What is advertising? Why do we advertise? A man named Albert Lasker, one of the pioneers of direct mail industry, was disturbed with these same questions and in 1904, he got the answers. Advertising is salesmanship in print.

That then means that your ads should do the same things you’d expect a salesman to accomplish. For example, the performance of very salesman is measured. You don’t send out a salesman to build the brand image of your company without a system of measuring his or her effectiveness. Neither should you do that with you TV, Radio, newspapers or any other form of advertising.

Every advertiser must first determine the sole purpose of an ad before it is even created and put on ‘air’.

And that’s not all… Every advertiser must ask himself these four crucial questions.

Will it make people crave for the product or service being advertised? — You don’t advertise to entertain. You build desire in the product. You make people feel this is a must-have product. You create desire using words, pictures, and memories that make people open their wallets.

Does it explain why this brand is different from the others and why it is the only logical choice? You’ve seen all those ads that say something like ‘the better option’ or ‘the no 1 bank in the world’, or ‘the world’ tastiest burger’. Essentially these forms of ads do not separate their products from the clutter. For an ad to make money, tell the prospects why you are the only reasonable choice. Though decisions will be made emotionally, the client will need logical reasons to allow justification of that decision.

Does it show urgency to make a decision? If there is no urgency then there is no need for a decision right now. That kills sales. Infuse urgency in you offers by way of a time limit or limited quantity available. But this must be genuine. For example reduce price by 25% for certain items for just 30 days or for the first 1000 buyers.

Does it give all the information required to make a decision? If you can’t give all the information in an ad, then just don’t do it. Simply create an ad asking people to visit your website, go to your store or read a newspaper on a specific place at a specified time — and don’t forget the reason why they must do this thing.

I have often seen TV ads that finish by saying ‘terms and conditions apply’ or ‘see press and posters for details’ this doesn’t make sense. This simply means you are asking prospects to delay their decision and therefore murdering your sales.

Speak to you soon,

Stuart

Have you booked your free consultation yet? Why not do it right now? Go to http://kungfucopywriting.com and we’ll set a time to evaluate specific ways to drive your business or advertising campiain to higher levels of profit.

Wow!

Is it 2010 already?  I see my last post was in June last year — where did all the time go?

Anyway, Here’s to a happy, healthy and wealthy 2010 – may it be your best year ever!

My, it’s difficult to keep up with all the changes. Consider what’s happened to the Internet in the last decade: Internet users were a mere 360 million in the year 2000 but grew to a whopping 1.7 billion in 2009 – a 380% growth and this growth is set to rocket because:

Despite this massive growth, world internet penetration is still only 25.6%.

Asia, with a population of 3.8 billion, only has a penetration rate of 19.4%, that makes only 737 million users. — This is not a lot when you consider China has a population of close to 1.3 billion and India of 1.1 billion…

But Asia and especially these two countries are going to become more and more prominent throughout the decade. Baidu, the largest Chinese search engine is about to launch it’s own mobile app, Google has launched a Chinese language spoken app. and Microsoft recently launched a twitteresque application in China called MSN JUKU.

This is just an indication of the importance the big players are attaching to the rise of the Asian markets.

Online Advertising Expenditure Will Rocket

Respected research firm eMarketer says 10% of all projected ad dollars in the US will go online this year.

According to ZenithOptiMedia, global online ad spending will surpass total radio ad spending … and overtake magazines ad dollars during 2010.”

More and more major businesses will aggressively go online throughout the coming months and throughout the decade…

And what the companies know about the online world is relatively little right now so they will be looking for guidance from you the copywriter and marketer. So the time to get in on the action is NOW because it won’t take them too long to learn.

What does this really mean to us as Copywriters?

This is probably our greatest opportunity because… It means web copywriting is going to rocket… the categories to go for are enormous… It could be landing pages, email campaigns, sales letters or even ads…

Your marketing skills will also become more valuable and the trend will be for more and more copywriters to offer marketing advice rather than simply writing services. Some say the traditional sales letters are slowly dying out but I feel there will be a need for MORE integration in marketing.

A combination of online, offline, social media, video etc. will become paramount. the best returns for any campaign will be through a combined approach. So any copywriter portraying preeminence in marketing web copywriting and video scripting will be in high demand.

Another thing, more and more people are getting into home businesses.

Why?

Well, after all, many have no choice: they have been laid-off and must survive. Others have suddenly found their retirement funds and pensions have been cut so are exploring different ways to make money simply to be able to retire!

This then means that you should not ignore your next door stay-at-home-mom who has a website that trains people about pet grooming… If you bothered to talk, you may realize she’s struggling with the basics of marketing or doesn’t know how to do an effective email campaign to her list. And that’s where you come in 2010.

Sales letters that are incorporating video will be on the rise in 2010

In fact, Amish Shah recently launched his ‘Magic bullet System’ using video sales letters alone. If you were watching you’d have noticed the total lack of ‘traditional’ sales copy on his site.

So, many opportunities lie in store which makes me feel positive about this decade…

Here’s to your continued success!

Stuart

KungfuCopywriter

PS

My FREE consultation slots are filling up fast. Why not reserve yours right now?

“We Hope You Come Back…”

Hi there,

That’s all the receptionist said as we were leaving and it surprised me.

Why?

Well, Susan picked up a couple of tickets for a free massage the other day and persuaded me to come and give it a try. Now I’ve been in China for 6 years and still haven’t had a massage yet. I know, I know, they’re supposed to be great but somehow they don’t appeal to me.

Anyway I thought “What the heck might as well give it a try.” so off we went…

The reception area was very opulent, gilded sofas and armchairs, beautiful decor and fine china on display – more like a five star hotel and definitely not what I’d expected.

The receptionist was very pleasant and once we’d changed our shoes for the slippers provided we were escorted to a sofa and asked to wait a little while. Whilst waiting we were asked if we’d like to go for a shower and offered tea, coffee etc.

I plumped for water which duly arrived with a plate of watermelon, nice touch.

However I was disappointed that the receptionist didn’t remove the previous persons dirty tissues when she took away the empty glasses. This spoiled the effect of the water melon.. I mean who wants to eat something when someone’s dirty tissue is sat there winking at you?

Kind of put me off my watermelon it did…

Soon we were told it was our turn, so leaving the watermelon talking to the dirty tissues we followed our host and were taken to the massage room.

This was an eye opener…

We entered a big darkened room with about 50 comfortable-looking reclining seats and each one had a TV monitor on it. Most of the seats were full, the customers lay back watching TV and relaxed whilst the masseuse massaged their feet.

Now this may seem fine, after all everybody looked happy lying back with their eyes glued to the screens: so maybe the management had done their research and discovered this was what their customers wanted. But for me there was just a teeny-weeny problem…

The noise!

Most of the TV sets had the volume turned up way loud… the cacophony was indescribable, umpteen different channels all blaring away in Chinese.

I was in two minds whether to get up and go but decided to bear it to see what happened. I didn’t switch my TV on though despite the intentions of numerous assistants who seemed upset I didn’t want to have a TV screen pressed inches from my face!

Anyway after about an hour the ordeal was over and I was glad to get away.

To be honest the massage wasn’t bad but the overall experience was a big minus in my book.

I asked Susan what she thought and she said she’d not go back. “The other places are much nicer as they have private rooms and no noise.” were her words.

After collecting our shoes we were escorted to the door by the receptionist – which is the norm in China – and she said “We hope you come back…” as we left.

I looked at Susan and said “Is that it? Is that the sum total of the marketing?” I couldn’t believe it.

We’d been enticed there with the promise a FREE massage which was duly delivered without any ‘fuss’ – surely they were going to try and sell a membership or something? But no, there was no upsell, not even a form to fill in to collect a telephone number or email. We were expected to remember the place and choose to come back without any further offers.

Massage centers are a dime a dozen in China and since this one had gone to the trouble and expense of printing fliers, and giving the Free massage you have expected something more.

This really begs the question – “What was the point of this marketing campaign?”

If it was solely to get more people to visit the center then they succeeded. But if it was to get more recurring customers then they failed. It’s pointless getting new people in the door then letting them walk out without at least capturing their details and, better still, marketing your services to them there and then.

Of course, that may have been what the owner intended when he planned the campaign but the staff let him down. Which means he doesn’t have any control of his business. i.e. the staff are being allowed to do as they see fit (hence the episode with the dirty tissue). If this is the case then he’d really be better off getting on top of his main problem which is his staff training and or morale.

This could be the main reason he is losing customers and felt urged to try and attract more. Fact is though, no matter how many prospective customers he brings in the door, if the staff don’t do their job many will leave without becoming customers…

So Let me ask you:

Who are the most important people in your business, are they the customers or the staff?

In my book it’s the staff. Treat them like diamonds and they’ll shine for the customers attracting more and more to come back. Now even if you only employ yourself you should still treat yourself like a diamond so you can shine for your customers. Get this right BEFORE embarking on your next marketing campaign otherwise you may not see the results you expect from it.

Speak to you soon,

Stuart.

Need some help with a sales letter or marketing problem? Drop me a line to copy [at} kungfucopywriter.com – I’ll be glad to help.

A little while ago certain well-known marketers were ‘tricking’ subscribers into signing up for paid subscriptions to their newsletters.

Now that the dust of that settles it seems that at least one of these well-known ‘gurus’ is selling subscribers contact details!

This is soooo wrong in my view, take a look at this article for more information… And be sure to read the privacy policy BEFORE you give out your contact details to anyone. Must admit here I never bother, just assume that they will treat me with respect, but now…

Article reprinted by kind permission of Amber Jalink www.dime-co.com

WARNING: Your Privacy is being breached!

No pitch-Your privacy is being breached. Read now for proof.

Today is a holiday in Canada, but I came online to get things ready for our launches.

I opened my emailbox to find a message from Matt Bacak, a well known “guru”… recommending a product from another “guru”, Justin Blake.

(It’s basically a self-hypnotizing thing for success… supposedly).

I read through the sales letter.

I had something niggling in the back of my mind, so I decided to check out the privacy policy.

~gasp~ !

If you have bought from him OR were thinking about it:

Fair warning: He will sell your information to anyone
who wants it! (Except financial – at least he admits that).

He also states you have no recourse and cannot accuse them of spam. Eesh!

(Proof: http://www.manifestationmeditation.com/privacy.html)

Whether the product is good or not, the fact is “gurus” should be protecting your private information, not sharing it.

Also – another tidbit: The copyright on the privacy policy states “Mining Gold Corporation”. Is that him, or did he “copy” the privacy policy?

Kinda scarey. His main page says, “JB Virtual Enterprises, Inc.
PO Box 6543; Traverse City, MI. 49696 231-930-4043″

Not – mining gold corporation.

So there you have it – it could in fact, be both companies selling your info!

I did more research while writing this…

Shawn Casey’s “Mining Gold” (All his products actually), but I researched the “Mining Gold Corporation” Privacy policy. It states:

“we supply our member’s contact information, to our business partners…”

“We may also supply other companies with contact information, for mail offers we believe would be of interest to our members, with or without comepnsation from those companies.”

“If you order services or products directly from our company, we use the personal information you provide to process that order. We do share this information with outside parties that we do business with.”

!!!

Justin Blake’s has been formatted and claims permission to use the privacy policy from Mining Gold. They’ve revised theirs to say:

—
“HOW INFORMATION MAY BE USED

The use of information as described below may or may not be how information that is collected is customarily used by this site. While actual use of any information collected may be used quite conservatively, you must assume that it is not. You must assume that information collected is shared with other persons or entities for commercial purposes. While this is uncommon in practice, you must assume that it is as you make your decision whether or not to view or interact with this website. This type of shared information may include your name, address, phone number, email address and buying habits, as well as other information. This information may be used for general commercial solicitation by this website or other persons it is sold to, rented to, or shared with.

SPAM

By providing to this website information that forms the basis of communication with you, such as an email address, you waive all rights to file complaints concerning unsolicited email or spam from this website since, by providing such information, you agree to receive communication from us or other marketing organizations. However, all email communication with you shall contain an ‘unsubscribe’ link where you may notify the website that you no longer wish to receive solicitations or information from the website and your name will be removed from the general solicitation database.”

—

The fact is: they’re admitting to SELLING and SHARING your private information.

Do you Really want that?

Be very careful about the privacy policies of companies.

Every company should have one – and if there isn’t one that clearly states they protect your private information, you might want to avoid joining (Unless you don’t care about spam or phone calls!)

We maintain our own newsletters, but we never rent, share, sell or trade our lists or customers in any way. Why would we? (That is a link to OUR privacy policy by the way).

It’s pretty sad that these guys complain about spam…
but are a major part of the problem. Of course, it allows them to then create “anti-spam” software.

Okay, safelists – we expect to get spam because the email
addresses are open for everyone to see (usually). And spammers have access to scripts that will actually create possible email addresses, even if you thought you kept it private.

But a purchase from a ‘guru’ product? You shouldn’t have to worry about that.

Sorry, I shouldn’t rant. We all have our good points and bad points, no one is perfect.

But selling someone’s private information is one of the worst things a marketer could do, and it shouldn’t be done.

Protect your privacy. Be wise to it.

(c) 2008, Amber Jalink. Amber Jalink is the Founder and Creator of many websites, including the popular article site, www.dime-co.com. This article may be reproduced in its entirety as long as this resource box is included.

Kind of leaves a nasty taste in your mouth doesn’t it?

Speak to you soon,

Stuart.

***Trivia question… Which famous copywriter sends bullets to his readers? (Read on to find the answer.)***

Using psychology to sell is such a fundamental part of marketing isn’t it?

You may not realise it but every time you write a sales letter or send an email there are hidden phsycological triggers that you should use to communicate with your reader.

And be warned… if you’re not using these triggers right now you could well be losing more sales than you realise.

One that is put to good use on your everyday soap operas and sports programs is the Ziegarnick Effect. This is the official name for the cliffhanger scenes that always end each episode and leave you in a state of high drama, desperately wishing tomorrow would come so that you can get some release.

Imagine how you’d feel if tomorrow didn’t come and you couldn’t see the next episode. You’d be grumpy, agitated and probably cross with your friends and neighbours. That’s how powerful this psychological trigger is.

In TV sports programs it’s use is characterised by asking a trivia question at the beginning of the program with the promise of the answer later on. This often keeps you glued to the screen just to get the answer to the question. Often you have no real interest in the program but have to have the answer so you watch anyway.

Here are Nine of the most important triggers, study them and you’ll understand how psychology affects your customer’s buying decisions and how you should be using it to your distinct advantage.

1. Using the psychology of authority figures
2. Ziegarnick’s discovery – the power of unfinished business
3. Understanding the ‘herd’ phenomenon or social proof
4. Foot in the door phenomenon
5. Conformity to emotions – smile and the world will smile with you
6. Cognitive Dissonance – not wanting to admit you’re wrong and ‘because’
7. Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs
8. Framing
9. Price Conditioning

I’ll explain more about each one in later posts but if you’re in a hurry to find out more (and you should be) I suggest you take a look at my new manual. it’s called the ‘Three “R’s” of Copywriting‘ and has helped many a writer get higher conversions from their sales copy, no matter what form it is in… and it’s guaranteed to help you too.

Take a look now, you’ll be glad you did, it’s extremely reasonably priced.

Oh and before I go let me answer the trivia question. The copywriter is Gary Bencivenga. He sends regular bullets to his readers. Lots of good info there, after all he’s been writing winning copy for many years now.

Speak to you soon,

Stuart.

Don’t forget to drop me a line if you need a sales letter critique or other copywriting services. I’m always happy to help out. Drop me a line to copy {at} kungfucopywriter.com

Tags: Sales Letters