The Ultimate Remedy To "Image" Advertising

I just ran across this hilarious viral video from a web design company. It's obvious they don't approve of certain direct-response marketing design elements...

But who cares?

The video is hilarious!

And they're (mostly) spot-on. Check it out:

www.MakeMyLogoBiggerCream.com

Using Language To Reframe & Communicate Value

My girlfriend is an Eyebrow Artist. We actually decided to call her that to help differentiate her from other makeup artists, which are a dime a dozen.

She’s very knowledgeable on how to design eyebrows to bring out a woman’s natural beauty.

She’s essentially offering the same service that most salons offer for about $8... except you get the benefit of working with an expert who knows what she’s doing.

So how can we communicate the added value and justify a price point that makes it worth Alba’s while?

Well... most salons call it “eyebrow shaping.” Alba is giving an “Eyebrow Makeover.”

The difference?

Alba is getting $55 for an “Eyebrow Makeover,” and was recently advised to raise her price.

Just two little words. BIG difference in perceived value. In fact, we carefully named all of her services. Take a look: www.TheEyebrowArtist.com

Here’s another example...

A number of years ago, Clayton Makepeace helped make Weiss research one of the top investment newsletters in the nation.

Except he never referred to it as an “investment newsletter” in the promotions he wrote for them. He called it an “Investment Advisory Service.”

Subtle difference in wording... BIG difference in perceived value.

If you call your product or service the same thing everyone else calls it, you’ll easily be relegated to commodity status.

But if you simply choose better words that communicate more value, you’ll “reframe” the perception of what it is being offered... and hence it’s relative value.

I’m not just a copywriter. I’m a “Salesman In Print.”

This ability to reframe by simply choosing the right words is one component of Covert Written Persuasion™.

The Copywriting Process

Maybe you’ve never thought much about it before, but there’s a heck of a lot that goes on behind the scenes when a copywriter puts pen to paper.

There’s a system to putting together a successful sales letter... and when you understand the system, you’re able to produce winning promotions a heck of a lot faster and easier.

Still... there are no shortcuts without sacrificing results. You’ll see what I mean in a moment.

Here’s the system I use when I write a sales letter...

1. Try to understand the typical prospect (the target market). What are his needs? Why does he need the product? What’s keeping him awake at night? What are his core motivations for buying this product? What emotions will drive him to make a purchase? This is a critical step that many overlook.

2. Research the product, competing products, and their promotions (if possible). Then look for the unique selling proposition that sets this product apart. This is also easily overlooked.

3. Create a positioning strategy to create a perception of immense value. For example, there’s a difference in perceived value between calling it “eyebrow shaping” versus an “eyebrow makeover” or between an “info kit” and an “urgent investor bulletin.” Use language that communicates value.

4. Create a strategy for getting immediate attention and interest. Come up with a theme, headline, and lead that engages the reader and makes it difficult to stop reading.

5. Create the structural framework of the promotion--the architecture of persuasion. Outline everything that needs to be included in the letter in order to make the sale. (Benefits, credibility, objection-handling, urgency, etc.)

6. Add the appropriate research, notes and ideas into each section of the outline.

7. Create a first rough draft, then polish it into a complete draft.

8. Continue relentlessly polishing and perfecting the letter. Check for flow, clarity, readability, momentum, etc.

9. Polish the layout (design) to make the letter as inviting to read as possible.

That's my 9-step process in a nutshell. A lot of work, huh?

It actually goes much deeper than this, particularly in creating the structural outline. (See my How-To Guide.)

The thing is, copy is a critical LEVERAGE POINT in your business. Shouldn’t a lot of thought go behind it?

A Biz-Op Ad Critique

I decided to flip through some biz-op magazines at Barnes & Noble this weekend. Not because I'm interested in any business opportunities. (My business keeps me plenty busy, so please no MLM pitches!)

But because I'm fascinated with that market. I talked about hype in my last post. And the biz-op market is full of it.

But the great thing about this market is that there is a very high level of awareness of direct response marketing. Which is right up my alley.

I chose an ad in 'Small Business Opportunities' to critique on this blog. In fact, I'll be doing this from time to time in the future, so be sure and stay tuned.

This ad certainly isn't the worst of the ads I saw. In fact, it was one of the better ones... both in terms of scaled-down hype. And in terms of using proven principles of direct response.

But there are certainly many things that can be improved to maximize its response rate.

Take a look...

A HUGE Online Marketing Mistake

You ever see those hyped-up internet sales pages smothered in yellow highlighting with a forest of exclamation marks?

It seems that in many markets (weight loss, biz-op, network marketing, info products, etc.), marketers will work themselves into a frenzy trying to out-hype the competition.

Terry Dean calls this “hypercopyitis.” Ben Settle calls it “frothing at the mouth copywriting.”

I simply call it “empty hype.” Maybe that’s not as colorful as Terry or Ben, but that’s what it is.

And it’s a HUGE mistake.

The key to out-doing your competition isn’t to out-hype them. It’s to out-flank them.

It’s to find the unique elements about your product that make it better... or simply different.

It could be something as simple as a great story. Perhaps your story... or the story of a happy customer... or the incredible story of how you developed the product... anything that will set your product apart.

Consider this headline from the late Gary Halbert, the legendary “Prince of Print...”

Atlanta Housewife Investigated And
Almost Arrested For Losing 73 Pounds

Wow, what a headline! And what a story! Don’t you just HAVE to read on to find out more?

And there’s not one ounce of hype. No string of exclamation points. No bold, unproven claim like “Lose 70 Pounds In 60 Days!!!!!!”

Gary Halbert knew how to uncover the story that provided the “hook” to get readers involved. That’s half the battle.

The bottom line: engage your prospects. Don’t treat them like blithering idiots. Differentiate.... don’t hype.

4 Critical Steps To Direct Mail Success

I must be the world's worst blogger. I freely admit it. It's been 4 months since my last post!

But I think it will be worth the wait. Because I'm about to reveal to you the key secret to making your direct mail campaign work like gangbusters. Most businesses fall short in one or more of these areas.

But not you... Not after today!

Here the 4 critical steps to direct mail success...

Step One: Choose Your Target

Pick a target and know your target well. The list is absolutely critical. If you're selling ice, your list shouldn't contain a list of Eskimos. Try a list of desert sheiks instead! And find out what motivates them. What are their beliefs, feelings, and desires? You'll need to know this because in step two, you'll give them their hearts desires...

Step Two: Create An Irresistible Offer

In other words, give them what they want! And make it a good, enticing offer. Like free (and very relevant) information. Or a free trial. Or a huge discount or bonuses just for trying you out. Make an offer he can't refuse! But make only ONE offer. Don't try to sell your whole product or service line in one letter. That's just a really dumb mistake that anyone with 2 cents should be able to avoid!

Step Three: Pick A Format

99.9% of all direct mail winds up in the trash because it looks exactly like what it is: junk mail. To get past the clutter, you need a different tactic. Try a letter that looks personal, such as a plain white envelope with a simple return address, hand-addressed, and a real, live first-class stamp.

Or send a "lumpy" envelope. Or a brown, oversize envelope. Or a package. Or send it priority mail. Anything to get past the clutter and get attention.

Step Four: Create A Magnetic Message

This is where it pays to hire a professional direct response copywriter. But here's a quick tip: focus on benefits, and not just features.

People ultimately buy benefits. Benefits evoke an emotional connection. No one connects emotionally with features, unless they can connect it with a benefit.

This post, for example, is about 475 words long, and is in five parts. Do you really care about that? Or do you care about the benefit of what this post will bring you? Namely, better success with direct mail... and ultimately, more money... and ultimately, the ability to have something that money can bring you, like a new vacation or time with your family or that new car you've been drooling over!

See my point? Focus on the benefits and you'll have better chances of success.

To learn more about how to craft a powerful, persuasive message, I invite you to download my FREE How-To Guide available here: www.EngineeringPersuasion.com.

Until next time...

Joshua "Aaron" Stanley
Direct Response Copywriter - Persuasion Engineer - "Salesman in Print"

A HUGE Small Business Marketing Mistake

One of the biggest mistakes small business owners make is not having a cohesive and consistent marketing system. Instead, everything is ad hoc. Very tactical. A little of this...a little of that. "Let's try this today. Well, that didn't work, let's try something else tomorrow."

By cohesive, I mean...

• Every marketing piece should be designed to feed the sales funnel. (Turn readers/watchers/listeners into leads/inquiries/visitors.)
  
• Every marketing piece should communicate the same central message. (Your USP, unless it's a purely lead-generation piece--in which case it should sell the benefits of your lead-generation device, be it a white paper, special report, video, etc.)
  
• Each marketing piece should "pre-sell" the company, product, or service.
• Every piece should work in tandem with all the other pieces, so they all reinforce each other. (Website reinforces and expounds on print ads. E-mail campaign reinforces the core story, Etc.)
• Marketing should be consistent with the sales message. In other words, the sales side should be a logical extension of the external marketing.
• Marketing should be consistently delivered...that is, it should be a regular system that acts like clockwork, producing the same results every time.

Your marketing system should be written down and documented. It should be designed from the ground up to be consistent and cohesive. In other words, each piece of your marketing matrix should be like a team-member, reinforcing all the other pieces.