Anatomy of a Marketing Message

Every sales or marketing message has the same basic structure whether it’s selling a big-ticket item or laying the groundwork for that sale by “selling” a free report.  An advertisement in the Sunday paper, a postcard, an online sales letter, a television commercial, and even a flyer stuck under the wipers of an automobile, all include these eight essential elements.

8 Characteristics of a Marketing Message

• Preheadline and Headline – attention-getting words that convey the biggest benefit of using your product or service.  (Online, this will include keywords)

• Body Copy with benefit-driven feature lists and bullet points.  The body copy serves as an emotionally compelling recitation of what the consumer will receive and needs to do

• Social Proof  - testimonials, endorsements, etc. that prove that you’re “good for it”

• Guarantee – a removal of risk so that the consumer has no fear of disappointment

• Bonus – an additional value (“But wait, there’s more!”) to transform your offer from good to irresistible

• Urgent Call to Action – a statement of what the consumer has to do to place an order, with an incentive for them to act quickly

• Response Mechanism – a way for the consumer to place the order

• Postscript – a restatement of the biggest benefit

That’s it.  The “secret formula” that has been quietly making people rich for decades.  The beauty of this 8-part “template” for sales messages is that you only have to write your main sales copy once.  After that, it can easily be adapted to fit whatever medium you’re using it in:  website, autoresponder, newspaper ad, etc.

Effective sales and marketing copy simply captures in words the essence of a face-to-face exchange with a prospective client.  In that regard, copywriting is salesmanship in print...and the rest of this manual is devoted to making you Salesperson of the Year for as long as you’re in business.

9 Tips to Improve Your Copy

Looking at the tips below it may seem that good advertising involves manipulating the emotions of your customers. Yes, it does. Selling is a blatant form of emotional manipulation that involves convincing your customer that they want to buy your product or service, and they want to do it now.

We talked earlier about the fact that emotions drive sales, not logic.  Logic is what consumers look for to justify making the purchase.  So it’s much more important that your copy first connects with prospects on an emotional level.

Is this unethical? Well, it can be. It depends where you draw the line. In point 9, for example, I say that your sales message could include a sense of urgency. A common ploy on the web is to include a claim like “Offer closes this Saturday”. If you go back to the site the following week, though, the offer is still available. If you were tricked by such a claim, would you order from that company again?

With that in mind, use the tips below to write as persuasively as you can, but remember that if you attract sales by deceiving your customers you risk legal action, poor word of mouth, no repeat business and refund requests.

So, be as persuasive as you can possibly be, but avoid the temptation to be “too” persuasive.

1. Write copy that emphasizes the benefits in a way that makes an emotional connection. For example, let’s say you’re selling toothpaste. A feature might be that it contains fluoride. Sure, but that’s boring. Rather, say it “Lessens Tooth Decay!” or even better: “Brush with Boffo and Avoid the Dentist’s Drill!” See? You’ve turned a dull feature into a strong emotional benefit linked to people’s fear of dental procedures. Isn’t that more effective than “Contains fluoride”?
2. Start by choosing a single benefit of your product or service that you wish to highlight above everything else.  Ask yourself what specific benefit makes your product or service different, better, or special. Is it quality?  The convenience? The reliability? How are you different from your competitors?
3. Write attention-grabbing headlines. This is very important. People are overloaded with information, so they skim read - particularly on the Internet. If your headline doesn’t get their attention everything else may go unread. Your headline will often highlight your principal selling position.
4. Write a list of all the features of your product or service then translate each of these into a benefit for the customer. One way to do this is to look at each feature in turn then ask yourself “So what?” Imagine you’re a customer; why should you care about this feature? Ask yourself, “What will it do for me?” For example, don’t just say that you product is fast (a feature) tell the customer that it will give them more free time (a benefit). Better still, paint a picture of them using their free time to go to the beach, read a book, or relax.
5. Start with your strongest selling points.The first few paragraphs are particularly important. Use them to create a desire for your product or service by briefly touching on the major benefits it will bring the customer. You don’t have to go into too much detail up front as you can expand on these benefits later. Do try to get your big guns in early, though.
6. Testimonials sell.Good, believable testimonials from real people will help sales, particularly on the web where establishing credibility is a tough job. For even better credibility, ask your testimonial writers if you can include their contact details along with their testimonial.
7. Write with a natural style. Don’t try to be pretentious or over friendly. Just write it the way you’d say it.
8. Decide who you’re writing for and why.What tone are you trying to convey: light hearted or serious? What level of jargon are you going to employ? Suit your language to your intended audience.
9. End by telling the reader what to do; e.g. “Ring now” or “Click here to order now for immediate delivery”. Needless to say, ordering details must be clearly visible and simple to follow.