How To Fire Up Your Advertising’s Inner Salesman

Dear Colleague and Friend,

Sometimes I believe biz owners, entrepreneurs and even marketing folks are hypnotized to believe that traditional advertising makes sales and gives business a big ol boost.

Why? Simple! Just take a look at most of the advertising you see! Not to be crude or rude here, but tradition advertising sucks for most small businesses! Most of the time these ads couldn’t sell food to the starving. I’m serious! 

The next time you’re bored just take a gander at some of the ridiculous advertising you see out there. Here’s what you’ll see . . .

Ads that are funny, cute and entertain.

Ads that delight and wow you.

Ads that are artistic.

Ads that try to build “brands.”

Guess what your advertising should be doing?

Making sales, right? Yeah, that’s correct my friend . . . Sales! Sales! Sales! Boy, that’s a dirty 5 letter word, eh?

Sometimes you got to get over your traditional ad agency and fire up your inner salesman!

Please don’t misunderstand what I’m doing here. It’s not trashing anyone’s efforts to create advertising. Not at all! After we have been ‘brain-washed’ to believe Madison Avenue or traditional type advertising is how it’s supposed to be. 

I certainly didn’t start out creating great ads. It’s taken me years to figure it all out thanks to a hand full of mentors. What’s more is that I’m still learning, testing and developing what brings in sales.

I’m not “picking” on you personally. I just want to open your eyes to a new world of advertising that brings you results. Results that you can count, track and take all the way to the bank. 

After all . . . 

Can you really afford to spend bucketsful of advertising cash to entertain, look pretty or build a brand? If you are like most of us, the answer is a big ol “NO!”

All of your advertising should carry its weight and earn its keep . . . just like your sales staff do or should do. After all you wouldn’t send out your sales people dressed like clowns, singing and dancing at your prospects now would you?

I think NOT! 

You’d want to present your very best case for your products or services. And this is exactly what your ad should do too!

Your ads and other marketing materials should paint a pleasing picture of what your service or product will do for your prospects and clients. They would explain why your company is the most logical choice, the most obvious choice in the market place over all of the other choices given to them. 

Explain to your prospects how your company is different (better, more affordable, better guarantee, etc.)  And how you are the logical solution to their most pressing problem. And it should do this in a fashion as though you were speaking to them in person. In other words you ads should sound like the way you normally talk. No pompous words. No $10 words. No self-aggrandizing talk. 

It’s not about YOU! It’s about what you can DO for your CUSTOMERS!  

Marching Orders . . .

This article just scratches the surface. If all of this is puzzling to you don’t worry. And don’t be too hard on yourself. After all most folks don’t really know the difference between a good ad and a bad one. Sadly, most so-called advertising experts wouldn’t know a good ad even if it slapped them in the face. 

But hopefully this short article will shed some light on writing good advertising.

It’s like we are all programmed to believe that we understand advertising. Think of the massive amounts of advertising we are force-fed daily. 

And here’s the real kicker . . . Most of the advertising you are drenched with is put out by Madison Avenue type agencies who do not have a clue about salesmanship or what makes humans tick. In most cases, these creatives wouldn’t know a good ad if it walked up to them and tapped them on the shoulder. 

No point to beat a dead horse but here’s why most advertising does not work:

·         Folks will not buy because you’re clever or funny or artistic.

·         Folks will not buy because you’ve got a great slogan.

·         Folks will not buy because you brag and tell them how great you are.

·         Folks will not buy because you have a great service or product.

Nadda chance (remember the clown?). You don’t have to look far to find boatloads of products that clowns that couldn’t close the deal. The only way products or services get sold by ads is because the ad is a master salesman in print.

Here’s A Basic Check List For Good Advertising

The next time you’re in doubt about whether you have a good ad or a bad one, run it through this basic check list. 

1.    Who are you? I really want to know? Ok this simply means know thy prospect/customer/client. Remember you are writing to your ‘average prospect’. Who is she/he? It’s beyond the scope of this article to go into market research here but suffice it to say you need to understand your clients’ needs, wants, hurts, and problems!

2.    Grab their attention. Remember how I mentioned the bombardment of marketing messages we encounter every day? Well, if you want to stand out and gain favorable attention you must speak directly to your prospects wants and needs. We are all in various “zombie” states of unconsciousness. So you gotta shake folks out of their stooped state.

3.    Tell a complete sales story. Give folks solid reasons why they should buy from you and not the competition. List out features and benefits of what you have to offer. Let them know you understand their problem and how you can be the solution to this problem. Then make ‘em an offer they can’t refuse.

4.    Close the deal. Very important and what separates the wheat from the chaff. And what separates direct response advertising from Madison Ave. advertising. Good advertising always has a response device. Ask for the order. Tell prospects exactly what to do . . . Visit our store, click here to order, or whatever action you want to achieve.

Keep in mind this is by no way a complete copywriting check list. Sometimes all you need to do is “just sell the damn thing” as the late Gary Halbert would say.  

Till next time.

Peace,

Emette Massey

P.S. Get your FREE Copywriting Check List that expands on this article. Just shoot me an email at: eemassey@yahoo.com and I’ll get it to you right after my afternoon nap!

The Secrets Of Writing Attention Grabbing Headlines

Dear Marketing Superstar,

Emette here. And today I’d like to talk about how to create eye-ball grabbing headlines. You know the kind that sucks in your reader to the page like a F5 tornado.

So let’s start with the basics. Writing headlines can actually be fun . . . once you know the secrets. So let’s start with a few basics.

This may come as a surprise but according to a few top-shelf marketing gurus, your headline is NOT the most crucial part of the ads you write. “What? Are you kidding me? Headlines are not the most important part of my ad? What, are you crazy?”

Yeah, I maybe a little nuts. But hear me out. I promise you’ll never think about ad writing the same way again.

Before you can create that killer, attention-grabbing headline you got to do a little detective work first. Before writing a single syllable of copy dig in and think about your prospect and the overall big idea or appeal. Your big idea will be the springboard from which your copy will flow from.

Now this may sound obvious but if you select the wrong appeal your promotion is going to bomb . . . no matter how brilliant the copy.

For example, send a letter offering a hi-end investment newsletter subscription to a paycheck to paycheck blue collar worker . . . and watch it get trashed fairly quickly. I’m sure you get the point.

As you can figure it all starts with really knowing your prospect and the market. Learn what the core desires and advantages the prospect wants to gain. I won’t go into a lot details about market research here but you do need to know who you are writing to.

Once you’ve nailed down who you are writing to you are now ready to bounce around some ideas about your prospect, your product and your promotion. All this leads up to creating a killer headline.

Let’s look at a few effective headline appeals.

Before I get into this here, keep in mind most writers do not spend enough time fleshing out a killer headline. They simply slap one together and call it a day. Please don’t let this be you (or your copywriter, or ad agency).

The main purpose of the headline is to do two jobs and do it quickly. It’s a noisy world out there and your headline must cut through the noise, grab the attention of your audience and pull them into the ad.

Grabbing your reader’s attention through all the noise is easy. Just shout out their name. You know something like, “Hey Jimmy Rae! Over here!”

BAM! Your headline just cut though all of that noise and clutter and you, my friend just got Jimmy’s attention.

So using a person’s name in your headline is one of the strongest appeal your sales letter could ever possess. In some cases response can go up as much as 30% . . . just by personalizing your letter.

But what if you can’t use personalization like in newspaper or magazine ads? Not to worry. You can use . . . drum roll please . . . 

“Trigger Words”

Yes, trigger words to the job nearly as effectively. What the heck are trigger words? Trigger words are direct, shorthand like words that naturally flag your attention and describe the very thing you’re interested in.

For example let’s say you’re needing a crackerjack business consultant to pull you out of a tight spot . . . the words “skilled”, “professional”, or “pioneers in . . .” will likely gain your attention.

Likewise if you’ve taken a new job out of state and you need to sell your home quickly then you’ll most likely respond to words like “insider home seller secrets” and “Sell Your Home Quickly Without Giving Away Equity”.

The name of the game here is Targets! You shouldn’t care if anyone outside your prime prospects see your ad. It matters not! Again, learn what’s important to your prime targets and appeal to them.

Here’s A Few Examples:

One of my fav mentors, John Carlton is a master at incorporating hooks within the headline. Check out these examples:

“Put me in a tee box with Tiger Woods and I’ll outdrive him every time!” 

                  

How A Skinny Little Gold Genius From California Accidentally Started     Hitting 425-Yard Tee Shots!

                                                           

Free Stock Trading Secrets of A Filthy-Rich Wall Street Outlaw!

World Famous Street-Fighter Will Give You A FREE GUN . . . Just to Prove He Can Take It Away From You Bare-Handed As Easy As Candy From A Baby!

Want more headline ideas?

Many of the top-shelf copywriters and marketers have praised COSMO for great headline and copy ideas. Keep in mind Cosmopolitan Magazine is not just a shelf magazine but also a checkout magazine. So the cover blubs have to grab readers’ attention in the grocery store checkout line.

Here’s a tiny sample . . .

Get Rid of Muffin Top. 7 Belly Blasting Tricks.

Killer Cocktail. How a popular drink could kill you in your sleep.

HIS #1 SEX WISH. 71 Guys Crave This Move. You’re Gonna Want to Drop the Magazine and Do It On The Spot.

Gut Feelings You Should Never Ignore.

Lose Weight While You Eat – 9 Belly Shrinking Foods.

What You Should Never Let Your Gyno Do.

5 Things That Can Blow A Job Interview.

That’s just a teeny, tiny list. Want more? Well all righty then. I’ve put together a “Headline Starter Kit” just for you. And here’s the best part . . . It’s completely FREEEEEE! No strings attached! Just email me at eemassey@yahoo.com and ask for it!

Till next time.

Peace,

Emette Massey

P.S. Time is running out so get your FREE Headline Starter Kit. Email me at eemassey@yahoo.com to get your free headline starter kit. I promise you want regret it!

This Persuasion Skill Could Set You Freee!

Dear Biz Friend,

If you’re a contractor, doctor, internet marketer, freelance copywriter, electrician, plumber, chiropractor, lawyer or nearly any other service provider you can think of and you depend on paying customers to float your boat, then this article could change your world . . . in a very good way!

Read on to see what the fuss is about!

I feel your pain! You’re doing your best to stay on top of your game. You’ve read all the current top business books on sales and marketing.

You’ve even hired marketing consultants secretly praying for a marketing miracle but nothing seems to work long term.

Now you’re frustrated and nearly ready to throw in the towel but you know something has got to give. Deep down inside you know the answer, the solution to the marketing promise land is out there somewhere.

So what gives?

Many business owners just like you have asked that very same question. Fortunately for some, they were able to crack the code. They learned the power persuasion secrets allowed their business to take flight and grow like crazy.

Take a close look at some of the smartest companies in your industry. What you’ll find is a common denominator that separates them from nearly all the others. These guys seem to be doing everything right and reap the rewards of success.

And this common denominator these smart companies understand and use is the techniques of power persuasion!

Let’s go below and take a closer look, shall we?

You know there’s been a ton upon tons of books written about persuasion. Funny thing is most are filled with an abundance of jargon, fluff and overly complicated explanations.

You could spend a lifetime going through all of the material of this fascinating subject and still not have a simple, clear understanding of persuasion and influence—until now!

As you can see not only is it frustrating trying to figure it out, it’s also sucking away your time and energy. Fear not my friend, there’s a better way.

The good news is you don’t have to drain your life away to become a powerful persuader. In fact is it is simple once you understand the basics.

It took me years to learn persuasion. And even then I didn’t connect all the dots until I stumbled on the . . .

“One-Sentence Persuasion Course”

This short, quick read infamous course makes connecting the dots all too easy. You’ll be a master persuader in literally minutes.

Think of how you could use your new biz power tool to gain more customers, more sales and lead the pack! Heck, this new tool could help you gain respect with coworker, business associates and even family members.

Soon you’ll be in possession of an infamous, now hard to find “One-Sentence Persuasion Course” that can help you become a power-persuader in no time flat.

WARNING: Once you get this short course you’ll be able to tap a world you never knew existed. I will caution you however, these principles are extremely powerful and if used the wrong way could do serious damage.

In fact that why I’ve deliberately held off on making this special offer!

In this special report you’ll soon possess contains the exact 27 words that could literally change your world and set you free but also learn all of the basics of effective persuasion in about 15 minutes or less.

Once you finish this short persuasion course and apply what you learn, you’ll instantly become an almost frighteningly powerful persuader.

It’s a fact that most marketers need to connect with others at some time or the other.  These five insights that are contained in this course will allow those connections to pay off handsomely.

But here’s the best of all . . .  for a limited time you can get this special report for no cost or obligation. That’s right it’s free with no springs attached.

Here’s the deal. Just email me at eemassey@yahoo.com and put OSP in the subject line so I know that you’re real and not a machine.

Pretty simple, right?

Oh and by the way. I do respect your privacy. Your email address is safe and will never be sold, rented, or otherwise shared with any 3rd parties. PERIOD!

Enjoy,

Emette E. Massey

P.S. Time is running out so act now while this offer is still open. Email me at eemassey@yahoo.com to get your free persuasion course. I promise you want regret it.