your delivery rate. However, it is best to capitalize only one word in your subject line so you will not send your email will not be labeled as spam.

4. Special characters.

Some people may be tempted to draw the attention of your reader to your email topic by using special character eg. Huge $avings @ YourURL.com!

It can attract attention but don’t go overboard. And again, make sure you test.

Even #@*!! As a subject line can work if your email is full of passion.

5. Solution-based approach.

If you are promoting anti-spam software, try an email topic like this: “How to get rid of pesky spams for good”.

6. Top or Best Lists.

If you only provide chunks of information in your subject line, it can deliver the same message as a paragraph-size article. Use your top 10, 3 best list, etc. to make it more striking.

Eg. My Top 3 Hottest B2B Iphone Apps

7. Trigger words.

In the offline world, people often pay attention to what you are saying if you include key words like “Free Download”, “Limited Offer”, “New and Exclusive” and “SAVE”.

In the online world (when it comes to email) these may or may not work. You see, subject lines like “Limited Offer” make people see that you’re trying to sell them something and unless they’re a regular customer, they aren’t necessarily in buying mode when they see your email so you may find that the click-thru rate is lower.

Having said that, time-based discount offers often work well eg. Tax time tools savings can work well if you’re sending out to existing customers just before the end of financial year.

8. Witty or curiosity-generating remarks

Depending on your base audience, you can use intriguing words to make them laugh or get curious about your email.
Subject lines like … “Dohh!!!”, “Crazy”, “They did it again …”, “Mumma Mia!”, “Ya gotta love it!”

Since your subject line is the central factor that delineates between the high readability of your email and sending it through the trash bin, you need to take A/B testing seriously. Determine what works for you and stick to it so you will not waste your time, lose prospects, and send sales hurtling down the drain.

Do remember the following:

• Sharing the central theme of your message
• Emphasizing the benefits of your product or service
• Steering clear from gimmicky words

When you have hit on the ideal combination for creating impressive email subject lines, do not just hope and pray it will work forever. Keep track of your email promotions – open rates and conversions – so you can change your words accordingly and improve your responses.

Automate Your Email Marketing with AWeber

And – when you consider that the success of any blog hinges on …

a. People being able to find it AND

b. Just as importantly, how engaging your writing is, it’s obviously vital that your topics are interesting.

Here are some emergency blog post ideas to keep the creative juices flowing.

1. Women’s Magazines

Yes, regardless of the industry you’re in, you’ll find an abundance of inspiration from women’s mags. You see, women’s magazines especially, spend big money knowing what headlines and articles sell.

So why re-invent the wheel when you can get ideas from the experts.

Now, I hear you saying, “But I sell tools to tradies. How does that apply to me?”

Simple.

The styles of articles that are written in these publications can universally be applied across virtually any industry. Simply change the content.

For instance:

• “Top 10 Dating Rules” could be changed to “Top 10 Nail Gun Rules”
• “Is sleeping with a guy on the first date a No No?” could be changed to “Is Cleaning Your [widget] with Sandpaper a No-No?”

Get the picture?

2. Blog about a newsworthy issue and make a prediction

One of my clients, AFA Wealth are expert self-managed Superannuation advisors to the Accounting Profession. One of their latest blogs talks about new reforms in the Accounting profession and prophesises on what that means for the future of the accounting profession. These new reforms affect most accounting and financial planning firms and they have just been released so Accountants are both confused and a little apprehensive about the future. The blog serves to alleviate the confusion and give them a way forward.

3. Take a controversial stand on something that is currently causing controversy in the industry.

It’s great way to heat things up.

eg. Carbon Tax … Why It’s The Best Thing That’s Ever Happened to Australia (now that would stir up a few people

4. Have a Weekly Column On Your Blog.

It might be “John’s Market Wrap-Up” where, if you are a financial advisor you might talk about what has happened in the share market that week.

5. Share Your “My Top Sites” List.

Link to your favourite sites that relate to the content matter of your blog (best bargain shopping sites, latest technological gadgets, favourite restaurants, natural therapies sites, top CRM solutions, best home improvement advice sites, etc) and include a brief explanation on each item. Your most loyal readers will appreciate how many quality resources they can get in just one post.

6. “Borrow” From Competitors’ Blogs.

A similar topic from your rival’s blog might be the thing you need to be instantly inspired. You never know – it might even generate more comments (good and bad) from readers but the more interaction you have online the more popular your blog will be.

7. Get Ideas From Some Major Bloggers.

Check out a popular blog site and share your thoughts about one of its posts. Don’t forget to link your URL at the end of your write-up.

8. Interviews.

Either run it in a Q&A format where a reader asks you questions that you answer in your blog. Or – find an expert on a certain topic and get a quick  Q&A happening.

For instance, I get emails all the time from people asking various questions about copywriting and marketing.

9. The Supermarket

Often the most inspirational blog post ideas come from the most unusual of places. One of those places is the supermarket.

• Marketing Lessons From The Supermarket Price War
• Supermarket Queue Jumping Technique That Gets That Impossible Loan Approved Fast
• The Label Reading Trend That Can Boost Any Business’s Sales by 15% Overnight.

10. Television

Many television shows either get us angry or inspired by an issue we either agree or disagree with or the story lines of those shows are designed to send a positive or inspriational message.  These can be great inspiration in themselves for articles.

Nightly Current Affairs shows often feature segments on topics that reflect consumer sentiment of the time. And the headlines they use to promote these segments often offer great inspiration.

Here are some recent segments:

• “Big Squeeze on Citrus Growers”. Idea: Is there some sort of “big squeeze” happening in your industry?
• “Behind the Red Curtain” Idea: Is there a previously secretive area of your industry that people are curious about?

And then there are sitcoms and other shows:

• What “Desperate Housewives” Can Teach Us About [blah]
• The Morning TV Show Battle Tactics And How To Use Them To Your Competitive Advantage
• Or – you might simply borrow from something that happened in one of the scenes, to start your blog post. Eg. Last night when I was watching “Two and a Half Men” Charlie did “blah” and that got me to thinking how “blah” (relate that to the topic you want to cover).

11. Change Your View or Location

This has an amazing effect of re-invigorating the brain. Go and write at a coffee shop, visit a park or just leave your desk for an hour or two.

12. Your Own Experiences

Every situation in your life, something funny your child says, a conversation with a neighbour, an incident where you spilt milk all over the floor.

Maybe something funny or strange happened when you took your dog for a walk. Or your child said something amusing that could be related back to a story. Or when you were at a party.

Almost anything that happens in daily life can be spun into an interesting story.

13. Twitter or Facebook

SOO much inspiration here.

Every time a person asks a question, that can be adapted into an idea for a blog.  Just pick a topic that is receiving a lot of comments and you know you’re onto a winner.

I recently put an innocent Status Update on Facebook talking about how I got flowers on a first date. That simple update got dozens of responses and evolved into a lengthy conversation about whether or not it’s good to give flowers on a first date and what that means about the self-esteem of the person and ended with a conversation on intuition.

So many blog ideas could have come out of that

• Giving Flowers on a First Date: What That Really Says About Him
• The Hidden Dating War: Why Guys Can’t Win No Matter What They Do

Or give it a spin into another industry:

• The First Date Experience That Triggered a $30,000 Business Growth Idea For a Photographer
• Chivalry And Customer Service:

14. If in doubt, Google it.

If you’re still stuck, just Google the keywords “blog post ideas” and the results are endless.

If you’d like some help writing blogs that get results, give us a buzz. We can either map out a blog communications schedule with 10, 20 or even 30 blog post ideas, headlines and starter sentences for you, or we can write them all from scratch for you. Just call our office on 07 5448 9465 or email us at info @ wordsthatsell.com.au

A landing page is a direct path from your online ad to your website. When it works it takes full advantage of high-quality incoming traffic and turns clicks into instant sales.

An effective landing page makes all the difference when it comes to optimising your website to attract the right traffic and turn the most number of visitors to instant buyers. You can increase the conversion rate of your site dramatically just by avoiding these five mistakes.

1. Missing Landing Page

You only have a few seconds to hold the attention of visitors. If they are faced with a blank page, they will instantly click away and find other sites that can provide them with what they need. Big and small companies spend too much on banners and Adwords and often not enough time getting the landing page right. Make sure that when possible clients click on your ad, they find exactly what they need.

2. Distracting Presentation

Sometimes we get caught up with our online strategy and strategic visual presentation and instead of getting customers excited about our product or service, we confuse them with the extraneous stuff. Potential buyers have a specific intention in mind once they arrive at your landing page.

Make sure the words and images are relevant to the objective – which is to attract a sign-up or make a direct sale. Simplicity and clarity is the key to maximize conversion rates.

3. Too Many Options

Please do not include everything on one page. How do you suppose the visitor can decide which of your books, training programs, or newsletter subscriptions is the best choice? Avoid putting “Find out now the thousand uses of our widget…” and “Read our latest blog…” all in one place. With a mountain of options, you face the danger of the visitor going into information overwhelm and making no choice at all.

Here are some examples:

Right:

Buy our Super Deluxe Widget today for just $44 and save $20,. Hurry Offer ends xx/xx/xx.

Wrong:

Buy our Super Deluxe Widget for just $44 and save $20. Or if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to learn how to use it, grab one of our mini-widgets – Standard at $14, Instant at $18, or Turbo at $28 . Not ready to purchase yet? Just sign up for our free ebook on “Widgets in a hurry”.

4. Vague Headline

Online concentration spans are particularly short so do not expect people to scroll down to the bottom of the page.  It means you need a catchy yet succinct description of your offer above the fold (on the top third of the page). Make sure your title contains all the essential information that the reader needs to know in order to entice them to want to read on.

Right:

FREE Ebook Shows You Step-By-Step How to Build Your Own Cubby House From Scratch For Just $50.

Wrong:

FREE Ebook

5. Boring Design

Create an attractive and professional landing page. Find the right graphics, fonts, and colors to maximise the credibility of your site and make visitors act in the way you want them to act. Graphic elements that get results include:

• Video
• Arrows pointing to the sign up box
• Buy now buttons
• Photographs of people using the product
• Good quality image of the offer

At the end of the day, it’s ultimately the customer who will decide what combination of graphics, text and content will work the best so it’s important to continually test landing pages – two at a time. Test single elements such as headline vs headline, arrow graphics vs arrow graphics, low price vs high price, video vs text. There are a number of  mechanisms you can split test landing pages. Google Analytics is one of them.

1. Akismet: Nothing is more annoying for a site owner than weeding out spam comments from legit ones. Akismet does this job for you so all you have to do is trace back where it came from.

2. All in One SEO Pack: Your WordPress powered site becomes SEO optimized, thanks to the All in One SEO pack. Do not be intimidated with the plethora of options because there are easy-to-follow configuration guides and your rankings will shoot upward in no time at all.

3. Google XML Sitemaps: Your WordPress blog will have an XML Sitemap that is compliant to the sitemaps of Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, ASK. com, to name a few. This plugin notifies major search engines about any post creation or updating you have done in your site.

4. ShareThis: This sharing widget makes it easy for your readers to share your content or add it through social bookmarking sites, emails, text message, and AIM. You can keep track of the share events just by customizing your ShareThis WordPress plugin on your site.

5. StatPress Reloaded: Every self-hosted blog should have this plugin because it provides you with real time information about incoming traffic, search keywords, referring URLs, feeds, and everything you need to know about your blog statistics. You spend less time in downloading log files or running reports.

6. WP-DB-Backup: Backing up your core WordPress database tables has never been more effortless thanks to this terrific plugin. You can even have it send your backup to your email automatically.

7. LinkWithin: This plugin does not just link your post to related content from your WordPress blog archive, but also include a thumbnail with an image too.

8. CommentLuv: Give love back to your loyal site visitors by having this plugin place a link to their last blog post at the end of their comment.

9. WP FollowMe: If you want to add a twitter “Follow me” badge on your WordPress blog, this plugin is for you.

10. Advertising Manager: It is responsible for managing and rotating your Google Adsense and other ads on your WordPress blog. This plugin is familiar with a wide range of ad networks.

11. Viper’s Video Quicktags: If you want to save the trouble of having a video embed from your favorite source site into your blog post, get this plugin.

12. WP Super Cache: This plugin is what you need to generate simple versions of blog pages that go directly to the web server. There is simply no need to process correspondingly more complicated PHP scripts.

Guys overall? Girls overall? Or does it depend on the product they’re writing about?

To start with, from what I’ve seen, there is no connection between gender and copywriting skill.

But what if the product is gender-specific? If selling motor vehicle accessories, is it better to use a male copywriter? If selling female beauty products, is it better to use a female copywriter?

The most obvious way for me to answer would be to say to use females for female-focused products and males for male-focused products, but is that the best solution?

Obviously, just because a copywriter is of a certain gender it doesn’t mean they can write words that sell.

And consider this too, just because a copywriter is male, it doesn’t mean he naturally can relate to all male-focused products. Nor does it mean he naturally writes in a masculine way and vice versa.

Having said that, I feel that masculine and feminine energy does play a major role in writing great copy, in the following two ways. The copywriters who can embody both of these traits (and know how to sell) are true masters:

a.Empathic – the greatest copywriters I know are empaths. In other words, we are energetically sensitive and can tune into the needs/feeling of an audience at a kind of psychic kind of level. It enables us to relate (at a very deep level) to what customers are going through.

b.Hormone/Energy NOT gender-related – yes, it’s about hormones and energy. People with a good dose of masculine energy find it easier to write in a masculine style than people without.

Let me explain …

It’s no secret that (regardless of sexual orientation) certain women have much higher levels of testosterone than others. Agree? Women who naturally operate with a lot of “yang” (masculine) energy are often strong, confident, and driven and can often be seen in leadership positions.

Conversely, certain guys naturally operate with higher levels of “yin” or feminine energy than other guys. Yes?

A colleague of mine is a classic example of having a good mix of both yin and yang, and consequently he is a genius at relating to both sexes. When speaking with me alone he talks “woman”. He talks about feelings, sometimes he gets teary-eyed, his sentence-length gets longer and he uses softer, flowing words.

Then just recently I saw him in a group setting with a bunch of blokes. It was like seeing a different person. He was loud. Talked in shorter sentences. Sharp words. More grunt. More – let’s do it! Massive “alpha male” thing going on!

Brilliant. The same happens for me. When it comes to how I operate in business, I’m 50/50 feminine and masculine. I can easily flip between soft and fluffy, romantic, heart-centred words and masculine, pragmatic, cut-to-the-chase kind of copy.

So – forget gender and consider first and foremost, can that person write words that sell regardless of their gender.

Second – if you need a specific gender-bias in your copy, does the writer have the empathic ability and the right “energy” (masculine or feminine) to easily relate to the kind of copy that needs to be written.

There are more qualities to look for but I’ll address them in future blogs.

As a marketing professional you obviously know your product well, so you’ll know that the needs of your men clients are different to those of your women clients. And salespeople, you’ll know that when you’re selling in a face-to-face situation you’ll highlight certain features to women and other features of the product to men – that goes with the territory.

You’ll probably know too that the same goes when you write sales copy … to focus on the buying motives of both sexes (if your audience is evenly split) and focus on the benefits that appeal to both sexes.

For instance, when buying a car women are generally more interested in the colour, how safe is it for the kids. When guys look at a car they’re more interested in the engine size, how fast it goes and how good it makes them look. Yes?

So – to start with, if your buyers are evenly split between men and women, first make sure you address the most important hot buttons for both sexes.

But there’s something else that’s very important to consider …

It’s the writing style.

Are you writing in a masculine or feminine way?

Write too “macho” and you’ll  make women cringe. But write too fluffy and feminine and you’ll bore the pants off a guy.

I regularly cringe when I read onl ine sales letters focusing on money making opportunities. Time and time again I’ll see sales letters with headlines that say things like:

“The Sure-Fire, No B.S. Way To Suck Money Out Of Your Customers Wallets As Fast As A Rat Up A Drainpipe” 

Yew, ikk, cringe, YUK!!!! Makes my skin crawl!

Apart from the moral issues involved with sucking money out of your customers’ wallets, this headline has a very masculine focus to it. And while many opportunity seekers are men, there are a large number who are women as well. And the way in which women relate to money making opportunities, and the words that appeal to  them are slightly different.

Here’s a great TV commercial that illustrates the difference between the sexes when it comes to the art of persuasion.

Remember, the Carlton mid-strength commercial where a man and a woman are argueing in their kitchen, and the guy’s best mate walks in and says to the woman in a softly spoken voice …

Love that! It’s a brilliant example of how men and women think differently. And brilliant example too of the tone of voice and the style of words used to appeal to women, as well.

What’s the difference?

Masculine words have a harder edge to them, words have fewer syllables, and sentences are shorter and more jarring to listen to.

Feminine words and copy is more romantic to read with sentences that are more flowing and words that sound softer when spoken.

Here’s a great example of how to write for the different sexes …

Headlines featured in Ralph Magazine and FHM magazine (young males):

• Best Primate contest
• Chug down a feed that weighs more than his head
• Planet Woman. The weird words our ladies utter …
• High street honeys uncut

Headlines that have featured in Marie Claire magazine (25 – 34 yo women):

• Our bevy of beauty tips and picks will leave you looking and feeling fabulous this party season.
• Is the stress of life giving you a headache? Perhaps you need a change of lifestyle.
• Sex Life Stalled? Then reignite the passion with these steamy suggestions.

So – before you sign off on your next piece of sales copy, see how it fairs in the Mars/Venus persuasion test. If you’d like some help with that, we’d love to hear from you. Just email us at info @ words|that|sell|.|com|au

When Theodore Roosevelt was New York Governor he achieved what many people believed to be the impossible. He managed to develop a great relationship with political heavyweights, yet at the same time manage to get these same political heavyweights to vote for a number of sweeping reforms that they were often bitterly opposed to.

What was his secret?

When Roosevelt needed to fill an important vacancy, he always asked these political heavyweights to recommend people who they felt would be ideal for the position.

On many occasions they would propose someone who was a “has-been”, someone who has to be taken care of.  Mr Roosevelt then told them that appointing that type of man wouldn’t be good politics because the public would disapprove of the appointment.

The political big-boys then approached Roosevelt with another candidate. This time the person they put forward was slightly more appropriate than the first but was still very unsuitable for the position.  Roosevelt then told them that this candidate wouldn’t measure up to the public’s expectations and asked if they could locate a person who was a great fit for the position.

Off they went and soon came back proposing a third person who was better suited than the first two but still not quite on the money. Roosevelt then thanked them and asked them to try one last time.

More often than not, the person they recommended the fourth time was the perfect person for the job – someone Roosevelt would have selected himself.   Roosevelt heartily thanked the political heavyweights for their assistance. He appointed the candidate and gave them the credit for the appointment. Roosevelt was very generous in his praise for their selection and made them feel as if the decision was theirs when in reality it was his all along.

Roosevelt then mentioned to these “big boys” that he had appointed this candidate as a favour to them and it was no their turn to repay the favour. And they soon did. Against all odds, they supported a number of controversial and sweeping reforms that they wouldn’t ordinarily have supported otherwise.

See the brilliance in that?

Roosevelt cleverly flipped around a recruitment situation to ensure that:

a. his political counterparts felt they had made all the decisions;

b. got the candidate he wanted for the job, and;

c. created an implied need for reciprocation.

On the other hand, if Roosevelt had directly selected the candidate for the position, or directed others who to employ, it would have given him no political mileage.

Or – if he had tried to “sell” the political heavyweights on his reforms (that they didn’t agree with) they probably would have dug their heels in.

But this way everyone appeared to have won.

Master salespeople and master copywriters do the same thing.They help customers come to their own decision about buying without directly selling to them. At my copywriting workshops I show copywriters and business owners how to do that using story-telling, case studies, demonstrations among other techniques. There’s an art to it but once mastered it often produces results which are far-and-away greater than what occurs when using a traditional sales approach.

I was initially reluctant to write this article because I figured that these mistakes were being made by a minority of people, but considering how frequently I’ve been seeing certain tweets pop up, I guess I was wrong.

This article is written in the hope of helping small business owners preserve their relationships with their clients in the future.

It happens every day and sometimes several times a day. Intelligent, often big-hearted, small business owners unknowingly commit “client-nurturing suicide” on their Twitter or Facebook pages.

Don’t get me wrong – social media (when used correctly) is a very powerful marketing tool. After all, your “business” friends often love seeing the human side of you.

BUT – PLEASE – as a business professional – there’s a line that you want to make sure that you never cross.

This is what NOT to do – EVER!

Never, EVER, be negative about a client, an employee or the work you do online.

Here’s a selection of sales-killing tweets I have seen more regularly than I would have hoped. Before I share this information though, PLEASE recognise that your customers want to do business with a company that offers great service.

A company that knows its stuff and only employs people who are competent.

A company that treats its people like gold.

A CEO or owner of a company who is really passionate about the work she does and about her relationship with customers.

What I’m saying here isn’t rocket-science. In fact, most people know this stuff, yet the crazy thing is, this negativity continues to happen.

For instance, when your client reads …

“TGIF. So over work this week. Can’t wait for the weekend”

… what your client says to herself is, “Boy they mustn’t be really passionate about (or be paying attention to) the work they’ve been doing for me this week then.”

When your client reads, “YAY. Just reeled in a big quote on a client we’ve been hunting for a long time.”…

… what your client says to herself is, “Don’t treat me like a number. Don’t get cocky – the account hasn’t been won yet.”

When a client reads, “Finally. Finished a big job for a major client. Boy was that painful!” …

… what your client says to herself is, “So, what do you really think of ME and my work then?”

When a client reads, “Fed up with employees who don’t understand the meaning of deadlines/the meaning of quality (etc)” …

… what your client says to herself is, “Can I really trust your company to do the job right and on time then?”

Scary, isn’t it! And I’m sure there are even more detrimental tweets out there.

Look, I am the first person to admit that I don’t write the most appropriate tweets all of the time. Heck, I’ve written ones that are probably a little cheesy or boring, and in some cases, probably a little self-serving (as I’m sure many of us do from time-to-time).

Nobody is perfect and your online friends don’t expect you to be either. BUT – there’s a difference between slightly embarrassing and downright damaging.

Let’s face it – we all get cheesed off at times. Most of us have negative moments or days, but next time it happens – PLEASE – stay off Twitter and Facebook until the anger or depression subsides.

It’s a bit like the rule that alcohol and mobile phones don’t mix. Mmm … drunken phone calls or texting … not a good look … oops … I’ve done that once or twice myself … d’oh!

On a parting note, I’ll leave you with a poem written by James Allen, Author of “As a Man Thinketh”…

“Mind is the master power that moulds and makes,
And man is mind, and evermore he takes
The tools of thought, and shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys or a thousand ills.

He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass,
Environment is but his looking-glass.”

All the best,

Kristina Mills – Transformational Marketer

In the following article, Mr. Wheeler talks about “penetrating the cloud”. In other words, it doesn’t matter whether we are walking down a street or scanning through a newspaper, we are all walking around in a fog. It’s then the job of an advertisement, to penetrate that fog. If it doesn’t, your advertising dollar has been wasted. If it does, you have captured their attention and you’re one step closer to generating a sale.

Here’s an excerpt from our “College of Copywriting” Freelance Copywriting course where Elmer Wheeler talks about this in detail …

“As you walk to work your mind is fleeting from thought to thought and your eye from object to object – you are doing what is known as “daydreaming”. You see everything – yet see nothing!

Your mind is miles away. You are building castles in Spain. Automatically you tip your hat, automatically you dodge a streetcar, and instinctively you walk around people who may bump into you. You are awake yet sound asleep! You are in a daze.

Suddenly somebody uses a “Tested Selling Sentence” on you. It penetrates the “cloud”. You come to life – down to earth. You are all eyes and ears. The “sizzle” captured your attention.

We must learn the secret of getting our worlds into another person’s brain – by the haze and past the daze – for the prospect may be looking at us, eye to eye, yet his mind may be miles away. As Richard Borden says, “you must have an ‘Oh hum crasher’ for your prospect!” You must crash his “Oh hum” – his yawn – you must use words that dash by his daze.

“Stop, look, and listen” means nothing today to people; they look at it, yet every day people are being hit by trains. It is not a good split-second “daze crasher” anymore because we have seen it too often.”

Wheeler then goes on to share a story about “The Medicine Man”…

“The medicine man can open his business on any street corner, and within three minutes he has customers. Why? Because of the words he shouts into the crowds, words that capture your ears, that turn your eyes to what he is doing. Ten-second sales messages.

His leading questions are:

“Do you feel tired at times?”

“Do you feel like giving up?”

“Does your back ache at four o’clock every afternoon?”

“Do your feet hurt you every night?”

“Can you see that bird on the top of this building?”

“Can you jump over a fence three feet high?”

“If you can’t then step right up here gentlemen, and let me show you something that will put pep into your old blood, that will make you feel like a day in spring, a trip throughout he mountains as refreshed as an ocean breeze.”

The medicine man is trading on your fears and on your desires alike with leading questions that get him the answers he wants. He is hitting your basic buying motive … self-preservation!

You step up to his portable store. You are all eyes and ears. You are skeptical – but not for long when this orator begins to play on your emotions as the harpist plays on the strings of a harp. His words are music to the ears of all “sufferers,” especially of imaginary ills.”

See how effectively this dialogue penetrates the cloud?

What questions can you be asking in your sales presentations and in your direct mail pieces and advertising, to penetrate YOUR buyer’s cloud?

You’ll be amazed at the response. No-one wants to read boring and stuffy legal-ease. It makes them switch off. But – if your copywriting is engaging to read, your reader will read it, even if it is on the wordy side.

2. A friendly copywriting style builds a warm and lasting relationship with your prospect.

People like dealing with people they like and won’t deal with people they don’t like so make them like you.

3. Write as you speak

When writing your Yellow Pages ™copy, tell your reader what’s in it for them. Your readers are selfish. They really don’t care who you are. They just want to know how you will improve their lifestyle. So …

4. Describe the features of what you’re selling as benefits.

Some benefits could be that they’ll save money, they’ll save time, they’ll be envied by their friends… the list goes on.
In your copywriting, paint a picture of how your product or service will transform their lives. Spell it out.

5. Be as specific as you can.

Write about proven results and/or statistics in your Yellow Pages ™ advertisement. This adds credibility to your advertising claims. If you talk about dollars or time frames,don’t use rounded off numbers. Specifics are more believable.eg. 98 (believe it or not) is more powerful than 100).

6. Use short sentences and words

Long sentences and words bore. Short ones have impact.

7. Use simple language

Your readers may or may not have the same educational background as you do. A ‘Rhodes’ scholar will read simple language
but someone who has a poor education won’t read complex language. Scan your ad and replace every complex word
with a simple one.

8. `Use the word ‘you’

You’ll be amazed at the difference this simple word makes. Your reader needs to directly relate to what you’re
saying to want to buy from you. Using the word ‘you’ involves them and interests them in your product or
service. Minimise the number of times you write the words ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘they’ & ‘I’ and change your sentences around to use the words ‘you’ & ‘your’.

9. The more you tell the more you sell

There is no right or wrong length of body copy for your Yellow Pages ™ ad. Your copy needs to be long enough to include every selling point you have. Every word should serve to enhance your selling message or your reader will get bored. Powerfully written long copy ads have been known to increase responses by up to 600%.

10. Avoid Brag & Boast

Don’t tell your reader how you’re the biggest and the best. It turns people off. They simply won’t be interested.
Tell them how your product will fulfil their needs.

11. Shout out your guarantee

If you have a guarantee spell it out in your Yellow Pages ad. Your phone will ring twice as hot. A guarantee will make your credibility skyrocket and allay any fears your reader has of dealing with you. It will show your reader that you’re willing
to stand behind the quality of your service 100%.

12. Include testimonials

A testimonial from one of your best clients featured in your Yellow Pages ™ advertisement will also boost your credibility and your results.

Yellow Pages ™ is a registered trademark of Telstra Corporation.