Tuesday, July 7, 2009
3D Mail Success in Real Estate
It seems a real estate agent out there, who's also a coach in the niche, found out about our products and used them with some great success. See a video by Jay Kinder right here. I guess I'll need to get him on the phone and work out something with his members!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Don’t be Full of Yourself
On Tuesday I started out with the first big mistake people make with their sales letters. To review, see my blog post below. Now are the next two mistakes copywriters often make.
2. Copy is full of "Me" messages.Some examples: My products are terrific. My company is wonderful. We've been in business for 15 years. We have a long tradition of quality, blah, blah, blah.
So much advertising is full of this drivel. This is all about you. No one in the world cares besides you. Your prospects want to know exactly what benefits they will get from your products. In other words, if you sell grass seed, don't dwell on what it's composed of. Instead describe how beautiful their lawn will be.
TIP: Here is the fastest way to improve your copy. Review the first draft of your copy. Eliminate all these words--I, our, we, my. Substitute you and your. I promise you'll be amazed and truly gratified with the result. It's sure to blow your mind!
3. Copy fails to answer the question "What's in it for me?" The process, of course, starts with the headline. An excellent copywriting technique is to prepare bullet points. These should consist of all the benefits a buyer of your product will get.
Tip: Your benefits should be stated in headline format. The secret of making benefits even more powerful is to describe the benefit of the benefit.
2. Copy is full of "Me" messages.Some examples: My products are terrific. My company is wonderful. We've been in business for 15 years. We have a long tradition of quality, blah, blah, blah.
So much advertising is full of this drivel. This is all about you. No one in the world cares besides you. Your prospects want to know exactly what benefits they will get from your products. In other words, if you sell grass seed, don't dwell on what it's composed of. Instead describe how beautiful their lawn will be.
TIP: Here is the fastest way to improve your copy. Review the first draft of your copy. Eliminate all these words--I, our, we, my. Substitute you and your. I promise you'll be amazed and truly gratified with the result. It's sure to blow your mind!
3. Copy fails to answer the question "What's in it for me?" The process, of course, starts with the headline. An excellent copywriting technique is to prepare bullet points. These should consist of all the benefits a buyer of your product will get.
Tip: Your benefits should be stated in headline format. The secret of making benefits even more powerful is to describe the benefit of the benefit.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
B-I-G Sales Letter Mistakes
I often get asked to critique sales letters, and I come across a lot of the same mistakes nearly every single time. I’ve condensed it down to 13 of the biggest, most glaring mistakes I often see. Today we’ll start with the first one, and it’s probably the most often made mistake.
1. Poor Headline. Or what's even worse, no headline. The most important part of sales letters is the headline. Unless the headline immediately attracts attention and generates interest, your prospect will stop reading right then and there. This means you have no chance -zero- to fulfill the purpose of the sales letter, which is to make a sale. Your headline should communicate the strongest customer benefit(s) of your product or service.
TIP: Creating a great headline. This is entirely contrary to what many “experts” say, but it is what most experts do!
Headlines are critically important and yes you can spend hours, days, even weeks if necessary, creating headlines and then testing one headline against another. You can create at least 15 to 25 and test the strongest ones. You can write as many as 200 to 250 before choosing two to four to test against each other to find the most profitable.
Or you can do what most copywriters do when they critic someone’s copy. They read the copy and pick out a biggest benefit and make it the headline. Then they look for one or two other big benefits and make them sub-headlines.
Here’s an Example:
On Friday I’ll cover 2 more mistakes I often see. Stay tuned!
www.3DMailResults.com
1. Poor Headline. Or what's even worse, no headline. The most important part of sales letters is the headline. Unless the headline immediately attracts attention and generates interest, your prospect will stop reading right then and there. This means you have no chance -zero- to fulfill the purpose of the sales letter, which is to make a sale. Your headline should communicate the strongest customer benefit(s) of your product or service.
TIP: Creating a great headline. This is entirely contrary to what many “experts” say, but it is what most experts do!
Headlines are critically important and yes you can spend hours, days, even weeks if necessary, creating headlines and then testing one headline against another. You can create at least 15 to 25 and test the strongest ones. You can write as many as 200 to 250 before choosing two to four to test against each other to find the most profitable.
Or you can do what most copywriters do when they critic someone’s copy. They read the copy and pick out a biggest benefit and make it the headline. Then they look for one or two other big benefits and make them sub-headlines.
Here’s an Example:
“How To Get a New Roof,
And a FREE 42” Flat Screen TV Just in time for the Big Game”
I Really Don’t Want to Lay Off My Crew this Winter
I only Have 10 TVs – Call Now To Be Sure Your Get Yours!
And a FREE 42” Flat Screen TV Just in time for the Big Game”
I Really Don’t Want to Lay Off My Crew this Winter
I only Have 10 TVs – Call Now To Be Sure Your Get Yours!
On Friday I’ll cover 2 more mistakes I often see. Stay tuned!
www.3DMailResults.com
Friday, June 26, 2009
Questions to ask Yourself about Premiums
We’re winding down our segment on the power of using premiums in your marketing. For a review of where we’ve been, see my last blog post below.
The first thing you need to do it you haven’t already is find out the lifetime value (LTV) of your average client. You need this vital information about your business. Going into a marketing campaign without knowing your LTV, is like entering an archery contest and not knowing where the target is located! How do you know where to shoot? How hard? How high? How low? Pretty tough.
For example, Let’s say, my average sale from a first time client is $100.00. I know that they’ll be worth $200 each year for 5 more years, the average length of a professional relationship in my business. That client is worth $1,100 to me. I now have a basis of where I can start my marketing campaign.
It is also vital to know your average sale. $5, $50, $5,000? How much of that are you willing to give away for a purchase? Or an appointment? Do you close well? If so, you just need to
get more appointments and premium may be just what you need to give you that bump. You simply need to find the premium to match your budget. If your LTV is smaller, use an appropriate smaller premium. If you have a large transaction size, a more lavish or expensive premium may be in order.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when adding premiums to your offer.
The first thing you need to do it you haven’t already is find out the lifetime value (LTV) of your average client. You need this vital information about your business. Going into a marketing campaign without knowing your LTV, is like entering an archery contest and not knowing where the target is located! How do you know where to shoot? How hard? How high? How low? Pretty tough.
For example, Let’s say, my average sale from a first time client is $100.00. I know that they’ll be worth $200 each year for 5 more years, the average length of a professional relationship in my business. That client is worth $1,100 to me. I now have a basis of where I can start my marketing campaign.
It is also vital to know your average sale. $5, $50, $5,000? How much of that are you willing to give away for a purchase? Or an appointment? Do you close well? If so, you just need to
get more appointments and premium may be just what you need to give you that bump. You simply need to find the premium to match your budget. If your LTV is smaller, use an appropriate smaller premium. If you have a large transaction size, a more lavish or expensive premium may be in order.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when adding premiums to your offer.
- Do(es) the bonus(es) have a high perceived value?
- Can you make bonuses by breaking out parts of your product?
- Are you going to use non-linked bonuses?
- Are the bonuses set up to be more desired than the product?
- Are you using bonuses to enhance purchase of upgrade (deluxe) product choice?
- Are you creating or buying multiple bonuses, instead of just one?
- Can you link bonuses to fast response? (time, limited quantity, first time buyers, etc)
- Are you offering unannounced bonuses either at purchase or after?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Premium Can Be the Focus of Your Sales Pitch
We’ve been talking about immense power of using premiums (free gifts) in your marketing. On Tuesday we talked about related and unrelated premiums. to review, see the blog posts below. We’re going to pick up our conversation below.
If the right premium is matched correctly with your list, your premium can often drive the sale. World famous retailer Murray Raphel called this the “psychology of second interest.”
Selling the second interest can be included in many sales processes, but it extremely applicable with premiums. How may Cracker Jack boxes did you buy as a kid (or for your kids) just to get that cheap little toy inside, or how about McDonald’s Happy Meals just for the prepackaged toy?
Premiums can Boost Your Referrals
As marketers, you know (or should know), that youwill almost always get a better ROI from your current clients. Knowing this, you can ask your current clients to refer their friends, family and business associates to you! You can offer a FREE gift for each new client they refer. The best place to start to get new business is to ask your current happy and satisfied clients! Offer them something of high perceived value, and they’ll refer their friends to you!
www.3dmailresults.com
If the right premium is matched correctly with your list, your premium can often drive the sale. World famous retailer Murray Raphel called this the “psychology of second interest.”
Selling the second interest can be included in many sales processes, but it extremely applicable with premiums. How may Cracker Jack boxes did you buy as a kid (or for your kids) just to get that cheap little toy inside, or how about McDonald’s Happy Meals just for the prepackaged toy?
Premiums can Boost Your Referrals
As marketers, you know (or should know), that youwill almost always get a better ROI from your current clients. Knowing this, you can ask your current clients to refer their friends, family and business associates to you! You can offer a FREE gift for each new client they refer. The best place to start to get new business is to ask your current happy and satisfied clients! Offer them something of high perceived value, and they’ll refer their friends to you!
www.3dmailresults.com
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Related or Unrelated Premiums?
Most people think their premium needs to be something they sell. This is a myth that needs to be addressed and debunked right now. In almost all instances, a premium unrelated to your product will outperform a premium that IS related to your business.
Here are a couple examples. For years in my main business I have sent out a free Big Key Calculator to responders to my mailing. I sell to independent retailers and I don’t sell calculators! Yes, they could use it in their store (or home, or wherever), but it is in no way related to what I want to offer them.
For years, Sports Illustrated gave away sneaker phones. This is in no way related to what Sports Illustrated offers, a weekly sports-news magazine. They simply matched the premium with their target demographic. They didn’t offer two month’s free of the magazine, or a free report about sports. IT’S A CHEAP, BARELY SERVICEABLE PHONE! It’s not a product they sell!
Have you ever received an offer from Omaha Steaks? They almost always offer a premium with a purchase, and it’s an unrelated product. I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want a free report on how a cow goes
from the pasture to my plate. However, a free meat thermometer might be just the ticket to make sure my steak is nice and rare!
You should know enough about your target niche to offer an appropriate premium. Some will obviously work better than others. If you’re selling a high end, high priced luxury car, a $25.00 gift card to Wal-Mart probably isn’t the right premium. However, a leather briefcase with a perceived value of $125.00 (your actually cost is probably less than the $25.00 you’d spend at Wal-Mart) could probably do the trick!
www.3dmailresults.com
Here are a couple examples. For years in my main business I have sent out a free Big Key Calculator to responders to my mailing. I sell to independent retailers and I don’t sell calculators! Yes, they could use it in their store (or home, or wherever), but it is in no way related to what I want to offer them.
For years, Sports Illustrated gave away sneaker phones. This is in no way related to what Sports Illustrated offers, a weekly sports-news magazine. They simply matched the premium with their target demographic. They didn’t offer two month’s free of the magazine, or a free report about sports. IT’S A CHEAP, BARELY SERVICEABLE PHONE! It’s not a product they sell!
Have you ever received an offer from Omaha Steaks? They almost always offer a premium with a purchase, and it’s an unrelated product. I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want a free report on how a cow goes
from the pasture to my plate. However, a free meat thermometer might be just the ticket to make sure my steak is nice and rare!
You should know enough about your target niche to offer an appropriate premium. Some will obviously work better than others. If you’re selling a high end, high priced luxury car, a $25.00 gift card to Wal-Mart probably isn’t the right premium. However, a leather briefcase with a perceived value of $125.00 (your actually cost is probably less than the $25.00 you’d spend at Wal-Mart) could probably do the trick!
www.3dmailresults.com
Friday, June 12, 2009
Why do Premium Offers Improve Direct Mail Response?
First and foremost, everybody wants something for FREE! It is a simple human instinct that appeals to our need for self gratification. That’s the simple answer.
Premiums cost very little, but have a high perceived value. You can very often offer premiums that your prospect perceives as very valuable but costs you very little in ‘real’ dollars. Remember, you are only sending a picture of the premium to the whole mailing and then giving the actual gift only to those who respond!
With this in mind, you certainly don’t want to alienate a customer, so make sure your premium (free gift) is as described in your literature.
Premiums can Lower Your Cost per Transaction!
This is a very interesting thing about premiums. And you’re probably thinking it’s counter-intuitive that a premium would lower your costs, but here’s how it lowers your cost per transaction.
Let’s say you mail out 10,000 sales letters, with no premium and you get a 2% response rate. That would be 200 responders. Let’s further assume you can be profitable with 200 responders. Now let’s say you offer the premium, and response goes up to 3%. This is not an out-of-the-ordinary response when you offer a premium. You now only need to send out 6,700 pieces of mail to get the same 200 responders as you did without the premium. And, for easy math, let’s say each mailing cost $1.00. You would save $3,300 on just the single mailing. If you assume your premium cost you $5 each for the 200 responders for a total cost of $1,000. You’re still saving $2,300!
Premiums cost very little, but have a high perceived value. You can very often offer premiums that your prospect perceives as very valuable but costs you very little in ‘real’ dollars. Remember, you are only sending a picture of the premium to the whole mailing and then giving the actual gift only to those who respond!
With this in mind, you certainly don’t want to alienate a customer, so make sure your premium (free gift) is as described in your literature.
Premiums can Lower Your Cost per Transaction!
This is a very interesting thing about premiums. And you’re probably thinking it’s counter-intuitive that a premium would lower your costs, but here’s how it lowers your cost per transaction.
Let’s say you mail out 10,000 sales letters, with no premium and you get a 2% response rate. That would be 200 responders. Let’s further assume you can be profitable with 200 responders. Now let’s say you offer the premium, and response goes up to 3%. This is not an out-of-the-ordinary response when you offer a premium. You now only need to send out 6,700 pieces of mail to get the same 200 responders as you did without the premium. And, for easy math, let’s say each mailing cost $1.00. You would save $3,300 on just the single mailing. If you assume your premium cost you $5 each for the 200 responders for a total cost of $1,000. You’re still saving $2,300!
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