If I was to tell you, in a genuine and believable way, that I knew a secret technique I could share with you that would allow you to increase your advertising response and profits by 200%, 500% or even as much as 3000% overnight – you'd no doubt be very interested in discovering what it was.
Well I do know a technique that I've seen do just that many times – only it's not a secret.
And if you've been a student of direct-response advertising for any length of time then chances are you've probably heard all about it before.
While that may be so, it bares pointing out continually because it's just that important.
I still meet far too many business owners and entrepreneurs who just don't apply this technique anywhere near the degree they should be – and are throwing away boatloads of profit as a result.
Above all else…
It is the single most powerful way to make more money with less effort than any other I know.
And it's E-A-S-Y!
All the way back to the classic direct response advertising texts of Ogilvy, Caples, Schwartz and others you can read about it.
It worked then and it continues to work amazingly well through to today.
Yes, it's the simple strategy of…
Testing & Measuring
While market research is important and makes an incredible difference to response of any marketing campaign or ad, it's near impossible to know for sure the exact appeal or statement that will trigger the most prospects to take action on any offer you make.The same appeal, expressed in different ways, can change response dramatically.
So even if you've spent many hours learning about your market, crafting a potent marketing strategy and writing amazing benefit-driven, emotion-rich copy, you can still miss out on the lion's share of profits… if you fail to use this strategy.
For example…
I once sat at my desk looking over 4 fantastic pieces of advertising designed to sell carpet cleaning services.
Each was a great ad with all the elements of powerful, response-grabbing copy. There was no question each would succeed, I was sure of that.
And they did!
But here's the kicker…
One of those ads outpulled the other 3 by over 10 times!
So while it would have cost the business owner the same to send out any of the other 3 versions, he would have been making 10 times less if he hadn't tested and measured each.
Can you believe that? A 1000% difference in profits just from a different version of a similar ad.
How much more do you think he made over the space of a year that he would've missed out on otherwise?
Right – a LOT.
And just so you know it was the last of the 4 versions to be crafted.
But the moral of this story is not the last version is best… it's to test and measure – and never stop!
Because while that's a great example to show the power of testing and measuring in a very short amount of time…
I've seen cases where response has been increased up to well over 5000% by testing and measuring elements until the best result possible is achieved!
Everything can be tested!
The sky really is the limit.
Headlines, offers, price and layout are the biggest I've noticed so try them first.
Then from there you can tweak smaller elements until your campaign or ad is a well-oiled machine – churning out maximum profits on a consistent basis.
The thing is to never forget that…
Just by tweaking your marketing funnel or advertising you can easily give yourself a pay rise with very little extra work.
If you're clever and do it in small increments you can do this with very little risk and continually increasing profits.
So why wouldn't you?
Stephen
Filed under Copywriting Basics, Direct Response Advertising, Direct Response Marketing by 
If you ads and copy are not getting results then it pretty much comes down to one simple factor.
What is it you ask?
Well it's funny that you're asking because that's what you should be doing with your market.
If you're not getting the results you want in your advertising copy then…
You simply don't know your market well enough.
It really just comes down to RESEARCH.
I've found time and time again that the only time I've ever had what most people call 'writers block' is when I didn't quite know the market I was writing for well enough. It's actually a symptom of lack of knowledge.
All I'd do on the few occasions I've encountered this in writing for clients, is go back and do some more work researching – the copy would flow from me soon after.
The same applies to getting results with your marketing and copy. If they're not forthcoming then it's time to take a step back.
The truth is researching doesn't have to be hard. There's lots of ways one can find out about there market.
What sells currently? What ads seem to be working for others? What do the prospects and customers in the market think?
These are simple questions to ask yourself.
But to really know you need to be looking deeper, actually getting in to the thoughts of your market.
The two best ways to do this are SURVEYS and INTERVIEWS.
I'll talk about these more in future posts but for now the point to understand is…
If you're not getting the response you want from your market, there's something you're missing.
It could be in the product, the offer or the copy (the presentation of the offer). The fact remains the same.
It's dead simple and yet I see it time and time again with new clients coming to me for help. Copy being written with limited (if any) real understanding of the market.
So have a think about how this might apply to your business and then get to work developing a real, in-depth understanding of your market.
And stay tuned for more on the specific techniques on how to do this. I know you'll find them very beneficial.
Stephen
Filed under Copywriting, Copywriting Basics, Market Research by
If you've been marketing online for any length of time then you likely know the value of blogging and just how beneficial it is to any internet marketing strategy.
I've been absent from my various blogs for quite some months due to a massive workload of copy projects but once through this workload I'm going to be restructuring my business to concentrate more on personal projects and work with my closest clients.
Blogging will no doubt play a huge part in this and so I've been brushing up on my knowledge and skillset in this area at every chance possible.
In doing so, I recently came across this fantastic presentation given by Matt Cutts of Google.
While I've always been known as a copywriter first and foremost, I've learned an awful lot about online marketing in the last few years – almost by default.
From writing copy for various top marketers and entrepreneurs, as well as attending numerous seminars and more… it's amazing how much one picks up!
This presentation really does cover all the basics you could ever need to know… and even goes into more advanced concepts that anyone who blogs seriously will at some point find very valuable.
It goes for a bit but I really suggest taking the time to watch it because the content is that good.
At the very least you will brush up on your blogging basics. At best you will learn a LOT and all of perfectly aligned to getting more traffic from Google and the other search engines using a simple Wordpress blog.
Enjoy!
Filed under Blogging by
This will be an easy post to digest – just like the concept revealed in it.
These 5 simple words are the key to your copywriting success.
Why?
Because no matter what else your wonderful promotional piece may contain, be it fancy techniques – beautiful verse – amazing graphics…
If you're missing this element, no one will care about your copy.
They won't like it – won't read it – and certainly won't buy from it.
I would even guarantee you (if I could from inside your computer screen) that not one of them would even get through it.
They would simply have no reason to read past the first few lines!
So are you ready?
Just 5 simple words that lay at the very base of your copywriting success.
Here they come…
"What's in it for me?"
Simple right?
So simple in fact that many people don't pay near enough attention to it.
I see ads, websites and sales letters that have all manner of apparently wonderful copywriting technique to them and yet they fail.
They fail to really answer this question for the prospect and therefore fail to sell.
There's many elements to powerful, persuasive and most importantly effective copy. Before all of them comes this simple phrase.
When writing your next promotion make sure you deal with it as thoroughly and powerfully as possible.
If you do, you'll be on the road to higher conversion rates, more sales and greater profits with almost no extra effort.
Until next time,
Stephen
Filed under Copywriting, Copywriting Basics by
"Your copy is so easy to read. I was through it so quickly!"
Ask any great copywriter and they'll tell you this sort of a comment is a great sign.
Ease and speed of the read are two of the critical elements of great copy.
And it's one of the seemingly subtle elements that separate high-level pros from everyone else.
Luckily, with some simple shifts in your writing, you can take this tip to the bank.
Do it well, the results will be dramatic. You will feel (and see) immediate improvement.
'Quicker' Copy increases readership and response on several levels.
1) There's less for the prospect to read. Not only will it be easier to get through – it will look far less daunting on the page before they even start.
2) Your message will be more powerful. When you make it short and sharp, you almost automatically cut the fluff.
3) The main points will stand clear. With all the unnecessary chatter out of the way, the points your prospects really need to hear will be impossible to miss.
Overall, you will increase the number of prospects who read your message and make your point to them faster and more powerfully.
That means higher conversions and more profits – all with less effort.
So have a look at your sales letters, ads and email copy.
Spend a little time stripping off the fat and making your copy 'quicker'.
It's really not that hard and you'll immediately feel the difference… right before you see it in your bottom line.
Til next time.
Steve
Filed under Copywriting, Copywriting Techniques by
