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When I refer to adverts, it can be: a leaflet; mailshot letter; display or classified ad in a newspaper or magazine; even a website that sells your service.
Headline
Time and again results have shown that creating an effective headline is one of the most critical factors determining the success of a marketing piece. Any top direct marketing expert will confirm that having a good headline will make the difference between an outstanding success and a dismal failure.
A good headline can be as much as 17 times more effective than a bad headline. That is the difference between being inundated with enquiries and getting practically none. By headline, I mean a statement usually found at the top of your advert and in a larger font size. Its purpose is to: • Attract attention
• Communicate strong benefits
• Answer the reader’s question: “what’s in it for me?”
• Hook you into reading more. Here are some simple rules to adhere to when writing headlines. • Make them believable
• Use “quotation marks” around your headline as it makes it improves response
• Use Uppercase and Lowercase. Never just use capitals as it is harder to read
• Keep the headline under 17 words in length Here is an easy to follow procedure to creating good headlines
• Write down on 3” x 5” cards all the benefits of your service you can think of. E.g. (1) I have competitive prices that small business users can afford (2) I am easy to get hold of as I always keep my mobile switch on
• List them in order of priority, from the strongest benefit down to the weakest.
• Use the strongest benefit in your headline! It will be the most persuasive.
• Create a powerful headline that catches the attention of the reader and persuades them to read more. For example, “Free Computer Tuition Available Now!” is likely to out pull “Computer tuition.” It promises more and attracts attention. Direct Marketers have lists of words they have found to be the most persuasive. Use of these in headlines is to be recommended. Here is a list of 28 powerful words that work well in headlines:
• Free
• You
• Secrets of
• New
• Now
• Amazing
• At last
• Announcing
• How to
• Do you
• Life
• Here
• The truth about
• Facts you
• Love
• Sale
• Hate
• Breakthrough
• How much
• Protect
• How would
• Discover
• Only
• Bargains
• Yes
• This
• Advice to
• Who else The most powerful words in this list are Free and You. Use them when you can. Here are 5 sample headlines, each using one or more of the words in the list above: 1. “Discover How To Use Your Computer in the Minimum Possible Time.”
2. “Free PC Support for Small Business Owners”
3. “Announcing a New Breakthrough in Computer Training That Slashes The Time it Takes Beginners to Learn”
4. “Who Else Wants Ongoing Support for their NT Network?”
5. “Do You Need a Database?” I’m sure you get the idea. Notice the use of capitals and lowercase and also the use of “quotation marks.” Body Copy
After the headline, you will normally have what is called the “Body Copy”. This is the sales message that expands on the promise made in your headline. If we take headline #1 in the example above, we need to have a persuasive opening paragraph that leads the reader even further towards wanting to read your advert. It could start like this: “Discover How To Use Your Computer in the Minimum Possible Time.”
Are you using only 5% of your computers capabilities? Fed up of not using it to your full potential and constantly getting frustrated by its behaviour? At last! A new local service lets you get up to speed easily, rapidly and with the minimum of stress. You have got into the mindset of the reader and established the beginnings of a rapport. Most readers will agree they use only 5% of the capability of their machines and feel they should be getting better use out of their investment. You have also reminded them how frustrating they can be. Next, you have introduced your service, rescuing them from their problem. Bullets
Bullet points are a great way to give a list of benefits in an easily digestible manner. They are short, sharp, fast ways to give powerful reasons for doing business with you. Let us look at an example. Your letter could continue as follows… You will discover:
• What to do when your computer crashes
• How to choose an internet supplier, sign on and surf the web
• Mastering email for beginners
• How to get help when you are all alone and have no one to refer to
• Mastering the basics of Windows
• Setting up your printer in 3 easy steps
• Learning the basics of Microsoft Word in under 30 minutes Wow! What a great way to drive home your marketing message without having to put much creative effort in. They are rather like mini-headlines, each with a promise and taken from the remaining benefits you have listed on your 3” x 5” cards.
A Call for Action
You have to overcome the reader’s inertia. It is easy just to read something and do nothing about it. Therefore, do everything you can to encourage them to purchase or make an enquiry. There are several ways to do this:
• Offer an incentive. E.g. If they call today, they get the first hour of training free of charge.
• Create a deadline. E.g. We only have limited availability and expect to be fully booked up within days of this mailshot going out. Call now to avoid disappointment.
• Use action words e.g. Call now. Don’t put it off. Do it while it is fresh in your mind. Call 800 222 333 for a no obligation chat with our representative.
Guarantees
Marketers offer guarantees to reduce buyer’s risk. If customers don’t like your product or service, they get their money back. When it comes to computer consultancies, you can still offer a guarantee. However, you may not want to offer a money-back guarantee on a large project as you could lose a fortune! But if you offer a days training, to encourage a new client to use your services, you could offer a money-back guarantee. It is unlikely they will take you up on it, as they would feel very uncomfortable about it, especially if you put your heart and sole into helping them. On the occasions where I have offered their money back, I don’t think I had one client take me up on it. In fact, I believe that after they meet you, they completely forget about it and it doesn’t even become an issue. You may structure it like this: If for any reason at all, you are not happy with our training, we will give you a 100% refund of your money, no questions asked. This reduces the resistance of the potential customer to using you as a supplier, as they have nothing to lose. When you are an unknown quantity, do all you can to make the prospect feel they are making a safe decision. P.S.
Want to know what are the two most commonly read parts of a sales letter? The headline followed by the “P.S.” Readers rarely just read the letter through, start to finish. They tend to scan and skip around, picking out points of interest. They are likely to check the headline first, then go to the end of the letter and read a P.S. (if one exists), followed by scanning the bullet points. This is a generalisation but I just wanted to stress prospects are not well behaved! That’s ok because you will have laden your advert with powerful persuasive copy, right? And if after scanning they like what they see, they may start again and read from start to finish. So what do we put in the P.S.? It can be any persuasive benefit of your offer, but I’m going to suggest you mention a deadline, free offer or bonus for using your service. Here are a few examples: P.S. Don’t forget, if you call today you will get the first hour free! P.S. Our money-back guarantee is there so you can make a risk free decision. P.S. Our time and resources are limited. After this mailshot, we expect our diary to be booked up within days. Call now to avoid disappointment.
Are graphics important?
Graphics are nowhere as important as you think. It is words that sell. When you have an intangible service such as IT consultancy, words are your tools that will convince prospects that they need your services. Put a picture of your lovely new office building on your advert and it will not persuade anyone that you offer an excellent computer-training package. But you might with a description of how your training has been shown to produce results for previous clients.
Establishing credibility
One of the biggest obstacles to making sales is credibility. We are bombarded with a continual stream of advertising messages. They all promise to make your life better, more comfortable, richer, more sexy and happier. So what do we look for to convince us that a company is worth considering? One of the most powerful, tried and tested means of establishing credibility is through the use of client testimonials. Yes, some of you may say, “I never read those things. They are made up anyway!” Nevertheless, you still keep seeing them in advert after advert. You get the washing powder commercials where a lady assures you that it gave the cleanest wash she ever had. You get the local car dealership adverts with a satisfied customer giving a glowing endorsement of their superior service. Why do they use them? Because they work! The subconscious is at work here. We read the testimonials if we are interested in the product. Secretly, deep down inside we want to believe the advert. So we start to rationalise and say to ourselves, “These may be genuine testimonials and if they are, this service will really help me.” Here are two examples of testimonials: “I was concerned with spending money on personal PC tuition. But after just 2 hours with John, I wish I had done this years ago. You can cover so much in such a short period of time, and I got all those niggly little questions answered!”
Sue Smith, New York “It took a lot of convincing but at last I believe I can master my PC, rather than it mastering me! I used to think I was unteachable at my advanced years, but John was so patient and explained everything in terms I could understand. Thank you John!”
David Jones, Albany It is important that you get genuine testimonials as they somehow ring true. Use your own made up versions (which is illegal anyway) and they are likely to sound “flat” and unconvincing. When first starting out, offer some free help to some friends. In return, ask for a good testimonial from each. This is a legitimate and easy way to get your started. Then, constantly ask for testimonials from each client. After each appointment with a new client, say the following: “Would you have any objection to providing me with a brief testimonial? It really helps me convince potential clients that I actually know what I am doing!” Most will agree, although very busy businessmen may ask you to write it out and they will sign it. This is also ok, but get them to do it if you can. Advert length
As mentioned before, the more you tell the more you sell – if every word is relevant. Someone who is interested in your product or service will read every word. They just can’t get enough information! A 2-page letter will out pull a 1-page letter. A 4-page letter will out pull a 2-page letter. When sending a sales letter, you are not so restricted on how much you say. An extra page or two of printed-paper has a very low associated cost. However, when it comes to advertising in printed media, such as local papers or magazines, the costs are considerably higher. This means you need to keep your display and classified adverts short. Condense your copy so that you are left with the most relevant, hard hitting and persuasive points. This will keep your advert cost effective. To determine the ideal size of your advert, start small and increase its size over a period of time. Monitor the number of enquiries you get and determine the return on your advertising expenditure. This will give you a feel for what advert size brings the best financial return. Remember that return may be less important than the shear volume of enquiries if you are going for market share. And the return in your advertising expenditure will be very conservative. This is because you will not know how much repeat business each client will give you over time. The “lifetime value” of the client may be 10 times or 100 times the revenue of your first appointment with them. Even the most experienced direct marketers need inspiration at times. Therefore, I have created a range of adverts you can use as ideas for your own. Or just copy them and give them a run in your local paper. They are split into the two main types of adverts: Display and Classified. Display adverts are more expensive than classified and you usually buy them by the column inch or by a fraction of a page (e.g. 1/8, ¼, ½ or full page). They allow you to design your advert however you like, with pictures, nice layouts, coupons, different font sizes and font styles. They often want camera-ready copy, which you can design on your PC using any basic Desktop Publishing program, or even Microsoft Word. Classified ads are often charged by the word and are word only adverts. Here are the adverts: PC Support and Tuition for Small Business Owners. Local friendly service from PC expert at prices you can afford. Call John on 444 5555 for free initial advice. Windows NT Networking Professionals. Let us manage your networks. We are specialists, reliable and give fast support. Call now on 555 3333. Free PC Hardware advice. Talk to the experts who can explain in simple terms what you need and where to buy. Full installation and set-up service available. Call now on 444 9999. PC Support and Tuition for Smaller Businesses.
We can help with:
• Technical support
• Training
• Installation
• Internet set-up
• Hardware advice
Call for pricing and availability. 555 3344 Networking specialists for Windows NT
Help in the following areas:
• Buying advice
• Network installation and configuration
• Troubleshooting (emergency fast response service available)
• Upgrades
Call for free no obligation consultation on 888 4444 Free PC Hardware Advice. Why struggle alone when our expert can give you advice over the phone? We can explain:
• What to buy
• Where to buy it
• How to save money on your purchase
• How to get it installed
Call our expert now on 999 444444 for a free consultation. These are example of three different adverts, in two different formats: short and slightly longer. The longer examples are more suitable for display advertising as they allow you to use bullet points in the ad. The shorter examples are ideal for classified ads. I would just like to give you a twist to the standard advertising methods I have described above. There is a technique called “two-step” marketing. It is a low risk way of getting your message out to potential customers by getting them to identify themselves to you before you spend time and money sending them expensive sales literature. Example
You place an advert as follows: Free Special Report on Buying Hardware reveals what you need, where to buy it at the lowest possible cost and how to negotiate an excellent deal. Call 444 2222, 24 hours per day for our recorded message. If you were about to buy some computer hardware, there is a good chance you will ring this number. You have nothing to lose and it is a recorded message so you don’t have to start tussling with a salesman. Besides, you would like to know how to buy at the lowest possible cost. When you call, the recorded message can either have them leave their name and address and send them your sales letter, or do the selling on the phone. Then, at the end of your sales message, ask them to leave their name and number and you will call them back. You end up with prequalified leads to call, queued up on your answerphone! We have all heard the marketing phrase “No salesman will call.” It reduces peoples reluctance to get further information because their fear of being bombarded by calls from commission hungry salesman. This recording approach works on a similar basis. You encourage the reader to call for further information and then they are persuaded by your recorded message to just go one step further. It is easier to get someone to take little steps than big steps. Lead them inch-by-inch and before you know it they have signed up for your super-deluxe training special! |
