Smart marketing…

It’s time to up the ante for creative copywriting.

Shouting a big promise & benefits isn’t enough

Marketing targets assaulted by a daily barrage of marcom missiles add armor to defend themselves. It’s tough to penetrate their star wars psychological defense. They don’t feel as though they’re under siege. They are in control. We need strong creative tactics to help penetrate their defense.

There’s still a place for instrusive marketing ---sometimes. But the whack aside the head to get attention, is passé. Hucksterism is out. Engagement is in.

According to many direct marketing experts, the happy numbers we got with the old formulaic direct marketing approach “just ain’t what they used to.”

I’ve always advised clients to “give them your best shot---your unique selling proposition---right away.” The trouble with this approach (which I haven’t totally abandoned) is that it’s a bulletin a sales pitch is coming. It’s too easy to ignore.

Clayton Makepeace, master copywriter and marketing expert, likes advertorials as one way to break through the clutter. He describes an advertorial as “something that offers the prospect a benefit just for reading it.” It’s like a white paper. Both are tied to a commercial message, but they also provide information the reader wants.

One thing that honks me with some advertorials is when creative tries so hard to make it look like editorial copy that they print the mandatory word “advertisement” in six point ultra- rubber- condensed type. Don’t be bashful. You’re not trying to trick people into reading your message. That tiny type can look sneaky.

Tell a story

One of the best ways to engage prospects is to tell a story. Good copy can weave your message into a story with a beginning, middle and an end--- a story that will interest your audience and sell your product. And the advertorial format lends itself well to storytelling.

Tip for the Little Guy

Study ads, advertorials, and testimonials that engage. Forget the fancy graphics. Use real photos of real people. Think like your prospect. What’s relevant to your product that s/he will find interesting? Find it. Then---tell your story.

Editors Note: You can visit Clayton Makepeace’s Web Site at http://www.makepeacetotalpackage.com/

Smart marketing….

Don’t use a barbless hook

for direct response copy

A barbless hook does less damage to fish, but makes it easy to loose them. Same for direct response. After you hook readers the copy should dig in and keep them on line.

Here’s an example: This week I received an offer from AAA South Jersey with an envelope teaser that shouted, “Express Activation Required” and a subhead: ”DO NOT DELAY: Cards must be activated within 10 days to remain valid. “

I’m not a Triple A member, but the call to action from a recognized brand made me open the envelope. Good start. But inside, the sales letter again shouted “EXPRESS ACTIVATION REQUIRED” and asked me politely to “Please hurry” and if I did, I would qualify for the “ SPECIAL FREE OFFER---and save as much as $31.33 if I joined AAA on the very best possible terms.” It also promised; “Your benefits start now …TODAY.”

Then, as they reeled me toward the boat, they shifted to story mode. Good stories make great copy. Believable stories. Relevant stories. This shift in focus though, now has me back-finning. I want answers: “Hey! What’s the FREE OFFER? How can I be covered when I haven’t signed up yet? Why is express activation required?”

And the story has no barbs to hold me. It’s about going to lunch with a buddy and two other guys in your buddy’s car. He has a flat, no jack, and no motor club. Nor do the other guys.

But, guess what? You whip out your card, call Triple A and save the day. And your friends will be thrilled by your “rescue.”

Emergency road service when you’re a passenger is a nice benefit. But why the long preamble for an event with such a slim probability? It’s not the main thing AAA has to offer.

Come jump my battery on a bitter morning when I have to get the kids to school. Fix my flat on a spooky country road at 2:00 am. Bring me a can of gas when my car sputters, gasps and coasts to a stop in the middle of I-95. If something breaks that’s fixable, fix it. If you can’t, tow me.

These events are more likely to happen than thrilling my friends while a passenger.

On page two, the writer hits his/her stride with the real meat of the program, which should have been on page one: “You get the most complete Emergency Road Services in America, 24 hours a day.”

Here’s a chance to land me. Instead, the crucial services I want are presented in a paragraph rather than with easily scanned bullets that might get me in the boat.

.Change a flat

. Boost dead battery

. Open locked door

. Provide mechanical aid

. Bring spare gas

. Tow to safety

The rest of the sales letter describes the many benefits of membership. And indeed there are many. But maps and travel guides, online services, and savings on out-of-pocket costs are attractive bonuses. If you’re selling emergency service, put your copy muscle behind emergency service.

Oh no! Not here you don’t!

At the bottom of page three the letter talks about GAS REBATES. With high prices this should be a hot button. It tells me I can save up to 5% on gas at virtually any gas station when I swipe my AAA Visa® card at the pump. In New Jersey and Oregon you can not pump your own gas. Now if you can still swipe your card and get a fat discount, that’s a big money-saving deal. (Remember this mailer was directed to New Jersey motorists.)

Finally, on page four, we get to the SPECIAL FREE OFFER. Join now and you save $10.00 on the enrollment fee, $15.00 on each family membership, and $6.33 on an extra month of service--- and you get a free USA road map. As for the immediate coverage, it starts when you call or mail your activation card.

The rest of the mailer was excellent. It had everything a good package should: an envelope that got itself opened, Triple A decals, temporary membership cards, a nice little brochure that summarizes all the good things about membership, and a business reply envelop.

Tip for The Little Guy

The sales letter is crucial part of most direct offers. Sweat it ‘til you get it right, or hire a pro. A well-crafted letter can be the best investment you ever make. Remember: the letter sells; the brochure tells.

Smart marketing ….

“Do Stuff” a Radioshack Magazine:

Relevant, Readable & Motivating

It promotes action; promises benefits; tells “how to;”

offers big discounts; and makes it easy to buy

with a call, click or visit.

Boy, oh boy! Some promotions are so well planned and executed it makes you smile with admiration for those who put it together.

Do Stuff is a nifty 6”x11” full-color 24-page attention grabber. The front cover welcomes you with a pretty lady and these promises:” Survive your next road trip”, “Make your own souvenirs,” “Podcast like a pro.” And then, page three piles on more hooks with a full list of “The Stuff” for us to do.

Bob Kilinski, the friendly talking head on the inside cover, explains that
Do Stuff is about the technology that makes “enjoying life” a little easier and more fun. Throughout the magazine the copy dances lightly along, takes the trauma out of tackling tech, abstracts the complicated and makes things understandable--- and doable.

I’d love to be privy to the ROI on this gem.

Tip for The Little Guy

Be serious as hell about what you sell, but deliver your pitch in a light and friendly style. You’ll sound like a warm human being with a message worthy of attention.

Get your hands on a copy of Do Stuff. Or, better yet read it now on line at www.RadioShack.com.

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Effective marketing…

Too many advertisers settle

for a weak call to action

Don’t just hint. Tell folks exactly what you want them to do. Learn from direct marketers. Whether it’s a one-step, two-step, or multiple step offer, once they’ve got your attention there’s never any doubt about what you’re supposed to do next.

Recently I saw a large color ad for a commercial feed industry product. It was for a product that needs lots of tech info about how and why it works and the benefits it promises to deliver…far more than can be squeezed even into a full page ad.

But after getting my attention, the copywriter dropped the ball with this lame call to action: “For details, contact your Dairy Nutrition Specialist, your nutritionist, or call 1-800-526-3563.” That’s passing the buck. What’s worse, this big expensive ad didn’t even mention the Company’s Web site.

Why not make it easy to respond? Send them to the site; offer more information; capture a lead for follow up; track response from that print ad; and supply the name and address of the Specialist who will do the belly-to-belly. Hey! And get another selling opportunity when you mail them a fat package of information they can study at their leisure and share with others.

Tip for the Little Guy: Don’t have a Web site? Get one. Whether you’re a local or national business, it’s one more way to make it easy for prospects to respond. What’s more, it’ll help you track and leverage all your media advertising.