Dan S. Kennedy's Blog, page 9

Your headline has your prospects attention… they start to read your sales message…

AND

There goes another customer.

You have made $0!

Why is that?

There could be lots of reasons.

      • Your offer sucks. (Like trying to sell weight loss to a skinny person!)

      • They don’t believe what you say is true.

      • Your copy is weak!

That’s why in today’s blog we’re going to inject superpowers in your copy and help you write killer BULLETS… for all your info-marketing promotions.

Bullets are important.

In fact, Parris Lampropoulos is one of the most successful copywriters in the world today.

His record number of controls, and revenue generated for Boardroom using tons of bullets is proof he’s the real deal!

He says: bullets are the reason why he has so many winners under his belt!

For example he’ll write hundreds of bullets for a single copy package that only needs 50.

I’ve also heard his copy cubs are almost sick of writing bullets!

So why does he spend a huge part of time writing bullets?

Because a bullet’s job in your copy is to deliver a clear benefit and promise to your reader…

TIP: Think of BULLETS in copy as mini-headlines. (read a recent article on headlines here)

You see, the job of your Bullets is to get your reader (prospect) to go back into your content, or go move closer to your CTA.

Let’s not forget bullets can create winning controls!

Here are some bullets featured in a well known magazine MensHealth:

TIP – Start collecting bullets that grab YOUR attention. You could choose to write them on a pad, and keep it somewhere near your desk. Then when you need inspiration, flip through the pad and read the bullets. Or create a digital bullet swipe file on your computer.

Let’s move on.

Great… Enter John Carlton. John is well known for his bullets. Some of his classic sales letters are jam-packed solid with pages upon pages of bullets!

Here are some bullets from his “One Legged Golfer” Sales letter…

       • The one mistake even pro golfers make that kills the power in their downstroke… and how to use a simple, easy “adjustment” that will instantly increase your power by 200% or more! (Imagine consistently hitting 300 yard drives, and nailing greens from 150 yards out with a nine iron!)

TIP: Swipe and deploy – let’s take the above bullet and borrow the structure for writing a bullet for a realtor.

       • The one mistake even realtors make that kills the sale over the phone… and how to use a simple, easy “negotiation” tip that will instantly increase your discounts by 30% or more! (Imagine consistently getting the best deals on property from the realtors bottom draw!)

Note – we don’t support plagiarism. But swiping copy can help you get started.

Here are some more of John’s awesome bullets to get your creative juices flowing:

• How to master this new swing in the shortest time possible… while you improve your current game with every stroke! (You’ll learn everything those rich guys paid thousands of bucks for!)

• Why “beginners” are able to use this swing to quickly surpass more experienced golfers… even if they don’t play every week! (In fact, the less you understand about what the “experts” try to tell you, the faster you’ll be shaving off strokes and getting distance you could only dream about before!)

• How a “secret” 5-inch change in your hip placement translates into massive power for your stroke! (Not one pro in a thousand even suspects the potency of this simple adjustment!)

• How to avoid the power-sapping problems of “classic” swings — and guarantee yourself repeatable accuracy, tremendous “punch”, and the most comfortable, natural swing you’ll ever experience!

• Exactly where each of the six simple segments of the Triple Coil Swing begin and end — so you’ll be able to spot-check your progress… and master the swing faster than anything else you’ve ever attempted in sports! (And repeat your perfected swing every time, without a shred of second-guessing!)

• How to use the secrets of “loading” your body for maximum power! (Traditional swings rob you of this potential power — while the Triple Coil Swing actually increases it two-fold!)

• Why the new “lag” in your swing will cause your buddies to shake their heads… until they see you consistently out-drive them by 40, 50 and 60 yards off every tee! (I guarantee they’ll make you play with one of their balls, just to make sure you aren’t cheating somehow!)

• How to use simple “double checks” (like the “visible knuckle” rule) to instantly make sure you’re prepared for any shot… so you’ll always get a repeatable result no matter what the conditions are! (Even if you’re playing a strange course, in the rain, with your partners coughing and dropping bags to distract you!) \

• The truth behind “follow through” — and why 99% of all golfers completely blow it right after they hit the ball!

• How to instantly diagnose mistakes in your swing — so you’ll never have back-to-back misfires again! (This is a comprehensive list of the most common mistakes you’re likely to make… a complete “fail safe” system of correcting yourself during your game!)

• How to practice at home — using props that won’t cost you a dime — to increase your learning curve 10 times faster!

• How to use the secret of “choking down” to master any club in your bag… no matter how horrible you were with it before!

To save you time, this old article will help you craft your own bullets…

In fact, it walks you through 8 ways to write bullet points that work.

TIP: When writing your bullets – you won’t go wrong if you treat them as a possible headline!  Which means if each bullet passes the “headline” test (Is it readable and does it pique curiosity?)

Now, you won’t create winning headlines with every bullet you write… but if you follow this tip, you’ll be writing winning bullets faster! Plus your new bullets will keep your readers eyeballs ‘super-glued’ to your copy!

URGENT: The huge savings for the 2017 Info-SUMMIT disappears at midnight – NO EXCEPTIONS! And if you have any questions, our team will make sure to get those answered. Email us at [email protected] or call us at 800-871-0147

Batman: I’m not sure info-marketers are ready for this…

PAUSE

Jim Gordon: Shouldn’t the people know the TRUTH…

…In today’s blog we’ve pulled a FAST one on Batman, and borrowed a blueprint from the Bat Cave!

Don’t worry; we’ll get it back before anyone notices…

Targeting and Optimization on Mobile devices!

We’re going to reveal how you can divide your audience by operating system, device, in-app vs. mobile web, and dayparting…

“POW!”

Plus how to track conversions (Google analytics) to understand what drives results, and use this information to improve your campaign…

“Holy Internet Conversions Batman!”

Operating system – Depending on your customers preference, it would be advantageous to track what operating system they’re using.  

The reason why you should be segmenting your customers based on different operating systems.

Android and iOS users can behave differently.

Twitter for example, will allow you to use device targeting for creating ads. This will cater for customers who use different operating systems. This article from business.twitter.com walks you through the process.

Device – Knowing how your customer spends their time in the digital realm through out the day can add more dollars to your bank.

If you could know for certain what time of the day your customer will be on their mobile device, desktop or tablet.

Doesn’t it make sense to capture that data?

Imagine how powerful it would be if you knew mobile traffic spikes on a weekend?

Imagine if you knew what time of day to send out txt messages to phones – knowing there’s a 99% chance your customer will read and engage.

Well, this article walks you through some interesting facts on device specific PPC adv campaigns.

Which brings me to…

App Vs Mobile Web

Who’s Winning The Battle?

You should consider the web is for wide audience reach, and mobile apps are driving engagement from your loyal customers.

Both are strategic and valuable.

So when it comes to mobile, it’s not a question of web vs. mobile apps. It’s picking the right approach that will yield better results for your customers.

Have you considered creating an app for your loyal customers?

Imagine if you could have space on their mobile device that you can engage with your customer on a more personal level!

Let’s move on shall we…

Dayparting – is the practice of running you digital marketing at specific times of the day or on specific days of the week to more effectively target an audience.

This is extremely useful if you’re on a budget and you need to get your message in front of your customer when you know they will be looking!

This can be done on PPC ads, FB ads, Radio, and TV commercials.

Enter Google analytics

Mia Vallo – Sr. Director, Marketing Analytics, National Geographic says:

“Google’s analytics products helped us improve engagement by 33% and click throughs by 21% for content promotions on our homepage.”

Would your business benefit from 33% increase in customer engagement?

Don the cape and fly on over to this article all about Google analytics and the 360 suite. Which is designed to help you get the most out of your market research.

Now, if you want more strategies to profit… if you want the latest cutting edge marketing tactics at your disposal…

Why don’t you Step inside the Bat Cave at The 2017 Info-SUMMIT?

The secret entrance will open Oct. 24-26, Cleveland, Ohio For about 500 Information Marketers and Entrepreneurs.

Not to mention a smashing lineup of guest speakers and sales & marketing experts.

Yes, size matters at an event, but even more significant is the quality of the attendee! You get both here.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the Info-SUMMIT, it’s the No.1 Mecca for seasoned info-marketers and traditional business owners alike – we empower them to leverage what they know versus what they do, and parlay that knowledge into real wealth on their own terms.

This year, we’re gathering The Superheroes of Information Marketing and it’s a HUGE HULK-SIZE OPPORTUNITY for YOU to grow your info-business FAST!– find out more here!

Do you ever look at your phone, and a little voice in your head explodes with rage:

“Stop hijacking my digital space!”

Your thumb quickly navigates to BLOCK the ad, news feed, or whatever was occupying space on your screen.

That’s how a poor mobile sales process can lose customers.

Do you have a mobile optimized sales process?

Is your business ready?

Those are questions you need to answer if you want to prosper.

In today’s blog we’re going to take a look at mobile marketing/advertising and how you can amalgamate direct response copy principles to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and generate more sales.

FACT: Mobile advertising is a form of advertising via mobile (wireless) phones or other mobile devices. It is a subset of mobile marketing. It is estimated that mobile app install ads accounted for 30% of all mobile advertising revenue in 2014, and will top $4.6bn in 2015, and over $6.8bn by the end of 2019!

Mobile marketing is no different to writing direct response sales letters. The delivery of your message is what separates them.

Knowing your customer is using a mobile device you need to be smarter with your message to market.

Why?

Two reasons.

Space is limited. You’ve got less than 6 inches to get their attention!
Time. You’re entering a competition to win attention (you’ve less than a second) with every social media platform hustling for a piece of the action.

Not to mention texts, Whatsapp and more!

What can you do? You need to approach your marketing slightly different to sending a 20-page direct response sales letter in the mail… or a long email.

Here are some samples:

Text MSG Marketing

When was the last time you didn’t open a text message?

Tips for creating the perfect call to action using text messages.

Tip 1 – Use Bullets – dig through some old sales letters and look for the bullets; these are a great starting point for grabbing attention and getting a call to action.

For example,

How to Run Ads on social media platforms – (The best mobile solutions for you!)

Could be changed to: How To Dominate Social Media (Including Facebook) Using This Secret Data Hack!

Followed by your call to action. Click a link, visit a web page, and call this number.

Tip 2 – Think about how you would text a friend. That way you keep the message personal.

For example, you wouldn’t start your message saying: FLASH SALE on food at Billy’s, jump on this special offer right now!

You would probably say: Hungry? Try the Hunger Buster tonight? – Show this MSG and get an extra 20% off!

Tip 3 – Headline copy can make great texts. Check out last week’s blog: sage info-marketing advice from a marketing legend ahead of his time! You can learn the secrets of writing headlines that sell from his vault of blockbuster ads.

Let’s move on to Mobile Aps…

You should also consider getting a mobile app created for your business so you can be visible to customers at all times.

Research has proved the average American spends more than two hours a day on his or her mobile device.

By having an app downloaded by a prospect or customer you’re creating a direct marketing channel with them.

Which means you can communicate more effectively and make sure they don’t miss out on your promotions!

Also it can be a great way to deliver specific content and can promote better engagement.

Finally, we’re going to look at Image Marketing

The old saying: “A Picture is worth a thousand words” is definitely true for your customer!

You see, strong imagery can resonate with your prospect often better than words!

Especially when your customers haven’t got much time.

Even celebs are riding the wave.

Take Beyoncé for example, her Instagram posts are worth $1 million each! According to a new report from D’Marie Analytics, which tracks social media reach…  Beyoncé is now the most valuable personality on social media, a feat that’s even more impressive when you consider that she’s only the 22nd most followed person online!

If you want to stay ahead of the curve, and be SEEN by your prospects… and have your customers engage with you… then you need to amalgamate mobile marketing in your business.  

Which brings me to an important question:

Have you registered for the most anticipated event of the year?

If you want to learn the best ways for mobile marketing… and know what your customer wants without harming conversions or hijacking their digital space then you need to be at 2017 INFO-SUMMIT – The place for fighting poor conversions, protecting your wealth, meeting business growth allies, and battling profit-sucking villains!

He sold stoves to nuns, drunkards, and everyone in between…

“Now, You Can Learn The Secrets of Writing Headlines That Sell From His Vault of Blockbuster Ads!”

Hidden in ads, is a ‘Secret Selling Formula’ proven to skyrocket your sales…

Read on To Double, Triple Even Quadruple Your Turnover…

If you want your business to explode out of the gate with maximum success then keep reading because you’re about to experience.

A secret selling formula responsible for making business owners, entrepreneurs and info-marketers seriously wealthy!

And this selling formula has worked in many different markets, such as:

• Motor vehicles

• Oil

• Clothing

• Beauty

• Finance

• B2B

• Travel

• Food

• Hotels

• And has done so for years

Since everyone else in the INFO MARKETING space are using the same marketing tricks and lame gimmicks…

There has NEVER been a more important time to STAND OUT from the noise and get your messages read and acted on.

The proven, time-tested way to grab your prospects attention and turning them into customers (buying from you) is through the written word.

Introducing copywriting!

Mores specifically, direct-response copy!

So what is direct-response copy and why should you care?

Direct-response copy is basically copy designed to lead the reader to a buying decision immediately.

You see, writing copy is the most profitable and useful skill any business owner, entrepreneur, and info-marketer can master.

If you want to increase your response from an advert in a local paper…

If you want to increase your response from an online blog post…

If you want to increase your response from website visitors…

Having the ability to produce good copy can make you wealthy!

Not only do you need to learn about writing good copy for:

• Email marketing

• Free reports

• Blogs

• Web copy

• Press releases

• Direct mail

• Flyers

• Business cards

• And more

You also need to be able to SPOT good copy at a glance.

Why you may ask?

There may come a time in your business that you have to outsource copy projects…

This could be due to business growth.

You may pass this work to someone in your office

Maybe a freelancer…

Or even hire an agency…

You’ll want to know if the copy meets your high standards.

That’s why we’re going to explore the world of direct response copy…

…And who better to give you a lesson for boosting conversions and multiplying sales than the remarkable David Ogilvy. He was an marketing legend ahead of his time!

In case you’re not familiar with David Ogilvy, he built an advertising empire, known today as Ogilvy and Mather!

In his agency’s first twenty years, Ogilvy won assignments from Lever Brothers, General Foods and American Express.

Shell gave him their entire account in North America. Sears hired him for their first national advertising campaign.

“I doubt whether any copywriter has ever had so many winners in such a short period of time,” Says David Ogilvy.

Around 1965, Ogilvy formed a new international company. One year later the company went public. Soon Ogilvy & Mather had expanded around the world and was firmly in place as one of the top agencies for hire!

To Sell More, Earn More, and Build a Truly Successful Infobusiness in Any Market.

We’re going to look at the mechanics behind some of his remarkable ads, so you can add them to your swipe file, use for inspiration, and start to think like David Ogilvy when you write copy.

David Ogilvy’s says this was the best headline he ever wrote…

Not only was this headline a huge success for Rolls Royce. David Ogilvy mentions that Shell put Ogilvy’s agency on the list of agencies that they were considering because his Rolls-Royce advertising impressed them!

Shell Oil Ad

Marketing lesson 7 – By getting your content out there, you NEVER know who could be reading! And just like Ogilvy, you may attract your ideal customer without looking for them!

Let’s Take A Look At His Dove soap Ad

 

Can you see how he uses a strong picture of his target market?

And the headline copy is in a conversational tone.

Could you model the style of this ad in your business?

Can you start thinking what conversations your customers and prospects are having? Then when you tie that into your copy it can make it powerful.

In the next ad Ogilvy uses a strong picture with a short headline. Yet this ad is extremely targeted and very powerful!

I’m sure you’ve come across the term pattern interrupt?

If not, a pattern interrupt is a way to change a person’s state or strategy.

We all have behavior patterns that are habit sequences or mental pathways. It is also a great way to induce trance.

Marketers like Frank Kern have been known to use pattern interrupts in copy to GRAB attention in a crowded market.

Well, can you spot how Ogilvy uses it in this ad?

Can you spot it?

Yes, it’s the eye patch!

Let’s take a look at how you can write some compelling headlines for your business.

As Ogilvy says: “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar”

So how do you approach writing a headline?

Research – This is the most important part of creating a winning headline. You need to put yourself in your ideal customers shoes. Imagine what they are thinking. Imagine what keeps them awake at night. You need to read what they read. A good starting point is checking out the forums that your ideal customers hang out. This may give you some clues to how they talk and what interests them.

Benefits To Reader – Ask yourself does your headline offer your reader benefits. The more you can cram in the better!

Interesting – does it peak curiosity? – This is very important. If your headline doesn’t stand out, it will get lost in all the online noise screaming for your customer’s attention.

Here’s what Ogilvy says: “What do work are photographs which arouse the reader’s curiosity.” He glances at the photograph and says to himself, “What goes on here?” Then he reads your copy to find out. This is the trap to set.

Problem/Solution – what problem are you addressing and what solution are you offering your customers?

Guarantee – how will you guarantee your product or service? Money back? free trial for X days?

With that said, here are five headline templates you can model to grab your prospects attention…

The “If-Then” Headline.

Example: If You Can Read A Magazine, You Can Write Better Headlines!

Example: If You Can Use A Keyboard, You Can Write Copy!

Example: If You Can Use Your iPhone Camera, You Can Record Sales Videos!

The “How-To” Headline.

Example: How To Write Headlines That Sell

Example: How To Collect Sales Letters That Sell

Example: How To Double, Triple Even Quadruple Sales

The “Reason-Why” Headline.

Example: 5 Reasons You Should Be Focusing On Your Headlines

Example: The Reason Why Your Copywriting Needs These Powerful Bullets

The “Question” Headline

Example: Do you make these mistakes with your headlines?

Example: Do Have The Courage To Write Million Dollar Headlines?

The “Who Else Wants” Headline

Example: Who else wants to write headlines that sell?

Example: Who else wants to own a 10 million dollar swipe file

Example: Who else wants to become an Internet millionaire!

Now it’s time for you to

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

If You’d Like To Multiply Sales, Boost Profits And Increase Productivity…

You also need to start building your own swipe file today. (If you have, that’s great keep up the good work) And it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to do it!

So what’s a swipe file?

It’s where you collect tested and proven adverts, sales letters and emails.

You can also check out our vault of proven swipe copy here!

You can study your swipe file and refer to them for ideas when creating your own sales materials.

What’s amazing about owning a swipe file is its perfect to refer to, no matter what you want to sell—books, newsletters, cars, DVDs, memberships, financial advice, e-books, beauty products… almost anything in INFO MARKETING!

Owning the right swipe file is priceless, and I guarantee you’ve never seen those ads from anyone else, ever, no matter how many ads you’ve read or collected!

GKIC is coming to you LIVE from Cleveland, Ohio on October 24 – 26! This is THE place where the Superheroes of Information Marketing – led by Dan “Batman” Kennedy himself – reveal the secrets of their success and actually transfer their superpowers to business avengers like you! Take cover in the Force Field of Financial Freedom so YOU can achieve maximum and sustainable success in YOUR information business. The best “early bird” discounts are happening right now, but they fly away forever on July 2! Don’t throw money away by waiting till the last minute to claim your seat. You know you need to be here, so head over to http://info-summit.com and get it taken care of today.

The marketing world is changing at a frightening pace. The IGENERATION has taken over mainstream marketing.

Google state 96% of consumers now research products or services on their mobile phone.

Facebook released statistics that 1 billion of their 1.3 Billion users access their accounts via mobile each month!

You’ll see it for yourself, the next time you visit Starbucks, almost everyone has a mobile devices glued to their hand while sipping their coffee!

With Facebook, INSTA, Twitter, Messenger, and Whatsapp screaming for your prospects attention… How do you get them to take notice of your business on the small screen?

In todays noisy, over crowded ‘digital world’ with everyone jostling for your customer’s attention… the delivery of your message is critical.



Get this wrong, and it will cost you business… that said, there are four essential elements to running a successful mobile Direct Response campaign you must follow:

        1. Targeting – A well-defined target market should be the first element of your marketing strategy.

Knowing that your customer is highly likely to be on their mobile device.

What platforms should you be marketing?

• Text

• Facebook

• YouTube

• And more!

Let’s study Facebook and their custom audience feature; this is a great tool for reaching your ideal customers – here’s how you can set this up from you mobile app.



In a nutshell, the benefits of using a custom audience in your marketing efforts, you can create Facebook campaigns targeted directly at them… and there’s a strong possibility your customers will be sharing your content! Which is free referral marketing!

      2. Optimization – Software platforms like Facebook allow you to monitor your ads performance.

Other options include Google analytics. Once you know which stats you need to measure your ad performance. You can use that data to improve your performance. For example, you find a winning headline for an ad, now you can optimize your campaign based on your budget constraints. Your main priority is improving your conversion through attracting the right customers to your business.

 tttt3. Scale – To reach the most possible customers based on budget, scale is important. From the information and research you collected during your targeting investigation. This will help you strategically create the best approach for delivering your message across multiple platforms.

However, your research may suggest your best customers only hang out on Facebook and nothing else! So you may want to focus all your marketing efforts there! Once you have the stats you can scale your business accordingly.

      4. Mobile-optimize conversion flow – you need to know past performance so you can measure improvement. You also need to monitor your customer’s journey through your funnel/sales pages.

This will arm you with important information on determining why specific parts of your funnel/sales process are not converting.

Also consider what your customers want to see when they click to visit your site and does your site actually deliver on your promise.

Remember almost everyone jostling for your customer’s attention!

Once you have a winning control (a mobile funnel that’s converting) you need to keep tweaking and testing variations.

For example split test ‘A v B’ headlines.

Split test offers.

Run trial offers and referral campaigns.



Ask your customers about their experience of buying from you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds simple, but I can tell you now there is a whole lot more to keeping your customers engaged than what meets the eye.

(At this point I also urge you to open our previous blog post ‘Follow The Rules Of Engagement’ in a separate tab…)

We say this all the time; there will always be someone who responds to your marketing efforts. Always. But that doesn’t mean your efforts are making you MONEY.

So, how can we make sure we get optimal response and maximum profits?

As a busy marketing champion, we get that you’re uber busy. You’re probably on the go, so why not take a moment to digest these three simple points that can make a BIG difference to your business?

This week’s post offers you some bite-size information that you can take away and quickly implement into YOUR marketing efforts today…

Keep Up To Speed With Digital Processes 

Utilize the platforms where most people go. Take to the crowded stages of Facebook and Twitter to get your message across and publicly engage your customers.

This is also a fruitful opportunity for you to reinstate the strength of the customer relationships you’ve already built.

All conversations on public platforms like Twitter are viewable to the public. When anybody posts a query, it is visible to everyone in their following.

Responding to these quickly depicts you in a positive way; you CARE about your customers and how they feel, which (even if there’s an issue that needs resolving) enhances the KNOW, LIKE and TRUST elements of your relationship. They are more likely to come back for more, knowing you’re a sound logical choice.

Post Regular Podcast Episodes

Podcasts are easy to record and produce, and provide an opportunity for you to meet your customer (or listener) on a personal level by literally speaking to them inside their ear.

With digital marketing evolving every day, people are keen to stay up to date with the latest trends and popular social media platforms. Podcasts make the daily commute less boring, they are largely educational and easy because people can tune in WHENEVER and WHEREVER they are. Cooking dinner? They can have a podcast on in the background. Getting ready in the morning? Time to stick a podcast on.

Not only do podcasts make reaching out to customers easy, but they also give you a chance to collaborate with other big marketing names.

At GKIC our podcast ‘Small Business Marketing Hour’ features many other business renegades. We have episodes where Dan Kennedy collaborates with people like our CEO A.J Mirabedini and elite direct-response executive Jay Abraham. We have an episode where our president Nick Loise speaks with the famous Doberman Dan Gallapoo.

We aim to produce high-level content in our podcast in order to keep our listeners engaged, and coming back each time we release a new episode. Check them out here <<<

There’s nothing stopping you from advertising an offer over your next podcast episode. While you work towards solidifying customer relationships and boosting your credibility, give them the opportunity to invest in you too.

Keep Offering Valuable Information

You can leverage different content channels here.

Aggravate your customer’s problem and offer them a solution (lead magnet) in a downloadable format. Free to download, but once they’ve harnessed everything your lead magnet has to offer, make them an even BETTER offer (one that requires them to pay).

Your lead magnet could be fashioned in a range of different formats:

• eBook

• PDF

• Postal audio CD

• Free guide

• Toolkit

• Resource list

• Training video

People love videos. You could even (if you haven’t already) set up a YouTube channel to run alongside your business, that lets your viewers and subscribers see you at your most vulnerable, in raw impromptu videos that let them connect with you personally. Trust me- if people can connect with you personally, they are MUCH more likely to keep coming back for more.

Writing copy to boost conversions is not something that comes easily without practice.

There are a number of things to consider when undergoing the task of writing copy. And the things outlined in this week’s post are NOT necessarily things you may have considered before…

Let’s talk about psychology-based copywriting tips. Tips that make your words latch onto your reader’s subconscious, which solidify the connection between you as you become the best provider of the solution to their problem… and thus the only logical choice.

First of all, your copy needs to be coherent. That’s a given. However, to make sure your words and syntax tally up to keep the reader interested and your connection strong, you need to include things I like to call ‘Coherence Flags’.

Coherence Flags

These are ‘connections’ within the copy. They connect ideas together for the reader, which prevents them from getting overwhelmed or simply bored when reading your copy.

Here’s an example from Nick Kolenda’s Psychology & Marketing article:

“Your skin’s natural oils keep it silky and supple. As you age, it becomes less elastic and the production of oil slows down. Aging can cause dull, dehydrated skin.”

“Your skin’s natural oils keep it silky and supple. But as you age, your skin becomes less elastic and the production of oil slows down. That is why aging can cause dull, dehydrated skin.”

Read those aloud and you’ll catch my drift. The second phrasing is much more intriguing and interesting than the first. Coherence Flags are casual reminders within a sentence or paragraph that keep the reader on track, and (if you’re encouraging them to buy your product or service), more likely to choose you as the solution to their problem.

2. False Truth

The false (or illusory) truth concept keeps our brain from becoming overwhelmed with day-to-day decision-making by providing a smooth, easy alternative. Simply put- repetition matters.

The more you reiterate the same concept within your copy, the more accurate it becomes in the mind of the reader, thus causing them to invest their belief.

This isn’t just about truth and lies… this is also a direct link to the know, like and trust elements of our relationships, or connections with our customers. Repetition also solidifies TRUST.

The next time you write a piece of copy, repeat the phrases you want your readers to BELIEVE and invest their time (and money…) in. Keep doing what you can to strengthen the connection between your words and your reader’s psyche.  

Positive Energy

This first tactic can be used by ANYONE if they want people to think about them in a positive manner. Even dentists use this as a calming mechanism when conversing with their patients (particularly the nervous Joes).

Your customer’s name.

Kolenda states that as human beings we have “implicit egotism, a natural tendency to be self-centered”, and so when we are addressed with our own name, we become naturally drawn to the source and thus more likely to pay attention.

Using your customer’s name when addressing them directly in your copywriting efforts will trigger positive energy, which engulfs your entire pitch and is proven to enhance the message you’re sending out.

One quick way to incorporate your customer’s name is in email subject lines. Say you’re sending an invite to your next Webinar, and the event takes place the following day. You could have the subject line as “Join me tomorrow, “~Contact.FirstName~?” When people look through their inbox, they are more likely to open an email that contains their name in the subject line.

Another way to evoke positive energy is to offer freedom.

Sure, you’ve already got your OFFER, which is what you’re trying to sell using these psychological tips in your copy. But you can make something I like to call a ‘ghost’ offer; FREEDOM.

When your customers have freedom to choose, they feel less pressure, and are thus more reasonable when it comes to making buying decisions.

Typical ‘freedom’ phrases include:

It’s entirely up to you…

It’s your call!

The decision is yours…

Does [OFFER] meet your needs? You decide.

Can [OFFER] do this for you, too? That’s up to you…

People like to be completely in control of where they send their money. By appealing to them on a personal level AND giving them choices, you’re onto a winner.

Rhetorical Questioning

We learn about rhetorical questions at a young age, but I cannot stress how important they are when you’re trying to strengthen the connection with your customer. They work. All the time.

They’re devious little phrases that jump out from the shadows acting all innocent in their endeavours, when in actual fact they’re accelerating the persuasive, trusting nature of your copy by miles.

They generate an immediate response from the reader by causing them to question themselves.

This isn’t a bad thing; human beings love questions. It’s weird.

Questions provide us with a narcissistic opportunity to clarify MORE about ourselves.

In your copy, rhetorical questions like ‘do you ever feel unappreciated at work?’ get us thinking, and we are more likely to read on to find out what the copy suggests as a solution (if the answer is yes, of course). Rhetorical questions can always be less specific, such as ‘do you see what I mean?’ (the reader then thinks ‘do I?’ and peruses the content AGAIN to make sure they do).

In his Innovation Insights article, Josh Little says;  “Beyond being fun, quizzes are helping people simplify a complex world, understand their place in that world and convey their personal narrative.”

The bottom line is, questions increase engagement.

Texture

If you harness the power of textural adjectives, you give your copy more than just ‘body’. You give it physical ‘touch’. Want your words to grate your reader like sandpaper? Throw in a ‘coarse’ or ‘rough’.

In Kayleigh Moore’s Entrepreneur article, she explains the fMRI data collected from experiments shows that activity jumps in the somatosensory cortex when textural metaphors are used—but is quiet when literal meanings are used in their place.

This where you can consider the ‘surprise’ element of your copy. Surprising your readers with a textural adjective will trigger a better response than a bland colloquialism that they would probably be expecting anyway.

There are countless psychological techniques that you can apply to your copywriting. As long as you harness the above correctly and avoid overcomplicating your prose, you’ll definitely start seeing a difference in the response your copy generates.

 

In the best interests of your business, your marketing follow-up strategy needs to tick a number of boxes. The real money is in the follow-up. As a business renegade you need to focus on more than just your product and its sales… how you reach out AFTERWARDS is also crucial to success.

Bob Stone once said, “A follow-up to the same list within 30 to 45 days will pull 40% to 50% of the first mailing”. HOWEVER… sometimes, the follow-up can outstrip your initial sales efforts!

Here’s four pointers I think are important to consider when implementing your follow-up process.

Relationships

Building long-lasting relationships is key to any business in our over-competitive marketing world. Simply having ordinary testimonials and case studies makes this difficult, because they are both quite impersonal.

You could send your customers social proof that increases the value of what you’re selling, such as video testimonials. Teach your customers about your business THROUGH success stories, and you’ll guarantee they’ll start coming back to you for more.

Calls work, too. When people can hear your voice, they are automatically drawn to you. Videos are more personal because people get to put a name to a face AND a voice.

We always remember the ‘know’, ‘like’ and ‘trust’ elements of building customer relationships.

Following up with people on a personal level adds to each of these three elements, which boosts the value of your products and YOU as a business owner.

By considering this point, you can extend your customer relationships past the initial monetary exchange for the product. Who knows- further down the line you may hold a special offer, and the people who you spent time following up with could be the first to click ‘buy’.

Direct Mail

If you’re sending offline follow-up, take our founder Dan Kennedy’s advice and DON’T re-fashion it this way:

“It never makes sense to me to denigrate your message by putting it into a “junk mail” format”.

A traditional envelope will do the trick. Humble, handwritten envelopes work, as do quirky wax seals and ribbon, and of course you want to make sure your direct mail stands out from the rest of the pile on the doormat. Size-wise, 9”x12” tend to work best, and also 6”x9”.

“A white envelope is hard to beat. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to beat it, because if your envelope doesn’t get opened, your package doesn’t get read…“—Malcolm Decker.

That’s right. Bright, different colored pieces are essential in direct mail. Red spells urgency, don’t forget.

Think about it- how many times have you personally ignored an envelope addressed to you? Envelopes outperform other mail a staggering 80% of the time. Even if your recipient picks up their pile of mail and your envelope falls out, you want to ensure it isn’t left on the floor, or immediately discarded.

You don’t necessarily have to be offline for your whole campaign, either. A customer may have bought from you online, but sending an offline follow-up could solidify your relationship with them on a further scale.

And vice versa; your sales letter may have gone out in the mail, but your follow-up could be an automated email sequence.

The possibilities are endless.

Q&A Option

No matter how thorough and concise you are in your sales efforts, there will always be questions customers have that you can’t cover initially.

Why not follow-up with a ‘Q&A’ process? If you have a customer care team, this can work perfectly to your advantage because your customers will feel able to reach out and find out more, they’ll receive personal treatment and thus will be more likely to remain a loyal customer.

For example… your customer buys your product. Wait a couple of days, and then send out an automated email that ‘checks in’ to see how they’re getting on.

Make it clear that if they have any further questions, they must feel free to contact your customer care team.

Most Importantly…

Nurture your growing fan base, or leverage an affiliate/membership system.

If you’re following up with people and building all these solid relationships, why not create a place for them to interact?

At GKIC we have a Membership program AND an Affiliate program. Our Membership spans over Gold, Diamond and Platinum tiers, for savvy marketers who want to get the very best out of themselves AND the GKIC learning experience.

Our Affiliate program gives marketers a chance to boost their income and success rates by selling GKIC products, which lets them profit from our founders’ high-profile reputations, ongoing support and perks such as weekly mailings and competitions to help them stay on top of their game.

So there you have it, food for thoughts during your next campaign setup. DON’T hold back on the follow-up, as you can guarantee it will outstrip your original sales pitch at some point!

Crafting sales letters is something we are all largely familiar with. I’m sure you’ve buried your nose in plenty of materials guiding you through the standard ‘how-to’ steps that form the basic shell of your next sales piece.

(You can also refer to last week’s post, where I included reference to Dan Kennedy’s ‘The Ultimate Sales Letter’…)

Now for this week’s post. Which, I can tell you now, will NOT give you steps like headline, problem, solution, bullets etc. What I’m going to explore is the nucleus of the sales letter form, the technical stitching and underlying layers that add substance to what you already recognize as the steps to writing a sales letter… and how to tailor it to an EXACT audience.

Quite simply, your sales letter must be readable . If it doesn’t make sense, you won’t sell anything.

You need to consider a number of different factors when it comes to your sales letter’s readability:

*Sentence length: what’s going to read better? Reams of long sentences with too many clauses and badly-formed syntax, or short, easily-digestible sentences that get straight to the point?

*Correlation: how well do your promises correlate to what your customer avatar desires/needs?

*Paragraph length: note: lengthy paragraphs aren’t visually appealing to people who want to read through your letter and still have time to eat their dinner.

*Vocabulary choices: do your words paint a compelling and irresistible picture in your reader’s mind? Do your words pack a punch? Can readers still understand what you’re saying?

When you sit there and think about your audience, do NOT (I repeat- DO NOT) assume they’ll understand your letter at the same level you do when you write and edit it.

Remember- not everyone in the world is a competent reader… while you may have majored in English at university, others may have found their niche elsewhere, such as math. Some people will read your letter and struggle with some of your phrasing.

This where you need to find equilibrium between your words and their effect. Use power words in your marketing efforts, but make sure your writing isn’t over-complicated.

Words matter. So many people I speak to who studied English at college say the same thing; there’s always a better word. For example, why label your lead magnet as merely a ‘workbook’ when you could probably sell more if you called it an ‘expert guide’?

Think about your verbs. If your offer includes a set of DVDs that help people learn more about starting their own bakery business, don’t say ‘learn’. Say ‘discover’, so when people read it they think less about ‘learning’ as they did at high school and more about ‘discovering’ something new and awesome that can make them lots of money.

Now, reiteration is something that constantly crops up when it comes to selling. Reiterating the offer, reiterating the unbeatable price if taken advantage of today, reiteration of why this product will solve all their problems.

When writing a sales letter, reiteration can prove to be successful when harnessed and leveraged in the right way. Again, I urge you to find dynamic equilibrium. Repeat, but not to the point where your reader gets sick of your words and promptly discards your letter into the trash.

You could make your claim in your headline. That’s the first instance taken care of. Then, you can reiterate in the following examples:

*In the bullet points (re-phrased)

*In the testimonials

*In the offer

*In the guarantee

*In the title for the order form

*In the P.S

 

Finally, I bring your attention to a major factor that influences the writing of a sales letter for a specific audience. Dual Readership.

You’ll find half of your recipients will fall under the ANALYTICAL category, where they take the time to read through long copy, make logical decisions based on statistics and facts, spend time musing over the testimonials and only take action when they’ve been provided with an avalanche of information.

The other half are IMPULSIVE; people who skim read, look out for the large bolded headlines, highlighted words and phrases, photographs, celebrity social proof and are stirred by emotional pulls.

Got an important promise embedded in a short paragraph? Underline it. Maybe highlight it too. Every heading and subheading can benefit from being emboldened. Italicize other words and phrases that you feel serve a bigger purpose in your selling endeavours.

In order to appeal to both readership paths, you must again search for and nail the appropriate balance. Your sales letter should offer enough information to satisfy the analytical readers, but not so much that the impulsive readers give up.

I recently sent out a piece of sales copy to a list of people, who we at GKIC have invited to attend our upcoming bootcamp this month. How did I lay it out? Completely handwritten, with titles written in a thicker pen. In fact, my opening headline was ‘I Don’t See Your Name On The GKIC Bootcamp List???’

 

 

Every so often I underlined words and phrases, such as ‘HUGE mistake’ and ‘This really is for everyone’. I even added appropriate strikethroughs when explaining how much money people have made from our bootcamp strategies. It’s these little touches that both the analytical and the impulsive notice.

As my P.S, I used the reiteration tactic; ‘you’re probably wondering why I sent this as a handwritten letter? In a plain envelope? I did it because it’s one of the most successful formats that has now been used in over 100 different business categories… at the bootcamp, I’ll tell you more about it.’ A successful way to drop the subject of my entire letter into the close!

I’m going to leave you with two things.

Firstly, a quote. Sean Platt discloses in his article ‘5 Reasons Why All Freelancers Should Learn To Write A Sales Letter’; “Sales letters are roads paved with words which lead buyers to solutions, sellers to profit, and writers closer to their happily ever afters”.

You, dear friend, are both the seller AND the writer. Get your sales letter right and you’ll profit AND live happily ever after.

Secondly… an exclusive announcement.

At GKIC we’ve been working really hard to make our mark across another content channel; Podcasts.

Podcasts provide an excellent opportunity for busy business enthusiasts to tune in and listen to your strategies, whether it’s on the subway or in a cab, getting ready in the morning or relaxing last thing at night.

Introducing our very own podcast:“The Small Business Marketing Hour: Hosted by GKIC”

 

We don’t want to give too much away… so why not check it out for yourself?

Available now on:

*iTunes

*Sticher

*TuneIn

*Google Play

*Soon to be available on I Heart Radio (May 21)

Tune in and give us a listen.

gkic.com/podcast

Don’t forget to subscribe…

 

 

 

Please raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by a headline.

By victimized, I mean it’s been waiting sneakily in your line of vision with baited breath, and as you gaze in its direction, BAM! it pops out, all 72pt and bolded, and even though you may only read a random word from its imposing sequence, your moving gaze can’t help but stop.

There’s an urgency within you, a burning desire to carry on reading.

And why is this?

“Saying something of genuine importance and interest to the recipient usually succeeds. You say it with a headline”- Dan Kennedy, The Ultimate Sales Letter.

 

 

I’m not talking about the ‘how-tos’ or other generic headlines that don’t do the rest of their piece’s content justice, or in other cases are residing quietly at the bottom of the barrel.

No, I’m talking about headlines that have BODY behind them. Headlines that are so darn powerful, bound in flesh and pumped with blood that they evoke response from their recipients.

I’ll start with LENGTH. Long as opposed to short. At GKIC, we’re a fan of both. Take for instance, this long headline that was used to fill a seminar:

“In Two Breathtakingly Intense Days, I Will Present Breakthrough Income, Wealth, Marketing And Success Strategies And Honest-To-God “Secrets” Exclusively For Professional Speakers Superior To Anything You’ve Ever Seen, Heard Or Even Imagined, With Their Value To You Assured By The Most Daring Guarantee Ever Offered By Any Seminar”  

… but even a two-worder ‘Stocks Suck’ reiterates the fact that idea trumps form.

But length doesn’t just apply to number of words. It also alludes to TIME.

What your headline says and how it says it are absolutely critical. You compare it to the door-to-door salesperson wedging a foot in the door, buying just enough time to deliver one or two sentences that will melt resistance, create interest, and elevate his or status from annoying pest to welcome guest; you’ve got just about the same length of time, the same opportunity.

So, once you’ve come up with an idea for your headline (whether it consists of less than five syllables or more words than the Miami Dolphins’ NFL game on Christmas Day 1971 had minutes), you need to make sure your BENEFIT is super-clear… so that when given the time, your headline doesn’t go unread.

Think about dog sleds in Ottawa. Usually they lead with the strongest canine at the front, right? Apply this rule to your next headline; telegraph your BEST BENEFIT, the one that really sells your product/service, the one that is guaranteed to get the best reaction, and whack that in there among all those power words and all that punctuation.

For example…

You’re a toothpaste manufacturer. There’s lots of benefits of your new toothpaste that you could list, like plaque-blasting stats and gum health. BUT, what do people generally want? They want white teeth and nice-smelling breath. Insert the whitening stats and you’re onto a winner.

As I read more of Dan’s ‘The Ultimate Sales Letter’, I came across another piece of valuable content: ‘How To Flag A Reader And Let Him Know This Is For You.’

“One of the simplest ways to strengthen a headline is attachment of a Flag. The Flag is brief, as brief as a single word, stuck on the front of the headline, to reach out and grab the attention of certain specific prospects, by telegraphing that the message is specifically for them.”

Here’s some headlines PRE Flag…

Corns Gone in 5 Days or Money Back
Guaranteed Weight Loss Up To 15 Pounds First 15 Days- With No Exercise
28 Days to Healthier Gums

 

And what they read like once the Flag has been attached…

Waiters and Waitresses on Your Feet for Hours: Corns Gone In 5 Days or Money Back
Disappointed Dieters: Guaranteed Weight Loss Up to 15 Pounds First 15 Days- with No Exercise
Seniors: 28 Days to Healthier Gums

 

Or, to improve them even more, you can add a ‘Problem Flag’…

Foot Pain? Corns Gone in 5 Days or Money Back
Embarrassing Belly Bulge? Guaranteed Weight Loss Up to 15 Pounds First 15 Days- with No Exercise
Blood on Your Toothbrush? 28 Days to Healthier Gums

 

As you can see, there are specific elements to headlines that, when considered and implemented properly, can have a profound effect on THEIR effect. We all know the rule about problems- make sure you identify your prospect’s problem, agitate it until they’re almost begging for relief, and then offer them the solution.

John Carlton reiterates my point in the 7th Step of his Simple Writing System:

‘Hooks’

And cue his famous one-legged golfer headline:

Want to slash strokes from your game almost overnight?

Amazing Secret Discovered By One-Legged Golfer Adds 50 Yards To Your Drives, Eliminates Hooks and Slices… And Can Slash Up To 10 Strokes From Your Game Almost Overnight!

John’s steps to getting that all-important hook (which, when placed in your headline, makes your sales copy so much more successful) include gossip, opinions, rumours, common wisdom, myths, legends and competition. All of these are relatable between YOU and your prospect.

If you’ve Flagged your headline, you could add in a few impressive statistics that are relative to those prospects. It all depends on who you’re targeting and how much research you’re willing to put in.

People generally will try and NOT read your headline if they can help it.

Make sure they CAN’T help it!