Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
March 27, 2006
Issue #36
What’s that you say?
… Your direct mail promos are dragging in the dirt?
… Your Internet promos barely bring in enough new blood to keep body and soul together?
… Is that what’s worrying you, Sparky?
Well, worry no more! This simple innovation can have you attracting thousands of new, paying customers every month from now on – FOR FREE!
Dear Business-Builder,
OK – so I’m an old bugger.
When I wrote my first direct mail promotion, Nixon was in the White House, The Godfather Part I was shattering box-office records and Elvis was alive, kicking and skinny.
In those days, nobody had a clue what a personal computer or Fed Ex was. Saying “Let me fax you” would have probably gotten your face slapped.
And that lack of technology meant the time, cost and back-breaking effort involved in creating a direct mail promotion were truly brain-boggling.
No computers meant we had to retype each new draft of every job from beginning to end.
No Fed Ex or Fax machines meant we had to allow weeks on each job just for sending drafts back and forth between copywriters, artists and clients.
And no graphics software meant every jot and tittle had to be precariously glued to a layout board by hand – and then reglued when it inevitably fell off on the trip to the printer.
Altogether, you could figure a typical #10 envelope promotion (envelope teaser copy, 8-page sales letter, lift note, flyer and response device) would take a month to get to final draft … another month to design … and another month or so to print and mail.
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
March 20, 2006
Issue #35
- Simple Secrets for Boosting Response 20%, 30% or even more …
- Eight Essential Components Every Great Offer Shares …
-
… And MORE!
Happy Monday, Business-Builder…
Here's to making the next five days the most creative, productive and profitable you've ever had!
Today is a red letter day in my life. Literally: March 20, 2006 is printed in BIG RED LETTERS on the white board on my office wall!
WHY is today so important? Because one short month from today – on April 20 – I'll be kicking off the first day of my Power Marketing Summit in Washington DC!
With just four weeks and two days left to prepare, we're working around the clock to make sure you get the ideas you need to make 2006 your most profitable year ever!
Exciting stuff! Sure hope you're planning to be there!
Let's turn to the business at hand: This week, I want to take a look at one of the most often-overlooked and under-appreciated part of every direct response promotion: The offer.
The way I see it, "The Offer" is much, much more than the price you're charging for your product or service. In fact, I count EIGHT major components that great offers share – and we're going to take a detailed look at ALL of them in this week's issue.
This is crucial stuff: While most marketers and copywriters spend most of their time developing major themes, headlines and opening copy, we often sleepwalk through the copy that showcases the offer.
We're all guilty of it – and that's a big, BIG boo-boo: A compelling offer can easily boost response and average sale amount by 20 percent, 30 percent or even more!
In contrast, an ill-conceived offer can depress or even kill response – and it can also drive your fulfillment costs into the stratosphere, leaving your ROI in the dirt.
So grab a cup-o-Joe and get comfortable. Unless I miss my guess, just thinking about the offers you make on the Internet, in direct mail, in print and in your TV and radio promotions is about to add big bucks to your bottom line.
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
March 13, 2006
Issue #34
IN THIS ADMITTEDLY AMBITIOUS ISSUE:
- How to Double the US Economy Virtually Overnight
- The Secret to Making A Billion Dollars Without Ever Offering a Single Benefit
- The Astonishing Power of Powerlessness
Dear Business-Builder,
WHEW! Things sure are getting BUSY around here!
I'm busier than a one-armed paper-hanger getting ready for the New Recipe for Maximum Response teleseminar Bob Bly and I will be hosting in just about 48 hours …
We're working our fingers to the bone making sure that next month's Power Marketing Summit in Washington DC blows your socks off …
AND in our spare time, we're cranking out killer in-house and outhouse web and direct mail promotions for FOUR major clients!
Someday, I plan to take a day off – but since I'm already late with this issue, it obviously WILL NOT be today!
So let's get going – with our somewhat modest objective for this week's issue …
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
March 6, 2006
Issue #33
OK – so you've written the best headline and lead copy ever.
Now how do you get from here to the sale without royally screwing things up?
In this issue:
- The 3 unforgivable sins writers commit in body copy …
- – and 7 "Golden Rules" to help you avoid them
Dear Business-Builder …
Good, nitty-gritty stuff in this issue …
We've spent a lot of time thinking about grabbing your prospects' attention with powerful headline and opening copy in past issues of THE TOTAL PACKAGE – and for good reason: In today's hyper-competitive world, making that initial "attention" sale is absolutely imperative.
If you fail to get your prospects' attention, you'll fail to deliver your benefits and offer. And if you don't deliver your offer and ask for the sale, it's pretty much a slam dunk that you won't get the sale.
And so, we copywriters work our fingers to the bone, beating the bushes for the theme that's likely to resonate best with our prospects … crafting headlines that stand the best chance of grabbing them by the eyeballs … and slaving over opening copy that is most likely to convert that hard-won attention to readership.
We know that if we do these things well, we're probably about 70 percent of the way to a promotion that will blow the doors off the competition.
But, alas, in long copy promotions – especially in the 24-page magalogs and tabloids that are my stock and trade – the headline and lead represent only about 4 percent of the total volume of sales copy required.
There's a ton more stuff that needs doing after you've seized your prospect's attention. Important stuff – like juicing up your product's benefits … proving your case … presenting your offer … relieving risk … selling the heck out of your premiums … asking for the sale … closing the sale … and more.
The trick is doing all that without allowing your prospects' mind to wander even for a second. Or worse: Making a mistake that turns him off entirely – and gets your sales message instantly tossed into the nearest virtual or literal trash can.
In a very real sense, your body copy is a minefield that must be navigated with the greatest of care: Every word, sentence and paragraph of body copy represents the chance to either intensify your prospect's focus … or to completely lose him.
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