Here’s something you probably won’t hear from many copywriters:
Good copy is NOT the most important part of any advertisement.
In fact, it’s far more important to have a good list with average writing skills and an average product than it is to be the best writer on the planet with the best product on the planet and a bad list.
Of course, you need to have all of the above in order to generate strong sales.
But having the right list is the most important. In fact, I’ve seen the right list turn BAD copy into lots of moolah.
And while you can get some great lists from companies such as the Prospect Shop in Australia…
Or the SRDS if you are looking to mail overseas…
Do you want to know what the best type of mailing list is?
It’s a mailing list you develop yourself.
It’s a mailing list of people who like you and trust you.
It’s a mailing list of people you have developed a relationship with.
… because when you get yourself one of these you have an unfair
advantage over your competition.
… and you also have an asset which will increase the value of your
business when you sell.
… and you have something which will help you see out any economic
downturn.
Yet it never ceases to amaze me that many people don’t take the time to develop a mailing list.
For instance, if you’re a retailer all you need to do is ask people for their business cards or to fill in a card to go in some form of a draw.
Same if you’re at a trade show.
And if you’re advertising a product or service which sells a high end product (i.e. consulting services, machinery, real estate, etc) then you really should be advertising the opportunity to get important information in exchange for your prospects contact details.
The bottom line is nothing is more important than your own mailing list.
And that’s why I show you exactly how to add hundreds of people to your list every month (including a swipe file of real ads for you to use as a model) in the first lesson of http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com
The other day I was asked:
Should I continue to promote my business when I am already incredibly busy and have too much work on?
And I answered with a resounding YES.
Why? Because you need to have your wits about you at all times in business. So when you’re coasting downhill and everything is going like a dream, remember things can change very quickly and you could soon be looking at a totally different landscape.
That’s why you should always be filling your well – YES… even though it’s not empty.
After all, there’s worse problems to have than too much work,
isn’t there?
Or too many people at your shop.
Or too many clients if you’re a bookkeeper or solicitor.
Or too many retailers and wholesalers buying from you if you’re a distributor.
You see, most businesses make this mistake:
I received a call from a guy in the United States a few months
ago, and he was desperate for me to work with him because
business had quietened down.
2 days later, all of a sudden, he received a new job. And decided he
didn’t need to be concerned about promoting his business any longer.
I can tell you right now that this guy is in for one heck of a
rollercoaster ride. Up and down like a never-ending yo-yo.
The key to a stable business is to never stop marketing. Always
promote your business. And be consistent about it.
There’s another reason for this as well.
If you’ve got too much work on, this enables you to lift your
prices because it doesn’t matter whether or not you end up landing the job. (and you’ll
probably find your calm – rather than desperate - attitude increases your conversion rate too) You can push yourself to manage the additional work-flow through setting up additional systems in order to generate
leads. And take your business to the next level.
So how do you achieve all this?
It’s easy. If you’ve got an advertisement (or a sales letter, flyer or any other kind of promotion) which works for you, then keep running it week in and week out.
If you’re really busy, always remember that when the job finishes,
you’ll be sitting around wondering what happened if there’s nothing else lined up.
And make sure you put aside some time everyday to market your business. That’s the key to your longevity and success.
In Anthony Robbins program called the ‘Rapid Planning Method’ he
talks about a space called ‘the zone.’
Basically, when you’re in the zone you are focusing on the
things which are important but not urgent.
Most of us spend our time in the urgent and important. Or the
not urgent, not important. Or the urgent and important.
However the key to business growth and stability is to spend a
some time each day on the not urgent… but important
activities. And for most of us, that is marketing, promotion and advertising.
Scott Bywater is a professional direct mail and direct response copywriter, and the author of Cash Flow Advertising. To receive a complimentary copy of his exclusive report ‘7 Ways To Boost Your Turnover… No Matter What The Economy’ (valued at $29.95) hop along to his web site at: http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au
Let me ask you a very important question:
Why do people buy a newspaper or magazine? To read the articles,
right? Well, then doesn’t it make sense that if you want your ad
to get read, then…
YOU SHOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO AVOID IT LOOKING LIKE AN AD
And make it camouflage in with the newspaper’s articles as
closely as possible.
So how do you do that?
1. Read the headlines of the publication you are considering
advertising in.
2. Model your style on the way they write their articles.
3. Use the same typeface the newspaper or magazine uses.
So why would this work better than something which looks like an
ad? Simple. Advertorials work so well because of the way people
disbelieve ads… but tend to believe what journalists communicate
within their articles.
Try it next time… and test it out for yourself.
Scott Bywater is a professional direct mail and direct response copywriter, and the author of Cash Flow Advertising. To receive a complimentary copy of his exclusive report ‘7 Ways To Boost Your Turnover… No Matter What The Economy’ (valued at $29.95) hop along to his web site at: http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au
