A Marketing
Formula That Works
by
Joe Gracia
Marketing is all about
helping people get what they want, and you use marketing vehicles --
ads, flyers, sales letters, telemarketing, face-to-face sales
presentations, etc. -- to let your prospects and customers know that
they can get what they want . . from you.
With that concept as a
foundation, here is a simple formula to help you create powerful and
effective marketing vehicles for your business.
1. Headline:
Tell Them They Can Get What They Want
People are extremely busy and their lives are hectic. When they look
through their mail, or look through a newspaper, or listen to a
telemarketer or sales presentation, they are looking and listening
for only one thing -- "What do you have for me?"
If they don't see or hear
"what's in it for them" within 15 seconds, they will respond
immediately with, "Sorry, not interested!"
They are not going to dig
through your sales letter, or your ad, or your verbal presentation
to find out if you have anything of interest for them. If you don't
tell them immediately and upfront what you have for them, you will
have lost them -- in seconds.
If you are creating an ad,
tell them in your headline at the top of the ad. If you are writing
a sales letter, put it in your headline at the top of your letter.
Yes, sales letters should have a headline just like an ad.
If you are talking to them
in-person or on the phone, tell them upfront what you have for them.
You see, even a face-to-face or phone contact should have a headline
too.
It's vital to ensure that
what you have for them, and what they want are both the same. If
what you have for them in your headline isn't what they want, then
you've lost before you've begun. That's why it's so important for
you to know exactly what your prospects and customers want before
you begin spending money on marketing. Test, don't guess.
2. Sub-Head:
Tell Them They Will Have To Act Quickly To Get It
We all procrastinate. We put off taking action even for things we
want for a variety of reasons. We get easily distracted. If you
don't get immediate action from your target group, there is a good
chance they won't come back to your marketing vehicle later. It will
surely get lost or tossed. Out of sight, out of mind.
It's up to you to help your
prospects and customers overcome their tendency to procrastinate and
take immediate action to get what you are offering. You do that with
what is called a Sense of Urgency. Tell them the offer ends on a
particular date, perhaps in a week or two. Or tell them that there
is a limited supply, or that they will receive a special bonus if
they act now, but they will miss the bonus if they put it off.
Like it or not, you need to
use a Sense of Urgency if you have any hope of overcoming the
universal human trait of procrastination. Start looking more closely
at the marketing vehicles you receive every day, and you'll begin to
see that effective marketing always gives you a reason to act now.
3. Body Copy:
Tell Them The Details Of What They Will Get
You got your targets" attention with your headline, by telling them
that you have what they want. Now it's time to tell them exactly
what they will get if they respond to your marketing offer.
Tell them exactly what is
included. Tell them the specific features of your offer and how they
will benefit from them. Tell them how others have been benefited.
Provide them with specific numbers if appropriate.
Use bold sub-heads and
bullets to make it easy for them to skim to the information that is
important to them.
4. Call To Action:
Tell Them What They Must Do To Get It
Don't assume that your prospects and customers will figure out how
to get what you are offering. They won't do your work for you.
If they have to call to get
it, then tell them to call. If they have to write or drop a post
card in the mail, or fax something to you, then tell them clearly.
The point is to make it as
easy as possible for your target to do what you want them to do.
People don't like to do anything that is going to take work on their
part. Make it as easy for them to respond as possible, or they
won't.
5. Postscript:
Tell Them Again What They Can Get, How Quickly They Must Act, And
What They Must Do To Get It
If there is room in the marketing vehicle, such as a sales letter,
it is always a good idea to re-cap your offer in a P.S.
Very often people will skip
down to the P.S. right after reading the headline. By repeating all
of the specifics of your offer there, you stand a much better chance
of ensuring that your prospects will understand your offer.
Tell them what they will
get if they respond by the deadline, and exactly what they must do.
Here's an example:
P.S. Drop the enclosed post
card in the mail by Friday, March 30th, to receive your Free
Information Packet!
See how easy it is to recap
everything in just one short sentence?
Copyright (c) 2001, Joe
Gracia - Give to Get Marketing
http://www.givetogetmarketing.com
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