Two posts back I shouted: SELL THE OFFER.
What does that mean?
The offer is the theme of your communication. Begin with it. Restate it. Denote its key benefits. The actual product or service is largely incidental to your sales pitch.
Let’s go back to the weight loss example. Remember, the big gun you fired first was:
“Want to lose 20 lbs before Christmas?”
At this point you could be selling diet pills, exercise equipment, a course in Pilates, motivational training or personal coaching. It’s appropriate now to tie your product to your offer:
Want to lose 20 lbs before Christmas?
On average, people who use the 21st Century Dietetics Method easily lose one pound of excess fat a week. Ask your dietician or doctor and they’ll tell you one pound a week is a safe, healthy amount of weight to lose.
Did you notice something? That’s right, the first paragraph consists of a single short sentence. The rule in firing your big gun is to keep your first sentence to 12 to 15 words, or less.
Another rule is: No long paragraphs. Keep your paragraphs down to 5 – 7 lines – which may equal only two or three sentences. And insert a space between paragraphs to break up your copy, making it look easy to read.
Herschell Gordon Lewis (him again!) says there are five main motivators to consider in your copy:
• Fear
• Greed
• Guilt
• Exclusivity
• Approval
Fear is the strongest, but also the trickiest, motivator, because it knocks people on their asses.
If you are 30 lbs or more overweight you are a prime candidate for colon cancer.
Scary stuff. Enough to put them off reading any further – until you quickly offer them a hand up:
But now there’s a weight loss supplement that contains a powerful, natural, cancer-fighting ingredient…
To find out more about motivators, buy a copy of Lewis’s On The Art of Writing Copy.
One last comment on writing direct mail copy. It’s not clever, witty, cute or funny. It’s selling, and it’s serious. As Lewis says: “In the age of skepticism, cleverness for its own sake may be a liability, rather than an asset.”
Or to put it another way: When’s the last time you bought anything from a clown.
About Hartland Ross
Hartland Ross is an online marketing strategist, entrepreneur, and founder and president of eBridge Marketing Solutions - an online marketing agency and consulting firm catering to technology companies.
An expert in the principles of marketing, strategy and business development, Hartland began his entrepreneurial career in the building materials industry as a successful franchise owner and operator. He followed this up with a stint in the pulp and paper industry before landing positions with two different internet marketing startups in the online advertising sector. He then took his online success and moved on to become VP of Sales and Marketing for a national training and development company.
Considered a pioneer in the online world, Hartland has been working in the sales and marketing of web based technology companies since 1999. He is well recognized and regarded in the hosting industry and to date has worked with over 150 web hosting companies providing business growth, marketing strategy and industry direction advice and recommendations.
With 15 years of business development experience, plus over 10 years experience in working specifically with technology companies, Hartland is a sought after speaker and online authority who is often interviewed and quoted in various industry related case studies and articles.
Corporate philanthropy is also top of mind for Hartland who believes it's important to give back to his community. Hartland is a past board member of Young Entrepreneurs Association and is an active mentor for Junior Achievement helping our youth become the business leaders of tomorrow.
A graduate of UBC, Hartland holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master degree in Business Administration with a focus on Business Strategy.
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