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Regardless of how you look at it, the most important aspect of any
successful mail
order business is its advertising. In fact, mail order success is
wholly dependent, and even predicated upon good advertising.
First of all, you've got to have a dynamic, spectacular ad that attracts
the eye and
grabs the interest of the people you're trying to sell to. Thus,
unless your ad really "jumps out" at the reader, your sales won't live
up to expectations , and your ad money will be wasted.
The eye-catching appeal of your ad must start with the headline.
Use the head line
to very quickly create a picture in the minds of the reader - a vision
of all their problems
being solved, and attainment of the kind of happiness they seek.
If your head line fails to catch the attention of your prospect, you
cannot hope to capture him with the remainder of the ad, because it will
go unread! So in writing your advertisement, put yourself in the
shoes of your reader. You have his attention for just a little
while, so you must quickly interest him in your offer, show him how he
can get what he wants, and then cause him to send immediately for your
"solution" to his problems. Your copy must exude enthusiasm,
excitement, and a positive attitude. Don't be afraid to use a
hard-sell approach! Say what you feel and believe about your
offer. And use common, "everyday," but correct English.
Even so, you can and must remember to be honest. Don't exaggerate
or make
claims you can't back up. Never make promises you cannot or don't
expect, to keep. To
do so could get you in trouble with the Federal Trade and Fair Practices
people.
Stress the benefits of your product or service. Explain to your
reader how owning
a copy of your book (for instance), or receiving your services will make
his life richer,
happier, and more abundant. Don't get involved in detailing all
the money you've spent
developing the product or researching the information you're selling, or
your credentials
for offering it. Stress the "sizzle" and value of ownership.
It is important to involve the reader as often as possible through the
use of the
word "you." Write your copy just as if you were speaking to and
attempting to sell just
one person. Don't let your ad sound as a speaker at a podium
addressing a huge stadium
filled with people, but as if there were just one individual
"listening."
And don't try to be overly clever, brilliant or humorous in your
advertising. Keep
your copy simple, to the point, and on target toward selling your
prospect the product or service because of its benefits. In other
words, keep it simple, but clear; at all costs, you don't want to
confuse the reader. Just tell him exactly what he'll get for his
money; the benefits he'll receive; how to go about ordering it.
You don't have to get too friendly. In fact, avoid becoming
"folksy," and don't use slang expressions.
In writing an ad, think of yourself as a door-to-door salesperson.
You have to get
the attention of the prospect quickly, interest him in the product
you're selling, create a
desire to enjoy its benefits, and you can then close the sale.
Copywriting, whether for a display ad, a classified ad, a sales letter
or a brochure,
is a learned skill. It is one that anyone can master with a bit of
study, practice, and
perhaps some professional guidance.
Your first move, then, is to study your competition, and recognize how
they are
selling their wares. Practice rewriting their ads from a different
point of view or from a
different sales angle. Keep a file of ads you've clipped from
different publications in a file
of ad writing ideas. But don't copy anyone else's work; just use
the ad material of others
to stimulate your own creativeness.
Some of the "known facts" about advertising - and ad writing in
particular - tell us
that you cannot ask for more than $3 in a short classified type ad.
Generally speaking, a
$5 item will take at least a one-inch display ad. If you're trying
to sell a $10 item, you'll
need at least a quarter page - perhaps even a half page of copy - and
$15 to $20 items
require a full page. If you are selling a really big ticket item
(costing $50 or more) you'll
need a four-page sales letter, a brochure, separate order coupon, and a
return reply
envelope.
If you're making offers via direct mail, best get into the postal system
with it on a
Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, to be sure it does not arrive on a Monday,
the first and
busiest day of the week. And again, unless you're promoting a big
ticket item, the quality or color of your paper won't have any great
effect on the response you'll get, but the quality of your printing
definitely will, so bear this in mind when you place your printing
order.
One final point to remember: The summer months when people are
most apt to be
away on vacation are usually not good months for direct mail. But
they are good for
opportunity advertisements in publications often found in vacation
areas, and in motels
and hotels.
Again, it cannot be stressed too much or too often: Success in mail
order does,
indeed, depend upon advertising - and as with anything else, quality
pays off in the long
run. Read this report again; study it; let it sink in. Then
apply the principles out lined in it. They have worked for others,
and THEY CAN WORK FOR YOU!
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