If you’re into “FREE” marketing then please read every word here.
You see I’m going to reveal how a “little Aussie guy” can trump just about every one of the big players from here and around the world. Big call? Maybe.
Let me explain…
A couple of years back, my client at the time was an affiliate in the global launch of a major marketing product.
The client was and still is a big player.
So you’d think they’d do well regardless, right?
Yes and no.
Yes, because of the awesome copy I wrote for them (he says as humbly as possible) and yes because the client was a recognised name.
Yes, but also no. At least not entirely. It’s a numbers game to a point (more on this shortly).
Anyway, the competitors within this launch were some of the REALLY BIG players in both the B2B and B2C space with massive lists… 200,000, 300,000 plus.
Tough to compete with numbers like these.
The result for my client?
7th in the world selling to business owners.
That’s right, in a numbers based game where the bigger player “usually” wins my client was able to beat most of them.
What was the “secret”?
Simple. Relationship. Or more specifically the relationship the person had with their target audience which allowed them to outsell others with 3, 4 and even 10 times the size of the email list.
So massive takeaway #1 for you is… the relationship you have with your market is key.
In this article I’m not going to go into ways to build this relationship. I’m not going to talk about spam words to avoid in your subject line.
What I will talk about are the 5 ways I used to write the copy to help the client get to the disproportionate market share of 7th in the world.
Remember…
Relationship is king.
If you write compelling emails, blogs, Social Media posts and ads you WILL build that relationship providing you give great value and content and don’t just sell.
Here are the 5 keys for high converting sales messages… and these hold true across media…
Key #1 Define your purpose
It might seem obvious but if you miss this step you almost guarantee failure for EVERY sales message.
Before I write any copy, I make sure I’m 100% crystal clear in my mind exactly what the purpose of it is.
Sometimes I even write it down.
What do I mean by this?
Well, what is it I want the reader, after reading the copy, to do?
Is it…
Click through to a landing page? Read information which builds anticipation for a future sales message? Take a survey? Buy something? Watch a video? Register for a webinar? And so on.
Always follow the golden rule of one action per marketing piece.
And like I said, if you have to write it down first you will leave yourself in no doubt what that purpose is. This gives you clarity.
Tied closely to this is the action you want them to take.
It must be clear what the reader has to do. Tell them to do it at least 3 times.
Remember… one action per communication, told to them at least 3 times.
Key #2 Get clear on what you want them to feel
You’ve probably heard the saying, “We buy on emotion and justify with logic”.
Yes? So I make sure I target at least one emotion per sales message.
Here are the main human emotions…
Fear (or fear of loss)
Greed (we all want more)
Pride (we all want to look good, BE good)
Love (we want to be loved)
Guilt (we all have it, not doing well enough etc)
Envy (often tied to greed – we want others’ success)
Also consider:
Secrets (we’re curious beings who LOVE secrets)
One-up-man ship (getting one over others by getting a better deal, getting in first, beat someone else to a good price)
Pick at least one of these as the basis for your copy. And of course, you have to mix them up in a series of communications.
One might target pride. The next fear. The third greed… rather than pride, pride, pride in a sequence.
Key #3 Story
If people buy in emotion and justify with logic then it’s equally true…
Facts only tell, stories sell.
You simply have to have a segue into what you want them to do.
A segue is a connecting type story.
The start of this article has a segue into the main point of this… writing high converting sales copy.
In the segue it’s ok to reveal parts about you. But do so in a way which involves the reader.
If you include a short story, presented in an interesting way, your conversions will increase because you’ll build your relationship with your list.
Key #4 The attention grabber
(subject line or headline)
This must stop them in their tracks and compel them to read.
I follow the same principles for subject lines as I do headlines. Naturally the subject line is shorter than a headline.
Tip: no matter what type of headline I write I ALWAYS base it on the famous list of the 10 most frequently used words in the most effective 100 headlines ever written…
You (31) Your (14)
How (12) New (10)
Who (8) Money (6)
Now (4) People (4)
Want (4) Why (4)
The figure in brackets is the number of times the words appears in these headlines.
Suggest you refer to this list too.
NOTE: I’m often asked for tips about, when is it I write the subject line… before I write the email or after. Truth is, both. And also halfway through the email. Sometimes the killer subject line just comes to me in a quiet moment.
And yes, I will write several before I settle on THE one.
There is no golden rule as far as I’m concerned. Have a go at all of these and see which one sits best with you.
Key #5 Copy
Shorter words. Shorter sentences.
It’s THE golden rule.
People get 100s of communications every day. In recognition of this I try and keep sentences short and paragraphs punchy.
Yes, traditional grammar can go out the window.
Speed of the read is important.
Because people are busy and have many other things to distract them, you have to make it easy of them to hear your message.
Remember too…
All marketing is 1 to 1 communication. You are only writing to one person at a time. So your copy must reflect this.
No “hi guys” or “all of the people on my list”… it needs to have a number of “you’s” in there…
Maybe you feel this too… I’m sure you’ll agree… It’s in your interests too… are examples.
It makes it personal and helps connect you to the reader.
So go ahead, apply these 5 keys to your sales messages to build the relationship with your list.
It may take some time but it will be time VERY WELL spent.
To your success,
Steve Plummer
