Brainy Tidbits - Issue 34
Writing Sales Copy that Sells

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MarketingIdeaShop BRAINY Tidbits

The ezine with brainy ideas & resources
for marketers & small businesses


This newsletter brought to you each Tuesday by
Lois Carter Fay & Marketing Idea Shop


Issue 34 - January 20, 2004
Reading time: 10 minutes

Circulation:  1372


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PLEASE FORWARD ~~~ WITHOUT CUTTING ~~~
to anyone who can use a few timely marketing
and creativity tips to improve their business.


Welcome to all our new subscribers!


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IN THIS ISSUE

1.   How to Write Sales Copy That Gets People to BUY
2.   Quote of the Week
3.   Resources for Entrepreneurs and Marketers
4.   A Little Marketing Fun
5.   Smell the Coffee


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1.   How to Write Sales Copy That Gets People to BUY
     12 Points to Copywriting Success


If you'd like to sell more products, close more deals and make more money without paying a high-priced writer or consultant to write all your sales letters, then this might
be the most important article you ever read.

Do you see what I just did? I "checked off" the first two steps in writing compelling sales copy.

I've been self-employed for almost 14 years as a marketing consultant and writer, and learning these 12 steps to success has helped me become a master writer. I know they
can help you, too, so I decided to share these secrets with you in my "12 Points to Copywriting Success."


Point 1: The Headline

The first step to writing good sales copy is to create a powerful headline.

Sometimes you will also want to write a "prehead" and a"subhead." A prehead is the small headline that precedes the larger, main headline, and the subhead is one that
follows it. When you use this technique to write a headline that practically forces your reader to read the body copy, you actually create three powerful headlines that support
one another, but they can also stand alone. It gives you three tries to get people to read more. For instance, if this article was an ad, email solicitation or page on a website, instead of the simple two-line headline that I used above, perhaps I would write:

Close more deals! (in smaller type)
How to Write Sales Copy That Gets People to BUY (large type)
Whoever said "no pain - no gain" obviously didn't know about this... (small type, maybe italics)


Point 2: The First Sentence

The next step in writing sales copy is to engage the readers immediately in the first sentence to get them to read the next sentence. Plus, you need to include a few
"benefits" and at least one "pain" in that sentence. This means you must answer the reader's question, "What's in it for me?" Re-read my introductory sentence and see how I did that.


Point 3: Credibility
Okay, so you got your reader to read past the first sentence. Now you need to keep them reading. And how you do that is to establish your credibility. Why are you the expert? Why should someone believe you? If you don't have a good reason, you might as well say, "Buh-bye!" to your reader.

If you look back at the third paragraph above, you'll see how I did this.


Point 4: Identify the Problem, Stir Things Up, Solve It

People are emotional buyers. It's your job to help them rationalize their decision to buy your product or service. To make a sale, you will have to identify the problem (or
the pain), stir things up a bit, and then show them that you can provide the solution (remove the pain).

Using my copywriting service as an example, here's the pitch:

The trouble is, most businesspeople are either too busy to write, too scared to write, or just plain lousy writers so they think they can't do their own copywriting. That's where folks like me come in handy. We do your writing for you, make you look good, and help you close more sales. (See how I did this?)


Point 5: Introduce the Product, Provide an Example, Create Desire with Benefit-Driven Bullets

Don't skip over this important step in your sales letter. Merely identifying the problem and showing how you can solve it is not enough.

You have to clearly and succinctly describe your product and give an example of how it benefits the reader. Using bullet points is a good way to catch the attention of the reader who likes to skim articles instead of reading all the details. But be sure to focus on the benefits (what's in it for me) instead of the features (what the product does).

Continuing my previous example, see how I do this here:

My product is something that every busy business owner can use: great sales copy without the hassle of writing it yourself. Which of these problems would you like to solve?

* Your sales copy doesn't have much punch...so your phone never rings.

* You can quickly list your products' features, but you don't know what a benefit is...and you don't know where to start.

* You hate writing and really wish someone else would take over the job so you can get more appointments and make more sales.

I can do that! Plus, here are more benefits of working with me:

* You'll get results.

* I'll make you look good.

* You can spend more time doing the things you like to do because you won't have to work so hard. (Your family will love me.)


Point 6:  Use Testimonials

There's nothing like a good referral, is there? Well, using testimonials from satisfied customers is a great way to show that you are as good as you say you are. It's not
quite a personal introduction, but it can help to build trust and value.

For example, here are some of the recent comments my clients and subscribers have said about the work I have done for them. However, since I haven't gotten written
permission to use their names, I'm leaving the names out this time. But remember, testimonials without names are generally useless. Ask for permission and include their names.

* "You really made me sound good!"

* "I love your newsletter. It is filled with so much useful information."

*"This is the best brochure I have ever had."

*"Wow. Thanks for getting Rowena's in Romantic Homes magazine." (in May 2004)

* "You were responsible for getting Rowena into Southern Living magazine? I'm impressed."


Point 7: Build Value

Another way to build value is to compare two or three not-quite-similar products. For instance, the cost and success rate of having a student intern write the sales letter for you vs. writing it yourself vs. having a professional direct-mail copywriter do it. This gives you
the opportunity to clearly show the effectiveness of or return on investment for hiring a professional vs. the other options. How much time would you have to spend with the intern to get a good letter written? Is it worth the effort? Is your time better spent making sales calls?


Point 8:  Give a Reason Why

People like to know why you are making your offer. But be sure to be clear and honest. "I'm making this special offer available to you because it's the time of year that small
business owners begin to develop their annual marketing plans, and they often need help with this. I find that I have time to take on a couple of new clients."


Point 9:  Sweeten the Pot to Create Greed

Adding one or more special bonuses to your offer greatly increases the value of the package. You want to make an offer that they can't resist. But remember to consider the
end result that your prospect wants to accomplish. Make sure that the bonuses help your reader to reach that result. The monetary value of these bonuses should be slightly more than the value of the product you are selling. It will really create an attitude of, "I MUST have this product."

And now here's the REAL offer...Perhaps you, too, are beginning to write your annual marketing plan. Now's the time to get help. Buy my ebook MARKETING PLAN ESSENTIALS: ONLINE & OFF at the regular price, and I'll throw in two half-hour consulting sessions with me via the telephone ($200 value), FREE! Wow. For the price of an ebook, you get $200 extra in a bonus! You really can't pass this up.


Point 10:  Guarantee

The stronger your guarantee, the easier it is for people to take action. If you have a good product, there really is little risk. So back up your products to get more people to
buy.

Here's my REAL guarantee:
If you take me up on my offer, I guarantee that during our phone conversation, you will get at least three marketing ideas that you can put right to work to improve your business. MARKETING PLAN ESSENTIALS is filled with over 100 links to resources and 100 in-depth pages of terrific ideas to help you create your marketing plan, so you can't lose.


Point 11: Action Close
And speaking of buying, you'll need a clear and succinct statement of what you want your prospects to do. Should they call? Order it on the Internet? Return the reply card?


Here's what I want you to do:


Buy MARKETING PLAN ESSENTIALS: ONLINE & OFF now using this
link.


Or
Call me and order it over the phone: 800-203-8660 or 540-289-3840


Point 12: P.S. I Love You

Did you know that the P.S. is one of the most-read sections in a letter? This is your last chance to get your reader to buy your product, so make it easy for them to pull out
their wallets. Don't forget to add the P.S.


Read more about this offer here:
http://www.marketingideashop.com/me2bonus.htm

P.S. Don't miss out on this great buy. Yes, this is a REAL offer and I know you won't want to miss it. Visit here to buy.

P.P.S  And remember, you can always call me at 800-203-8660
or 540-289-3840 to order offline.



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2.  Quote of the Week

Yesterday we observed Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday (which is really January 15). His words are so appropriate for the world today!

"But today our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change. The large house in which we live demands that we transform this world-wide neighborhood into a world-wide brotherhood. Together we must learn to live as brothers or together we will be forced to perish as
fools."

~~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.



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*~*~*~*~*Marketing Tool for You*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
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Learn How to Make Big Money Sitting on Your Butt

Tom Antion, one of the few out there making a bundle on the Net and considered by many to be an Internet guru, is doing it again. He's holding his famous "ButtCamp." And you can go. What's a Butt Camp, you ask? It's a one-day seminar where you learn to make money just like he does, sitting at home on your rear end in front of your computer.

And he's only doing three live seminars in the first quarter this year--in Virginia Beach, Va.; Portland, Or.; and St. Louis, Mo. Space is limited so sign up now. Tom's
seminars fill quickly.

I attended his three-day Internet Marketing Retreat and it's the best investment I've ever made in my business. This program is MUCH less expensive, so go for it! Here are
just a few of the things you will learn:

* How to stop the cycle of "work, get paid, work, get paid, work get paid" and learn instead of how "work, get paid, get paid, get paid, get paid."

* How to make money while you sleep so you don't have to work so hard when you are awake.

* How to create a web page design to give your site the greatest chance of ranking high in the search engines.

* 4 key ways to make money with a FREE electronic magazine (ezine).

* How to get 300 ezine subscribers in the first day.

* How Tom made in excess of $12,000 in the first month doing teleseminars and how you can do that, too.


The cool thing is, graduates can attend any future ButtCamp for FREE so you can always keep up with the newest techniques and strategies. This is a great benefit because
there's always something new. Tom and his staff spend hours and hours researching new ideas every day, just so you don't have to.

Not only that, but you can now bring your teenager with you for FREE! Why would you want to do that? Because Tom feels a need to help people, and he wants to help your teenager get started learning about the opportunities of the Internet as soon as possible. He also knows that your teenager can be unbelievably helpful to you in your business. (That is, if you can get him or her to stop IM'ing long enough to create a web page or do research for you. ;-)

Read more about the program here: 

Tom Antion's Butt Camp

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3.  Resources for Entrepreneurs and Marketers

If you publish an electronic newsletter like this one, you will want to know about this. Here are two sites that can help you learn if your hosting site or mail distributor are listed as sp~ammers. You'll need your server's or distributor's originating IP address. Then go to the sites listed below and run this IP address through them to see if it's listed:

Spam Cop
Spam Block .


Get listed in the major search engines. Here's a list of the most popular search engines, with a link to the "add URL" page:

Marketing Idea Shop's Search Engine Resources


Need to build a website? Want to learn how to do it? Here's a free tutorial that can help you with everything from putting up a one-page site to using some of the more advanced techniques, like using multimedia. Check it out:



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5.  A Little Marketing Fun

Internet Joke from W3Schools:

Customer: "I want to download the Internet. Do I need a
bigger hard disk?"

To download the Internet visit this page (very funny!).



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6.  Smell the Coffee...

Next weekend I'm going to my annual Quaker Women's Retreat near Frederick, Md. Imagine 100+ women gathered together, learning, singing, laughing, crying, and sharing stories. I guess it's time I wrote another vignette for "It Ain't Just the Beer!", my book about the crazy things that people do. (Ask me about my sister and her brick tree sometime!) I read a few last year and everyone loved them.

My crocuses are beginning to pop out of the ground. There are no flowers yet, but the little green leaves are about an inch high now. Can spring be far behind? I wonder if
they will survive the deer...


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MORE PRODUCTS

I encourage you to visit the Marketing Idea Shop website
for lots more information. Plus, you'll find a lovely
picture of me there! Remember, we are constantly adding new
products to our store.

Marketing Idea Shop's Marketplace



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THE FINE PRINT

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Published by:
Lois Carter Fay, APR
Founder, Marketing Idea Shop

411 Rainier Road, Massanutten, VA  USA 22840
Voice 540.289.3840 or 800.203.8660
Email
Website

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