You are here: Home / Archives for Sales Letters
May
25

Good news for marketers… or is it news?

By | advertising, Copywriting, Direct Mail, Entrepreneur, Leads Generation, Marketing on the web, Success, Wacky marketing ideas

1 Comment

NEWS FLASH: Long copy ads make a comeback.

Or did they actually go anywhere?

One of the longest standing debates online is whether long copy or short copy works better.

Short copy advocates say “no one will read all that text”.

Long copy advocates say “without the text they have nothing to base a decision on”.

As you probably know by now, I am a BIG believer in long copy ads.

So when I saw this article by Marketing Forecast, it wasn’t a big surprise to me.

The summary – short copy ads are increasing prevalent on the net, and increasing difficult to stand out from the crowd with.

Reaaaaally?

Who’d have thunk it?

Imagine that…

…someone interested in weight loss goes online and sees one page with some pretty pictures of people who lost weight – and an order button.

The next page they go to shows the pictures, and actually tells the story about how Joe was 84 pounds overweight, had poor health, his children were worried about him, his boss gave him an ultimatum about dressing properly to be in front of clients, and his wife stopped having sex with him a year ago.

Eureka!

He finds a simple solution… and follows it to the T.

It shows his journal entries… and his weight loss records. Then it explains what his life is like now being 75 pounds lighter, happy kids he can play with, his wife is constantly dragging him back to the bedroom, and his boss gave him a raise thanks to his increased confidence and sales numbers.

What do you think…

…pretty pictures

…or an actual story explaining the pictures

Which will make more money?

Not too hard to figure out.

If the long copy ad is targeted at people who are overweight and experiecing problems liuke Joe was, the long copy ad will SMOKE the short copy ad.

It. Just. Makes. Sense.

But it is news on the internet.

For some reason.

The point is… long copy is (almost) always easier to tell a story with.

Picture ads look nice, but are MUCH more costly to try and get the sales numbers.

And the small business owners and entrepreneurs I work with are wayyyyyy more concerned about their bank account and ability to feed their family, than the beautiful branding campaign that cost them a second mortgage and brought them nothing in bankable revenues.

I LOVE working with entrepreneurs.

Their passion is contagious.

Their drive is irreplacable.

Their ability to see and do things mere mortals can’t is admirable.

And their entrepreneurial spirit is what drives economies back from the brink.

I never left long copy – and if you did – now is the time to get back!

Let me know your thoughts on the long copy vs short debate.

Troy

Apr
06

Size Matters… Why Long Copy Works Better Than Short Copy

By | advertising, Copywriting, Direct Mail, Leads Generation

1 Comment

Long sales copy doesn’t just work. It works to the tune of better than $1.5 trillion dollars a year according to the Direct Marketing Association!

Having said that – it’s very common to have doubts on this form of copy… it is nothing like what you typically see out there (but then again 99% of the advertising you see out there does not work at all). PLUS most of us have personal experience with throwing out much of the long copy letters we get.

But, for well over 100 years there have been millions and millions of products sold with long copy advertising. My mentor Ted Nicholas has personally sold well over 15 million of his own books using this type of advertising. And yes, people will read it if they are interested in finding a cure to their debt problems.

Most people get scared of running this type of copy as it seems long and it is different that what you see out there.

The proof though – is always in the numbers.

Many business owners are very apologetic about their selling. Frankly, I suggest you quit apologizing for selling (and for having anything to do with selling) and just get on with it or get out.

Fact – if you are selling a product – are you more likely to sell it in a sales call when you get your prospect face to face for – 30 seconds? – or 30 minutes? Of course – its 30 minutes.

“The more you tell the more you sell.”

No different in print, web, or where ever.

Proven for 100 years that long copy sells better.

Great one – Factoid: Over 65% of buyers of long, seemingly hypey infomercials (long copy on tv) are women. Women make up the greatest market of emotion-laden direct response ads and programs, according to The Direct Marketing Association (if I recall correctly). Take for instance weight loss products, cosmetics, lingerie, The Shopping Channel, etc.

Look at it this way: to paraphrase, “sex” sells (for men), but “sense” sells (for women).

Most people say that they don’t read long copy. You would probably agree saying that you “throw out” that kind of mail – ESPECIALLY if it’s so long. SO, how can I stand here and say you’re wrong when you have a direct personal experience to the contrary?

Let me flip this one for you:

Imagine that disaster strikes and you need to sell your house in 30 days.

You are screwed.

You are panicking. You list it but no one is biting. Then you get a 30 page package in the mail and the headline reads:

How We Can Help You Sell Your Home in 30 Days for AT LEAST 25% More Than You Expect

Do you think you might stop whatever you were doing, sit down and begin to read it? Do you think you might set aside half an hour to explore it? Do you think if you turned to page 15 and saw 4 testimonials from people who were in worse straits than you that you might take notice? Do you think if you were impressed you might even call the number they list – without finishing it? I think you might.

Another situation: You are going through a divorce and you don’t WANT to get divorced!

You are devastated.

You are panicking.

No one has any good advice for you.

Then you get a 30 page package in the mail and the headline reads:

How To Stop Your Divorce (Even If it Seems Hopeless)
Let Us Show You EXACTLY What To Say To Stop Your Divorce Dead In It’s Tracks And Get YOUR Marriage Back ON Track.

Again, do you think you might stop whatever you were doing, sit down and begin to read it? Do you think you might set aside half an hour to explore it? Do you think if you turned to page 15 and saw 4 testimonials from people who were in worse straits than you that you might take notice? Do you think if you were impressed you might even call the number they list – without finishing it?

I think you might.

See, what people say and what people do are totally different. Marketing is only interested in what people actually DO because it is interested in producing a specific behavioral result.

Don’t be afraid of telling the whole story – people want to hear it – as long as you keep it interesting.

Size does matter and the more you have to tell – the more you will sell.

Try it – you’ll certainly like the results.

To your success,

Troy White

Mar
18

The Importance of Subheads in Your Marketing

By | advertising, Affluent buyers, Copywriting, Direct Mail, Entrepreneur, Leads Generation, Main Content, Marketing on the web, Neighborhood Marketing, Success, Time management and productivity, Wacky marketing ideas

Leave a Comment

You need to seriously look at the layout of your marketing materials.  Look at your web pages, your brochures, your emails, your handouts, your sales letters – and all of your advertisements.

Are you using subheads?

You should be.

It’s easier on the eyes to have a scanning ability built in.  And subheads make it easy on the reader to quickly find the areas that are of interest.

Chances are… they will not read your sales piece from start to finish.  They will skim and scan – looking for things that catch your eye.

And the subheads job is to guide them (by scanning) to the order page without having read the entire thing.

Good subheads can tell the story and get them to order.

Good subheads are powerful headlines in themselves.

For example…

3 Things You Must Do Today To Improve Your Business

REVEALED! The secrets behind their success… and their fall to lose it all.

When you are crafting subheads – put them in bold and centered. Even a font size bigger and a different font can help guide the eyes down the right path.

The path that leads to a sale and another happy customer!

To your success,

Troy White

Mar
17

Tips to make your sales letters, web pages and promotions more successful

By | advertising, Affluent buyers, Copywriting, Direct Mail, Entrepreneur, Leads Generation, Main Content, Marketing on the web, Neighborhood Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Social Networking, Success, Time management and productivity, Twitter, Wacky marketing ideas

Leave a Comment

How to structure your sales material is just as important as the content in it.  If it doesn’t look appealing to read – they won’t read it.

And the things that make it appealing can be disturbing to many who are unfamiliar with direct response marketing.

For example…

1) Use a headline on everything you use for marketing your business. And not the form of headline you see all over the web… “Welcome To Our Home Page”. One like that will get your prospect more turned off than turned on.  It says nothing about why they should keep reading.  And online – you have 5 seconds to state your case and get them reading before they click away to the next site.

Strong compelling headlines on why they should keep reading…

Discover 5 Easy Ways to Turn Your Website Visitors into Buyers

Learn How to Turn Your Words into Wealth

Warning: If You Are About To Hire a Website Designer – Read This First

Are You Using Illegal Means To Capture New Clients? The Answer Will Surprise You! Read This First Before You Hear From A Lawyer.

And so on.

Headlines will make or break your success online or off… make sure you use them

2) After the headline start with a short, snappy lead that feeds off the headline. The headline is designed to get them to read the lead line – the lead line designed to get them to read the next line – and so on – and so on.

E.g.

It’s true.  Your website visitors are being wasted and there is a simple way to make them stay and get them buying.

or…

Believe it or not… a single 3 word change on your web page can increase your sales by up to 470%.

or…

You web designer and copywriters have put your company in a very dangerous legal situation.

Make it intriguing and promising a solution and they will keep reading.

A few other tips keep them reading…

Indent the first line of each paragraph

Double space between paragraphs

Use short paragraphs (even one sentence paragraphs)

Use spaces or gaps in the paragraph.  When we talk – we pause.  And it should be the same while reading. So use pauses in your writing as well to flow like we speak.  You can use the – or … to indicate a pause.  Use them as you would while speaking.

Read it out loud – if you stumble over certain words or structure – redo it until it flows.

Try changing your sales and marketing pieces using these techniques and test to see the results for yourself. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

To your success,

Troy White

Jan
21

2-Stepping Your Way to Successful Lead Generation

By | advertising, Affluent buyers, Copywriting, Direct Mail, Entrepreneur, Leads Generation, Main Content, Success, Wacky marketing ideas

Leave a Comment

[Read more...]

Jan
17

5 Steps to Sticky Lead Generation

By | advertising, Copywriting, Direct Mail, Entrepreneur, Leads Generation, Marketing on the web, Neighborhood Marketing, Social Networking, Wacky marketing ideas

Leave a Comment

Are you trying to do too much with your advertising?  Lots of people I talk to want to take over the world with their new sales letter.   To them, it is perfectly logical to have a letter that finds prospective buyers, lets them to trust you, gives them every reason they need for buying, and gets them to pull out their credit card right now for this product, and for all future products they offer.

Yeah… sure. And I have a magic website that takes 4 minutes a month to run, and makes $14 billion a year in pure profits.  Not only that, it can be yours for just $997!

When you are putting together your marketing campaigns and sales letters… you need to do one thing at a time.

The first thing you need to do is FIND THE RIGHT PEOPLE to sell to.  People that already have a problem that needs fixing… or some unspoken desire they want fulfilled.  You do not want to take some complete stranger and try to convince them your widget is perfect for them.

There must be something they will lose by not having your solution to their problem or desire.  They might lose status, money, time, an easier way of doing things, or the exclusivity of owning what you are selling.

Whatever it is that they will lose, you need to know it, and you need to address it in your copy.

Another thing you need to understand is who the 20% are in your target market.  You can write an advertisement that tries to sell to everyone… but why would you? Doesn’t it make more sense to go after the 20% of the market that will earn you 80% of your revenues and profits? Call out specifically to them in your
headline and offer, and you will quickly find your sales growing and your list of HIGHLY qualified buyers growing.

I highly recommend you use 2 step advertising, which means the first step in your sales campaigns is in the lead generation ads you run.  Offer them something for free (of course, it must be 100% in sync with what you ultimately want to sell them).  All they should have to do to claim your freebies is to visit a website or drop you a phone call and leave you their contact information. The follow up sales piece they see after getting your free offer is the sales letter to sell them on the actual product or service you want to sell them.  If you go straight for the sale… you will sell much less and have a much smaller database to follow up with.

Here is an advertisement I ran for 2 years untouched in a Canadian business paper.  Every time it ran (every 2 weeks), it generated me 50 high quality leads.  And those leads turned out to be my best customers as far as money spent, and quantity of products bought.

They filled out the form at the old URL I used, they received the package promise in the mail, and then I followed up with promotions over the following months and years.

And I HIGHLY recommend you use a formula just like this in your business.

Know exactly who you are selling to, design a lead generating ad just like this one that targets them, and follow up with the freebies and the promotional pieces selling your products and services.

It is a model that WILL work for you, as it does for me.

Note a few things about this lead generation advertisement: -  It uses a headline that calls out to business owners (I could have tested a more specific headline too that focused on an exact type of business as well – but my experience with business edge, the paperr I used for this ad showed a great quality lead as this ad was.  I did test numerous headlines, numerous offers, and a few different website domains.  Ultimately I found the perfect combination that got me the most leads… and it ran untouched for 2 years.

-  I mention right in the subhead that it is FREE… so they understand what I am asking of them will not cost them.  Plus, FREE is still one of the most powerful words in advertising (even better in a recession).

-   Specifics about what they get.  Include the names of what they will receive, and specifics of what it will teach them. Specifics sell!

-   I gave them a couple options – website or phone call.  I found that 20% of the respondants would phone, the rest would fill out the form on the site used (the site in this ad no longer offers the form, I just used it as an example).

-  Last (and MOST important)… I told them WHY I was doing this.

Just because it is free, doesn’t mean they will take action.

They needed to understand my motives behind this… so I told them.

Try this approach… it will work wonders for your lead generation and sales campaigns.  Let me know how it works for you!

Troy

PS: If you want a quick and dirty blueprint for creating the ultimate marketing plan for 2010 – run on over to http://www.cashflowcalendars.com - a new year is here and these plans will have you up and running in no time


« Older Posts