Posted by:
Troy White
June 27, 2008
Issue #447
In this issue:
- The easiest way to win over your prospects and convince them to buy from you for the first time …
- Small Business Mastery readers speak out …
- Templates and samples to use for creating your own sales system …
- And Much More!
Fellow Business Builder,
Thank you for your excellent response to my article “How to Write Lead Generation Display Ads”. Some of your comments hit a note with me and I first wanted to address these before moving on to the actual templates for creating your display ads.
Steve had said “I never even thought of doing non-traditional small display ads. I feel like a fool.”
My thoughts to you Steve are – don’t feel like a fool – feel like an awakening! Most people look at display ads in a certain way, and it can be difficult to see new ways of looking at them. Which is the problem. After seeing hundreds of display ads in a day or week, all following the same useless format, it’s no wonder we have a tough time seeing the alternatives. This approach works really well for small businesses. It is simple to implement. And it gets you solid results. Try it out and please let us know how it goes.
Olan said “Great article Troy. One question: Where is the Ad for the house painter that you wrote? I don't see it in this article.”
Hi Olan. As Mr. Burns (from the Simpsons) would say – eeeeexxxxxcellent! My house painter advertisement was so deceptive you didn’t even notice it was an ad! The point to running this type of ad in the Yellow Pages is to make it look like an article or warning notice. In the middle of all those same-old-same-old type of ads – yours will be the one and only that looks like something useful to those in need.
Carolyn said “I just finished writing a space ad for a company using this approach. I suggested they offer five free special reports, thinking that at least one of the five would hit a hot button and get the phones ringing. You can tell me if you think that was too much.”
Hi Carolyn. My personal thoughts are for you to space out all the reports and send them individually. Rather than receive all five at once (which chances are they won’t read them all) – send them 7-10 days apart. The overwhelm factor may kick in with too many at once, so this gives you multiple opportunities for follow up. But, this is something you need to test. With 100 of the leads – test sending each separately. With the next 100 send two at a time. The next 100 – all at once. See which version works best. (You must track everything you do to ensure the winner.)
Great questions and comments – thank you!
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Posted by:
Daniel Levis
June 18, 2008
Issue #440
Dear Web Business Builder,
Seems some people have a lowly opinion of us copywriters who write to sell …
There I was working away, minding my own business, when for some reason I became distracted and opened up an e-mail from Brian Clark — a.k.a. Copyblogger.
The subject line, “Warning: Narcissistic Marketing Can Be Dangerous to Your Business Health” caught my attention.
The article was what’s known as a “hit” in blogger parlance. Brian was challenging the point of view of another blogger, Julie Rubiner.
It seems Ms. Julie (BA in Creative Writing and Literature) had detected an editorial emergency on my website. I had been singled out as the lead poster boy, (ahead of Ron Popiel even) for everything she detests about hard hitting direct response copy that sells.
She says my copy is jivey … says I sound like a fair barker or used car salesman … and implies I must not care about my customers or have any desire to create long term relationships with them. Ouch!
Of course anybody who recognized where the copy in question came from could see that Ms. Julie was misrepresenting it to make her point.
She had deliberately taken bits and pieces from different parts of a 5,000 word sales letter and strung them together to make them look asinine. And then went on to say that putting numbers in your headlines is bad … implying there are “secrets” is wrong … exclamation points should never be used … ditto for dollar values and limited time offers … and other erudite nonsense.
Like Narcissus, (who died of thirst because he was so in love with himself he couldn’t bare to disturb his own reflection in the water long enough to drink) … people like Julie who are in love with the kind of copy they like to read would starve in a heart beat if their copy was judged by the sales it made.
They’re all about making an image. If their copy strokes their client’s ego, then it’s good copy. Whether it makes sales or not is immaterial.
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Posted by:
Daniel Levis
May 28, 2008
Issue #427
Dear Web Business Builder,
In last week’s edition of Web Marketing Advisor I revealed some advanced concepts for bonding buyer to seller through the hero’s journey.
In a nutshell, the hero’s journey is a shared story of discovery:
- The seller wants something and is having trouble getting it.
- The object of the seller’s desire is the same as the buyer’s. Therefore the buyer identifies with the seller.
- The seller embarks on a quest to overcome obstacles that stand in his way.
- A great struggle ensues.
- The seller prevails and is transformed through the realization of his desire.
- The buyer observes the path to attainment through the seller’s trial.
Down through the ages the hero’s journey has inspired man’s imagination. It has made men’s blood boil, driving them blindly into battle.
It has been a source of power and influence for politicians in times of peace. And has formed the bedrock of social control over people’s behavior throughout the millennia.
You’ve experienced it in bedtime stories and comic books … in church … on television … in novels … and at the movies. Everywhere you turn, it haunts you. The time, place and characters may change, but the structure remains the same: a chariot on which rides a hero with a thousand different faces. And the hero is YOU!
A Catalyst for ACTION …
Where sales copy is concerned, this remarkable story-form crystallizes the hopes, dreams and aspirations of your reader into a moment of confidence and clarity that becomes a catalyst for ACTION! Such is the source of its tremendous power to influence and persuade.
At the root of every great story there is a premise that rides subliminally under the narrative. A premise is like the moral of the story, which an author seeks to prove through the narrative.
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Posted by:
Daniel Levis
May 21, 2008
Issue #422
Dear Web Business Builder,
People like to buy from people they know, like, and trust … not from faceless, formless entities. It’s the human connection that greases the wheels to enhanced sales.
That’s why one of your most important tasks as a copywriter is to establish and enhance that bond between buyer and seller.
In today’s issue of Web Marketing Advisor, I’m going to give you some advanced techniques for doing just that.
Job #1 As A Hired Gun …
When someone hires me to write copy, one of my first tasks is to draw out my client’s story. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth.
For some reason, many sellers find it extremely difficult to step out from behind the shadows and reveal themselves to their prospects. Failure to do so is a huge mistake …
To feel we know someone is to know his or her story, particularly as it relates to how they solved a problem we’re desperate to solve. Therefore, selling is storytelling. Think about it. Somebody wants something and is having trouble getting it. That’s the essence of a dramatic story.
Granted there are many types of sales stories, but one of the most powerful ways to bond buyer to seller is through the hero’s journey.
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Posted by:
Troy White
May 20, 2008
Issue #421
Fellow Business Builder,
After being on some R&R with my family, I have come to the conclusion that service SUCKS!
Nothing revolutionary …
… I was just surprised on how BAD this is getting.
Honestly, how often do you get "wowed" by customer service?
Never?
It is amazing to me how poorly customer service people treat their customers.
They could care less that YOU are the one paying their wages.
They could care less if you have a pleasant experience.
They could care less what you think of them.
They feel you owe them a tip – for nothing in return.
They feel you owe them pleasant treatment, while delivering the opposite back.
They feel they are entitled to a successful, happy life and not having to put anything into it in return.
Why?
I have a number of theories, some of which won’t be popular.
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