"The 11 Tested Methods
That Will Increase The Selling Power of Your
Letters, Ads and Other Promotionals"
Can you guess what makes one
marketing approach hugely
successful while another fails miserably?!
More often than not, it's is the STYLE in which
the promotion is EXECUTED!
That is, it's the way you do it that counts!
Every bit of marketing and advertising is based
on fixed principles for success; therefore, YOUR
advertising must operate using these fundamental
laws of marketing and should NEVER rely on pure
chance...
These laws and principles were first described by
a famous marketer, Claude Hopkins, dating as far
back as 1923! They are based on 36 years of
time tested and closely monitored advertising in
the form of letters, ads and promotions whose
results were measured and compared.
These laws were set after having completed many,
many marketing campaigns on HUNDREDS of different
products ~ from mouthwash to motor vehicles!
Throughout each campaign, hundreds of headlines,
adcopy and layouts were tested, compared and
analyzed one against the other..
The 11 laws that follow are based on the results
that were obtained from these comprehensive
studies.
Of course (as in all things) there ARE exceptions
that do not follow these laws. But take
note, these exceptions are VERY FEW and far
between; additionally, those products
successfully promoted not following strict
adherence to these time tested principles are
usually those that are in such high demand that
they would have succeeded anyways!
With that thought in mind...
"Here Are Those
11 Laws That Will Increase YOUR Results"
(When Followed As Directed)
Law #1
"Coupons and 800#
Will Increase Responses"
Countless tests have proved this statement true.
Coupons multiply returns. People that
procrastinate to take action, soon forget to do
so altogether. A coupon is a cut-out that
forces a prospect to take action and then reminds
that person to send it once that action has been
taken.
The 800# encourages people to take action and
phone because it is convenient, instantly
gratifying and FREE.
* Law #2
"Always Write in 8,
10, or 12 point"
Most reading is done in newspaper-sized print.
If you test your results you will see that
oversized type doen NOT pay. You double
your size if you want to double your costs!
If your story is really interesting, then people
will read it in the usual type size.
However if it's boring, they will NOT read it in
ANY type size at all!
* Law #3
"Don't Use ALL CAPS"
Most of our reading is done in the upper and
lower case type. Our minds are used to that, the
pattern is engraved and it is pleasing and
comfortable to the eye as well as to the mind.
IF YOU USE ALL CAPS IT TAKES TIME TO STUDY THEM
OUT AND
IT IS VERY IRRITATING TO THE READER.
You're certain to lose
readers that way.
In fact, in many states it is illegal to use all
caps in the fine print of any legal document for
this very purpose. People tend NOT to want
to work that hard to get through any message.
Therefore, if it's annoying enough to create
avoidance in a LEGALLY binding document, what
makes you think that YOUR sales piece will even
stand a chance?!
Don't take that chance,
follow the natural and usual format.
* Law #4
"Forget It,
Pictures DON'T Sell"
In most cases, the cost of the extra space taken
up by the picture will NOT pay for itself.
Experiment by trying ads with and without
pictures and working out the cost of each in
terms of sales/leads generated.
The exception may be with items such as food
lines and color
magazines, but you must test your ads to see if
it applies to your product as well.
* Law #5
"Always Tell The
Full Story"
People do not read ads in series, so EVERY ad
should tell the full story. When you
attract the reader's attention, you need to
present all arguments for your product/service.
Why?
Because you may not get another reading from that
person for months to come; therefore, ALWAYS
include all of the important appeals your product
has~ each and every time!
Follow the general rule...
"The More You Tell, The More You Sell"
You would never send out a salesperson telling
them to "keep it brief", would you?
You would want them to present ALL of the
advantages of your products and
services.
Well, the very same thing goes for your adcopy!
Your copy is your "Salesmanship In Print"
or whatever media you have chosen to get the word
out.
* Law #6
"Forget Superlative
Claims.. You Need Actual Facts and Figures"
Claiming that your widget is "the best in
the world", or that "nearly 700 have
been sold", or that you give "great
service" will be luke-warm, at best.
This stuff makes no impression. They are
'expected claims' and your readers tend to lose
respect for you because these come off as
exaggerated claims.
Try.."People from 39 countries have tested
our product", or "6993 have been sold",
or that "You'll have it delivered in four
hours or it's FREE".. WOW! This gets
them to sit up and take a closer look. These
claims are believable.
For instance, if you state, "our product
will last up to 26% longer" tells the reader
that a comparison study has been done and it is
believable as people don't expect you to lie in
print.
* Law #7
"Never Advertise
Negatively"
Always present the most attractive aspect, and
never present the offensive side of any subject.
You need to show off and feature the happier
results that come from using your product/service.
People are looking for money, love, happiness,
safety, health, acceptance.. show them the way to
get it. You need to create a picture
and deliver it in words.
Picture the rich,
not the poor when selling wealth.
When selling medicated mouthwash create a picture
of clean, bright healthy smiles while avoiding
illustrating the offensive, foul-odors of
infected gums and decaying teeth. (..what, too
descriptive?..)
* Law #8
"Prevention Does
NOT Sell. Cure DOES"
All the tests in advertising show that people
will do little to avoid or prevent troubles, yet
they'll do anything to cure those that already
exist!
People in general, will
not anticipate disasters.
Instaed, they are seeking advantages,
improvements, and NEW
ways to satisfy the desires in their lives.
When you focus on solutions, your results will
always increase.
Law #9
"It's Like Rollin A
Boulder Uphill To Try To Sell Your Product In
Print Without Offering Samples and Free Trials"
To succeed in any business, you must let your
prospective
customers sample your products. This will
allow them to get
emotionally involved with your products.
If you have a low cost item (food, drink, high
repeat sales items) then give away a FREE sample
for enquiring. If you have a larger item
then a FREE trial, or inspection period is a MUST!
The cost of this FREE sampling is the cheapest
way to get the highest results from your ads.
Therefore,
"FREE Samplings Will Build Your Business In
The Quickest and Cheapest Way Possible"
Law #10
"Learn What
Headline Most Appeals To Your Target Customer"
You can multiply the results of your ads 8, 14 or
19-fold just by a change of headline.
A headline acts as a
flashing light with a person's name on it.
We select what we read by the headlines that they
carry.
This law also applies to ads! Therefore,
you must always measure what effects a change in
headline has on your results.
Law #11
"Never Rely On Just Your Judgement and
Experience When It Comes To Advertising"
You must test everything you do in the most exact
way possible.
A panel of advertising experts were asked to vote
on a series of ads to determine which got the
best results. In all cases they got 50%
WRONG when comparing these ads!
And these were
claimed experts!
You must test your headlines, prices and
guarantees. In fact, test everything
you do and monitor the results..
.. The pay off is very much worth it!
CHECKLIST!
Use the following to increase
the effectiveness of your ads,
letters and promotions..
1. Am I using headlines that
target my customers?
2. Am I offering the greatest benefits of
using my
product/service in my ads and
headlines?
3. Am I testing different headlines?
4. Am I testing different offers?
5. Am I writing in upper/lower "newspaper
print" type
style?
6. Am I giving actual facts and figures to
support my
claims?
7. Am I making it easy on potential
customers to try my
products at 'No Risk' to
themselves?
8. Am I focused on the positive and what
people will GAIN
by using my product?
9. Am I telling the FULL story in each ad?
Less than 3 YES answers- go back to the drawing
board.. 4-6 YES answers means you're on your way..7
or more and you're heading towards BIG Pay Outs!
________________________________________________________
"And There It Is!"
Yours in Success, Chriss Maxwell
