Sometimes I read someone’s blog post and I think ‘That is sooo-oo obvious, why didn’t I think of that?’ And that’s what happened today when I popped over to take a look at Aweber’s latest blog post on gathering testimonials.
I’ve always urged clients to collect as many testimonials as they can and in Rebecca’s post she describes some great up-date ways of finding those accolades.
Pop over to How To Collect Testimonials for some nifty ideas (opens in a new browser window), but before you do…
Collect a Gift…
download this PDF containing an article I wrote that describes how to get a truly effective testimonial and how to use it to dramatically boost the impact of your sales message:
How To Acquire & Use Powerful Testimonials
And, after you’ve read and used those insights, pop back and let me know what you think and how successful using testimonials has been for you… you never know you might get an email from me asking for permission to use your comments! 
~ Carol Bentley
In the 1900′s the most powerful marketing strategy for any business was direct response marketing… and it still is today, but…
In the 21st century the delivery mechanism for your marketing and sales message has expanded and – as a result – the ability to reach more people in your target audience has increased exponentially.
One of the most exciting media for delivering your marketing message is video. And the explosion of video on the Internet, through websites like YouTube, has seen a proliferation of customer-attracting messages as well as the more amateurish, social video clips. The true power of these videos is the potential for your message to go viral.
So how can you use this interesting, viral type marketing as part of your business strategy?
I’ve just listened to an audio in which an Online Marketing expert reveals why video is a crucial part of modern marketing and he shares some mind-blowing YouTube stats… stats that are crucial to anyone who is in business today. Did you know, for example, that the average age of YouTube viewers is higher than you might think?
He also reveals 3 quick and easy ways to make your video clips look professional – even if you’re using a hand-held video camera.
It’s worth listening to… Branding Through Video
[Incidentally, this interview is a pre-amble to the launch of The Super Business Conference 2010. I am one of the speakers at this event (explaining how to write stunning sales letters) so if you decide to take part you will make a point of saying "hello", won't you?]
~ Carol Bentley
P.S. If you pop over to The Super Business Conference 2010 you can get a free download of Claude Hopkin’s Scientific Advertising… arguably one of the most valuable books on direct response marketing.
Have you noticed how some presenters connect with an audience immediately? They have charisma. And have you noticed how some letters seem to connect with you straight away? They draw you in and create an instant rapport with you. How do they do that?
Well letters can have charisma too. Especially if they use the charismatic presenter’s secret.
The Charismatic Presenter’s Secret
What is that secret?
It is simply connecting with your audience – for a letter that’s your readers – using language that creates rapport, but it is important to do it in a specific order.
A presenter uses words that connect first with kinaesthetic people. S/he speaks quietly and gently at a fairly slow pace. Then they speed up a bit using auditory language, then they connect with the visual people in their audience by making a slightly quicker delivery. They use language that paints a picture and then they return to auditory based words.
What they have done is create rapport with people who have different base languages and used the right words to drawn them all in.
They started by connecting with people who are kinaesthetic; those who use feeling type words. And then, having gained that connection the presenter keeps them on board as s/he connects with auditory people and then embraces visual people.
Of course a presenter has the advantage of using talking speed and tonality when delivering their words.
Yet, if you check the words used in a letter that seems to connect with everyone who reads it, don’t be surprised to find the words follow the same formula and sequence that a charismatic presenter uses.
So – really, how important is the language you use with your readers?
Important enough for me to include a section entitled: Use The Right Language To Cut Through Communication Barriers’ in my first book; ‘I Want To Buy Your Product… Have You Sent Me A Letter Yet’.
If you’ve got the book check out chapter 4; if you haven’t got a copy I’ve extracted that chapter for you as a gift… you can see it immediately by clicking the link below…
Writing Sales Letters… Chapter 4 (The PDF file is just over 1 Mbyte and will open in a new browser window).
Enjoy the chapter and let me know how successful your charismatic letters are.
~ Carol Bentley
Since starting this blog I’ve invited readers to subscribe so they don’t miss a post they would find useful. And when people subscribe I give two thank-you gifts.
One of these gifts is entitled How to Banish, Forever, The Hair-Tearing Frustrations of Microsoft Word When Writing Your Sales Letters!
That guide was for Word versions 2002 and 2003.
In their 2007 release of Word, Microsoft made drastic changes to the structure of the application. And I thought it was about time I released an updated version of my tips guide (most of the advice applied but in some cases the menu locations had changed).
Anyone who subscribes from now on has the choice to download the version they need (or both if they want to).
If you are already a subscriber you will receive an email with a direct download link to the new version.
If, for any reason, that email does not reach you and you want the tips for Word 2007 and later please pop a message to me using my ‘ask a question’ form and I will resend the download link to you.
~ Carol Bentley
OK – I admit it! I give in and confess that I must be losing the plot because I’m guilty of not taking serious note of one of the most powerful marketing trends to hit the business world.
What am I talking about? Video Marketing, that’s what.
Now, before you ‘switch-off’ saying: “too expensive!”; “too difficult!”; “don’t want to be in a video” or all the other excuses I’ve been spouting to myself, take a look at these videos showing you how easy it is… probably using tools you’ve already got on your computer.
Video Sells
The videos are by a guy called Andy Jenkins who, I must say, has proved he knows a thing or two about using this media to sell… especially as he JUST used video to generate over $5M in sales of different products.
Plus, the first video shows you how amateur videos (with pretty much ZERO search engine optimising work) are ranking on the first page of Google – right along with ‘The Learning Channel’ – and they’re getting over 104,567 views!
If nothing else, watching these videos are a lesson in themselves and there’s a high risk they could act as a catalyst for some exciting ideas on how to use it to promote your business. They certainly gave me some food for thought. Check them out at Video Sells
So – does recommending using video-marketing wipe out the need for my services as a copywriter? Not really ’cause some of those marketing videos will still need a script!
Take a look and tell me what you think.
(BTW – it doesn’t cost a single penny to take a look).
~ Carol Bentley
P.S. This video is PURE content – no pitch or anything like that. See for yourself… Video Sells
P.P.S Yep, this is an affiliate link – but you get good content for zero cash .
I was reading one of Michel Fortin’s blog posts when he gave me a sudden shock. He explained how vulnerable the folders where we store our PDF downloads are on our servers. A simple solution can reduce the risk.
The post (you can read it at Mileage Emails) is interesting because it explores the challenges of getting emails delivered and opened.
But then he goes on to the subject of intellectual theft and copyright protection. His advice is crucial if you supply any information products that are delivered from your server. Whether that’s freebie PDFs (well, they not really free because the ‘payment’ you’re asking for is permission to keep in touch with your visitor, isn’t it?) or purchased e-products, you could be risking someone finding your server folder and just helping themselves.
I tested what Michel was saying and realised just how vulnerable my sites were.
Now I’m quite tech-savvy, but I wasn’t aware of this problem and – although it has nothing to do with copywriting (other than protecting the copyright of your material) – I decided to share this information because I thought there was a good chance others may not be aware of it.
I’ve taken at least one of Michel’s suggestions and adapted it to create a personalised index.htm file for my delivery folders (see an example).
A Gift For You
If this is something you were not aware of you’ll probably find this gift useful.
I’ve taken out my links and references to create a generic index.htm that you can adopt, if you wish, for your products folder. Simply add your email, website and business details and then upload it and the associated files to your server. If you are not familiar with html code pass it over to your webmaster and get them to do it for you.
This zip file is supplied ‘as-is’ – that means I am not including advice on how to change / upload the file to your server, but I hope it helps anyway.
Here it is:
Click to download the zip file and save it to your computer.
And Now… let me wish you
~ Carol Bentley
Give your prospects the reasons behind the deal you are making and you improve the chances of it being accepted; it’s a technique often suggested by savvy marketing experts. I’d like to share another aspect of ‘reasons why’ explanations that can also be very persuasive.
It’s connected to the ‘objections’ – or ‘reasons why’ your prospect may not buy. Answering the concerns your prospect has; reassuring them that purchasing from you is a wise decision is crucial to your sales letter campaign’s success.
Now, if you met your prospect face-to-face you could answer any and all the questions they might ask. But when you are writing your sales message you have to try to answer those potential ‘stop-them-buying’ questions in your description of the benefits and features of what you are offering.
Give Reasons Why They Won’t Buy…
There is another, more direct approach that may work for you – especially if you are giving a seemingly outrageous deal that is likely to make someone think “What’s the catch?”
You start by telling your reader that your marketing experts do not expect a high take up of your offer – citing perhaps only a 10% or 12% response. And you then say that although that is OK from a business point of view, it worries you that someone may miss out because you haven’t explained the deal properly.
So you tell how you brainstormed with your people to think of reasons why someone may refuse the offer. And then tell them what you came up with and – of course – answer those objections.
Including supporting testimonials as you answer each objection makes it even more powerful and persuasive.
It’s a technique I discovered many years ago and have used in different letters.
Practical Example
In the example I’m giving you here I wrote the letter for an office equipment company who specialised in supplying equipment to estate agents. It was an ideal fit because the offer this company was making (a free colour, laser printer) was absolutely unbelievable, although a perfectly viable business proposition for them as well as a fantastic deal for their clients.
Download the ‘Reasons Why’ PDF example here (right click to download, left click to open in a new browser window).
I’ve extracted just the pages detailing the ‘reasons why’ and, for confidentiality, my client’s company name and their clients’ names have been removed. (These pages demonstrate the real, powerful reason for collecting good testimonials too… see The Heart of The Matter for more on testimonials).
So, next time you decide to make an incredible offer to your prospects or customers consider if this technique might work for you.
And if you use it, do let me know how you get on.
~ Carol Bentley
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