ULTIMATE MONEYMAKING
NEWSPAPER
By David Fowler
The nation's #1 newspaper ad expert
Editor: Sheila Ketabian Book Design: Wesley Doyle Ultimate Moneymaking Newspaper Ads Copyright 2009 by Ads-Up Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form without written permission except for brief quotes used for the purpose of a book review. Please send inquiries to: Publisher, Ads-Up Publishing, 2229 Lagoon View Drive, Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007. Printed in the USA
THE WAY IS LAID OUT. JUST
"The most effective ads you'll ever see are some form of irresistible bribery." - David Fowler
TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface
1
Introduction
3
Section 1 Be ready to grow your business before you advertise Step 1: Know what ads WORK in newspapers
8
Step 2: Create ads that grow your business
16
Step 3: Know the purpose of your print ad
19
Step 4: Create a niche that attracts ideal prospects
24
Step 5: Set goals for your ads
32
Step 6: Use a database to sell your customers more stuff, more often
36
Step 7: Track your leads and measure your results
40
Step 8: Overcome the biggest result-killing competitors
42
Section 2 How to create ultimate moneymaking ads Step 1: Target the ideal prospect
46
Step 2: Know what prospects are really buying
51
Step 3: Romance your prospects to "YES!"
57
Step 4: Make your offer REALLY irresistible
61
Step 5: Write a headline that compells prospects to read it...OR ELSE THEY WON'T!
67
Step 6: Write a call to action phrase that prompts immediate response
76
Step 7: Determine if you need "short" or "long" copy.
82
Step 8: Give readers the "proof" they need to respond—and more will
86
Step 9: Use pictures that support your offer.
91
Step 10: Use type that's instantly readable
96
Step 11: Design an effective layout
102
Step 12: Pre-Test your ads
112
Direct Response Ad-Builder Strategy Form
114
Summing it up
118
PREFACE In case you haven't noticed, there's a lot of negative press about newspaper advertising floating around. The rumor is it doesn't work anymore. I agree. Most of the so-called "advertising" you see in newspapers across the country, doesn't work. By that I mean, most ads lack the essential strategies needed to generate a significant number of leads and sales. And when ads don't drive enough quality leads and sales, naturally advertisers look for other ways to invest their marketing dollars. Also when their ads don't work, rather than look at their own methods, a lot of people blame the newspaper instead. But do ads fail because newspapers really don't work? No. Newspapers capture millions of readers every single day. Newspaper readers do read the articles. They do read the editorials. And they do read, (or at least glance at), the ads. The problem with newspaper advertising lies with the people who create them. Because most of them don't have a clue what they're doing. I wrote this book to show businesses and newspapers exactly how to create effective newspaper ads. And when I say "effective", I'm talking about the kind of results that have the power to blow the lid off response rates and sales. So when the skeptics, (the people who don't know the principles for creating effective ads), say newspapers are past their prime, or that they don't work, I say, look at the response rates generated by the people who do know how to create moneymaking newspaper ads. Then decide if newspaper ads work or not. Here are some real numbers given to me by some of the people whose ads I showcase in this book: Jon Spoelstra's newspaper ads routinely generate between $7 and $14 for every $1 spent on an average placement. Steve Wexler's newspaper ads routinely generate up to $10 for every $1 spent on an average placement. Bill Fryer's newspaper ads routinely generate between $7 and $11 for every $1 spent on an average placement. I recently created a small space ad that brought my client 10,000 leads and $500,000 in sales in 3 days; a full page ad that brought my client $960,000 in new business within 6 months; another full page ad in small markets that brings my client $80,000 in revenues per week—each time the ad runs.
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Yes, all from newspaper ads...that supposedly don't work anymore. Are these "freakish" results abnormal in the world of newspaper advertising? In other words, did I have to hunt high and low to unearth the only ad results like this in the world just to write a book about it to prove newspaper ads are effective? No. I didn't do that. The ad results above are consistently common for this group of uncommon marketers. And similar results could be yours too—IF you learned and applied the principles you'll find in this book.
--David Fowler Cardiff by the Sea, California
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INTRODUCTION guessing...and start using the proven strategies for creating newspaper ads that bring you 200%, 300%, 500% or more return on your money. I have to assume you're reading a book about newspaper advertising because your ads don't work. Or they barely work—just eking out a few calls or leads. In any case, your ads are costing you money, leads, and frustration. There's a reason your ads are failing. And it's not because the newspaper doesn't work anymore—it does. The reason your ads don't work is because MOST of what you think is right about newspaper advertising is wrong. In fact, most of what newspapers themselves know, most of what ad agencies know, and most of what your competitors know about newspaper advertising is wrong too. I only know your approach is wrong because I learned (from failing a lot more times than you have) which strategies do work. This book prescribes a radically different way to write and design newspaper ads than you're probably used to. In fact, the ideas in this book are so different from the traditional ideas found in most ads that even if you decide to use them you'll lay yourself wide open to criticism.. .probably lots of it. You may be laughed at. You may get ridiculed by other businesses or business associates. Heck, even your own family members and friends may criticize you. And you'll certainly be disliked and bad-mouthed by competitors. But take that as a good sign. It means you're on the right track. I think the biggest challenge you'll face as you adopt the ideas in this book will be standing up to social pressure and ridicule. I know this is true from experience. In several cases, I've created ads for businesses that quickly brought a ridiculous downpour of new leads and sales, and the owners of those businesses turned around and dropped the ad campaigns because they couldn't handle the family and social pressure caused by the "image" and content of their new ads.
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If you're serious about growing your business quickly, be prepared to have your self-esteem tested... maybe a lot. And if financial success and security is of paramount importance to you, find the guts to use the ideas I'm about to present in these steps. I'm betting the money you'll make will help you resist the strong social tendency to move with the crowd whose own marketing efforts produce lukewarm results at best. Remember the best fruit is out on the limb! You know, for years I've heard many of the so-called brightest marketing and advertising "experts" proclaim newspaper advertising doesn't work anymore. They claim the audience has moved online and that newspapers are past their prime. That's a silly argument. Hundreds of millions of people have read a newspaper today. When you question the people who insist newspaper ads don't work, you'll find in reality these people are talking about their ads.. .THEIR newspaper ads don't work. I have overwhelming proof that newspaper ads not only work; they work like gangbusters. In fact, I recently created an ad for a client who attended one of my ad workshops that resulted in 233 leads to his business in 3 days. I'm not saying this to brag but to tell you the newspaper as a sales medium for growing your business is extremely effective.. .IF you learn the strategies and techniques in this book. In this book you'll see a lot of actual examples of highly successful newspaper ads which illustrate the points being made. And the examples are from ads that I've written or were written by other top copywriters. The point is this: each example was selected to dramatically prove how the right newspaper ad strategies will increase your leads and sales. In the ad workshops I conduct, there's always someone who voices what I suspect most of the others in the audience are thinking: "If newspaper advertising is so effective, why am I getting fewer and fewer results from my ads?" And when I see their ads, I realize I've seen these same problems a thousand times over. The repeat issues are: 0 The ad isn't targeted to get the attention of the right prospect. ^ There's no compelling or irresistible offer in the headline. ^ There's little or no "proof" to substantiate the offer. Q There's too much emphasis on the look or image of the ad and too little emphasis on sales. 0 There's no compelling reason for prospects to respond NOW. 4
When you apply the principles in this book, you won't make these mistakes anymore. And just in case you're wondering, this book you won't teach you anything about IMAGE ads — the ones with pretty pictures and few words. And there won't be anything about writing CLEVER or WITTY headlines or copy, and absolutely nothing about designing GRAPHICALLY BALANCED ads — those delicate pieces of fine art that make designers go "Ahhhhh." In some cases, I even opt for graphically UNBALANCED ads because they're more effective. This book is about generating massive amounts of leads and sales to your business...and using "direct response" newspaper ads to do it. Direct response ads are the only ads I know that are fully accountable for sales. They're accountable because their response rate is "measurable." Response is measured by tracking mechanisms like coupons, dedicated phone numbers, or some prescribed action that measures response so that sales and revenue can be tracked back to the ad itself. Done correctly, direct response ads don't even look like ads—they look more like editorial content of the paper or an urgent message.
True, these ads usually have more text than most ads. And no, they're not very pretty...unless you think increased sales are pretty. Like I do. Okay, so let me give you some advice for reading this book: Drop your assumptions about what you think makes a good ad. (Remember, you're reading this book because YOUR IDEAS DON'T WORK.) And don't skip steps. This book gives you a logical sequence for building successful ads. The methodology is proven, and if you follow the steps your ads will improve your bottom line. Finally, apply what you're learning to your ads—as you read. Also test each new applied idea as you go, and you will see a BIG difference in the number of leads you attract and the money you make. I also want you to read and devour everything written by Ted Nicholas, Dan Kennedy, Jon Spoelstra, Jay Abrahams and Gary Bencivenga—who make up the greatest brain trust of direct-marketing know-how on the planet. I'm constantly learning something new and valuable from each of them. You will too. This book signals the end of newspaper advertising as we know it. Embrace the new strategies and you will skyrocket your ad's response rate.
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Warning: If you create one more newspaper ad without first reading and applying every sales proven, response-generating, moneymaking idea in this book, don't complain when your ads DON'T work.
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BE PREPARED TO GROW BEFORE YOU ADVERTISE In this section you'll learn: • Exactly what kind of ads work in the newspaper and HOW they work. • The one and ONLY objective your ad has • The purpose your ad serves in growing your business • How to create a niche that attracts the right prospects • How to set goals for your ads • How to track and measure your ads response • How to beat your REAL competitors
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STEP 1 Know what ads WORK in the newspaper
OVERVIEW:
There is only ONE kind of ad that works successfully in the newspaper, and this step tells you exactly what kind of ad it is. This step also tells you why this particular ad works best. Pay attention because it's critical you learn and apply the information here to get maximum profit from this book. Let's get right to the heart of it. The only kind of ads that work successfully in the newspaper to pull massive leads and sales are DIRECT RESPONSE ADS. And the reason direct response ads work so well in the newspaper, (and pay close attention to this insight), is because
THE NEWSPAPER IS A PERFECT DIRECTRESPONSE MEDIUM. So there are two things you need to know. One: Exactly what is a direct response ad? And Two: What makes the newspaper a perfect direct response medium?
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Before I explain what a direct response ad is, let me show you what a typical ad looks like. The following ad was written by an excellent direct response copywriter, Bill Fryer. Bill lives in the U.K., but writes for the U.S. market too.
Those people who say they "wouldn't read all this copy" are not afflicted by "High Blood Pressure". It's a serious topic and this ad specifically targets those who suffer—and makes a product sales presentation effectively because it's hidden in what appears to be an "article".
This very successful direct response ad works because the "testimonial teaser" headline pulls in a targeted reader. Using a testimonial to sell a health benefit is a very effective method. Note the incentive to respond quickly? "Shipping and handling is free if you respond to this advertisement within 14 days".
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As its name implies, a direct response ad compels the target audience to respond directly to the offer made in the advertising. You're probably thinking that's why you run ads already. Right? Well, the difference between your ads and these is a direct response ad uses a specific strategy to compel response. Another difference is the leads and sales they generate are measurable and can be tracked back to the ad itself. By contrast, most of the ads running in today's newspaper are "branding" or "awareness" ads. Or they could be image ads, sale ads, informational ads, business card style ads, or ads that spotlight products, product lines, sales staff or customers. Most of the ads in the newspaper are not trackable, so real results cannot be defined. I personally think a lot of ad designers and creators prefer it that way. And if you use any of these ads, you already know...they DON'T WORK. They do not have the "response triggers" necessary to drive massive amounts of leads or sales to your business.
Here are the basic elements that comprise a direct response ad: • • • • • •
They always target a specific reader. They always sell something the target audience wants—now. They always have an offer. They always give the prospect a reason to respond—right now. They always have strong, factual copy—not fluff or exaggerated hype. They always have tracking mechanisms in the ad, like dedicated phone numbers or coupons or some tracking device. And... • They are tracked so results can be measured. Now here's the answer to the second question...
What makes the newspaper a great direct response medium? There's a 2 part answer. 1. How people read the newspaper is the first part, and... 2. The FRAME OF MIND people are in when they read the newspaper is the second part. Have you ever closely watched HOW people read the newspaper? If you have, you've noticed that the reader's eyes move quickly over the page. That's because there are lots of pages to read. And lots to see. It has articles, editorials, information, photos, cartoons, entertainment, games and ads. And for most newspaper readers, there's not much time to take it all in. Newspaper readers are constantly searching the pages for pictures and headlines that reach out and grab their attention. And because newspapers offer so much to see and read, you'll notice that once someone reads a page they rarely, if ever, go back to pages they've already seen. A finished page is old news. Actually, if you really looked, you'd notice that newspaper readers don't really read much. At first their eyes scan a page. And they scan pages fast. In fact, the average reader scans a page in about 3 seconds or less. 10
And they scan until... (and this is what's really important to advertisers) they find a REWARD that interests them. The reward may be a unique, interesting, or curiosity enticing picture. Or it may be an engaging or enraging headline. Or it may be an ad. What best describes the newspaper reader's frame of mind while reading the paper is this: They're on the look out for a REWARD and they want the reward to gratify them instantly. Granted, a juicy reward may be to get the latest on a devastating train wreck. Or to see if Brad is really going back to Jennifer. Or to cash in on some year-end tax tips or to read what a Wall Street executive has to say about an emerging market. The point is, newspaper readers want a payoff for reading. They want to be rewarded. And they want news that rewards them NOW. Direct response ads weld the two desires together. The newspaper reader gets rewarded with urgent or juicy news and information. The direct response ads sell desirable rewards—in a form that looks like "news." The newspaper reader and a good direct response ad are a perfect match.
How direct response ads take advantage of the "frame-of-mind" of newspaper readers The insider's secret for you is that ads and sales pitches formatted as "news" FAR out-sell and outperform ads formatted to look like ads. When you create ads that appear in the form of a news article, you're getting agreement in the newspaper reader's mind that it's safer to accept the information presented. The sales pitch is camouflaged as news, whereas traditional advertising—written and designed to look like an "ad"—creates immediate resistance because the reader identifies it as a sales pitch. The following three insights reveal how direct response ads gain acceptance and response without resistance due to their non ad-like appearance. • NEWSPAPER READERS scan the headlines of articles looking for urgent, serious, entertaining or late-breaking news stories. DIRECT RESPONSE ADS WORK because the headlines are written in the editorial style of the newspaper in order to be identified as urgent and serious "news" rather than appearing as a sales pitch. • NEWSPAPER READERS seek news stories that not only pique their interest but use text that's long enough to satisfy their curiosity. Newspaper readers want lots of information, hard facts, statistics, expert insights, interviews, and the meaning behind the headline. DIRECT RESPONSE ADS WORK because they not only pique the readers interest, they also provide long copy, written as urgent news giving the reader useful information, substantiated research, hard facts, statistics, expert testimonials, and customer testimonials. 11
• NEWSPAPER READERS believe the "news" comes formatted in columns and is written in easyto-read serif typefaces like Times New Roman and Garamond. DIRECT RESPONSE ADS WORK because they MIMIC the editorial look and style of a newspaper article. They also use serif typefaces that look like those used in the newspaper. And the most effective direct response ads do not use a company logo—which would minimize its effect by tipping off the reader that it's really "just an ad." Of course the newspaper will not let you (in most cases) use their typefaces in your ads, and they'll require you to put the word "Advertisement" at the top of the ad. But this is a small price to pay for dramatically improving the readership and response to your ad. Gary Halbert, one of the greatest direct response newspaper ad copywriters of all time, once said his research proved that ads which appeared to look "editorial" in nature got a whopping 5 times more response than ads that "look" like ads. Here's the psychological reason direct response ads work. By not appearing to be an ad or sales pitch, the reader's guard is down and their internal "spam" filter is turned off. Therefore, they're not resistant to the information. And because the ad looks like news, it filters through to the reader unblocked. The beautiful twist is the news article they're reading also gets them to open their wallets and buy something.
You'll Get The Cleanest Carpet In Pensacola
See how this ad "rewards" the reader?
This small space ad ran in a small local paper. John Braun, business owner and creator of the ad, booked 17 jobs in one day. By week's end the ad had generated a response of $22:$1
1) The "guarantee" is a powerful one; 2) You get "Free Spot Cleaning" and, 3) you get a "BONUS Gift". 12
If you have a choice of newspapers in your area, make sure your target audience reads the paper you're considering. In addition, choose a paper the readers feel passionate about. By passionate I mean: • • • • •
They They They They They
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
the the the the the
paper's paper's paper's paper's paper's
special niche in the marketplace. point of view or position on issues. purpose or mission. content. attitude and style.
When you find an audience passionate about the paper they're reading, you've found an audience that's fully ENGAGED in the paper's message. And when people are engaged, interested ,and excited about what they're reading, that same excitement transfers over to your advertising message—especially if your message relates to the niche or editorial point of view of the paper. I know of businesses that advertise niche products and services in niche publications and get 15, 20, or even 30 times their investment back. Put a good niche ad in a good niche publication in front of an audience predisposed to your niche, and they'll DEVOUR it like a fresh slab of meat thrown to a wolf. If you have a "Christian" business, run ads in a Christian newspaper. If you sell "crystals" or "mystical books" run ads in a new age paper. If you sell horse trailers, run ads in The Horse Gazette or Briddle & Bit newspapers. (Yes, they really are "newspapers"). You get the idea...
On the flip side of the coin, if the audience isn't really engaged with the paper's niche and content, you're job of influencing them to care about your offer will be much more difficult. I see a lot of business owners putting a good message in front of the wrong audience. That's a big and costly mistake. To avoid this mistake...
Study the niche of the paper and be sure your business niche and image harmonizes with theirs A study of the paper's audience and the newspaper's editorial point of view will keep you from making a costly mistake.
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Remember, the difference between newspapers is the difference in the mindset of their readership. The Bargain Shopper reader may also read the large city metro Times, but when they're reading the Bargain Shopper, they're looking for bargains—they're in the bargain mindset! Readers of The Wall Street Journal or The Financial Times are in a "money" mindset. These readers are looking for smarter ways to invest or save their money. And no, your ad CAN'T CHANGE the mindset of people reading a particular publication to fit in with your ad's point-of-view. So don't try. Different newspapers exist for different reasons. Do your homework and find out the purpose of the paper. Is the newspaper's focus... • A specific philosophical or religious point-of-view? • A counter-cultural or alternative point-of-view? • A political point-of-view? • A nationalistic or cultural point-of-view? • An international focus? • A national or statewide focus? • A specific category focus like finance or entertainment? • A regional or local focus? • A local community or hometown focus? • A specific industry category focus? • A regional or local "bargain hunter" advertising focus? • Or combinations of the above? If you're not sure of the specific readership demographics, lifestyle, and the point of view of the majority of readers, call the newspaper and ask them. They can tell you who reads their paper and why.
And one last thought... Don't dabble. Don't have one toe in and one out. If you're going to use the newspaper to grow your leads and sales (and this goes for any media for that matter), go all in. In my own consulting practice over the years, I've seen that the people who commit long term to their advertising and promotion do far better than those who don't or can't. Why? Because commitment is about character; it's about staying with your decisions until they produce results. Commitment propels you to "go deep" and to expand your base of knowledge and learn. Applying what you learn as you go enables you to succeed. Those who place ads in newspapers to "try it" or to "see if it's going to work" are in fact dead before they start.
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Stopping and starting is a poor practice for growing your business. It destroys your momentum forward. It also kills the enthusiasm of the people working around you. Advertising requires trial and error to learn what really works. And while this book shows you specifically how to create successful ads, it's not a free ticket to successful advertising. You still have to apply the principles to your specific business and learn. Be relentless about your promotion. Promote every day. It's the only way to grow your business and succeed.
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STEP 2
Create ads that grow your business OVERVIEW: One of the biggest reasons ads don't generate massive numbers of leads or sales is their "objective" is weak or unclear. This step will show you how your ad can grow your business dramatically and how to line up your ad objectives with making a lot more money.
What are the objectives of your ad? No, it's not a trick question. And sure, your knee-jerk answer is probably, "to make more sales"... right? Good. But exactly HOW will your ad generate the leads and sales you want in order to grow your business? Believe it or not, the answer (below) makes all the difference between an ad that generates leads and sales and one that doesn't. Here it is: Your ad's objective is to INVITE your prospects to receive an ETHICAL BRIBE so IRRESISTIBLE they immediately postpone (or rearrange) other important tasks on their priority list today to CALL or VISIT your business to take advantage of your offer—now. If your objective is anything less, you're going to get less! The fact is your ads aren't appealing to your prospect's GREED sentiments. The test of the effectiveness of an ethical bribe is this: the bribe is so overwhelmingly compelling, magnetically attractive, and enticing, your prospect would walk a mile in a snowstorm to get it! Motivating people to act, even when they didn't intend to, is the purpose for using an IRRESISTIBLE BRIBE. When I talk with business owners, I get a LOT of resistance to the idea of "bribery"—even though I stipulate the bribe must be "ethical."
The real reason businesses don't use BRIBES in their advertising is because owners are uncomfortable with the implications it poses. They're at odds with the idea they have to "buy" a prospect. They think they're lowering their standards (as a human being) by giving away gifts, services, or other valuables to influence the prospect's behavior. And they're uncomfortable even if the results bring a lot more prospects (and money) into their business! 16
No...bribes don't cheapen your business image. No, they don't make you look desperate. And no, you're not a "sleazy" sales huckster because you use them. Sure, I understand your internal conflict. But here's my advice...
If you want your ads to work, you need to get over it YES, overtly bribing prospects to your store or business may rub against your sensibilities, your self-esteem, or your personal life philosophy. However—and this point is the KEY TO SUCCESSFUL ADVERTISING— "buying" prospects deliberately is exactly what it takes to win new customers. You paid a sign company for signs to entice customers to your business. You paid a printer for brochures to persuade customers to buy from you. You pay the newspaper for ads to induce customers to respond. These are acceptable business forms of "bribery". They're all "carrots". But for the most part the marketing tools businesses use—especially the ads-businesses use to enough of a "pay off" To grow your business, it takes BIG bribes and the guts to offer them. It took guts for AOL in the mid 90s to give away 250 millions free disks to everyone in the country to connect online free for 30 days—a strategy that brought AOL 23 million new customers fast. It took guts for a pre-owned car dealership to let customers "test drive" any of their cars for "30 days"—or return it, no questions asked. It took guts for a small lunch cafe with numerous competitors to offer a "FREE" Chicken Sandwich "for several weeks" ... until he had an addicted lunch clientel.
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The marketing you currently do—whether it's traditional ads, store front signs, brochures, flyers, or whatever— is a form of bribery. It's just a lot more expensive than the bribery I'm asking you to commit to. I'm asking you to get over your resistance to overtly "bribing" prospects and to do it anyway. The choice to do so is a choice to make money and grow your business. The choice not to do so is a choice to waste money on advertising and not to grow your business. The formula for getting past any resistance is to practice in private first. Here's what you do: 1. Take a couple of hours "off" work away from your office. 2. Bring a pad of paper and something to write with. 3. Put yourself in your customer's shoes while you work... 4. Make a list of at least 5 totally outrageous bribes you could make in your ads that WILL, without fail, bring qualified leads to your business. 5. Choose the one that's the most outrageous and attractive. 6. Write the "bribe" down on another piece of paper and put it in your pocket. 7. Pull it out and read it to yourself once every half hour throughout the day. 8. As you read it each time, ask yourself, "Would my prospects respond to it immediately?" 9. If they would, ask yourself, "How would this change my business?" "How would this change my life?"
Here are some sample bribes used by other businesses in their ads to attract prospects •
F r e e d i n n e r for 2
•
F r e e V W B e e t l e with p u r c h a s e o f C o n d o
•
F r e e C a r W a s h a n d Breakfast while y o u wait
•
2 nights in L a s V e g a s a n d m e a l s on us
• •
O n e W e e k in Hawaii includes airfare a n d a c c o m m o d a t i o n s Free vacuum cleaner
•
Free S p a day
•
F r e e H a i r c u t ( $ 5 5 v a l u e ) with c o l o r
•
F r e e s e t o f G l o b a l K n i v e s with p u r c h a s e ( a $ 6 2 5 v a l u e )
•
F r e e g e n u i n e A F L g a m e ball ( w o r t h $ 7 5 )
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OVERVIEW: This step explains the one and only purpose your ad serves. It also illustrates the 2 types of direct response ads that can achieve the ad's purpose. Apply the concepts here and prosper!
Your print ad has only one purposeReady? The one single purpose of your ad is to ACQUIRE QUALIFIED PROSPECTS at the lowest possible cost in order to accomplish the 2 most important business-building objectives: 1. Add new customer contact data (brought by the ad) to populate your database. 2. Use your database to sell more goods and services to existing customers over their life spans. In my ad workshops, I speak to thousands of business owners a year. When I ask how many use their ads to build and grow their customer database, only a few hands go up. When I ask the group which does have a customer database if they use their database to grow retention sales from existing customers, far fewer (sometimes no) hands go up. That's not good. What it means to me is too few business owners actually know that the purpose of their ad is to grow their customer database as quickly as possible. If you're like most of the small to medium sized business owners I've met, you're in a relentless pursuit of NEW customers to feed your top line sales. Not a good business building strategy for you, and not a good proposition for your customers either. Here's why. For you it means you're working too hard and spending too much money chasing down new customers, and those are your most expensive customers. For the existing customers (your most profitable customers), it probably means they're being ignored because your focus is elsewhere. Sure, they may still shop with you—so you're not aware they may feel neglected or taken for granted. But if you don't put some warmth and genuine outreach into the relationship with existing customers, there's nothing to keep them from spending their money with your competitors. 19
A new approach that WILL build your business First let's fix a common misconception, which is: the purpose of advertising is to convince a customer to buy something from you. In a word, that's "WRONG."
The entire purpose of advertising is to BUY a customer ONOE. This gives you a relationship with the customer and their all-important "contact information"...so that you can sell them your products and services over their life time. L
j
Digging in and understanding this concept is important because it's the formula for success. Buying a customer as inexpensively as possible is the purpose of the ad. It's the first step to working smarter in your business, not harder. Did you know the typical bricks-and-mortar business in this country spends about $450 to acquire a customer? This is according to marketing guru, Dan Kennedy. This figure includes the costs of marketing materials, ads, media, staff, and other costs of the sale divided by the number of new customers per month. $450 to buy a customer is a ridiculously high number. So, in the approach I'm outlining here, you'll be able to...
1. Spend less to buy new customers while attracting more The only way to bring your customer acquisition costs down is by INCREASING the value of your bribe. Think of it this way: If the average customer acquisition cost in this country is $450, and you spend $150 on gifts or services to bribe a prospect to become a customer, you will SAVE a significant sum of money on customer acquisition costs. You'll also attract a LOT more new customers by lowering your overall acquisition costs.
2. Calculate the lifetime value your customers represent You'll be surprised when you do the math. Your customers are worth a lot of money to you when you look at their lifetime values to your bottom line. Determining your customers' value to your business can be one of the most enlightening, motivating, and profitable things you can do. Here's a simple way to calculate their value: • Determine the average amount they spend each time they purchase. • Determine how many times a day, week, month, or year they purchase from you. • Determine what it costs you in expenses to make residual sales.
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To increase your customers' value to your business, determine: • What other business could you work with to "cross-sell" your products or services to increase your number of customers? • What products or services could you offer to "up-sell" your customers? • What could you do to increase customer visits? Once you've acquired a customer (an asset), you want to keep that asset from going elsewhere. So you need a customer retention strategy that makes it nearly impossible for a competitor to steal them away. That's why you need to...
3. spend the majority of your time and marketing budget keeping exising customers satisfied—they represent more money, more often I know successful businesses that spend 70% to 80% of their time and marketing budget devoted to keeping their existing customers happy. This makes sense since existing customers are your most PROFITABLE customers. Research shows that for every month you DON'T communicate with your existing customers, you lose 10% of your influence with them. At that rate, it won't take long for your neglected, unappreciated customers to defect to your competitors. And as you're probably aware, it's 5 times easier (and far less expensive) to keep your existing customers than to sell something to a new customer. Long story short, your existing customers are your most profitable customers because they: • Buy more from you. • Buy from you more often. • Refer friends who become customers (assets) too. Focus most of your time, efforts, and resources on better serving your current clients. To keep your existing clients, consider: - Creating a loyalty program that extends preferential treatment. - Giving them special discounts. - Giving them "free" gifts -just because they're "special customers". - Giving them special services. - Sending them "Thank You" letters. -
Calling them on the phone periodically to "thank" them for being your customer.
Without being "touched" or made to feel special, customer's will leave you. Remember, it's much easier to keep good customers happy than to spend more money replacing them.
The 2 types of ads that WORK in the newspapers to lower your customer acquisition cost
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There are 2 types of ads that will help you lower your customer acquisition cost. They are: 1. The "Buy Now" ad. 2. The "Lead Generator" ad. 1.
The "Buy Now" ad. Typical "Buy Now" ads work best for selling season tickets, tickets to a concert, play, or recital, or seats to a real estate seminar featuring Donald Trump. "Buy Now" ads sell minted coins, alarm clocks, vacuum cleaners, Valentine Teddy Bears, cigars, fruit baskets, etc. Here's a great example of a "Buy Now" ad created by Jon Spoelstra. Jon says this ad sold $47,850 worth of tickets the first three days it ran.
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1. The "Lead Generator" ad. As its name implies, a lead generator ad generates leads to your business to build your database. Among other things, the ad directs prospects to: • Call your business to set an appointment to meet for a free consultation. • Call a special 800# to win a free trip to Maui for 2. • Call a special 800# to receive a free 3 month trial offer. • Call a special 800# to reserve space at a free seminar or workshop. • Email you to receive a free report or free catalog. • Visit your business to receive a free sample or gift. • Visit your website to receive a free booklet or DVD, or to download a coupon redeemable at your place of business. • Bring a coupon to your business to redeem for gifts or samples. This small 2 column ad below generated 180 leads in two days for a country club. The leads produced four golf club memberships totaling $14,500 in revenues after expenses of $1,625.
4. How effective was this ad? It earned $89.23 for each $1 spent, not to mention ongoing revenue from 3 restaurants, a hotel, weddings, and banquets.
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Strong br ibe in the headline pulls prospects into the ad.
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Using a "limited time" element in conjunction with the call to action urges p rospects to respond now.
3. When prospects call this 1-800 number their contact information is gathered so the club can send ad ditional offers to each prospect.
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STEP 4 Create a niche that attracts ideal prospects
OVERVIEW:
Your niche is the ESSENTIAL strategy for attracting customers, being different from other competing businesses, and making money. This step shows you how to find your niche and use it to make your advertising effective and memorable. It's much easier to create an effective ad for a company that has a niche that magnetically attracts customers and stands apart from the "herd." Conversely, it's difficult—if not impossible—to create an effective ad for a business with lukewarm or unappealing niches.
Your competitive niche is the "bait" that attracts and hooks the hungry fish you want. Niches identify and serve an underserved "hole" or "gap" in the marketplace. Niches meet the customers' needs in a way customers prefer when compared to other offerings. Here are some samples of niches that attract customers, serve customer needs in a unique way, and stand out from competing offers. They also have one further advantage: they're each a bit outrageous, which makes them MEMORABLE. •
A casino that guarantees every player wins—every visit.
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A used car dealership that lets customers "test drive" their cars for 30 days and offers a money-back guarantee if they don't love it.
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A plumber that services broken or leaky toilets in one hour or less, 24/7, and guarantees perfect results.
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A kitchen remodeling company that removes the old kitchen and installs a beautiful new one in 3 days.
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A tax preparation company that gives customers their refunds in one day—guaranteed.
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The truly amazing thing about a good niche is how they level the playing field for the small business owner. Each of the businesses above is classified as a "small" business. Yet these businesses can enter a market, make a powerful impact, and even dominate over their competitors. And all without big investment dollars, high-profile connections, or even experience by the owner in their business category. A profitable niche identifies and feeds a "hungry market" with specialized products and services. The niche itself is the essence of the ad's offer. Here's an example of a profitable niche revealed in the ad's offer...
What elements comprise your niche? As a marketing and advertising consultant for many years, I've worked with hundreds of small to medium sized businesses. And I've learned that there are 4 interrelated "ingredients" needed to create a successful moneymaking niche. They are: 1. A CORE customer—this is a customer who you've developed a personal relationship with and as a result he or she has a strong EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT to your business. 2. A CORE product, service, or expertise—this is the FIRST thing customers think of when they think of your array of products or services. Your core product solves the customer's problem or gives them what they want that would be hard to find elsewhere. 25
3. The cORE competitive strategy—this is the one thing that really STANDS OUT to reward your customers and make your business DIFFERENT from all other businesses competing for your customers' attention. 4. A cORE image—this is the way your business looks, sounds, and feels at every "customer contact point" to validate your products and competitive strategy. The image ASSURES your customers that the results your business promises meets their wants and aspirations.
Find out what niche "position" you occupy in the marketplace If your niche isn't driving lots of leads and making you lots of money, or if you're just curious to know what niche POSITION you occupy in your marketplace, then I have an exercise for you. Two pages away, (on page 36), you'll find "The Niche Map." I developed this tool to help businesses like yours get a better handle on your competitive strategy. It will help you determine what niche you currently have relative to the niches established by your competitors. It also shows you what other possible un-served markets may exist in the marketplace where you could develop a new niche and be more competitive. The Niche Map has 4 quadrants. Each quadrant is its own unique niche strategy. There are numerous places within each quadrant your business could locate. Sometimes a slight move (or adjustment) in your competitive strategy—to be a UNIQUE standout—can make a huge difference in the number of customers you can attract and the money you make. Okay, so here's how to use the Niche Map. First, identify what niche you currently occupy. (See the sample below). So get a pen. Then put an A. on the map to identify the spot your business occupies. Next, with a different colored pen, put a
K^
(for "Competitor") on the spot your competitors occupy.
Now if you really want an education—and I highly recommend you do this — ask your customers to locate you and your competitors on the map.
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If the Niche Map shows that you're surrounded by competitors, each of you courting the same customers with similar offers...
consider changing your niche.
You need to separate yourself from the herd if you're going to have a chance at attracting more customers and making more money.
specific steps for changing or improving your niche strategy... 1. Move to a different location in your current niche quadrant or find a new niche quad rant altogether. Let's say you are one of 35 mortgage brokers in the "Pice" quadrant. And like the others, you offer the "Lowest Rates and Fast Approvals." You could consider moving into a different section of the quadrant. You could go to the lower side and offer "discount fees" or "$1,000 Back at Closing." Or you could move to the high side and offer " f e d Carpet Treatment" to prospects buying homes in "La Jolla" or "Rancho Santa Fe" or "Greenwich," where saving money isn't as important as being served in a special way. Or you could move to a different quadrant. For example, you could move to the; "Narrow or Unique Product or Service Line" quadrant if you have few or no competitors. By moving there, you could differentiate yourself by being the broker who specializes in "Foreclosure Lending" or "Mortgage Restructuring to Avoid Foreclosure," or come up with another strategy. With no other direct competitors, you become a stand alone specialist. 2. Pick an IDEAL core customer. Whatever location in a quadrant you pick, you'll probably find much of the customer profile "built in" due to a specific need. But you still need to identify who is the IDEAL customer and stop frying to serve everybody. big part of the strategy for separating your business from others. So make a list that profiles your ideal customer. Maybe you want to focus on first time buyers. Or maybe it's the very wealthy. Or blue collar workers or teachers. The point is to choose an ideal customer, including their character traits. By setting up your business to attract your ideal customer, you will attract them and ward off those you don't want. When your niche focuses on solving the problems of an ideal customer, it's easier to add emotion to your ad's message...making the ad more effective like this does...
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NICHE EMOTION METER Measures how "emotionally attached" customers are to the business
1. The headline here does 2 things: 1) solves a "nasty" problem, and 2) presents a clear unique niche that's desirable—especially when your toilet's broken!
2. This niche ad may not seem emotional at first glance. But when your toilet leaks or breaks, the ad soothes an emotional "pain". Plus the Toilet Doctor isn't as expensive as a plumber either. Doesn't that make you feel better?
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Pick a new core product or service expertise, or improve the one you've got. Your core product or service is the "anchor" that identifies your category of business. Choose a core product or service your customers want and have a hunger for; then build your business around it. If you have a restaurant, it's a "signature" dish. Or your core is trashy lingerie. Or an environmentally friendly paint. Or antique or hard to find books. Or a spa day experience. Or pre-owned luxury cars with less than 30,000 miles on the odometer. You get the idea.
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Pick a new core competitive strategy, or improve the one you've got. If you offer a product or service that gives your core customer an "advantage," you have a powerful way to further differentiate yourself from competitors. What kind of advantage? Kinko's core product is "copies," but their competitive strategy is "Open 24 hours." That gives customers an advantage not found elsewhere. I know a realtor whose core product is "listings," and his competitive strategy is
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"Your home sold in 30 days, guaranteed." Now that's a huge advantage for customers. I also know a fly fishing store whose core product is "fly fishing rods," and their competitive strategy is "every rod guaranteed for life." That's an advantage for customers.
What advantage could you offer to make your customer's life better, easier, less stressed, more successful, or happier? Maybe an outrageous guarantee. Or 2 products for the price of 1. Or a unique delivery and pick up service. Or an experience that relieves stress. Find a way to make your customer's life better. And do it in a way your competitors aren't doing, can't do, or won't do. 5.
Pick a core image, or change your image to fit your niche strategy. The image of your business is critical to your success. It's the first thing customers see. It tells customers you're for real. And that's why your company's image can make or break you in an instant. Customers are gathering "evidence" about your business when they see your logo, your signs, your business cards and stationary, your store or office front, your website, your brochures, your trucks, your staff uniforms—even your price tags give customers visual "clues" that validate the promise of your being niche...or not... Your company image should reveal what your competitive strategy implies or means by projecting concrete pictures. For example, if your competitive strategy is "on time delivery always," the picture you want to portray about your company is that you're "FAST" and "RELIABLE". So you choose images, colors, typefaces, taglines, slogans, etc. that convey "FAST" and "RELIABLE". You may or may not be able to combine these two images, so pick the image that best conveys your niche strength. Images that come to mind are "Road Runners", Speeding bullets", or "Supersonic Jets". And if your company's competitive strategy is "fast and reliable" you want to project this image at each and every customer contact point. How fast should you answer your phone? One or two rings. How fast should a delivery arrive? When you promise or before. Make sure your image reinforces your niche strategy..
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Don't switch your niche until you read this... If you are going to relocate your niche on "The Niche Map," be sure: 1. You have the knowledge and skills requisite to be successful in the new niche location. 2. You genuinely like the people the new niche will serve. 3. You have the personality to interact comfortably with the people the niche will attract. 4. You can deliver on your new niche promise—whatever it is.
Bear in mind the more outrageous your niche, the more "memory space" customers give you People are more apt to remember you if your business CONTRASTS sharply with the businesses around it. What's different gets noticed...
Contrasting your business to all others has a more important psychological reason behind it. By being unique enough to appeal to your core customer, you stand a greater chance of moving from SHORT TERM MEMORY — which holds words, digits, and ideas in the mind anywhere from 12 to 20 seconds—into LONG TERM MEMORY, which can hold an image or an idea anywhere from a few days to a few decades. If your niche can cause customers to recall you in an instant—recall that they need your products and services often—your niche is doing its job!
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STEP 5 Set goals for your ads
OVERVIEW:
A little used "secret" to generating significantly more leads and sales is to set intentional goals for your ads. This step will help make your ads accountable for results.
Ad goals produce higher revenue results I'm aware most businesses don't set goals for their newspaper ads. Their logic goes like this: "Why should I set goals if I can't measure the results?" Since you will be learning to create direct response ads that have specific "tracking mechanisms" like coupons and dedicated 800 numbers, you won't have that problem anymore. You won't be relying on imprecise data from sales people asking customers if they're there in response to the ad. You won't be relying on your hunches, guesses, or assumptions about how much traffic you think the ad produced. Tracking mechanisms in your ads WILL tell you if your ads are working or not working. The knowledge you glean from "tracking results" is money in the bank. Measuring your leads and sales makes money because it motivates you to take practical actions to constantly improve your ads and to hit and exceed their goals! Set goals for your ads that are: 1. Specific—they have exact, defined "revenue" or "lead" outcomes. 2. Strategic — when achieved, they make you more money. 3. Measurable—use numbers so you can track progress. 4. Reachable—their attainment supported by ads can drive response. 5. Written—put down on paper so you and others can read them daily. 6. Shared—everyone in the company understands and supports them. And set goals that let you account for each ad dollar spent; that's why you...
Set "lead generation" goals for your ads I'm one of those strange people who believes your ad must generate the number of leads it has been assigned or else you replace it with an ad that will.
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Ads are like employees. They either produce or they're fired! And like an employee with a specific assignment, your ads are assigned the task of generating a specific number of leads. Why else would you spend money on an ad if it didn't have specific ROI goals? I'm aware you probably don't think about your ads this way. Not many businesses do. But I want you to start thinking about them this way. When ads are accountable for a specific number of leads, their performance gives you the hard facts you need to make good marketing decisions. So to find out how many leads your ad needs to generate, do the following exercise.
If you're concerned about HOW your ads are going to reach your lead goals, just relax. Remember, this book will teach you the ad strategies you'll need to reach your goals. All you need to do now is calculate exactly how many leads your ad needs to generate so you can look at hard, accurate numbers.
There's another way to set goals for your ads too... One of the best books on marketing and advertising I've read is Marketing Outrageously by Jon Spoelstra. In the book, Jon describes a method for setting goals for his ad performance that he simply calls "The Ratio." Here it is: he expects his ads to achieve a ratio of 4 to 1. That is, he expects $4 in revenue generated by the ad for every $1 spent on ad development and media costs. 33
The Ratio is how Jon gets feedback on his ad's performance. Ads that generate at least $4 for each $1 spent, he keeps running. Ads that fall below the ratio get the ax and are replaced. Whether you choose to set "lead generation" goals or use Jon's 4:1 ratio goal is up to you. The point is to set goals and make each ad accountable for specific results.
More effective ads are the result of expanding your comfort zone Right now your ads are achieving the precise targets you're shooting for, giving you the results you want. Or put another way, your ads are giving you familiar results you're comfortable receiving. I believe that expanded ad and sales results can only come from expanding your comfort zone beyond where you feel secure and confident. It's at the shaky "edge" of comfort that our best and least familiar ideas come. Let me give you an example. The new marketing director of a local casino near San Diego asked how he could improve his ad's results. In short, I asked him to set goals for his ad. Then I asked him to stretch beyond his comfort zone and create an outrageous offer and use a tracking device. He did all three things. Here's the ad he created....
Here's the result: this ad generated 10,000 leads to the casino in 3 days—he more than tripled his lead goals. The casino made an average of $50 per customer (after expenses)...$500,000...all because the marketing director chose to set goals and objectives outside his comfort zone for his ad. There was one slight problem though. The marketing director had to pull the ad on the third day because the Food & Beverage manager wasn't prepared for the traffic the ad generated. There weren't enough servers, cooks, or dishwashers at the casino to handle the influx of traffic. The moral of the story: as you step outside your comfort zone to create new ad strategies, look at all the areas of your business that will be impacted by growth, and have plans to handle it.
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T. Harv Eker, the author of The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, writes that our comfort zone equals our money zone. How true this is!
Don't just set goals. Set goals you can feel.
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Use a database to sell your customers more stuff, more often
OVERVIEW: If you don't have a database or if you don't actively use your customer database to grow your back end sales, stop everything and do it now. This step will show you how to use your database to make a LOT of money.
Customers and customer data—the real assets of your business So your ad brought you a new customer. Great. Now what? It's simple. Leverage your contact information in your customer database so you can sell them your goods and services over and over again...as long as they live. What, you don't have or use a database? Well fix that glitch NOW because you're not selling as much as you can to your easiest and most profitable customers — your existing ones. Your database will help you do 3 things to grow and monitor your customer base: 1. Organize your customer information. 2. Store your customer information. 3. Retrieve your customer information stored in data fields so you can continuously sell more to your existing customers. Your existing customers are the real ASSETS in your business. Few businesses get this. One that does is a high end jewelry store in La Jolla, California. They generate 60% of their topline revenues not from new customers but from mining the information in their database to bring back their existing and most profitable customers throughout the year. Liz Rayon, manager of Swiss Watch Gallery, says that mining their customer database 6 times a year (or more) and sending out personalized sales letters and emails, and even making personal calls, brings in their best customers, who spend more, more often and refer others to the store.
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The Swiss Watch Gallery database is comprised of very simple fields. Liz says the information they gather from new customers consists of: • Name • Address • Phone • Email • Birthday • Anniversary • Name of significant other Matt Brennan, marketing director for South Sun Products, one of the largest beading stores in the world, is another person who gets it. He relies heavily on his customer database to grow their business. Matt says they send primarily emails to their customer base. Each weekly email includes a coupon. He also says their retention advertising brings the company nearly 80% of their total yearly sales. It's the easiest, cheapest sale they make. (Hope you're paying attention to this!) And in case you're wondering, Matt also says he uses QuickBooks Point of Sale because it tracks all sales at the cash register by scanning barcodes, and it tracks the number of sales and types of items sold and categorizes those items. It handles all inventory activity and runs on Windows. It also manages customer information and issues customer rewards. Both these companies estimate they spend less than $50 per customer per year to retain and grow their existing customer base. They pay peanuts for gold!
Without a database and a retention program—you're losing business Have you ever wondered why the average customer leaves a business? Well, a very famous marketing guru by the name of Dan Kennedy did the research. And here are his findings: • • • • •
1% die 3% move away 5% follow a friend or relative's advice and switch to their recommended supplier 9% switch due to a better price or better product 14% switch due to product or service dissatisfaction
If you did a quick calculation, you found the total of these percentages only adds up to 32%. So the question then is why do the remaining 68% of all customers leave a business? The biggest percentage leaves because of INDIFFERENCE. YOUR customers will leave and spend their money with your competitors if they don't feel valued, appreciated, or important to you. They'll leave you if they feel they are merely taken for granted. You get the idea. You need a database and a customer contact system to let your customers know they're valued, appreciated, and wanted. And you also need a database to leverage your relationship with them so you can make a lot more money.
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So now that you're convinced your business needs a database...
what fields should your database include? Your database fields don't need to be complex, just relevant to your business. You need fields for data that will help you stay in touch with customers and bring them and their money back often. Here are the fields I recommend including in your database: • The customer's first and last name • The customer's physical address, city, zip • The customer's email address • The customer's last purchase date • The last items purchased by the customer • The amount of the last purchase Of course you have to customize your data fields to fit your particular business. Your database isn't complete without a systematic plan for connecting with your customers. Your plan needs to identify the purpose of the communication and firm delivery/contact dates. You may send emails like Matt's company (mentioned earlier) or you may alternate between emails and mailings to a physical address and personal phone calls. Whatever you do, the key is to be CONSISTENT. I recommend being in contact with your customers at least monthly and no fewer than 6 times a year. Another key to a successful customer contact program is to personalize your cards or letters using your customer's name in the greeting or throughout the communication. Your database can be set up to do this. So, what should your customer contact plan include? Here's a short list of ideas used by other companies to get you started: • Greeting cards for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays • Newsletters • Gift Baskets • Writing pens with your company name engraved • Postcards featuring special sale items • Email coupons • Small gifts of sample products, or a $10 Starbucks gift card • Personal letters • Personal phone calls And if (God forbid) you've lost a customer—go get them back! Send them a personalized letter, include a gift. And yes, call them...it will make a big impression because they won't be expecting it. And no, don't send an email. Remember, this isn't the time for a sales pitch, but rather it's a time for apologizing for being out of touch, and for making amends. 38
My company will custom-design your database if you need help. We can also help you create a customer contact plan as well as write and design personalized letters, newsletters, post cards, etc. We will even custom create your email blasts. And if you need them printed and mailed on schedule, we do that too. Log on to: www.ultimateemailads.com Or you can buy a database program and manage it yourself. If you go that route, I recommend any of the following: • FileMaker Pro • Lotus Approach • Microsoft Office Access • QuickBooks Point of Sale • TrackVia
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STEP 7 Track your leads and measure your results
OVERVIEW: The only accurate way to gage your ad's effectiveness is to track its performance and measure or compare results to goals. In this important step, you'll learn a simple way to do just that.
Ad tracking is simple, and results are profitable If you're not used to tracking ad results, you may feel hesitant or resistant to do this. Don't blow this off just because you've never done it before. That's not a good enough excuse. Tracking gives you valuable information about which ads are working and which aren't so you can run more profitable ads. The first step is to set up a simple system to capture the data, like the one shown below. Use an Excel spreadsheet or, if you're not comfortable with that, keep records in a notebook. To help you get started, copy the example below. If necessary, add whatever fields make sense to your business so you can get accurate feedback about your ad's performance.
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Overcome the biggest result-killing competitors
OVERVIEW: Your ad faces BIG competitors, but they aren't "out there" lurking in the marketplace. They're closer and more dangerous than you think. This step will show you exactly what competitors your ads face and how to overcome them.
The REAL competitors you should fear are not external forces in the marketplace You have competitors in town. You have competitors in your region. You have competitors on the internet. But these are the competitors you can see. And in Step 4, I explained how to create a unique niche that attracts customers and repels the "outside" competitors like the ones mentioned above. Over the years, I've identified 5 ad-killing, competitive forces. They're the most entrenched competitors you'll ever face. These competitors are the invisible social and psychological "biases" that govern whether or not your prospects will respond to your ads or not. The most powerful of these biases are part of our survival program. Others are built into our DNA — they're instinctual. And still others are the more complex forces of the social conditioning that governs our behavior in groups. The point is, our responses to incoming messages are almost automatic and unquestioned. These powerful forces comprise the FILTER your ad must pass through to reach your prospect and cause a response.
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Here's the list of competitors and some basic strategies to overcome them.
Attention Deficit Disorder: Research says people in the U.S. see roughly 16.5 marketing messages a minute...about 16,000 a day, which includes 3,400 ads. To survive the overload people reject most "incoming" information.
2. Physical Comfort of Readers: Research says people seek comfort for privacy and to avoid threats or stress. When readers get comfortable with the paper they "detach" and are less likely to respond to ads or interact with others.
To overcome resistance: • Target your ad to a specific reader—not to everyone. • Identify the prospect's wants or aspirations prominently in the headline. Make headlines 4 to 5 times bigger than body copy.
To overcome resistance: • Make the offer in the headline more rewarding than the reader's "relaxed" state or to "painful'1' to consider not responding. • • Use a commanding voice in the Call to Action phrase that tells prospect's h o w to respond. • Give readers a ""gift" or ""reward" for responding; more people will. 43
In this section you'll learn: -
How to target ideal prospects
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How to know what prospects are really buying
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How to romance your prospects to "YES!"
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How to make your offer REALLY irresistible
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How to write a compelling headline
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How to write a call to action phrase
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How to determine if you need "short" or "long" copy
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How to give readers the "proof" they need to respond
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How to use pictures that support your offer
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How to use type that's instantly readable
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How to design an effective layout
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How to test your ads
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How to use the "Direct Response Ad-Builder Strategy" Form
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Target the ideal prospect
OVERVIEW: The first step in creating an effective ad is targeting those prospects perfectly suited to your offering. This step will show you how to identify the ideal prospects so you can target your ad message more effectively. The secret to getting a greater response to your ads is to target your message to a specific individual who best represents your ideal "core" customer. Narrowing your target to an "individual" may seem restrictive. You might think you're limiting your potential sales opportunities. Actually the opposite is true. If you target a specific individual with a specific problem or a specific desire, you'll attract more of those ideal customers. And just as importantly, attracting the ideal customer helps you limit the number of responses from people who aren't your ideal customers...those people who will (guaranteed) waste your time and the money it takes to find out they're wasting your time. Here's how you define your best customers: 1. They want and need your specific products and services. 2. They're willing to pay for your products and services. 3. They have the authority to buy your products and services. 4. They purchase your products and services more frequently than anyone else. 5. They spend more money re-purchasing your products and services than anyone else. Attracting ideal customers is how you're going to make more money. Because once you have them, it costs you very little to market to them repeatedly. Plus, your ideal core customers are more likely to refer you to their friends, who are for the most part just like them. By thoroughly identifying the specific individual who represents your ideal prospect, you can create advertising messages that speak directly to your customers' real wants, concerns, and problems. And highly targeted messages to the right target audience will give your ads greater sales impact.
First find your IDEAL core customer You should select customers who have a "strategic" purpose for being your customer.
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By "strategic" I mean they not only bring you more money more often, they also do so in a way you prefer them to. Like they pay "cash," pay "50% up front," or "pre-pay." And just as importantly, "strategic" customers should have the values, behaviors, and personal characteristics YOU want to attract. Attracting the ideal customers makes your business more fun because you're attracting the kind of customers you really like doing business with. Don't make the mistake of failing to identify your core strategic customer. And don't make the common mistake of assuming "everyone" is your customer. Because "everyone" is not your customer. If you think they are, you'll be forever trying to please everybody...which pleases nobody. But you won't make that critical mistake. Will you? So let's move on. If you're a bricks and mortal business, your first step is to identify the "geographic" range of customers. Geographies (Segmentation of the market based on where people live) •
Are your customers city, urban, suburban, or rural dwellers? Percentage of each?
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What radius do you draw from?
Now determine the "demographic" profile of your ideal customer. Demographics (The common physical characteristics that segment a prospective audience) • • • • • • • •
Are your prospects male or female? Or both? What percentage of each? What is their age range? Are your prospects married? Or single? Separated? Just divorced? How educated are they? What's their occupation? Are they homeowners? Or renters? How much do they own in assets? What kind of car do they drive?
In the next step, you have to get further inside your customer's head to understand how they think, reason, and rationalize. Then you can more accurately target your message to join the conversation going on in their head. There's no way around it. You've got to spend time with customers to find the answers. Or you can do what one large car dealership here in Southern California did. You can by-pass this important learning and assume you know what motivates your customers. The dealership bought a very expensive full page ad in the newspaper and used the following headline: "Help us reach our sales goals!" Yes, it is a dumb, self-absorbed headline. And no, it didn't work.
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Nobody's motivated by helping you reach your sales goals. Your prospects are motivated by what they want, not by what you want them to want. And their buying decisions are motivated by a complex combination of conscious and unconscious emotions. Which you need to understand. So spend face-to-face time with your customers. Find out their real "hot buttons." Learn how they rationalize making a buying decision. Figure out what psychological obstacles you face inside your prospect's head. But whatever you do, DON'T substitute your own assumptions about what you think customer's think for what customers actually think. Don't be lazy about this. Get the answers to the following questions... Psychographics (The psychological and attitudinal characteristics that identify the prospect's personality) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Are your prospects conservative? Liberal? Independent? What characterizes their lifestyle? What thoughts are they preoccupied with? How important is their appearance? Why? What are their aspirations? What fears do they have? What are they frustrated about? What are they angry about? What are their interests? Are they spenders? Or are they savers? Are they investors? What do they invest in? What magazines do your prospects subscribe to? What labels do they buy? Who influences your their buying decisions? A spouse or parent? Why? What common "life philosophy" binds your most ardent customers?
Hidden Desires (The powerful, sometimes irrational, and unconscious forces that influence behavior) • •
What do your prospects secretly, ardently desire most? What do your prospects want but don't think they deserve or can have?
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How would your prospects react and feel if they achieved their most sought after desire?
Once you've identified the core customer, analyze your findings. What similarities do your best customers share in common? What patterns do you see among customers? What lifestyle do they share in common? What life philosophy and values identify them? 48
By looking for the meaning behind the facts, you'll discover things about customers you probably didn't know—facts that will help you create ad messages that relate specifically to your target customer.
Using research to improve ads Interesting enough, the owner of the Glass Doctor franchise in a small, rural California town knows exactly who his clients are. He's done a lot of "research" to support what he knows. But the ads he runs (see sample below) don't reflect his knowledge. He ignored what his own research said. Not unusual. Like the Glass Doctor, you have to translate your customer research into the right words and phrases that motivate prospects to read and respond to your ad. And before he could solve his ad's biggest problems...all solve-able...he had to first see the problems. Here they are:
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AD STEP 2 Know what prospects are really buying
OVERVIEW: What are your customers really buying when they buy your products and services? No, they're not buying the products or services just for themselves. It's more than that. This step will help you understand the psychological benefits your customers are buying and why they want them.
What really attracts customers to your products and services are the "benefits" they receive. No one really buys concert tickets, motorcycles, or swimming pools for the "things" themselves. They're buying an evening with friends they'll always remember; they're buying freedom and independence on an open road; they're buying years of family togetherness and fond memories with friends. If you stand in your customers' shoes and ask, "What benefits are they really buying?" you'll learn what you're really selling. And when you learn what you're really selling, you'll be able to sell a LOT more of it. For example: You are not selling pre-owned luxury cars. You are selling affordable status and admiration of others. You are not selling whiter teeth. You are selling happier smiles and greater self-confidence. You are not selling flowers. You are selling beauty, inspiration, and romance. One of my favorite quotes on this topic is from Charles Revlon, the lipstick and nail polish king, who said, "In the factory we make cosmetics. In the store we sell hope." This great ad below by Steve Wexler hits a lot of psychological hot buttons and sells a lot of product. So what does this ad sell women? Can you spell "S-E-X"...as in "sex appeal"?
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If you know your prospects "psychological triggers" you can create the emotion you want your prospects to "pre-experience" in the ad itself. In other words, if you want prospects to feel "aroused", "bothered", "on edge" or "sweety"—so they'll immediately respond to your ad, you need to infuse these emotions into the ad. Like Steve Wexler does in another of his "emotionally charged" ads...
So that you can learn to identify the "hot button" response triggers in your prospects, I'd like you to make 2 lists. On the first list write the direct product or service benefits you sell. On the second list write the psychological and emotional benefits you offer.
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For example, if you have a store that sells Big Screen TVs, the first list of direct product benefits would most likely include: • • • • • • • • •
Increased viewing impact—pulls you into the action Sharper, more defined color Sharper image clarity Sharper sound quality Thinner and lighter—easier to move Easy to mount on any wall Stylish home decor accessory Multiple channel viewing Can be used as a computer monitor
Let's continue with the Big Screen TV store. If your target customer is a man, you would probably rank his psychological benefits in the following order: • Escape • Distraction • Entertainment/amusement • Admiration • Approval • Status • Influence • Prestige • Power Be aware that psychological and emotional benefits have a ranking. And it goes like this. Those psychological or emotional benefits with the most emotional "charge" for your target audience rank closest to the top, and those with the least emotional "charge" are at the bottom. Of course you can't know which benefit has the most charge until you test your ad on prospects. In fact, testing psychological and emotional benefits for "charge" is so important, I recommend you create several ads and pre-test them before you place the ads in the paper to see the winner. I've found that the psychological benefits outsell direct benefits because they tap the prospect's deeper desire. But direct benefits are important motivators as well. Let's switch gears. Suppose you sell a solution to "back pain" which millions of Americans suffer
The following ad by Bill Fryer demonstrates his ability to tap into the suffer's painful problem and solve it: "Blissful relief in 12 minutes!" No wonder this ad averaged better than $8: $1.
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The following list can help you identify some of the most common psychological and emotional benefits we humans desire. • Love • Health • Energy • Romance • Sex • Desirability • Attraction • Admiration • Approval • Security • Safety • Confidence • Freedom • Knowledge • Information • Protection • Power • Achievement • One-upmanship: owning something others don't have • Advancement • Recognition • Independence • Importance • Status • Influence • Happiness • Wealth • Money • Peace • Comfort • Self-Esteem • Hope Just remember, emotions are the fire of human motivation. By linking psychological and emotional benefits with the most "charge" to your offer, your prospects will become hyper in response to your ad.
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One dating coach in Manhattan offers a "bootcamp" that teaches men how to get a date from hot women. It applies to ads. Here's the short course that teaches what's involved in getting a date: • Make eye contact • Smile • Have a non-threatening approach • Have good opening lines that interest and intrigue woman • Be natural and authentic • Be cocky and funny to get a woman to laugh and feel at ease • Be interesting and know what to say • Be a tease • Induce sexual tension And the biggest key to getting the date? The guy cannot apply pressure to the outcome; he must be so appealing that when he does ask, she can't help but say "Yes!" According to the dating coach, the most successful men do not SELL the woman on the date...she does that herself! The "slam-bam" man, on the other hand, starts off being needy. And it goes downhill from there. He approaches a woman with the motivation of "closing the sale." He comes on strong. He pushes hard. He insists. And throughout the whole painful ordeal he doesn't realize his intentions make the woman feel trapped like a rabid dog backed into a corner. Her back against the wall the inevitable happens — he gets rejected. Getting a woman to say "Yes!" to a date and getting your prospects to say "Yes!" to your ads are nearly identical. Drawing from the dating analogy, here's how your ad can go from "zero" to "Yes!" in no time: 1) Your ad must make "eye contact" with the right target audience. 2) Your ad must have a "smile;" it should be positive, warm, and inviting. 3) Your ad should have a good opening line, like "Free Laser Hair Removal" or "Have dinner for 2 on us tonight!" 4) Your ad must be non-threatening—there's no pressure because you're not selling anything! 5) Your ad should have something interesting to say which the prospect wants to hear... Again, the word "free" is very interesting. 6) Your ad should be honest and straightforward...no hidden agendas. 7) Your ad can be cocky and funny; in fact "friendly" works just fine. 8) Your ad says how to take advantage of the offer. 9) Your ad is definitely a "teaser;" it intrigues the hell out of your prospect. 10) Your ad induces "tension" because your prospect wants it before it becomes unavailable.
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Speaking of removing the "pressure" off this prospect in order to romance an easy "YES!" this powerful small space ad does it. Created by Steve Wexler, there's a lot of romancing the prospect and very little to say no to. It offers a"Pain-Free Bracelet", a "Free 30 day Trial", and a "FREE Bonus pouch" A lot of good romance here....
Disarm the prospect's automatic rejection button While it's true people like to buy, it's also true nobody likes being sold. We resist sales advances whether it's coming from an ad or a used car salesman. THE KEY to getting your target audience to consider your offer is to make them an offer they cannot resist. And you'll greatly improve your success if you...
Clyde Hopkins, one of the founders of modern advertising, was one of the first to truly understand the problem that advertiser's face. He said, "Any effort to sell creates corresponding resistance."
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That's true, isn't it? Pick up today's newspaper. You'll find ads with headlines like the ones I found, that seem like a man desperately seeking a date... "Lose 50 lbs in 2 months!" "Make $1,000 a day on the internet!" "We'll beat anybody's carpet cleaning prices!" "Best deli sandwiches in town" Yikes. Let me hit the "Reject Button." So the question is how do you remove the obvious SELLING copy from your ads and still sell your products and services? You have to make the "first sale" first. And the first sale is to sell your prospects on giving you their time and attention. If you don't want the prospect to push the auto reject button and blast you to kingdom come...then don't try to sell your products or services in the ad. In the next step, I'll show you how to get to first base with your prospects by making them easy-toaccept, non-threatening offers...
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AD STEP 4 Make your offer REALLY irresistible
OVERVIEW: Very few ads are truly irresistible. Not that promoting an irresistible offer is hard. It's not. But few advertisers know what bait to use to attract large volumes of response. This step will show you how to make offers that compel prospects to respond.
It's all in the offer you propose, silly! Like an attractive women bombarded with propositions, your prospects are bombarded with marketing propositions all the time. And because your prospects are hit on so much, they've been conditioned to expect the moon and stars. And not only do they want discounts, deals, premiums, free gifts, and prizes... They feel "entitled" to them. That pretty much sums up the NEW MARKETING REALITY. And if you're not prepared to give the "entitled prospect" what they want, your competitors on the internet, TV, radio, or in magazines, direct mail, or Yellow Pages, will. Remember, in the last step I told you the first sale is to sell the prospect on giving you their time and attention. This is your most important sale. Marketers call it "making the sale before the sale." You will be able to gently persuade your prospects to lower their guard and give you their time and attention with irresistible offers like: "Free teeth cleaning while schedule openings last" "Free Low Fat Yogurt Dish Topped with Fresh Fruit" "Free Storage for 2 months and we pick up and deliver free too" "Free Report: 6 Steps to Immediately Stop Foreclosure, Save Your House and Your Credit" The dictionary says the word "irresistible" means "that which cannot be successfully resisted or opposed; overpowering."
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Do the offers above fit this description? Here's the point: The offer is the sole purpose for your ad. So spend the majority of your time coming up with an irresistible offer. The rest of the ad will follow. The question is, "What offers do 'busy' and 'distracted' prospects find the most attractive and irresistible?" Ready?...
The 3 most "irresistible" offers Irresistible • • • • •
offers, those most capable of grabbing the prospect's attention, are: Desirable now Easy to understand Easy to obtain Benefit laden Free or easily affordable
Below are the 3 types of offers prospects find most exciting, interesting, and appealing. There is the "free" offer, followed by the "self-liquidating leads" offer, followed by the "discount and premium" offer. Each includes some samples so you can see how you might apply them to your ads.
1. The "free" offer The word "free" is an eyeball magnet. Everyone wants to get something for nothing. The point of offering your prospect something for free is to generate a lot of leads. Leads that can—with good follow-up marketing—turn into sales. The "free offer" is effective because it can quickly open up a relationship with customers you didn't have before. It puts you on their map. No, not all of those leads will turn into a sale, but a lot of them will — certainly enough new leads to make this well worth doing. Don't blow this off just because your products are expensive. I'm not saying to give away a car, boat, furniture, or a house—although I've seen developers give away cars, boats, and furniture as premiums and sell a lot of houses and condos as a result. What I am saying is you can give something of value to attract prospects to your dealership, marina, store, or office.
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Here's a list of proven offers that you can borrow or adapt: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
A free sample of the product A free sampling of the service A free checkup A free membership for 60 days A free audit A free catalog A free analysis A free report A free first lesson A free consultation Free information A free video or CD or DVD A free e-book A free booklet A free dinner A free lunch A free newsletter for 3 months A free room cleaning A free cookie Free eggs, butter, or milk First month free Free 30 day trial Free case studies 63
If you've got a problem with the word "FREE" (and yes, some businesses do) then use any of the following alternatives: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Complimentary dinner Complimentary e-book Complimentary 1-hour consultation Complimentary survey results Complimentary Complimentary seminar Complimentary DVD Report sent overnight to you Dinner is on us I'll pay for dinner Let me pay for dinner Let us pay for dinner Be our guest for... You're invited to be our guest and r e c e i v e . No cost to you You pay nothing Your cost? Absolutely n o t h i n g . Pay nothing as our guest I invite you to sample at no cost to you
2. The "self-liquidating" offer Some of the most qualified leads come from "self-liquidating" offers because the prospect "invests" a small sum of money to receive something they value or want. True, you won't attract as many leads as the "free" offer attracts, but these prospects are more likely to buy products or services quickly because they are qualified. Because these prospects are "hot" leads, it's vital that the materials and products you send have strong sales presentations that "close" the deal. You're wasting a lead, time and money if you only send a product sample and neglect to send sales materials that intice the prospect to buy. Another benefit of this type of lead is you get some money from prospects who pay for the products or materials you send. Another benefit is each lead has a lower cost per sale because you send out fewer "marketing" pieces. Consider the self-liquidating offer for: • A special report • A sample kit • An e-book • A DVD • Sample of an Audio cassette program • A sample of the product • A sample of the service to be performed • A teleseminar • A special workshop • A course • An e-Course • A tour • A subscription • Tickets • Wine tasting 64
The following "self-liquadating lead was created by Steve Wexler. LIke a "Trojan Horse" the prospect receives a "free" video of a great sales presentation!
3. The "discount with a premium" offer There are endless ways you can offer a discount with a special premium gift to add incentive to respond. Since these offers are becoming more popular, you want to be sure your offer is truly special and not a copy of a competitor's offer. If you use these offers, be sure you don't confuse people. Most people understand an offer that says "50% Off," yet many have trouble computing what "60% Off" really means. And if your prospect isn't exactly sure what the percentage off means, they won't respond. The point is to make offers that are easy to understand and to explain them too.
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No, you don't need to be a professional copywriter to write effective headlines I believe just about anyone—even if your writing skills are equal to a 6th grader—can write a good headline that will get results. I'm not saying writing isn't important. It is. I'm saying coming up with a strategic offer is far more important than being an ingenious or eloquent writer. To me, writing headlines is first about finding the offer that will attract hordes of people. Then it's about stating the offer clearly in very understandable words.
Use my technique for writing headlines and you'll find it works more times than not After years of writing headlines and teaching others to write headlines, I discovered a secret that improves one's ability to write good headlines instantly. Here's the secret: Do N-O-T try to write a headline. Take the pressure off yourself. Instead of writing a headline, just write down your offer in plain and simple words. Like this offer: "Free 1-hour back massage with this coupon." Just plain, simple, straightforward English. And you know what? 64 people responded to the "Free 1-hour back massage" offer headline. Written by a copywriter? No. Written by a massage therapist who knew next to nothing about writing ads. The beauty of my method is you don't have to be clever. You don't have to be witty. You don't have to feel the pressure of writing a headline. But you do have to create a good offer. OR ELSE you'll find yourself struggling to BE an innovative, ingenious copywriter to compensate for the lack of a good offer! STEP 1: Target the offer in your headline to your prospect By now you've identified your target audience and their hot buttons. So the first step is to think like them. As you write, put yourself in their shoes. Feel their situation or circumstances. Feel their pain. Feel their aspirations. Consider using words that identify your target audience. This has the same effect as calling out someone's name...they respond faster. Identifier words in your headline pull in the right readers. So use words like: • Seniors • Snowboarders • In Debt • Home owners 69
• • • • • • • • •
Nurses Owe the IRS Men in their 40s Single women Renters SUV owners CEOs Back pain sufferers Vegetarians
Here are some samples of how identifier words can be used in your headline. "Back pain suffers: get relief in 30 minutes..." "Avoid foreclosure now even if proceedings have started..." Or, "Warning Seniors: Avoid these 5 common phone scams to steal your money... " Step 2: Present your offer in the headline There are 2 basic headline offers that work well in newspapers. They are: 1. The direct offer headline. 2. The implied offer headline. A direct offer headline can be a "Free offer," like: "Free Chicken Sandwich" Or it can be a "self-liquidating offer," like: "Make $300 a day on the internet doing next to nothing - Special 75 Page Report only $4...a $20 value" Or it can be a "Discount and Free Premium offer," like: "2 Custom Made Italian Suits for the Price of 1 and Choose Any 5 Silk Ties FREE" As I said earlier, you don't need to embellish a good offer. You just need to have one. Then your headline will practically write itself. Now onto the implied offer. These can be very effective at getting the reader to move from your headline into the main body of the ad, where you then promote things like a Special Report, a Free DVD, an E-Course, or Seminar. With these headlines, the most important factor is to arouse the reader's "curiosity" and build that factor into the headline. And if you can hit the reader's "pain point" or "aspirations" that's a big plus too. Like these do: "Why women yell at their husbands" "How to ignite your sex life even if you're partner isn't interested in sex anymore..." "WARNING: If you have not filed your taxes read this now" Step 3: Choose the right tone and attitude for your headline Two things motivate people. One is greed. The other is fear. The "positive" headline approach focuses on feeding greed—giving your prospect something they want and need. It gives them what they aspire to have, to be, or to own. Obviously the more intense the greed factor, the more motivating your offer will be.
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Step 4: Make sure the "scanning" reader understands your headline at a glance The average reader spends approximately 3-seconds scanning the page of a newspaper. They will scan your ad even faster! The key to getting your headline read in a scanning environment like the paper is to use simple words your target audience uses in daily conversation. Don't try to dazzle your reader. With news headlines and other ad headlines surrounding yours, stand out by being simple and easy to read. Like: "Your jewelry bought today for more than it's worth" "Free Breakfast Tuesday—All-You-Can-Eat" "Roundtrip to Hawaii $299, includes Free Luggage Bag" Use the simple, everyday words your target audience uses and they'll more easily identify with your headline. step 5: Catch your reader in the first 5 words Newspaper readers scan quickly looking for words that stop and interest them. And if your headline doesn't stop your reader in the first 5 words, they'll move on to something else and you've lost them. As I said early, the most important words are those that identify the target audience. The following list is from Clayton Makepeace, one of the world's best copywriters and a savvy businessman. I use these in headlines, subheads, and body copy and so should you. These words stop and intrigue readers: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
New Free Introducing If Sex Secret How to... What Discover Money Improve Exciting Strange Unique Start Begin Why Amazing Rich Simple Stupid 72
Reveals Powerful Amazing Astonishing Astounding Announcing At Last Bargain Bonus Breakthrough Comfortable Discount Discovery Easy Effortless Exclusive Fearless First Time Ever Forever Gift Guaranteed How I ... Hurry Immediate Improved Inevitable Instantly Intense Introducing It's here Just Arrived Last Chance Limited Locked-In Miracle Money Never Before Nothing To Lose New Now Opportunity Painless Premium Prestigious Priority Promise Proven
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• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Prestigious Priority Promise Proven Quick Revolutionary Right Away Rush Sale Save Savings Scandalous Announcing...and of course the most powerful word... YOU
Step 6: Use anywhere from 2 to 20 words I don't like rules. But in some cases, like when it comes to how many words to use in your headlines, they can be helpful. The point of the headline is to stop your reader and convey your offer. And you need to use the necessary words to do that. You can grab the reader's interest, state a benefit, and add curiosity in a minimum of 2 words, like: "Free Breakfast" And if you grab the reader's attention early on in the first few words, you can explain your offer using up to 20 words. Like this headline written by the great Gary Halbert: "Free Report Reveals Little Known Secrets Overweight Women Use To Look 15 Pounds Slimmer Than They Really Are!" Step 7: Delete unnecessary words After you're done writing your headline, pu^^t away. Re-read it a day later. And when you do, do it with the idea of ruthlessly deleting words that: • Needlessly embellish. • Don't add positive value. •
Detract from the clarity or power of the headline.
First Headline: "If I can't sell your home in 30 days for top dollar, I'll buy it from you myself—guaranteed" Headline After Ruthless Editing: "Your home sold in 30 days for top dollar—guaranteed" The Key: eliminate unnecessary words until you get to the essence—the heart and soul — of your offer. Step 8: Begin sentences with benefits if possible Readers read headlines for the benefits. They want to know, "What's in it for me?" So tell them, and your headlines will attract more readers.
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Instead of a headline that says: "For only $4,500 you can get a gorgeous new kitchen installed in 3 days" Try ... "Get a gorgeous new kitchen installed in 3 days for only $4,500" Or instead of a headline that says: "Invisible Miracle Ear Hearing Aid lets you hear words again clearly" Try . "Hear words clearly again with invisible Miracle Ear Hearing Aid" Step 9: Make it effortless Here's an important "secret" you need to know about your prospects and customers...they don't want to learn anything or do anything. Prospects want you (your product or service) to do the work for them. If you use phrases like "Discover how to..." or "Learn how to ..." or "I'll teach you to ..." you are implying the prospect has to do something, learn something, or discover something for themselves. And really, they don't want to. If you make your offer appear effortless, you'll get a better response. Say, "My internet program will make you rich." "I can remove your lower back pain." "This session can save your marriage." "We'll get the IRS off your back." Step 10: Test your headlines before the ad runs Don't write just one headline and stop there. Write 20 to 30 headlines that feature the same offer. Then test the different headlines on your customers and prospects. Show them your list. Let them judge the winner. Testing does 2 very important things: 1) It quickly shows you what offers, words, and word placements have the most impact on your customers. And... 2) It will enable you to get a better return on your ad investment.
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AD STEP 6 Write a call to action phrase that prompts immediate response
OVERVIEW: Next to the headline, your Call to Action phrase is the most important selling element in your ad. Because if your Call to Action doesn't motivate your prospect to call, order, visit, or set an appointment, you lose the lead, the sale, or both. This step shows you how to create Call to Action phrases that motivate prospects to respond to your ads.
You've just written a powerful and attractive headline. As a result of your headline, you've got your prospect's attention and interest. And they're drawn into the main body of your ad. Clearly the prospect is considering your offer. And they're convinced they're going to act on your o f f e r maybe not right this second. Because now they have something important to do. But they're going to get around to responding to your offer sometime today. Or as soon as they're done doing what they're doing. Guess what? You just lost the sale. Your ad didn't seal the deal. Why? Because at the critical tipping point (turning point) when your prospect was considering your offer, you didn't have a powerful call to action phrase that REWARDED the prospect for completing the action right NOW. Most call to action elements I see in ads don't usually involve more than an address and phone number. Your address, phone number, or web address will NOT motivate a response (even from an interested prospect) in most cases.
You must sell the prospect on responding The call to action phrase has a big job: it must SELL your prospect on responding to your offer now. Your prospect might be interested in your offer, but if you can't sell them on putting aside other priorities to respond to you ad now...they won't!
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For example: "Call now to reserve your place at tonight's seminar and receive 2 free Dodger tickets for this weekend's game... " "Come to the store today and claim your voucher for 4 free passes to Sea World" Yes it's "bribery." And yes, it works. Next to creating an irresistible offer, create an irresistible Call to Action phrase that compels response, regardless of what else is on the prospect's "to-do" list. Here's an example of one powerful Call to Action phrase by John Spoelstra. It's a long summary of "bribes". What NY baseball fan can resist?
Pinstripe Plan. Here's what you get in my backyard with each Pinstripe Plan: • All you can eat. At each game, you get all the freshly grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, soda and water you want. All this food comes with the ticket. • Seven of our very best home games, including soldout weekend games. (We have three different Pinstripe Plans Check out each plan on siyanks.com/pinstripe.) • Free replica of Yankee Stadium and a S.I. Yankees cap. • Free ticket to a Yankees Old-Timers game in Staten Island. • Free ticket to a Yankees game in the Bronx. • Highly affordable. Just $15 per game; $105 for each 7-game Pinstripe Plan. • Exchange games. Can't go to a game on your schedule? Don't worry. Exchange the ticket for a game you can go to. Check out the different Pinstripe Plans on our website. Go to: siyanks.com/pinstripe. Staten Island Yankees 75 Richmond Terrace Staten Island, NY 10301 Phone: (718) 720-9265 Fax: (718) 273-5763 www.siyanks.com
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Add a "Reward" for calling or visiting and MORE people will respond! To induce your prospects to respond, "bribe" them with: • Hats • T-Shirts • Dinner • Movie Tickets • Event Tickets • Bracelets • Rings • Books • Flags • Mugs • Framed Photos • Luggage • Free shipping and handling
Your Call to Action Phrase should feature 3 Response Mechanisms If your ad is only designed to attract the "buy now" customer, you're losing the majority of people reading your ad since the "buy now" group represents the smallest percentage of respondents. Most people reading your ad need to warm up to you...need you to convince them there's no downside...need to feel secure you'll deliver the benefits promised. If you force everyone into the buy now funnel—like most ads do—you'll lose the majority of prospects interested and leave a lot of money on the table. The reason for using 3 Response Mechanisms is to catch ALL prospects regardless of where they are in the buying-cycle. Here are the 5 different Response Mechanisms. Pick 3 for use in your ad: 1. A business phone. 2. A toll free number or dedicated 800 number with a recorded message. 3. A website "landing page" URL that's specific to your offer. 4. A redeemable coupon. 5. A business address. The Business Phone "Call us today at 772-3355 and Ask for Mary. She'll explain how you can receive your Free Box of Belgian Chocolates." Or this... "If you call the store and ask for Department 1, you will be immediately entered in the 'Free 7-Day Trip to Maui' contest. Be sure to leave us your complete address as the winner will be contacted by mail." The Toll Free Number or Dedicated 800 Number Just call this TOLL-FREE number and listen to our exciting 5 minute Recorded Message: "The Miracle Hearing Aid That Lets You Hear Words Clearly Again" 1-866-555-0025 Call now! The call is FREE and so is the booklet!" Or this... "Find out the 42 things you need to know (and must know) if you are going to buy foreclosure properties in Southern California. For your Free Report, Call Our Toll-Free 24 Hour Prerecorded Hotline at 1-800-555-1155, ID #1226
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TIP 3: Start the copy with the word "Yes!" It's a positive and powerful word that draws people to it. TIP 4: Use color for headlines and sub-headlines (red, blue, purple, etc.). Keep the main text in black. Black on white is easier to read than any other combination except black on yellow. TIP 5: Capture as much contact information as possible. Name, address, city, zip, phone, email, even birthday and anniversary dates if you can. TIP 6: Dramatize any gifts or free bonuses you may include within the offer. Photos, strong titles, and descriptions really improve response. TIP 7: Restate a powerful money-back guarantee. The longer and more prominent, the better. 30 days pulls better than 10 days, 60 days pulls better than 30, and so on. A lifetime guarantee is the most powerful of any time period. Always include the signature and title of the most senior person at the company at the end of the guarantee. TIP 8: Add the words "Please Print" on the coupon. TIP 9: Don't forget to include all your company's contact information. You'd be surprised how often even the largest marketers make this basic error. The Business Address "Visit our store at 55 North Broadway and 2nd Avenue before Saturday, May 3rd and enter to Win the Brand New Harley Davidson Motorcycle on display. No purchase necessary. Drawing held May 5th and the winner will be contacted that day. Good luck!" Or this... "Bring this ad with you to the dealership before February 10th; take a quick test drive in any of our new BMWs and instantly receive a free $100 gas card. And if you purchase a car this weekend, we'll send you and a friend to Cabo San Lucas for a 3 Day, all expenses paid holiday...as a special Thank You! (We'll even drive you to the airport and pick you up on return.)"
...But Wait! Claim 3 FREE BONUS Tips! 1. Include a deadline because it increases the sense of urgency and builds response. Print a specific date when the offer and price expire. Or print the words "Please respond within 7 days." 2: Give clear directions for how to respond. And explain what will happen when they do respond. Like this... "Have Dinner on us—FREE at the Olive Garden here in Layton! Just for taking a fun 20 minute tour. You must be among the first 30 people to tour our new facility by Saturday, December 20 to receive the free dinner offer. Please call Mary at 555-1212 to set up your appointment. Your dinner Gift Certificates will be waiting for you when your tour is completed. Please hurry, this offer expires when gift cards are gone, or on Saturday, December 20,2008 at 1:00pm." 3: Explain the consequences for not responding. Like this... "This seminar is filling up so fast there are now only 21 seats left. Call now to reserve one of these few remaining seats—or lose out on the most important internet moneymaking information to come down the pike in the last 7 years. If your business has a website, you cannot afford to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity." 81
AD STEP 7 Determine if you need "short" or "long" copy
OVERVIEW: There's a raging debate among advertising people over the length of copy that works in an ad. Does longer copy outsell short copy? The answer depends on one thing... How much information does your prospect need in order to respond? In this step you'll find out how much copy your ad needs.
So exactly how many words does your ad need? Answer: as many words as it takes to persuade your prospect to take action and not one word more. People who say they absolutely will not read long copy ads haven't read a long copy ad that could keep their interest from start to finish. Those same people who claim to have "short attention spans" read newspaper articles and editorials; they read books, brochures, travel guides, lengthy interviews, and newsletters...they will read... If the copy fascinates them and holds their interest. That's pretty much true for all of us. Who has the time or interest to read copy—whatever the length—that's boring? The only exception I can think of is when you're forced to read a "Bicycle Instruction Manual" to have the bike assembled for Johnny's birthday party. Your ad copy is "salesmanship in print." So imagine standing in front of your prospects explaining your offer. How many words does it take to get your prospect to take action? Use the answer as your guide to see if yours should be a "long" or "short" copy ad. And remember, people will read ad copy gup to 1,500 words and more if: 1) The copy is targeted specifically to them. 2) They have a genuine desire to learn about your offer. 3) The copy answers their questions and handles anxieties. 4) The copy holds their interest.
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Your ad is probably a long copy candidate if you sell: • • • • • • • • •
A new product that needs explanation to be understood. A new service that needs explanation to be understood. An expensive car, jet, boat, home, or island with details needed by the prospect. A complex medical procedure that requires details and explanation for the prospect. A complex financial product or service that requires details and explanation. A complex legal service. An event that needs an explanation Extensive listings (houses, cars, wine selection, computer equipment, etc.) Anything that requires "proof elements" to substantiate the claims made by your offer. (This is explained in the next step.)
CAUTION: Be absolutely sure the person writing your ads knows what sales points ARE NEEDED to close sales. In many cases what should be a "long copy" ad is shortened—and leads and sales are lost—simply because the copywriter doesn't know the "pitch sequence" or because the copywriter chooses to shorten the copy for "personal" or "graphic" reasons because they are not the customer.
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AD STEP 8 Give readers the "proof" they need to respond—and more will
OVERVIEW: Making big—even "irresistible"—offers and claims in your ad without substantiating them kills reader response. You need "proof elements" to support what you claim is true. This step will show you the most important proof elements to boost credibility and increase your response rate. People are by nature skeptical. They're especially skeptical of the claims made in ads. Your ad needs to establish credibility with the reader to make your claims believable. And by backing up what you say with "proof," you overcome the toughest enemy your ad faces—the reader's skepticism. If you want to side-step the reader's built in skepticism and make your ad copy flow with believability, I suggest making the following proof elements a tangible and visible presence in your ads... • • • • • • • • • •
The "reason why" you're making your offer now. Your strongest case histories. Endorsements from well known people or authorities. Current (and local) testimonials. Your success stories with statistics. A strong guarantee. What experts say about you or your product/service. Your niche specialization. Your reputation within in your industry. Complete, straightforward candor and honesty.
How to use "proof elements" to overcome reader resistance Giving prospects raw, dry facts and statistics to prove your claims are true doesn't automatically make them believe what you say. You can't "prove" something for another. Proof is relative and is judged by what we believe is true or not.
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But you can use vivid word images together with facts to get the prospect to imagine an outcome or result, and they're more likely to believe it. Daniel Lewis, a brilliant marketing consultant and copywriter, said, "If you want to convince somebody of something, make them experience the reality of that something in their imagination first. Backing it up with raw facts and figures is important, but secondary." Let me take each proof element one by one and give some examples of how to use them in your ads to produce better results.
• The "reason why" you're making your offer now. The better your offer, the higher the prospect's skepticism. Why? Because your prospects don't believe there's a "free lunch" or an unconditional "good deal." And if you do offer a free lunch, people are curious to know what the "catch" is. And there IS a catch. But if you don't explain what it is, the prospect will not trust you. So tell them what it is. By explaining why you're making your offer, you relieve any underlying anxieties about your motives and make your offer more believable and desired.
Rather than 50% Off New Stereo Equipment...see how a "reason why" gives credibility...
50% Off New Stereo Equipment Because of Our Recent Fire See how a reason why makes a 70% off carpet sale believable.
We blew it. We bought a truckload of high quality carpets with strange colors and unusual patterns and can't sell them at regular prices. Come in this weekend and get 70% off while they last.
• Current (and local) testimonials. Prospects want to know what other satisfied customers say about you, and they're more willing to believe what someone else says about you than what you say about you. The best testimonials are: 1) Local and current. Use local names like Kevin Jones, or K. Jones, Reno, NV. Use a date, like 12/3/08. It says you're tracking results in real time. 2) Believable. The best testimonials feature real benefits experienced by real people. 3) To the point. If you have to edit anything, chop unnecessary words and highlight the benefits. If more than one benefit is mentioned, use an ellipsis in the copy...like this...to focus the reader's attention. 4) Natural. Make testimonials as unedited as possible. Sure, clean up spelling and grammar, but keep the words your customer wrote (or spoke) if possible. 5) Detailed. Include details, specifics, data, juicy numbers, facts. Details are the best "proof."
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• Your strongest case histories. These don't need to be long.. .just hit the high points. Be sure to include: The type of customer. Business, size and location, and goals. The problems faced by the customer. What consequences did the customer face before the problem was solved? Explain why they called you. If they had other choices, why you? Tell how you solved the problem. What did you do? How? Result: What was the result of your help? What deliverables did you provide? What did you fix, solve, or improve? Summary: What measurable benefits did the customer get as a result of your help?
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Endorsements from well known people or authorities. Ask people who have used your product or service, and loved it, to recommend it to their friends, colleagues, and workmates. Also, if you can, get an endorsement from a well known celebrity; it will mean extra sales for your product.
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Your success stories with statistics. If you've got success stories, use them—they're interesting and they build a strong case for your products and services. Explain who you helped, how you helped them, how long it took, what you had to overcome, and what results you accomplished. Use as many facts, quotes, and details as possible. Your prospects want to know why they should choose you over the competition.
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What experts say about you or your product/service. Using expert testimony in your ad is a very powerful and persuasive tool. When an "expert" has something good to say about your business, leverage it. Use it in your ad copy. Just remember, you have to give your prospects a way to compare and contrast your business from others. These kinds of third party endorsements give you credibility.
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Your niche specialization. If you have a specific area of specialization, if you solve a specific problem, or if your customers have specific circumstances your business addresses, leverage it. Explain how your niche gives customers just what they want. And be sure to point out what specific advantages your business offers customers that are not offered by competitors.
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Your reputation within in your industry. If you have a good reputation in your specific industry, then say so. Have you won an Industry Achievement Award? Have you been recognized in your industry as a "Leader?" Then showcase it in your ad copy. It impresses prospects when your industry appreciates and rewards you.
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Complete, straightforward candor and honesty. One of the strongest and most overlooked "proof elements" in advertising is honesty. I don't mean that advertisers lie. But most advertisers "couch" and "frame" their words. They embellish. They adorn their ad copy with well turned phrases. Frankly, people are jaded by polished "sales pitches." 89
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AD STEP 9 Use pictures that support your offer
OVERVIEW: Powerful visual images can bring more eyeballs to your ads. But you want to bring the RIGHT eyeballs—not just anyone. This step will show you how to use pictures, illustrations, and graphics to target prospects, support the offer in the headline, and attract more response.
Where did your eye go first? To the picture, right? That's because people "read" pictures before they read words...no matter how "rewarding" the words may be. Pictures are your eye's natural environment. Research says that roughly 85 percent of how we receive and remember information is visual. Our eyes are busy all day "reading" the environment, so it makes sense that pictures are what the eyes know best. Because bigger visuals are the first thing your prospects see in your ad, the picture (or pictures) must instantly signal what your offer is about. The job of pictures in ads is to be interesting and to communicate or imply a benefit made by the offer. Pictures should cause the casual reader to begin to understand your offer at a glance. And pictures should make your prospects want to read the words.
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You're objective is to create ads disguised to look like "news." That's why you want pictures that appear to have been shot by a photo journalist. This will give your ad the right appearance. Not too flashy. Not too raw and amateurish. But real. Now does that mean you can't put some appealing photographic "eye candy" in front of your prospects? Hell no. Go for it. You want your ad message to be the most appealing and interesting "news" on the page. And if, for example, your offer is appealing to women, like the following ad written by Dr. Harlan Kilstein, (a brilliant copywriter) then make sure women will be attracted to and lured in by the visuals.
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How to use the 2 basic types of visuals in ads Big visuals designed to make eye-stopping impact are what I call "feature visuals." The big picture in the ad above is a feature visual. Smaller visuals, which are usually product photos, "emphasis" photos, or illustrations of graphs and charts, I call "minor visuals." They play a visual support role to the feature visuals. Here are some good rules for using both: Using feature visuals Because feature visuals are designed to catch eyeballs quickly, make sure they are high quality. Hiring professional, experienced advertising photographers and illustrators for this job is a great investment. And of course for more generic shots you can always use stock photo images from online sources like istock, shutterfly, or photos.com For the best results, use the following guide: • In most cases, use photographs in your ads—they're more believable than illustrations. • Show your product in use, solving the prospect's problem. • Show the end result of using your products or services. • Use photos to tell a story that engages the reader's self-interest or curiosity. • Show your products in the natural environment in which they are used. • Use before and after photos—they offer "proof' of your offer, and readers like them. • Use clear and simple photos and illustrations with "high contrast" because they reproduce well in the newspaper. • Use pictures of people with whom your prospects can identify. • Show familiar objects and concepts the reader understands. • Don't use head shots of the owner or photos of the team—they're boring. • Use well-defined illustrations that "pop" off the page. • Use photos and illustrations that personify your image and maintain a consistent style in every ad. A word of caution: Beware of using strange, grotesque, repulsive, or weird visuals in your ad just to capture eyeballs. Yes, you will attract people. And yes, you will more than likely turn people off. But no, they don't help you sell, UNLESS you're deliberately trying to shock people into changing a habit or supporting a cause. Showing charred lungs may work for anti-smoking ads. Showing a helpless Pelican soaked in oil to protest an offshore drilling proposal may also work. These kinds of photos can be VERY persuasive in motivating people to act or send money. Using minor visuals Minor art includes photos and illustrations of your products, like bikes, running shoes, cars, or pictures of vegetables. They can also include charts, maps, graphs, etc. While the feature visual gives the "big picture," the minor art illustrates the products, steps, or methods that make the big picture possible. And like the feature visual, the minor art has a big responsibility—to help the reader understand the offer. The minor art must be: • • • • •
Clear and easy to understand at a glance. Respectful of its place in the sale of the desired benefits. Consistent in style, tone, and quality with the feature visual; there's nothing as confusing as a variety of styles and looks. Proportionate. Easy to reproduce in the newspaper.
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The 5 typefaces with "serifs" are primarily used for the main body text, while the 5 "sans serif" typefaces are primarily used for headlines and subheads.
Rule of thumb: use no more than 3 typefaces per ad I just saw an ad that had 17 different and unique typefaces. Bad idea. Why? 1) Because numerous typefaces will only make your ad LOOK like a freakin' ad!—have you ever seen an article in the paper with 17 typefaces? 2) Numerous typefaces put too much emphasis on the look of the type, distracting the reader away from the offer. Don't use more than 3 typefaces in your ad. Articles and editorials in the paper generally use no more than 2: a sans serif face for the headline (and subheads) and a serif type for the main body of the message. The other point in minimizing the number of typefaces you use is this: You want the focus of your ad to be on the message. So...
Use a typeface so easy to read that readers don't notice the type. How important is your choice of a typeface to the financial success of your ad? I saw the exact same ad tested using 2 different typefaces. The first ad used a difficult to read sans serific face throughout. The second used a serific face. The first ad netted 11 leads. The second ad netted 62 leads. Same paper, different day. Here's the moneymaking secret of using type. Choose a type that is mostly invisible to the reader. Like the type you're reading now.
The ABC's of using type in your ad Although there are times when an ad breaks all the rules and still succeeds, it's safer to err on the side of communication than on the side of type design, especially in the newspaper. Here are some proven strategies for what to do and what not to do when setting type in your ad:
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AD STEP 11 Design an effective layout
OVERVIEW: You can do everything I've taught you to do and still blow it if your layout doesn't make it easy to comprehend the offer. This critical step will show you how to create effective layouts every time. Ignore the advice in this step and your ads will fail—guaranteed. Here's a sobering fact: your prospects will do very little, if any, WORK to understand your ad's message. In fact, when readers see your ad, they make snap decisions to either read it or move on. Why do readers make these "read" or "no read" decisions so quickly? In a nutshell, readers are lazy. And they're in a hurry. Readers prefer ad layouts that not only look easy to read but ARE easy to read and comprehend. If they think your ad looks difficult to understand, they'll leave.. .fast. The first goal of your layout is to enable readers to "get" the ad's primary offer by glancing at the headline and subheads. The next goal of the layout is to cause readers to begin reading your ad before they realize they are reading! When you study effective advertising, you begin to notice how simple looking great ads are. Effective ads are effective for a reason: they do a lot of the heavy lifting work for the reader, so the reader doesn't feel they have to do much work to understand the offer. Presenting your offer on a "silver platter" so it appears effortless to read takes some doing. It requires a good deal of visual deception to make reading and comprehending seem easy. So...I'm going to show you some effective "mind tricks"...some effective eye-fooling "devices"...that cause readers to WANT to read your ad because they feel it's easier to do so than not. Remember, if your ad looks like "work," you're dead. People reading the newspaper want to relax. "Work" isn't on the agenda. So make reading easy...effortless...and possibly entertaining.
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Summing it up This book was designed to inspire and teach you to create newspaper ads that generate LOTS of money for you and your business. I haven't done my job if you are still contemplating using the ideas this book presents. Success in advertising calls for action—not prolonged contemplation. There are some radical steps prescribed in this book, all written with one idea in mind: to cause you to take action and implement them. So if you're still sitting on the fence.. .get off. Every hour you wait, you're losing business...business that should be yours. Print advertising is a powerful competitive tool. Over the years I've seen well-planned print advertising triple a small store's revenues. I have seen small ads cause traffic jams. In each case, the owners were willing to take risks to be different from their competition. And each owner constantly strived to find new ways to delight and surprise customers. Granted, being new and different from your competitors is a challenge. But if you weren't up for the challenge, you wouldn't own a small business. To succeed in today's competitive environment, you must strive to be a different business tomorrow than you are today. It's a battle to attract customers and keep them supremely happy. Inspiration for new business and advertising ideas comes from pushing through boundaries. The first challenge in presenting an innovative advertising message is really a marketing challenge: you have to actually become a different kind of business. You have to have a niche that attracts new customers. The secondary challenge is to communicate your difference through advertising. Advertising doesn't stand on its own; it cannot be a smokescreen for a business that doesn't constantly reinvent itself and take exceptional care of customers. If your advertising isn't as effective as you want, it may be because your niche concept is not fully developed. Or it means you need a new one. The point is this: determine how you can give customers an "advantage" they can't get anywhere else. Then let your strategy determine your ad message. Own a niche that gives customers exactly what they want every time they buy from you, and do it in a way that undermines the competitors' strategies. If you're already using the ideas in this book, great...keep going. You've joined a league of other business owners who are making a lot of money. Come up with your own outrageous ideas to attract leads and sales. You will be rewarded...and you'll have a lot of fun enjoying your success. One last thing: send me samples of your winning ads and the specific results you got...I may use them for my next book. You can contact me directly through my website: www.davidfowlerads.com
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