billyeadon
Supportive Member
So You Want to be a Marketing Star
So you want to be a rock & roll star
Well listen now to what I say
Get yourself an electric guitar
And take some time and learn how to play
And when your hair's combed right
And your pants are tight
It's gonna be all rightThe Byrds 1966
Times have changed. Thoughts of making a fortune with a guitar receded faster than your hairline. Plan B has changed to running your own business and even a rock star knows marketing is the key to success.
Now instead of spending hours writing lyrics you can spend hours writing headlines and copy. Fortunately there are several great books to make your job a little easier. The similarity between the lyrics above and the books below is they are all classics.
Tested Advertising Methods (Fifth Edition) John Caples revised by Fred Hahn
In 1925 Caples wrote copy for an ad that is still used today in many different industries. The ad started with the headline “they all laughed when I sat down at the piano, but when I began to play” The same headline has been adapted to many different industries with continued success. Since that time billions of dollars has been spent on advertising, much of it wasted. The toughest information to discover in the study of advertising is separating facts rather from opinions. Regardless of whether you are new to the industry or a veteran trying to get more mileage from your marketing you should know the answer to these questions.
What kind of advertising headlines attract the most readers?
What words are guaranteed to improve your response?
What kind of pictures gets the most attention?
What kind of advertising copy is most effective in selling your product or service?
Caples answers to these questions are based on facts accumulated by writing and testing material for over a half century.
Tested Advertising Methods has two goals:
1. To explain the scientific principles of advertising, that have proven by years of testing, which ads have sold the most, which headlines attract the most readers, which media is best and which type of layouts are best.
2. To explain the methods of testing so that you may determine for yourself just which headlines, appeals, illustrations, copy and media are best for you.
Caples dedicates almost a quarter of the book to writing headlines. The next book focuses on copy.
On the Art of Writing Copy Herschell Gordon Lewis
For those of you that hated sentence diagrams and verb conjugation in Sister Theresa the Terror’s English class may have difficulty with this book. Don’t let that stop you as Lewis is probably the most admired copywriter of the modern era.
Lewis’ attention to the smallest detail is the key to success. For example:
When should you use “when” and when should you use “if”?
When should you use “can” and when should you use “will”?
What is the difference between “you must” and “you have to”?
The difference in all these is the amount of response when tested. Lewis proves that he also studied Caples early writing.
Most of the book is dedicated to the rules of copywriting. Start with the Four Great Laws coupled with the Umbrella Rule and you will never write bad copy. At first glance this book is as intimidating as an encyclopedia. To overcome that Lewis wrote a chapter called “A Tip a Day –So you can write powerhouse copy within one month. Learn one tip each day and a month from now watch your marketing take off.
If you are more prone to slide into projects this author will be just the ticket. His name is Dan Kennedy. Dan is a prolific author, but you can start easily with The Ultimate Marketing Plan and also The Ultimate Sales Letter. Dan has been working with carpet cleaning companies for many years. Either of these books can be read in one evening. That doesn’t mean they are not bursting with great info. Kennedy is a millionaire based on teaching first himself then thousands of others how to write copy. Check out www.Amazon.com where you can purchase both of these books for under $20.00.
Targeted headlines, great copy and thorough testing are recurring themes in all four of these books. Writing marketing material is a combination of art and science but moving more towards science everyday.
For the final book it may be best for you to lie down on a sofa. While this book is last, read it first. Once you understand human motivations you can write better headlines and copy.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Robert B. Cialdini, PH.D.
How many of you can resist the sales pitch of a little girl selling Girl Scout Cookies? How many times have you bought something because everyone else bought the same product? How many customers have been trampled at a store opening because only the first 20 customers could purchase a specific item? Have you received a Christmas card from someone that wasn’t on your list and then immediately sent them a card? Each of these examples is considered to be a weapon of influence. These weapons can be used for our benefit or can be used against us. Cialdini has spent years investigating influence and compliance and narrowed the findings down to six powerful influences that persuade people to follow our suggestions.
Reciprocity: this is the most powerful of the weapons of influence. The rule states that we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us. When surveys are sent with a crisp new dollar bill the response rate increases. Charities send out address labels to consumers unsolicited and then ask for donations. Our genetic triggers cause us to send the charity money. We don’t necessarily want to but something makes us do it.
Offer your customer 3M Scotchgard for the whole house at 120.00 and they may turn you down. If you suggest treating the open areas for 75.00 the response rate goes up.
When performing a carpet inspection or audit for a prospective customer the response rate increases if you give them a free bottle of Spot Out. These are examples of the law of reciprocity.
Commitment/Consistent: our desire to be and to appear consistent with what we have already done. A customer may have scheduled an appointment with another company prior to you arriving at her home. Even though she may like your proposal better she will have a difficult time canceling the other appointment due to her commitment to the first company. This is one reason why we try to schedule an appointment while we are in the customer’s home or on the phone. Many companies use the Free Room offer to generate business. This technique uses the principle of reciprocity and commitment. Leonardo DaVinci had this figured out when he said, “It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.”
Social Proof: we determine what is correct by finding out what other people believe is correct. When you concentrate your marketing into specific neighborhoods you are using this principle. If your truck is always seen in the neighborhood you must be good according to social proof. Testimonials are the best application of social proof. Tie in a direct mail campaign and you can prevent potential customers from going to the Yellow Pages and looking at your competitors.
Liking: people deal with people they like. Tupperware built an empire based on this principle. Once your customer has seen the quality of your work and your friendliness, it is time to ask for neighbors’ names. If this seems too forward give them 1 or 2 gift bags with a bottle of Spot Out to give their neighbors. As Steve Toburen would say, “turn those happy customers into cheerleaders.”
Authority: people want to deal with an expert. Uniforms adorned with IICRC certification and 3M Scotchgard patches create credibility. Explaining to customers the options available and the benefits of each in an easy to understand format will play on both principles of liking and authority.
Scarcity: opportunities seem more valuable to us when their availability is limited. Any offer that you make must have an expiration date. This creates the sense of urgency. If the customer has an antique oriental rug it is critical that the rug be properly maintained because it is unique and cannot be replaced. If you are in the busy season before the holidays be sure to explain to the customer that you can take only two more appointments.
Cialdini explains that we all have our preprogrammed mental tapes that normally work to our advantage. If we are not aware of them sometimes the trigger features can fool us into playing them at the wrong time, such as buying that timeshare condo when you thought you were just getting a free trip.
Do not confuse using these weapons as a form of manipulation. Each of these tools is governed by a fundamental psychological principle that directs human behavior and, in so doing, gives the weapons their power. Understand them, use them ethically, and profit from them.
Try to spend thirty minutes a day reading one of these marketing classics. You may not write the next Stairway to Heaven but you may write the next ad that gives you a stairway to riches.
So you want to be a rock & roll star
Well listen now to what I say
Get yourself an electric guitar
And take some time and learn how to play
And when your hair's combed right
And your pants are tight
It's gonna be all rightThe Byrds 1966
Times have changed. Thoughts of making a fortune with a guitar receded faster than your hairline. Plan B has changed to running your own business and even a rock star knows marketing is the key to success.
Now instead of spending hours writing lyrics you can spend hours writing headlines and copy. Fortunately there are several great books to make your job a little easier. The similarity between the lyrics above and the books below is they are all classics.
Tested Advertising Methods (Fifth Edition) John Caples revised by Fred Hahn
In 1925 Caples wrote copy for an ad that is still used today in many different industries. The ad started with the headline “they all laughed when I sat down at the piano, but when I began to play” The same headline has been adapted to many different industries with continued success. Since that time billions of dollars has been spent on advertising, much of it wasted. The toughest information to discover in the study of advertising is separating facts rather from opinions. Regardless of whether you are new to the industry or a veteran trying to get more mileage from your marketing you should know the answer to these questions.
What kind of advertising headlines attract the most readers?
What words are guaranteed to improve your response?
What kind of pictures gets the most attention?
What kind of advertising copy is most effective in selling your product or service?
Caples answers to these questions are based on facts accumulated by writing and testing material for over a half century.
Tested Advertising Methods has two goals:
1. To explain the scientific principles of advertising, that have proven by years of testing, which ads have sold the most, which headlines attract the most readers, which media is best and which type of layouts are best.
2. To explain the methods of testing so that you may determine for yourself just which headlines, appeals, illustrations, copy and media are best for you.
Caples dedicates almost a quarter of the book to writing headlines. The next book focuses on copy.
On the Art of Writing Copy Herschell Gordon Lewis
For those of you that hated sentence diagrams and verb conjugation in Sister Theresa the Terror’s English class may have difficulty with this book. Don’t let that stop you as Lewis is probably the most admired copywriter of the modern era.
Lewis’ attention to the smallest detail is the key to success. For example:
When should you use “when” and when should you use “if”?
When should you use “can” and when should you use “will”?
What is the difference between “you must” and “you have to”?
The difference in all these is the amount of response when tested. Lewis proves that he also studied Caples early writing.
Most of the book is dedicated to the rules of copywriting. Start with the Four Great Laws coupled with the Umbrella Rule and you will never write bad copy. At first glance this book is as intimidating as an encyclopedia. To overcome that Lewis wrote a chapter called “A Tip a Day –So you can write powerhouse copy within one month. Learn one tip each day and a month from now watch your marketing take off.
If you are more prone to slide into projects this author will be just the ticket. His name is Dan Kennedy. Dan is a prolific author, but you can start easily with The Ultimate Marketing Plan and also The Ultimate Sales Letter. Dan has been working with carpet cleaning companies for many years. Either of these books can be read in one evening. That doesn’t mean they are not bursting with great info. Kennedy is a millionaire based on teaching first himself then thousands of others how to write copy. Check out www.Amazon.com where you can purchase both of these books for under $20.00.
Targeted headlines, great copy and thorough testing are recurring themes in all four of these books. Writing marketing material is a combination of art and science but moving more towards science everyday.
For the final book it may be best for you to lie down on a sofa. While this book is last, read it first. Once you understand human motivations you can write better headlines and copy.
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Robert B. Cialdini, PH.D.
How many of you can resist the sales pitch of a little girl selling Girl Scout Cookies? How many times have you bought something because everyone else bought the same product? How many customers have been trampled at a store opening because only the first 20 customers could purchase a specific item? Have you received a Christmas card from someone that wasn’t on your list and then immediately sent them a card? Each of these examples is considered to be a weapon of influence. These weapons can be used for our benefit or can be used against us. Cialdini has spent years investigating influence and compliance and narrowed the findings down to six powerful influences that persuade people to follow our suggestions.
Reciprocity: this is the most powerful of the weapons of influence. The rule states that we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us. When surveys are sent with a crisp new dollar bill the response rate increases. Charities send out address labels to consumers unsolicited and then ask for donations. Our genetic triggers cause us to send the charity money. We don’t necessarily want to but something makes us do it.
Offer your customer 3M Scotchgard for the whole house at 120.00 and they may turn you down. If you suggest treating the open areas for 75.00 the response rate goes up.
When performing a carpet inspection or audit for a prospective customer the response rate increases if you give them a free bottle of Spot Out. These are examples of the law of reciprocity.
Commitment/Consistent: our desire to be and to appear consistent with what we have already done. A customer may have scheduled an appointment with another company prior to you arriving at her home. Even though she may like your proposal better she will have a difficult time canceling the other appointment due to her commitment to the first company. This is one reason why we try to schedule an appointment while we are in the customer’s home or on the phone. Many companies use the Free Room offer to generate business. This technique uses the principle of reciprocity and commitment. Leonardo DaVinci had this figured out when he said, “It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.”
Social Proof: we determine what is correct by finding out what other people believe is correct. When you concentrate your marketing into specific neighborhoods you are using this principle. If your truck is always seen in the neighborhood you must be good according to social proof. Testimonials are the best application of social proof. Tie in a direct mail campaign and you can prevent potential customers from going to the Yellow Pages and looking at your competitors.
Liking: people deal with people they like. Tupperware built an empire based on this principle. Once your customer has seen the quality of your work and your friendliness, it is time to ask for neighbors’ names. If this seems too forward give them 1 or 2 gift bags with a bottle of Spot Out to give their neighbors. As Steve Toburen would say, “turn those happy customers into cheerleaders.”
Authority: people want to deal with an expert. Uniforms adorned with IICRC certification and 3M Scotchgard patches create credibility. Explaining to customers the options available and the benefits of each in an easy to understand format will play on both principles of liking and authority.
Scarcity: opportunities seem more valuable to us when their availability is limited. Any offer that you make must have an expiration date. This creates the sense of urgency. If the customer has an antique oriental rug it is critical that the rug be properly maintained because it is unique and cannot be replaced. If you are in the busy season before the holidays be sure to explain to the customer that you can take only two more appointments.
Cialdini explains that we all have our preprogrammed mental tapes that normally work to our advantage. If we are not aware of them sometimes the trigger features can fool us into playing them at the wrong time, such as buying that timeshare condo when you thought you were just getting a free trip.
Do not confuse using these weapons as a form of manipulation. Each of these tools is governed by a fundamental psychological principle that directs human behavior and, in so doing, gives the weapons their power. Understand them, use them ethically, and profit from them.
Try to spend thirty minutes a day reading one of these marketing classics. You may not write the next Stairway to Heaven but you may write the next ad that gives you a stairway to riches.
