Decades ago, one of the pioneers of the advertising industry, Claude Hopkins wrote the book “Scientific Advertising” in which he wrote of how advertising isn’t about being creative; it’s about following a precise formula to achieve a desired result. Mr. Hopkins words still ring true today.
Great copywriting is about remembering that advertising is nothing more than salesmanship in print.
Understand Your Buyer
Let’s say you consider yourself a pretty decent caliber of salesperson. You can uncover your client’s needs at the drop of a hat. You’re gifted when it comes to making them feel good about themselves and you can handle objections and gain commitment with the greatest of ease.
Selling on paper follows the same process only you need to be part psychic too.
At a client’s home you can interact with them in person. You ask them questions about what their situation is, what their needs are and then tailor your presentation depending on the outcome.
With direct mail you don’t have that luxury. Instead you need to use all your psychic powers to get inside the head of your audience, understand who they are, what they are thinking and then be able to use words that relate to their situation.
The Beginning
The opening paragraph is the most important piece of copy in your entire letter. It’s the piece of copy that will either capture your reader’s interest enough so they want to keep reading or, it will make them throw it away.
Here are some ways to capture their interest:
1. Flag down your reader and arouse curiosity
If you are thinking of renovating in the next 6 – 12 months, this letter could be very important to you.
2. The offer
If you have an offer, try mentioning it in your opening sentence. This is a great way of attracting attention and arousing curiosity, as long as the benefit of the offer, or a benefit-oriented title is mentioned.
FREE report – “xxx things to consider before renovating your home”
3. Relate to one of their goals
Imagine going from having a $200,000 debt hanging over your heads to being mortgage-free in as little as 5 years.
4. Focus on a fear or frustation
A minefield! Most home owners feel like they’re walking through one while they are in the process of trying to find the right loan. And quite rightly too!
5. Scream out Benefits
Okay, so you have their attention. Now what?
People will continue reading a letter as long as the message continues to be of interest to them. What that means is that your copy needs to focus on the reader by frequently using the word “you” and revealing benefit after benefit after benefit.
What is your point-of-difference? How do you deliver results that are far superior to your competitors?
6. Establish Credibility
1. Feature “genuine” testimonials– the more the better;
2. Feature before-and-after examples of how you have helped people;
3. Mention awards that you have won;
4. Offer risk-reversal measures such as a guarantee;
5. Mention your expertise, how long you have been in the industry etc; and
6. Including a photograph of yourself.
The Carrot
For someone to want to respond to your campaign, there needs to be a powerful reason for them to act, such as a limited offer.
A few years ago we wrote a direct mail piece which invited home owners to attend a mortgage reduction workshop. The letter was sent with two free seminar tickets, a two page letter and a response device to a cold list.
People needed to respond by a certain date to receive the complimentary seating and also receive a FREE 20+ page guide on how they could end their mortgage in 5 years and save $80,000 in interest.
This combination of offers outpulled all previous efforts by anywhere from 75% – 490%.
Making it Easy
Some people just don’t like getting on the phone and calling. Others are too lazy or too busy to post things. And others still don’t have access to the Internet so give them as many options as possible.
The P.S.
Believe it or not, apart from the opening paragraph, the P.S. is the most frequently read element of any direct mail piece yet it so frequently left out. As odd as it may seem, if there’s a P.S. people read it because they feel it contains important or interesting information.
The P.S. is a great place to reinforce the urgency and/or value of a special offer you’re running.
Find out how we can help you write copy that sells -
click here
No comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks