Turning Research into Gold
Dear Business-Builder,
Not a very sexy subject this week — just one that can make you tons of money.
Yep, I’m talking about research — the one thing that most copywriters dread. Because after all: We’re writers, so we make money when we’re writing — not researching … right? So the time you have to spend reading instead of writing costs you money. Right?
Actually, no. Not at all.
The fact is, the success of your direct mail piece, print ad, online sales page is determined to a tremendous extent by the quality of the research you do before you write a single word.
You need to know what competing companies are doing. What prospects are thinking and feeling. Most of all, you need to know what your product does.
And no, I’m not talking about how the financial newsletter you’re writing for provides recommendations … or about how the nutritional supplement you’re promoting gives users tons of vitamin C … or about any of the other things you think your product does.
I’m talking about digging much deeper; all the way to the bone. Because chances are, that’s where you’ll find the facts that will turn your “OK” promotion into a barn-burner with many times the response rates you’re seeing now.
So let’s take a quick look at some pointers that will help you get better research done and to get it done in a fraction of the time it takes you now …
How to know what’s working
Whatever you’re promoting, someone else — in most cases, a LOT of someone elses — are promoting similar products right now. Monitoring what they’re saying to prospects is the best way I know to get a big head start on creating a promotion that will rake in big bucks.
Every time you look at a successful promotion, you’re looking at more than simply the product of months, sometimes years of trial and error and exhaustive testing — you’re getting an insight into the fears, frustrations and desires that are moving prospects to action.
So your first step is a simple one: Get your name on every competitor’s online and offline list as soon as is humanly possible.
Create a rule in your e-mail client that automatically moves promos for each niche into a sub-folder in your inbox. Then, study those e-mails and the sales pages they link to for valuable clues as to what’s working best now.
If you’re writing direct mail, buy a product from each industry leader to get your name on its customer file. Then, monitor your mail carefully, writing the date you received each promotion on it. As a rule, the more often you receive a promotion, the better it’s working — so be sure to study the promos you see most often.
When you put your name on these lists, use a middle initial that represents the name of the list. You might subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, for instance by using your real first and last names, but using the middle initial “W.”
Then, when you receive a promotion from another company that’s addressed to John “W” Smith, you know you got the promotion because you’re on the Wall Street Journal’s list (handy especially if you’re looking for the lists that are working best).
Your next step? Get thee to a library. Or better yet, sign up for the Standard Rate and Data (SRDS) directories of direct mail and e-mail lists at SRDS.com. SRDS can give you tons of useful information about each company in your niche.
You can, for instance, study the number of hotline names (new buyers) to see how quickly each company is growing its customer file. You can see how many of their customers are male or female. You can see their price points and average sale. And more.
Chances are, your company or your client’s company rents its list to these companies — and before the rental can take place, the company has to submit a sample of its promotion for approval. So at this point, I often call my client’s list department and ask to see copies of promotions that the fastest-growing companies are using right now.
Product research pointers
Doing these things gives you a tremendous advantage because you know what’s working now and you can spot the headlines, benefits and offers that are working best now.
But there’s a whole other area of research that still needs to be done: Researching all the benefits your product provides.
Now, in some cases, this kind of research is easy. Sometimes, not so much.
Recently for example, I had to create an online promotion for a health product that bolsters the immune system. The key active ingredient is glucan — a nutrient I had never written about before.
So, we used PubMed.com, WebMD.com and other medical databases to research glucan like it was going out of style. Know what we found? We found scores of studies showing that glucan does a heck of a lot MORE than just improve your immune system!
We found that it protects your heart by eliminating free radicals from your body, by inhibiting the process that turns cholesterol into artery-goo and by reducing inflammation in your arteries.
We found that glucan has actually caused cancerous tumors to shrink in major studies at world-renowned research centers like The Mayo Clinic and Tulane. We found that it also helps balance blood sugar and reduces inflammation in arthritic joints — and, believe it or not, much more.
Then, armed with this documented information from many of the world’s most highly respected medical institutions, I wrote a promotion that is very different and far more effective than I could have written if I had focused exclusively on the benefits my client had unearthed for the product.
Want to see the research document and the sales copy?
OK …
Click here to see some of the research we dug up online and how the raw research was presented. And then, click here to see what I did with it.
So let’s talk about research in the blog below this week. What sites do you use to learn about your competitors, your prospects and to research your products?
Let’s build a list that will help all of us turn research into gold!
Yours for Bigger Winners, More Often,
Clayton Makepeace
Publisher & Editor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE
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20 Comments »
Join the Discussion!
Let us know what you think. Or ask us anything. Or offer your own sage advice.
The only rule: RESPECT THIS HOUSE! Postings that contain abusive language and/or personal attacks will be cheerfully VAPORIZED. One cross word and – POOF! – your well-thought-out post will be gone in a puff of smoke.
– Clayton
Comment by Katie Langston — November 24, 2008 @ 11:26 am
Clayton, this is one area where I’ve tended to slack off…until recently! I’ve really discovered the power of research and have seen results in my promotions. First, doing the research to know your prospect better than you know your spouse…then, finding the proof that will shut down their skepticism…it makes a huge impact!
I’m wondering…do you have any special research techniques or tips you’d be willing to share with us? Thanks for all you do!
Comment by Caleb Osborne — November 24, 2008 @ 12:29 pm
Clayton!
As usual, your advice is pure golden!
I already had the agarigold report in my swipe file but now I’ll be able to go through it and the research bit by bit to figure out how you took the raw information and turned it world-class copy… and then… I’ll be inside your head!
[Start Eveil Maniacal laugh]
MWHAHAHAHAHAHA
[/end evil maniacal laugh]
But seriously, thanks for doing this — it’s priceless to see how your brain "works".
– Caleb
Comment by Marcelino Latorre — November 24, 2008 @ 12:49 pm
This is where the the pot of gold is stashed. Thanks for the breakdown big man.
Comment by Adrian — November 24, 2008 @ 12:53 pm
Clayton,
I think you mean "glucan" not "gluten." One is beneficial, the other is often responsible for a number of severe health problems.
Of course your sales piece got it right. Just your posting today had the confusion.
Research…
Comment by Jules — November 24, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
When I was a freelance copywriter I probably did more research than writing because even 15 years ago, I knew how critical it was to the success of the copy. I didn’t always use it directly in the piece itself — often, just the knowledge alone was enough to improve the copy on the brochure, letter, whatever. However, backing up your copy with highly regarded, renowned and /or recognized sources, stats and facts, clearly lends much more credence to the sales message.
Not doing the necessary research before writing a promo piece is pretty much akin to starting your business without doing reseacrh into competition, viability, marketability, customer need.
Comment by Jules — November 24, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
Question to Clayton: unless I missed it, I didn’t read how successful your sales letter was for the gluten product.
Comment by Susan Connors — November 24, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
Hi Clayton
Am I Jaded - yes, bored witless - no!
Reading your posts are a breathe of fresh air!
Research - that is one area I can say I excel and love!
Like a dog with its bone - when I want to learn about something I do everything I can to learn about it.
The resources you have listed in your post are invaluable to me - so a big thank you.
Knowing and understanding, studying and research are so important for any project to succeed.
Without the right research - its like planning a journey. Without looking at maps etc, you may end up in a tunnel. The area is dark and without lights you cannot see what is in front of you. So you look for the torch, only to see lights coming at you. A huge noise, the rumbling of steel and clatter of iron, - the lights are a train! Not recommended for those who are not meant to be there. So it pays to research and plan. This is based on something that happened to me as a teenager. We were exploring as kids do and came across this tunnel. Yes, there were old ttrain racks there - not used. No one told us that they were restoring the tunnel at the other end
Best Wishes
Sue in Aus
http://www.marketingforlife.com.au
Comment by Brett — November 24, 2008 @ 3:12 pm
Hi Clayton,
Much better than political posts. This info is pure gold.
Brett
Comment by John — November 24, 2008 @ 3:22 pm
Hi all,
If you want to get dragged down in discouragement, read the book Guerralla Marketing by Kaden. It is actually written for large businesses but what about the little guy?
Thanks Clayton for the great info. Those tactics of yours are sneaky but powerful. Plus they don’t cost a fortune to execute.
Finding out what people are typing into search engines (for problems they have) is a must. You can get the info you need at http://www.wordtracker.com. It’s a monthly service, but well worth the cost.
Keep Writing,
John Babin
Comment by Jeremy Reeves — November 24, 2008 @ 5:14 pm
Wow, I LOVE the idea of putting your middle initial, that’s brilliant.
I’m definitely going to start doing that, that’ll make it so much easier to figure out what’s coming from who!
As always, brilliant post Clayton,
Jeremy Reeves
http://www.controlbeatingcopy.com
Comment by David Neale — November 24, 2008 @ 6:21 pm
I’m surprised by the amount of research that you did, I would have assumed your client would be the expert and just handed all that over to you. Now I see one more reason why copywriting services can cost so much. In a way the word copywriting is a poor one when one looks at the research required.
The first thing that came to my mind after looking at both pages was "this is really a website", actually more extensive than a complete website. A website with no navigation and a focus on one product rather than one company.
Very inspirational, especially to a web designer
In my world there has always been two schools of web design, both needed and both valid.
Artists and Engineers.
I think there should be a third.
Copywriters.
Comment by Kelvin Parker — November 24, 2008 @ 9:22 pm
Hi,
Here are some of the research tools I use. I would love for others to share their resources list.
S.R.D.S.http://www.srds.com/frontMatter/ips/directmarketing/index.html What’s Mailing Whathttp://www.whosmailingwhat.com/index.cfm Who’s Emailing Whathttp://www.emailcampaignarchive.com/ Market Samurai (Research software tool) http://www.marketsamurai.com/ Quantcast - website business profiling toolhttp://www.Quantcast.com Competitrack - Who’s Advertising What http://www.competitrack.com
Cheers, Kelvin
http://www.HowToCreateWealth.com/
Comment by Bob Paroski — November 24, 2008 @ 10:45 pm
Clayton:
Thanks for showing us the amount of research that went into this.
Most of us read a sales letter and fail to realize that the one who wrote it did a tremendous amount of research before writing the first word in the sales letter.
It also is clear that when detailed research is done, the sales letter basically writes itself.
Bob Paroskihttp://www.wordcrafterscopywriting.com
Comment by Chu D. Obii — November 25, 2008 @ 2:14 am
Thanks Clayton, this revelation is so exciting to me as a new writer, and I am blessed to be reading your newsletters. I believe this will indeed cut my learning curve way shorter than it would’ve been without it. Thanks-a-bunch!!
Comment by Jason — November 25, 2008 @ 9:20 am
Hey Clayton,
I am an aspiring writer. After reading your post, I realised you have answered many of my questions regarding research. Nuts, bolts and the final result.
I want to thank you for putting so much effort into this blog. Helping your readers and myself to understand the skill of copywriting.
I am deeply touched by your generousity in sharing your trade secrets. THANKS!
Comment by Cherryl W — November 25, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
Hi Clayton… Great Post! I’m one of your readers who DO like research. It’s like going on a treasure hunt looking for buried treasures… then finding that something special – as you say… that gold nugget . Kinda reminds me of when I was in 2nd grade and this little ‘goldie- locks’ girl - in her pink frilly dress –was skipping around the playground singing at the TOP of her lungs – ‘I know something that you don’t know’… (by the way… it wasn’t me) Well… I have a secret that I want to share… about a month or so ago the reference librarian at our local library gave a Show-N-Tell on how to access our library’s Internet database… right from the comforts of our own homes. All we need is 2 things… a membership to the library… and a library card. She showed how we can access resources such as newspapers, magazines, both popular and peer reviewed titles… business source magazines… biography resource centers… ideal for students… science centers… for technical information… and more.I live in Oregon… so our librarian handed out lists of web addresses… like our library’s site… the Corporation Division at the Oregon Secretary of State’s page for filing in Oregon… IRS business section… Portland Business Journal… Local Demographic Data… just to mention a few.Another thing I learned was if I want to access any other library databases, I’d have to become a member of that library too. The membership is FREE and each card has its own unique number. So there’s something your readers can check out… see if their local libraries have web presence that they can tap into.Now Clayton, I have a couple of questions… 1) what keywords did you use to get the ABM Research paper to come up. I tried both the Agaricus Blazei Murill and beta-glucan keywords but couldn’t get the ABM Research paper to surface. And question 2) did you go to a specific site? Or did you just Google it? Could you shine a little light… pleeezzzeee?Thanks!
Cherryl
Comment by Jeanine — November 25, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
Thanks Clayton! As an aspiring professional researcher, I enjoyed learning some new tricks. My question is this: do most copywriters outsource their research? Or do they do it themselves? I know Carline Anglade-Cole outsources her research, but is there enough business out there to keep a good researcher busy full time?
Comment by AZMike — November 27, 2008 @ 1:32 am
I too love the research, now to turn that into $$$$. Thanks for such a relevant post.
AZMike
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving Clayton, your redhead and everyone else.
Comment by moussaoui ahmed — November 29, 2008 @ 5:07 pm
merci clayton je sais que le bon travalle reviens de la soufrire.tu es jineale mon amie
Comment by environmental policy — December 18, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
I wrote The Perfect Manual book for two reasons. First, I wanted to help companies overcome the tedious and time-consuming task of developing a quality or environmental manual by showing an example of a manual for ISO 9001:2000 (ISO 9001) standard. Second, and more important, the purpose of this book is to show a method for creating a quality or environmental manual, so that in the future, you can develop a manual for any standard or regulation, whether it is ISO 13485, AS 9100, FDA’s 21 CFR 820, European Council Directive 93/42/EEC or any other.