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/