Headline Shortcuts Part VII - Secrets of (Blank)

Repetition has long been described as the mother of
knowledge.

It's so crucially important. That's why I keep
mentioning what the late, great and iconic
copywriter John Caples said -

"73% of all buying decisions are made at the point
of the headline."

It's an indispensable part of copywriting. That's
why I treat the writing of the headline with the
utmost importance and respect. So much so I've
created 11 different headline types that I choose
from on a daily basis.

Clearly without a "killer" headline, regardless of
how strong your body copy may be, your offer has
absolutely no chance of becoming successful.

Here in The Success Margin I have given you training
on six of the headline types which I use. Mastering
these headlines is a major reason for the success of
my copy in all media.

Previously I discussed these six headline forms:

1. Problem/Solution
2. Reason Why
3. Visualize It
4. Stacked Benefits
5. Get Benefits/Regardless
6. Problem Solver...

Today I'll review an extremely effective headline
type which I've not previously examined. As with
many powerful marketing principles, it's actually
very simple. I call it:

Secrets of (Blank)

Here are some examples:

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Secrets of Living in Style
Without Any Money Worries!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Success Secret of the
Most Prolific Copywriter in America!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Secret to Getting All the Credit
You Ever Wanted - Even If You've Been Bankrupt!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Secrets of Not Only Surviving
But Thriving in Today's Tough Economic Times!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Secrets of Becoming a Popular
And Sought After Public Speaker!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Secrets of Becoming
The Most Popular Date in Town
While Not Compromising Your Personal Values!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The Secrets of Dating the
Most Desirable Women in the World!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

17 Conversation Secrets That Will Help Make a
Favorable Impression on Any Important Business
Contact!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Seven Headline Secrets That Will
Practically Compel Your Prospects to
Respond to Your Advertising!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The fill-in-the-blank formula of this amazing
powerful technique is simply this:

The secret of (The ultimate benefit your product
delivers to the buyer.)

I challenge you. Don't waste another moment!

Create at least 3 headlines for your product or
service using "The Secrets Of" headline strategy.

Let me know what it feels like for you when you set
new sales records!

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

Be All You Can Be - Read

I just carried out an interview with Drayton Bird (more on that soon) where I asked him his recommendations for books and authors to study.

One thing Drayton said is that you should not restrict your reading to only business books. You should also read for leisure. (I won't go too much into this as it's all on the interview.)

However, very soon afterwards I received an email from Ken McCarthy of the System Seminar.

In this email he said something which really resonated with me, and should with you, too, if you intend doing well in your business: Be all you can be. Read.

He points to a post on his blog entitled: Ten classic direct marketing books, where he lists his ten best books on the subject.


This was fantastic news to me as I'm always on the lookout for more material to sink my teeth into (if I was a vampire I'd be biting into books rather than necks).

Here's his list:

1. My Life in Advertising – Claude Hopkins
2. Tested Advertising Methods – John Caples (Fourth edition or earlier)
3. How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling – Frank Bettger
4. Scientific Advertising – Claude Hopkins
5. How to Write a Good Advertisement – Victor Schwab
6. My First Sixty Years in Advertising – Maxwell Sackheim
7. Secrets of Successful Direct Mail – Richard Benson
8. Breakthrough Advertising – Eugene Schwartz
9. The Robert Collier Letter Book – Robert Collier
10. Common Sense Direct and Digital Marketing – Drayton Bird

That's a good list.  I already have seven of them.

However, I think he missed one: How to write sales letters that sell by Drayton Bird which, in my opinion, is even better than The Robert Collier Letter Book.

Going too far, did you say?

Woah, give me a break and check it out yourself before getting the whip out.

Anyway, that is quite a comprehensive list and one you'd do well to take note of.

http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/thesystemseminar/

Be All You Can Be - Read

I just carried out an interview with Drayton Bird (more on that soon) where I asked him his recommendations for books and authors to study.

One thing Drayton said is that you should not restrict your reading to only business books. You should also read for leisure. (I won't go too much into this as it's all on the interview.)

However, very soon afterwards I received an email from Ken McCarthy of the System Seminar.

In this email he said something which really resonated with me, and should with you, too, if you intend doing well in your business: Be all you can be. Read.

He points to a post on his blog entitled: Ten classic direct marketing books, where he lists his ten best books on the subject.


This was fantastic news to me as I'm always on the lookout for more material to sink my teeth into (if I was a vampire I'd be biting into books rather than necks).

Here's his list:

1. My Life in Advertising – Claude Hopkins
2. Tested Advertising Methods – John Caples (Fourth edition or earlier)
3. How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling – Frank Bettger
4. Scientific Advertising – Claude Hopkins
5. How to Write a Good Advertisement – Victor Schwab
6. My First Sixty Years in Advertising – Maxwell Sackheim
7. Secrets of Successful Direct Mail – Richard Benson
8. Breakthrough Advertising – Eugene Schwartz
9. The Robert Collier Letter Book – Robert Collier
10. Common Sense Direct and Digital Marketing – Drayton Bird

That's a good list.  I already have seven of them.

However, I think he missed one: How to write sales letters that sell by Drayton Bird which, in my opinion, is even better than The Robert Collier Letter Book.

Going too far, did you say?

Woah, give me a break and check it out yourself before getting the whip out.

Anyway, that is quite a comprehensive list and one you'd do well to take note of.

http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/thesystemseminar/

Be All You Can Be - Read

I just carried out an interview with Drayton Bird (more on that soon) where I asked him his recommendations for books and authors to study.

One thing Drayton said is that you should not restrict your reading to only business books. You should also read for leisure. (I won't go too much into this as it's all on the interview.)

However, very soon afterwards I received an email from Ken McCarthy of the System Seminar.

In this email he said something which really resonated with me, and should with you, too, if you intend doing well in your business: Be all you can be. Read.

He points to a post on his blog entitled: Ten classic direct marketing books, where he lists his ten best books on the subject.


This was fantastic news to me as I'm always on the lookout for more material to sink my teeth into (if I was a vampire I'd be biting into books rather than necks).

Here's his list:

1. My Life in Advertising – Claude Hopkins
2. Tested Advertising Methods – John Caples (Fourth edition or earlier)
3. How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling – Frank Bettger
4. Scientific Advertising – Claude Hopkins
5. How to Write a Good Advertisement – Victor Schwab
6. My First Sixty Years in Advertising – Maxwell Sackheim
7. Secrets of Successful Direct Mail – Richard Benson
8. Breakthrough Advertising – Eugene Schwartz
9. The Robert Collier Letter Book – Robert Collier
10. Common Sense Direct and Digital Marketing – Drayton Bird

That's a good list.  I already have seven of them.

However, I think he missed one: How to write sales letters that sell by Drayton Bird which, in my opinion, is even better than The Robert Collier Letter Book.

Going too far, did you say?

Woah, give me a break and check it out yourself before getting the whip out.

Anyway, that is quite a comprehensive list and one you'd do well to take note of.

http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/thesystemseminar/

How Adverts Should Be

I'll keep this brief.

Check out this advert. It talks about a problem, then it gives a solution to the problem.

Here's what makes it particularly good:

It introduces the product, tells you what it does, and then it tells you how it does it.

And the close: It shows you exactly how to order the product.

Copywriting in motion.

How Adverts Should Be

I'll keep this brief.

Check out this advert. It talks about a problem, then it gives a solution to the problem.

Here's what makes it particularly good:

It introduces the product, tells you what it does, and then it tells you how it does it.

And the close: It shows you exactly how to order the product.

Copywriting in motion.

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Try To Find A Real Life Comparison With What You're Doing

Recently I went through a selection of the websites run by the firms readers of this series work for.

The overwhelming majority focus on the company, not the customer.

They almost all base their approach on that deadening phrase "About us" and the content of most welcome pages is inward-looking and boastful "We are the leading, etc" stuff.

Now, I realise this may not even be your area, that it makes the people who run it feel good, and it's often suggested by website designers who know less than the square root of ****-all about marketing ...

... And I realise people want to be reassured that they're dealing with a good firm - but only after they've been sold on the benefits you offer.

Just think how most people come across your website. Nowadays it's the first place they go after you've attracted their interest - when they're wondering whether they want to go any further.

Here's a good way to look at it.

When you go to a site, it's as though you've just walked into a store. You look for a helpful sales person.

How would you react if you said, "I'm looking for a widget" and got this reply:

"We're wonderful. We're the best store in Oxford Street. Would you like to read our mission statement? The board loves it. Would you like to meet our management team? Like to read their biographies? See their pictures? How about the chairman's report?"

Crazy, really?

Well, I'm sorry, but that's what many of you are doing. If your firm has money to burn, please send it to me and I'll turn it into profit for you.

But to be serious, this leads me to today's Helpful Idea, which is:

Try to find a real life comparison with what you're doing.

Don't look at marketing as divorced from the real world - which is all too easy to do if you spend a lot of time sitting in meetings talking about strategy.

Try to imagine an analogy with real life, just as I did a few moments ago.

To make this clearer, here's another two examples.

Suppose people do you a favour in real life. What do you do? You say "thank you".

That's why thank-you letters - which I mentioned in a previous note to you - make such sense.

Or suppose you throw a party in real life. What would you like to know? You'd like to know if people enjoyed it. That's why questionnaires after events make sense.

Like so many other things in life, marketing is simple - if you allow it to be.

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 49 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

Headline Shortcuts Part VI - The Problem Solver

I've previously provided you, my dear subscriber,
no less than five ways to prepare headlines. (I
actually use 11 different techniques.)

Why are headlines so important? Remember, at
least 75 per cent of the buying decisions are made
at the point of the headline.

Without a powerful headline, your promotion stands
no chance whatsoever to be successful. Zero. Nada.

Indeed, it's absolutely crucial. Without a "killer"
headline, you may as well forget the promotion
completely.

Today I'm going to discuss another tested and
proven headline technique. I call it the Problem
Solver.

Basically, you state the prospect's problem as a
question. Then you offer a proven solution.

As you increase your understanding of headlines,
you also should be aware of the role of sub-
headlines.

** What is a sub-headline? **

Following a main headline which is presented in
large, bold print, you present two to five other
headlines in smaller print. These sub-headlines
entice the reader to read down into the text of your
copy. And then to the all-important close, call to
action and order information.

Here are some examples which best illustrate the
Problem Solver approach known by very few
people in the world.

******

Finding it Impossible to Keep Off Those Extra
Pounds?

Now you can stay in great shape and still enjoy
those foods you really love! (Sub-headline)

******

Worried About Losing Your Job?

Here is a proven time-tested way to get a new job
fast, even in today's tough times! (Sub-headline)

******

Stressed Out Every Month by Nagging Bills?

Here's a 100 per cent guaranteed way to live a
worry-free life and enjoy those things you felt you
could not afford! (Sub-headline)

******

Worried About Your Child's Grades in School?

Here's a guaranteed system for turning C's into A's,
improving concentration and transforming your
child's self-esteem! (Sub-headline)

******

Can't Find Quality Super Star Employees?

At last, here's a proven guaranteed system which
enables you to locate the truly outstanding
employees in your field (Sub-headline)

******

Has Expensive Credit Card Debt Got You Down?

Here is a step-by-step method that shows you how
to negotiate with credit card companies to reduce
both your obligation and usurious interest rates!
(Sub-headline)

******

Would You Sleep Better if You Had the Ultimate
Protection Available Against Losing Your Job?

Your best solution may be in starting your own
profitable home-based business in your spare time!
(Sub-headline)

******

Here is the Problem Solver step-by-step headline
formula:

State the prospect's problem as a question. Then
state the solution--

Here's a (proven, time tested, 100 per cent safe,
guaranteed) way to (get the ultimate benefit.)

******

Please keep me informed as to how your new
headlines have increased your Success Margin.

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

<< Back to Index Headline Shortcuts Part VI The Success Margin Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------- I've previously provided you, my dear subscriber, no less than five ways to prepare headlines. (I actually use 11 different techniques.) Why are headlines so important? Remember, at least 75 per cent of the buying decisions are made at the point of the headline. Without a powerful headline, your promotion stands no chance whatsoever to be successful. Zero. Nada. Indeed, it's absolutely crucial. Without a "killer" headline, you may as well forget the promotion completely. Today I'm going to discuss another tested and proven headline technique. I call it the Problem Solver. Basically, you state the prospect's problem as a question. Then you offer a proven solution. As you increase your understanding of headlines, you also should be aware of the role of sub- headlines. ** What is a sub-headline? ** Following a main headline which is presented in large, bold print, you present two to five other headlines in smaller print. These sub-headlines entice the reader to read down into the text of your copy. And then to the all-important close, call to action and order information. Here are some examples which best illustrate the Problem Solver approach known by very few people in the world. ****** Finding it Impossible to Keep Off Those Extra Pounds? Now you can stay in great shape and still enjoy those foods you really love! (Sub-headline) ****** Worried About Losing Your Job? Here is a proven time-tested way to get a new job fast, even in today's tough times! (Sub-headline) ****** Stressed Out Every Month by Nagging Bills? Here's a 100 per cent guaranteed way to live a worry-free life and enjoy those things you felt you could not afford! (Sub-headline) ****** Worried About Your Child's Grades in School? Here's a guaranteed system for turning C's into A's, improving concentration and transforming your child's self-esteem! (Sub-headline) ****** Can't Find Quality Super Star Employees? At last, here's a proven guaranteed system which enables you to locate the truly outstanding employees in your field (Sub-headline) ****** Has Expensive Credit Card Debt Got You Down? Here is a step-by-step method that shows you how to negotiate with credit card companies to reduce both your obligation and usurious interest rates! (Sub-headline) ****** Would You Sleep Better if You Had the Ultimate Protection Available Against Losing Your Job? Your best solution may be in starting your own profitable home-based business in your spare time! (Sub-headline) ****** Here is the Problem Solver step-by-step headline formula: State the prospect's problem as a question. Then state the solution-- Here's a (proven, time tested, 100 per cent safe, guaranteed) way to (get the ultimate benefit.) ****** Please keep me informed as to how your new headlines have increased your Success Margin. Your correspondent, Ted Nicholas * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * © Copyright MMVIII Ted Nicholas

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How To Be Specific When Writing Your Headline

There's not a lot I can say here except, listen carefully to what Eben Pagan is saying, and how he comes up with the headline.

"Specific, tangible and measurable is better than abstract and conceptual... almost always."

Keep that in mind as you watch this short video with an important lesson.

Pay special attention near the end.

Best,
Rezbi
http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/

Headline Shortcuts (Part V) - Get Benefits Fast, Regardless

Without a great and powerful headline, no matter
how good it is otherwise, your promotion will fail.
Absolutely!

I don't care how terrific the body copy is.

You need a "killer" headline or the promotion
doesn't stand a chance.

It's so important I repeat it here once more.
Seventy-five percent of the buying decision is made
at the headline.

Hopefully, my dear reader, you are now 100 percent
convinced.

I'm emphasizing headlines like I never have before.
Why? Direct marketers, including new personal
clients of mine, almost always propose or use
headlines which are incredibly weak, boring or
confusing. It's no wonder perhaps as many as 95
percent do not work. In fact, when I see the actual
response figures they don't even come close.

I've already revealed to subscribers in The Success
Margin four of my headline types. Each one is
proven to work through numerous marketing tests.

Today I'll teach you another amazingly powerful
type. I call it "Get Benefits Fast, Regardless."

I really love the power of this one. I'd be willing to
bet you will soon fall in love with it too.

To use and dramatize a certain aspect involved with
many products you can really get that all-important
attention.

If it fits your product, this simple, yet powerful
concept can empower your headline like
nothing else can. The single magic word which
describes it is:

Speed!

In marketing your products and services nothing
meets the heavy burden your headline must carry.

Your headline must do lots of "heavy lifting."

Here are a few responsibility mountains your
headline must climb. It must:

- Attract attention

- Select the right audience

- Make a bold promise

- Dramatize the biggest benefit

- Appeal to your prospect emotionally

Here are a few examples of the Get Benefits Fast,
Regardless technique:

*******

Speak Street French in 28 Days - Even if You've
Never Taken a Single Foreign Language Class - 100
Percent Guaranteed!

*******

Discover How You Can Prepare Five Gourmet
Meals Your Friends Will Rave About in One Week
- Even if You Know Little or Nothing About
Cooking!

*******

Get Fit in 30 Days or Less No Matter How Out of
Shape You Are Now - Guaranteed!

*******

Discover How to Slash Your Cost of Living By at
Least 30 Percent Within 10 Days without Lowering
Your Standard of Living - Or Your Money Back!

*******

Free Special Report Reveals How to Instantly
Avoid the Catastrophe of Identity Theft Which Can
Take Years to Clear From Your Record!

*******

Within 24 Hours Discover Best Tax Avoidance
Secrets the I.R.S. Does Not Want You to Know!

*******

At Last, Within Seven Days You'll Meet at Least
One Person Who Tests Out as Your Ideal Romantic
Partner - Or Your Money Back!

*******

Here is the Fill-in-the-Blanks method for this
technique, Get Benefit Fast, Regardless.

(Discover, Have, Get, Be Enjoy etc.) the (Biggest
Benefit) in (Specific Time Period) Guaranteed. No
Matter What (Your Age, Condition, Bank Account,
Skill Level etc. Doesn't Matter.)

If speed is a crucial or indispensible part of your
product benefit this technique can really make sales
soar!

My dear reader, I'll look forward to hearing about
your many successful headlines.

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

Do You Make These Mistakes In English?

I’m a bit of an aficionado when it comes to adverts. I love the old classics.

And, if you’re anything like me, you may have heard of an ad written by Maxwell Sackheim for the Sherwin Cody English course.

The headline for this ad was...

"Do You Make These Mistakes in English?"

This ad out-pulled all others for the product and ran for around 40 years.

In fact, see what Sackheim himself said about it:

"That ad was one of the determining factors in putting my name in the all-time Copywriters Hall of Fame…Other copywriters compared its results with a lot of other ads but ‘Do You Make These Mistakes In English’ always came out best."

(Right click on the image and save to
download this for your swipe file)

Let’s take a look at why this advert was so successful.

The first thing you might notice is that it just looks like something you might want to read. It doesn’t look like so many typical adverts might do.

If you look at the photograph of Sherwin Cody, there’s a quality about it that seems to draw you in. He just looks authoritative... someone who may have something of importance to say.

And, the thing which stands out most to me (and maybe to you), is the value the copy provides. There’s information in there that could be worth taking the time to read.

And, if you continue to read, you find that, indeed, the information is of value to the target audience.

When you read on you realise the way it’s written. You get the impression the writer really knows his market. As if he is the market.

Now let's get down to specifics.

The headline, "Do You Make These Mistakes in English?" is speaking directly to the intended audience.

First, it addresses him or her by the use of 'You', making it personal to the reader.

Who is the reader? The one who makes 'Mistakes in English'.

Then it states, specifically, 'These Mistakes', highlighting the fact there's information of value in the body copy.

Take a look at this last part again, the word 'these' grabs the reader's attention. It points to specific mistakes in English. This fact alone makes you want to read on to find out what ‘these’ mistakes are.  The curiosity value.

The question is literally directing you to the answer, which is in the body copy.  If you want to find out what 'these mistakes' are, you have to read on.

And, when you do, you get a free lesson in English, which pulls you in, ensuring you read the rest of the ad. In fact, it doesn’t even seem like an ad: Just some valuable information.

Then, after you've had a taste of what's to come, the ad has set you up to go further.

But it makes it even easier for you.

You can even order a free book and a 15 minutes test, which are the perfect components to get you to sign up and make the order.

A perfect close.

Best,
Rezbi
www.directmarketingcourse.com
www.hotbuttoncopywriting.com
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com

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Profits During Recession?

Numerous Success Margin subscribers are sweating
out today's recessionary times.

Or what is perceived as tough times.

Remember this. In marketing, whether the economy
is good or bad, perception is reality.

I've lived through at least three recessions. And you
must adjust your marketing communications during
tough times.

I can't think of a single product or service that
couldn't be repositioned in such a way as to boost
sales for as long as the recession continues.

One good strategy is to help your customers use
your products to cope with the economy.

Adjusting my strategies has always caused me to
make far more profit in recession than in so-called
"good times."

In the Ted Nicholas mentoring member newsletter,
as well as here in The Success Margin, I'm getting
lots of questions to which I'm providing unique,
invaluable marketing and copy approaches.

I just responded to a vitamin marketer who is a
member of my mentoring program. I believe my
suggested strategy and new copy suggestions will
win the day for him!

However, as with all copy, you must treat every
headline and copy as a test. This includes the
ones I may brainstorm on these pages.

One subscriber to The Success Margin writes:

"I'm a real estate developer and builder. Sales
are off by more than 50% in the last 6 months.
If you were me what would you do to revitalize
sales?"

Here, T.T., is my answer:

Tough times require creative solutions. Here is
a unique strategy. I would have an architect
design a duplex home project. I'd build a scale
model I could use to sell off plan. I'd start
advertising as follows:

"Live Rent Free"
(Headline)

Announcing the only real estate investment
that makes sense today!
(Subhead)

The rest of the copy would amplify these points.
Plus, I'd include how people always need housing,
no matter the economy. I'd then include:

"You could rent out both sides of the duplex. Or
live in one and rent out the other," etc.

What positive sales arguments are you making for
your products during these recessionary times? The
right answer could maximize your success.

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

Here Are Two Adverts: Can You Guess Which Did Better?

How good is your judgment?

Below are two ads, both over 100 years old.

Can you guess which did better?

---

You'll find the answer near the end of this piece.

How did you do?

Now let me tell you about them.

I originally saw these ads during my first job as a creative director, some 40 years ago. Our biggest client sold washing machines direct - and I must have done a pretty good job as our chief competitor went broke.

I would like to say this was entirely because of my uncanny talent, but it was largely because we had a better product.

Anyhow, I had read something by David Ogilvy saying that before he wrote for any new client he studied all the advertising in the relevant category over the previous 20 years. I went back even further.

I found a book called My First 50 Years in Advertising, by Max Sackheim - which is excellent, by the way.

Max eventually co-founded one of the first specialist direct marketing agencies - Sackheim and Sherman, and he told the story of the winning ad, one of the first he ever wrote, in the late 1890s.

Anyhow, this leads to my next hint, taken from the great John Caples, who was once asked by the Wall Street Journal if the principles he laid down in the '30's and '40's still applied.

"Times change. People don't" he responded.

So, study what has worked in the past - even the distant past.

Which ad worked better? "Let this machine do your washing free" (with a happier face and much longer copy) trounced the negative approach and set Max Sackheim's career going.

I read his story and then wrote an ad headed, "Try this washing machine free in your home for 7 days". I even used the same typeface, which at that time was out of fashion.

I decided on this approach partly because I had found that once people had the washing machine in their homes hardly any complained, whereas only 20% of normal enquirers converted to sales.

The ad worked like a charm, and saved a ton of money in salesman's commission

***

Here's a sad postscript.

After I quit the agency to go into the mail order business, they forgot the principles I had listed for them, started getting "creative", and the client went broke.

The poor fellow who owned the company committed suicide. So good marketing can be a matter of life and death. And fancy ideas can kill.

***

(Max Sackheim and his partner devised the concept of the modern book club, and I shall write to you about him again, as he wrote one of the most successful advertisements ever, which ran for 40 years).

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 24 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

An Offer Just For You

Here's today's helpful idea - something for you to think about over the next day or so.

It relates to a promise I made yesterday about an offer which quite a few marketers have found extremely profitable over the last 11 months.

It's based on a simple fact many people ignore, which is this:

Good creative costs no more to run than bad creative and you can run it again and again and again - in fact, almost forever.

For instance a client tried out a simple phrase we suggested for their website order page over two years ago. Overnight their enquiries tripled. It's still there today.

Since that client is the second largest firm in their field turning over hundreds of millions, God alone knows how much that simple suggestion has made for them.

Does that sound like a good investment to you?

I imagine it does, unless you are one of those eccentrics who worry more about what something costs than what it makes.

(I don't suppose you are, or you wouldn't be reading these ideas, so here's the offer).

1. Pick any communication, in any medium, that you'd like improved.


2. We'll prepare something for half our usual rates.


3. Do a split run.


4. If we win ...give us another...or pay the full price.

It worked for them (at full price)...

Everest
Liverpool Victoria
Hargreaves Lansdown
RIAS
PruHealth
DHL
Central Capital
Warner Holidays
Inside Track

Why not you at half price?

This is one of those rare occasions where the words 'limited offer' happen to be true.

Not because I wouldn't like buckets of new business, but for a more important reason: it is that I value my reputation more than money.

I personally write or supervise everything that leaves our little office. On top of that, I only work with people who know what they are doing - an extremely small minority in this business, believe me.

We can only take on a maximum of 5 new clients who reply to email, maybe as I mentioned at the beginning, but last time I made this offer people replied almost instantly.

(Publisher's note: This offer may be no longer available.  Please leave a comment if you're interested and Drayton will be notified. We can't guarantee you a place.)

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 17 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.

Headline Shortcuts (Part IV) - Stacked Benefits

Please do not forget this, dear subscriber. Seventy-
five percent of the buying decision is made at the
headline.

Today's important Success Margin series featuring
Headline Shortcuts continues with an enormously
powerful category. I call it Stacked Benefits.

I use Stacked Benefits when I'm promoting a
product or service with several strong benefits of
nearly equal power and importance.

I've found in certain instances there is no single
benefit "superstar." So this Stacked Benefit is ideal.

Learn it. Apply it. And watch your bank account
grow.

Here are some examples:

*******
How to Grow Your Business, Gain More
Free Time and Profit Like Never Before
in Just Three Easy Sessions - Guaranteed!

*******

Discover 147 Time-Saving Ideas That Will Help
You and Your Staff Get Organized, Accomplish
More in Less Time with Less Effort - Guaranteed
or Double Your Money Back

*******

How to Get a Gorgeous Tan, Be Safely Protected
from Harmful UV Rays, While Gaining That
Natural Golden Look All Over... In Just Six Weeks
- Guaranteed - Or You Pay Nothing!

*******

How to Safely Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days,
Maintain Your Energy Level and Avoid Sagging
Skin - Guaranteed or Your Money Back

*******

How to Earn Money in Your Own
Part-Time Internet Business, With
Low Investment, Without Major Stress
and Still Have a Life - or You Pay Nothing!

*******

How to Meet Three Qualified Single Men in 30
Days Who Have Been Thoroughly Pre-Screened,
Over a No-Obligation Cup of Coffee, Taking as
Little as 15 Minutes of Time - Guaranteed

*******

Here is my Fill-in-the-Blanks formula for the
Stacked Benefits technique.

How to Get (Benefit #1) (Benefit #2) and
(Benefit#3) (three is ideal) In Just (actual time
period required) Guaranteed or (Your Money Back,
Double Your Money Back, It's Free, or You Pay
Nothing, etc.)

Does your product offer several benefits to your
prospects which are fairly equal in power?

If so, your Stacked Benefit headline may provide
you just the Success Margin you need!

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

Why Learn The Hard Way?

Do you realise you are one of a very small, distinguished, lazy minority?

Did that sound a bit paradoxical - or as if I was buttering you up - or both?

It was both - and I'll tell you why, with some helpful suggestions.

A few naturally suspicious souls (marketing does that to you, doesn't it?) have asked if I really just sit down and write these helpful ideas just off the cuff.

Some think I wrote them all before I began. Well, I actually wrote two, and kept going. Now I have 23 more ideas already lined up for you, but not written.

Would you like to know where they come from? Only one source - and anyone can tap it just as easily as I do.

Let me explain what I mean.

I am editing this in the kitchen of a pleasant house in Montclair, New Jersey. I often come here to see my 11-year old daughter Chantal.

(Don't panic: I'm not going to be a doting parent and show you the photographs, but I will tell you a relevant story.)

Last year Chantal sang with her choir in Carnegie Hall, New York, about which there is a very old joke.

A man asks a New Yorker, "Can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?"

The New Yorker replied, "Study!"

Well, the difference between the winners and losers in marketing is mostly just that. Study.

And the only reason I can give you these ideas is the same reason you're reading them. I study - I'm not that talented. I have a library of thousands of examples - good and bad - and I add to them constantly.

Are you intelligently lazy?

Because you're reading this, I know you study too - which is why I put you in that small, distinguished minority.

But you may have wondered why I put you in a lazy minority.

Well, when I started in advertising I was amazed to see that most people relied on flair, luck, good looks, intuition, what they liked - anything except a study of what worked and what didn't.

"What glorious good luck," I said to myself. "I've found a business where people are too stupid to study. How can I fail?"

But what's even more amazing is that today, decades later, nothing has changed. It's probably even worse!

I must have asked thousands of people at conferences and seminars what marketing books they've read - and the overwhelming majority have read few or even none.

I'm just staggered.

Not because they're lazy. Most of them are diligently beavering away. And often on things that are a waste of time.

And they spend far too much time on the urgent, rather than the important; on the latest fashionable fad, as a substitute for grounded knowledge.

The truth is that you and I are the real lazy ones - which is the paradox I mentioned.

Isn't it sheer madness to spend arduous years learning as you go along - like these amateurs do? You can easily pick up what you need in a few weekends from people who've invested lifetimes and billions learning what you need to know?

That is being smart, professional and intelligently lazy.

And it's why my helpful hint is the reading list contained in the box. I'm sure you've read some of those books, but not all.

Recommended Reading List E-mail Marketing Made Easy, Malcolm Auld Secrets of Successful Direct Mail, Richard V Benson Commonsense Direct Marketing, Drayton Bird How to Write a Sales Letter that sells! Drayton Bird Tested Advertising Methods, John Caples Eicoff on Broadcast Direct Marketing, Al Eicoff Scientific Advertising, Claude Hopkins Profitable Direct Marketing, Jim Kobs Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy Maxi Marketing, Stan Rapp and Tom Collins The Great Brain Robbery, Murray Raphel How to Advertise, Ken Roman and Jane Maas Writing that Works, Ken Roman and Joel Raphelson How to write a good advertisement, Victor Schwab Successful Direct Marketing Methods, Bob Stone The Solid Gold Mailbox, Walter Weintz The End of Marketing as We Know It, Sergio Zyman

One of those books - Scientific Advertising - I've already offered free in this series. (Note from Rezbi: Stick your name and email into the box at top right and I'll whizz it over to you in a few minutes).

But you might like to know that David Ogilvy told me over dinner one night in a castle near Frankfurt that "Everything I know I learned from John Caples."

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 20 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.

Mobile Traffic Domination

Mobile Marketing The Future Of Making Money @ Yahoo! Video

Mobile marketing is the future. And of all the products I've seen, this one stands out.

And the cost is a fraction of some others I could mention.

Click Here:

Mobile Traffic Domination

Headline Shortcuts (Part III) - Ways To/Reasons Why

I think of a headline as an ad for an ad. As a
marketer, you should too. And be aware of the
following truth.

"On average five times as many people read the
headlines as read the body copy. It follows that
unless your headline sells your product, you have
wasted 90 percent of your money."

Who said this? The late David Ogilvy, world-
famous founder of the ad agency Ogilvy & Mather
and author of the best-seller "Confessions of an
Advertising Man."

I call today's headline shortcut Ways To/Reasons
Why.

Here are some headline examples which illustrate
this powerful and underused technique.

*******

Seven Reasons Why Information Publishing is
Today's Best Business Opportunity

*******

11 Secrets I Wasn't Taught in School That Have
Put Millions in My Bank Account

*******

Ten Ways to Survive and Prosper
During the Current Recession

*******

Six Ways to Beat the Coming Tax Increase

*******

13 Inside Secrets to Getting the Best Deal
On Your Next Automobile
Car Dealers Do Not Want You to Know

*******

101 Little-Known Ways to Add
Perceived Value to Your Home
So it Sells Fast For at Least
98.5 Percent of the Full Asking Price!

*******

17 Ways to Make More Money From Home
With Your Own Internet Business

*******

There are Three Good Reasons an Internet Offer
Succeeds... And You Already Know Two of Them--
The Third Reason May Be The Final Piece of the
Puzzle That Makes Your Next Offer Click

*******

The main reason this wonderful technique works so
well rests on a very simple principle that is a
powerful motivator for all of us.

Curiosity!

Think about your own experience as a consumer.
When you see an ad that lists a number of ways to
do something beneficial to you, can you resist
checking it out?

I cannot. I'm always intrigued. I want to know the
"ways." Or "secrets." Or "reasons." And once into
the copy, if it's good, I often order.

Do you relate to this?

My experience has proven to me most consumers
feel the same way.

The formula for the technique Ways To/Reasons
Why is very simple. Here it is:

(Specific number) ways to dramatize (the big
benefit)

I look forward to seeing your highly charged
headlines and, as always, hearing about your greater
success.

Since the headline shortcut series began, so many
Success Margin subscribers have sent in beautiful
headlines. I'm considering a contest for the best
ones.

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

Where To Get Ideas From

Some time ago I went to see a client who asked me where I get the ideas for these effusions from.

All sorts of places is the answer, but the question stimulated me to write Where to get ideas.

I love history, so I'll start with Vincenzo Lunardi, a Neapolitan who in 1784 was the first person in England to ascend in a balloon. They say 200,000 people watched him, including King George III through a telescope from St. James's Palace.

Afterwards the intrepid balloonist wrote to the King describing it all. Besides a dog, a cat and a pigeon, which escaped - the pigeon, I mean - he took a leg of chicken and a bottle of wine, admirable chap. Here is a splendid picture.



The bottle of wine reminds me of an old film I saw of David Ogilvy talking about how to get ideas. He said a bottle - then corrected himself - half a bottle of good claret helped. Since I know a bottle was more about his mark, I suspect he edited the truth so as not to drive young writers and art directors to drink before their time.

I do not entirely recommend booze as the high road to inspiration, but it can be. I once drafted a mailing to get legacies for Save the Children when distinctly squiffy. It worked well for many years.

I was completely potted when I wrote perhaps my best mailing. Professor Derek Holder, founder of the Institute of Direct Marketing, had come to show me a letter inviting potential sponsors to the launch of his new venture at the Barbican.

With the refreshing candour a truckload of wine confers, I said it was lousy because it was too impersonal, but I would revise it. Gathering my addled wits, I dictated something which my then PA, Daphne, transcribed. I edited it, and off he went into the late afternoon sunshine. I didn't hear from him until he asked if I was coming to the event. There was a full house. The letter got over 70% response. Derek never looked back.

I don't know what happened to that letter - I wish I had kept it. But I always feel pleased to have contributed, despite my unsteady condition, to one of the most beneficial things direct marketing has seen.

One good source of ideas is called getting on with it. There is such a temptation to look at that accusing blank screen or sheet of paper and go and do something else. But the mere act of writing gets you going.

• Trollope used to get up every morning very early - I think at 5:30 - and write for 3 hours before going to his job at the Post Office.


• Richard Strauss used to be shown to his study by his domineering wife with the admonition. "Richard, go and compose."


• Sheridan had not written the last act of "The Rivals" on the Friday before it was due to open. They locked him in a room with paper, ink and bottles of port until he did so.

But as I said, the demon drink is neither the ideal nor the only way to get ideas. Many people find exercise helps. I have had many of my better thoughts when riding my bike or walking my dog when I had one. Beethoven also enjoyed long walks. Mozart liked to play billiards.

Some years ago a French businessman lamented the growing practice in France of taking showers rather than baths, which he believed better for getting ideas. Victor Ross, former chairman of The Reader's Digest, Europe, responsible for some of the most effective direct marketing innovations, has a theory about this.

He says these methods encourage the circulation of the blood to the brain. Another example he gives is shaving. Many people report having had good ideas when shaving.

In the film I mentioned, David Ogilvy, with one of his wonderfully frank and old-fashioned turns of phrase, said that things sometimes came to him when "at stool". That's a form of exercise, too. Come to think of it, it's also where I was when I had the idea for this. I guess you could call it straining for ideas.

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 42 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.

Headline Shortcuts (Part II)

We're buried in e-mails! All due to an
unprecedented number of Success Margin
subscribers from around the world overwhelmingly
wanting more Headline Shortcuts!

Apparently my dear subscribers recognize the
enormous and irreplaceable importance of the
headline.

I'm very pleased! I love it when my readers "get it"!

Please understand this key point. Without a great
headline your promotion is doomed.

"75% of the buying decisions are made at the
headline alone." Who said so? The late, great, John
Caples, author of the wonderful book, Testing
Advertising Methods.

Today we'll cover the amazing sales power of what
I call the "Visualize It" headline technique.

Here are some headline examples which illustrate
this powerful technique:

*******

Imagine...You a Millionaire Publisher!

*******

Imagine...You on Top of the Best-Seller List!

*******

Imagine... You a Millionaire Real Estate
Developer!

*******

Picture This... You Open Your Mail Box and Find
it Stuffed with Hundreds of Orders! Welcome to the
World of Mail Order Marketing!

*******

Imagine... Sipping Pina Coladas on the Sun
Drenched Beaches of Beautiful St. Barts Where
There's Always a Gentle Breeze and the Most
Difficult Decision You Face All Day is Which 5-
Star Restaurant You'll Choose for Dinner!

*******

Picture Yourself in a Committed, Loving
Relationship with the Partner of your Dreams!

*******

Picture Yourself at the End of Your Speech
Experiencing the Entire Audience Spontaneously
Giving you a Standing Ovation!

*******

The key to a successful "Visualize It" headline is
this. Your particular niche audience must closely
identify with and relate to what you present.

Here is the question I strive to answer before I start
writing a word. What's the biggest dream (or one of
the biggest dreams) the majority share within my
niche audience?

Every person, of course, has dreams. Whether they
are entrepreneurs, doctors, professionals, artists,
speakers, writers, or technical people, such as
computer technicians.

Your job is to discover what your audience
dreams about in the vivid fantasy life we all have.

Once you have struck the right emotional chord
with your audience that resonates, you are 90% of
the way to a huge multi-million dollar success. The
other 10% is to prepare body copy that amplifies the
promise within the headline.

Are you getting this headline stuff? Is it clear to
you?

Please let me know how you are getting on with this
topic. Trust me. Every minute you spend
developing your headline skills will pay off for you
big time!

Watch for the next issue of The Success Margin. I'll
cover another powerful Headline Shortcuts (Part
III). This has made many of my clients very wealthy
indeed. And if you apply it, it will do the same for you.
I call it Ways To/Reasons Why...

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

Don't Treat Your Customer Like This

A friend of mine, Roger Millington, is one of the funniest and most able copywriters I know.

So I will let him introduce this idea in his inimitable fashion: don't treat the customer like a ****.

You can fill in the asterisks to suit yourself. They probably stand for "clot" or "fool".

What is really a shame is when a firm which has always treated customers well stops doing so.

Since 1993 I have shown in seminars an excellent example of a thank-you letter from Viking Direct to my old PA, Denise.

However, before she moved to greener pastures she showed me three more letters from Viking that arrived at once, all addressing her as Valued Customer.

This phrase in fact means precisely the opposite of what it says.

It means "even though you've been buying things from us for fifteen years we can't be bothered to make a note of your name."

Don't use the phrase, whatever you do.

A much better example of this sort of folly came from Jack Barclay who wrote to me a while ago. Click here to see their letter - it raises a number of interesting questions:

1) Can't they be bothered to write personally to somebody who has squandered countless thousands on their wretched vehicles?*

2) Can't they be bothered to find out what I drive. (I don't drive at all actually - my wife does) - especially bearing in my mind that they seem to think I am a member of their family?

3) Just as a matter of interest when they wrote I had a flat 100 yards away from their offices and my wife was perfectly able to tell you the name of their service manager - and a quite a few other members of their staff.

The great American merchant Julius Rosenwald who built up Sears, Roebuck and Co to be the world's biggest retailer said his ambition was to stand on both sides of the counter at once.

This is hard to do, but at the very least I recommend the following three part helpful hint which I first coined for a talk at American Express in New York some years ago:

1) Respect your customer

2) Stay close to your customer

3) Use your imagination

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 22 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.

The Most Important Copywriting Secret No One Talks About

Every time I receive a critique request from a
mentee I'm also asked this. What's my overall
opinion on the copy?

To be of most help to my clients, I must point out
an important aspect of copy that in my experience
is not discussed by others.  And it's perhaps the
most elusive aspect of copy to ever grasp.

However, no matter how creative the copy may be,
unless this aspect is present the copy simply will
not work.

The best way I know to understand this element is
to think about it in a special way.

Every student of a musical instrument knows this.
You need a tuning fork to accurately vibrate with
to capture the exact level of any particular sound.

When writing copy, it's as though there are two
tuning forks that must exactly match their sound.
We must get the tuning fork within us to vibrate in
harmony with the tuning fork within those to
whom we are making an offer.

Otherwise, if you are not vibrating in tune with
prospects, they simply will not act on your copy.

However, if you are vibrating in tune, a majority
of your prospects will relate with your message.
And many will act on it.

How do I know if I'm vibrating with and on the
same page as my prospects?

It's really quite easy. If the response is heavy in
both orders as well as comments and feedback, I
know whether I'm on the same page.

Response is the telltale sign. This is, of course,
the main beauty of direct response marketing!

When you completely miss the mark, it's also
not hard to tell. There is very little response of
any kind.

So, when writing copy, your challenge is this.
To get your tuning fork vibrating in tune with
the majority of your prospects.

Admittedly, to make the judgment initially is
more of an art than a science. But you do get
better with experience. And actual results will
confirm whether your judgments are correct.

In any case, to succeed big, your copywriting
efforts should be directed toward really getting
in tune with your market.

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

The Secret Of Getting The Sale

In May 1998 I went for a job interview with a small computer-engineering firm.  I got the job.

My interviewer told me that, after three days of interviewing, I was the first person he'd met who actually knew what I was talking about.

That was quite funny.

Because I knew next to nothing about computers at the time.

Here's what happened:

Up to that point I was working for a very small engineering firm for about two months.  Before that I worked for six weeks for another firm - for nothing - just to get some experience.

Anyway, while I was at this firm, a friend called from an I.T. recruitment firm and asked if I wanted to work for Sun Microsystems.

Like he had to ask.  Of course I did.

It turned out this engineering firm had an account with Sun Micro.

He told me what the job would entail, and what they expected me to know for the interview.

The interview would be in a week's time.

And I knew absolutely nothing about the things he mentioned.

So, over the next few days, I started to read.

I read everything I could get my hands on related to the particular topics.

I read on the train home.  I read on the train to work.  I read during my short breaks.  I read at home.

In fact, I read everywhere... all the time.

By the time I got to the interview, I knew a heck of a lot more than I needed to.

And the questions the interviewer threw at me were, by then, relatively easy.

I'd thought about all the different questions he'd ask me based on what I'd read.  I thought about all the objections he'd throw my way.  And I prepared the answers in my head.

Come to think of it, I could have written a letter... a sales letter... based on everything I had prepared and thought of.

Just as in a sales letter you have to enter the conversation your prospect has been having with himself (who said that?), I had to think of everything my interviewer may have been thinking.

It turned out I was pretty much on the button as I'd taken the time to do the research and prepare properly.

As he asked my one question after another, all through the interview I was getting hints I may be getting the job.

He started of by saying something like, "If you get the job what would you..?"

The it went to, "Assuming you're successful..?"

Then it was, "When you get the job..?"

Finally it was, "When you start working for us..?"

Subtle hints like that.

He finished off by saying, as they all do, that I would hear by the end of the week whether or not I was successful.

And then he asked me if I had any questions for him.

Having paid attention to the clues, I said I had none... except one...

"Is there any reason you can think of why you would not give me this job... right now?"

He smiled.

And said he couldn't think of any reasons, then congratulated me.

I got the job, there and then.

What I learned pretty early on is this: Sometimes you have to be direct.  You have to ask for the sale.

It's no use going through a brilliant sales spiel, only to lose the sale at the end because you're afraid to ask for it.

I've been direct throughout my life.  Sometimes I got the 'job'.  Most times I did not.

However, when I did get it, I got it BIG.

That was the highest earning job I've had in my life.

Let's face it: When you write a sales letter, or send out an email, how often do you get a 100% conversion rate?

Come to think of it, how often do you get 50%? Or 20%? Or even 10%?

Using my direct approach in life I've probably managed about a 25% conversion.

And it's always been the biggies.

Now that ain't bad, is it?

Best,
Rezbi

If You Want Results, Give People The Time And Money To Deliver Them

How d'you like the sound of this?

I read it and wept.

"At a 5% royalty, my income from a single ad often exceeds $1,000,000. How long does a winning piece of copy take me to write? Less than two weeks."

The man who wrote it is Ted Nicholas, who may be the highest-paid copywriter in America right now.

One or two others lay claim to that crown - Clayton Makepeace for instance - but who's arguing when it comes to that kind of money?

Now contrast it with what I heard in the last week from two highly competent English writers I know.

"20 years ago I was getting £2,500 for a mail pack. Now I'd be dancing in the street if I got that."

"People are moaning at paying more than £1,000 for a mail-pack."

Well, as more than one person has observed, if you pay peanuts, what you end up with is monkeys.

But having delivered myself of that bit of waggery, let me make a serious point.

Virtuous circle versus vicious circle

Ted Nicholas makes big money because he gives people what they want - results.

They are so keen to get them that they pay royalties - a common practice in the U.S. So he can afford to spend two weeks on a mailing.**

It's a virtuous circle. If you have enough time, you're more likely to create a winner - and the more winners you create the more people pay, the more time and money you get - and so on.

But some people in this country do get fancy money for creative work. One agency less than half a mile from my offices was charging £15,000 for mailing packs two years ago - and if you see their gorgeous offices, you know they need the money.

What might surprise you is that their work was so disastrous that even their big client's board noticed it eventually - - and fired the marketing director.

How do people like this get away with it? I'll tell you.

Because strangely enough, results are not what some people want. I don't just mean those impressed by smart offices or who like a lot of entertaining.

It's more complicated than that.

One marketing man with a huge company told my partner Marta that good results meant their budgets were cut. And you may recall my story about the marketing director whose love of brand values far exceeded any trivial concerns about response.

But here is the start of a vicious circle. People are chosen for reasons other than results. Then those on high decide, quite reasonably, direct marketing doesn't work ... and next time it's harder to get the budgets.

If you want results, give people the time and money to deliver them.

Let me end with three pieces of news for you - but let me guess which you will decide is good and which is bad.

1. This series of 51 is now coming to an end. (Sighs of relief all round).

2. So many people have said they like these ideas - and quite a few have said they want me to carry on - that I will. (Mixed feelings all round).

3. Many of you find it hard to keep up with them all, so I'm just going to do two a week. (More sighs of relief - especially from me).

Please tell me if you have any topics you'd like covering, and I'll try.

** Here's another reason why I sometimes cry into my beer.

For over two years the control mailing and door-drop for our biggest client, who sends them out by the million have been ours.

They keep testing them against other people's efforts; nobody has ever beaten us. Their second best producer is also ours; and it looks like their third best will be, too.

If only we were on a royalty!

That is what I call a return on investment - but you won't get it for £1,000 - or £2,500, for that matter.

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 45 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.

Rich Schefren Interviews Clayton Makepeace On Copywriting And Direct Mail

As the title says, Rich Schefren interviews Clayton Makepeace.

Clayton discusses all aspects of copywriting and direct mail.

How To Make A Fortune Promoting Other People's Products

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Featured Article
How to Make a Fortune Promoting Other People's Products

By Jimmy D. Brown of "Affiliatenaire"

There must be a reason why some affiliates succeed and some
fail, a reason why some affiliates profit moderately and some
affiliates profit substantially.

There must be a reason.

There is.

And that reason is this:  "super" affiliates start, sustain and
strengthen relationships with subscribers.

It begins and ends with a list.  Even a small one can be a
powerful, profitable mechanism if you follow these 7
guidelines...

1. CAPTURE THE OPTIN FIRST.

Instead of sending traffic directly to your affiliate link,
send them to YOUR site where you offer some kind of list for
them to join.  (Hint:  Mini-course works best)  Once you have
them on a list, they become an asset.  If you send them directly
to an affiliate page and they don't buy,  they're gone forever.
On your list, you can follow-up  with them
indefinitely.

Note:  You can even redirect them to your affiliate link AFTER
they join your list, effectively getting them where you wanted
them to go in the first place.

2. DIFFERENTIATE THE OFFER.

Instead of sending out the same, tired, lame advertisement that
every other affiliate in the world sends out, write your own.
Trust me when I say that many people find it  OFFENSIVE when
they receive two dozens duplicate emails from two dozen list
owners all promoting the exact same thing in the exact same way.
And even if they don't find it offensive, it's not as effective
if you simply rinse and repeat what everyone else is doing.

Hint:  Here's how you differentiate...

3. SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE.

Nothing - nothing - nothing speaks louder than RESULTS.  If you
want to lose a few pounds, who do you turn to?  Someone  who is
still struggling with their own weight or someone you've seen
drop 35 pounds?  Exactly.

The way you make your mailings / ads different is you speak
from your own personal experience.  This product or service that
you are promoting as an affiliate, how has it been useful to you
personally?  What results have you personally achieved? When you
used it, what happened?

Note:  If you haven't personally used the product, then shame
on you for trying to make a quick buck from it hocking it to
others!

4. OFFER A COMPELLING INCENTIVE.

Another way to be different - and to dramatically increase your
chances of getting a sale as an affiliate - is to offer some
kind of compelling incentive if someone buys the offer through
YOUR referral link.  Whether it's a special report or access to
an audio recording, personalized consultation or advertising, a
private training call or existing products and services, this
can be a highly effective method of converting fence-setters
into paying customers.

In order for it to work well, it must be UNIQUE (I.E.  You're
the only one making the offer) and USEFUL (I.E.  Something of
great perceived value to the reader).

Note:  Don't have anything to offer?  Don't worry!  There are
many ways to easily obtain extra incentives:  conduct an
interview, hire a ghostwriter to create articles / reports for
you, buy reprint rights to other products, assemble a bunch of
free articles and other resources into a private access site,
etc.

5. LOOK FOR RESIDUAL OPPORTUNITIES.

Rather than exhaust your efforts on purchases that give you a
one-time commission, why not make the most of your marketing by
looking firstly for offers that pay out ONGOING monthly
commissions for your referred sales?

There are many different residual income generating services
such as membership sites (ranging from PT Cruisers to weight
loss), stock photos and clipart, hosting, autoresponders,
databases (from hiking trails to sermon outlines) online
magazines and a variety of other subscription based
opportunities that reward you with monthly recurring commissions.

While you definitely want a mix of types of affiliate programs
to promote, your priority should be in identifying and promoting
those services and programs that will pay you month after month,
instead of only one time.

6. BUILD A SALES ARMY.

One of the biggest untapped sources of income in any list is
that of "turning subscribers into partners".  In other words,
find those on your list who are interested in making money and
provide them with training and materials to promote affiliate
programs as well.

This has a two-fold advantage for YOU:

* First, if you find 2-tier affiliate programs, you can get
your subscribers to join the program through your referral.
Anytime they get a sale, you'll earn a commission as well.  You
effectively get free commissions from their effort.

* Secondly, you can use their efforts to build your own assets.
For example:  If you provide them with a 10-page report to give
away to promote their affiliate link, you can include a page in
the report promoting YOUR list!  You effectively get free
subscribers from their effort.

7. MONETIZE FOR MULTIPLE STREAMS.

As your own list continues to grow, you certainly want to
diversify in your offerings.  (Not to the point of bombarding
your list with offers every day of course!)

* Promote other affiliate programs.
* Create your own products.
(Even short $10 reports will earn profit!)
* Establish joint ventures.
* Co-author products.
* Cross promote.
* Conduct surveys.

There are MANY ways to make money from you list and keep your
list growing, growing, growing!

Remember, it all comes down to:  starting, sustaining and
strengthening relationships with subscribers.

And that's how you make a fortune as an affiliate promoting
other people's products.

Jimmy D. Brown is the author of "Affiliatenaire", teaching
you how to create big-time affiliate commission checks in
only 1-3 hours each week.  Discover how you can get cash in
the bank without a website, experience or even an idea!
Visit http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/affiliatenaire/
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How Much Are Your Customers Worth?

Let's talk about money today.

Specifically, what your marketing costs - and what you get in exchange.

And let's talk about the meaning of words - because the way we describe things to an extent determines what we do.

Thus, if you talk about junk mail, you're more likely to produce it.

But first, a little joke provoked by the torrent of e-mails I got in reply to my foolish offer of a video. which I then had to make. AAAAARGH!


"That's another fine mess you've got me in."

I apologise if you're familiar with what follows - but I find that many aren't; and of those who are, a surprising number don't act upon its important implications.

Some people talk about marketing "spend". Others talk about marketing "investment".

You'll probably agree that those who see it as spend are more likely to make it one of the first things they cut down on when times are hard. Those who see it as investment are less likely to do so.

Well it is an investment - and a wise one. Firms that spend more on marketing are on average more profitable than firms that don't.

What's more, firms that keep spending when times are hard tend to emerge even stronger than before - for a simple reason: they have a greater "share of voice" when an industry is spending less as a whole.

Of course, many firms may talk about marketing as an investment - but not mean it. They wish to sound as though they're thinking intelligently about it, but they don't really mean it.

In fact most firms manage their marketing to suit their internal needs, which is crazy. Because they should just think in terms of the real commodity in business, which is not actually money, but people.

Take the subject of what you lay out and what you get.

How do people work it out? In many ways.

A firm might take a percentage of turnover or overhead as the right marketing budget.

Many, though are led by expediency. Recognise any of the following?

	"We need more sales volume; let's spend more money."
	"We have to send more profit to the US. Spend less on marketing".
	"Last year we had a good year. Put up the budgets!" - or vice versa.
	Our new CEO wants to change the world. Increase marketing spend."
	Five years later, "Our big-mouthed CEO hasn't changed the world. How can we get better figures? Slash marketing budgets."

Professional direct marketers (many are not, unfortunately) think first about what they are really investing in.

It is not advertising or direct mail: it is gaining and keeping customers.

Remember, the currency of your business is customers - and act accordingly.

So the big marketing question is, "how much is customer worth to you?"

If you've been in business for a while you can measure how long customers stay with you, and how much profit they provide in that time.

Then you discount the sum to determine what you can afford to recruit and retain a customer, allowing for a profit.

It is true that some sales are not repetitive, but in those cases you can often, if not always, cross-sell other things.

The importance of customer value came home to a client who sold what they call an fmcg (fast moving consumer goods) product here - and packaged goods in the U.S.

He asked me, "If the gross margin on one sale is 80 pence, how can I afford to send out direct mail at 100 pence a time?"

I asked him if he knew the average value of a customer over time - not just one sale. He said he'd never given it a thought.

And I said, "You can easily afford it if you know your average customer buys 200 packs a year and stays with you for five years - and you think not about making an immediate sale, but making and keeping a customer".

He became my largest client.

The same principle applies if you work out how many cars you can sell a customer over a lifetime. You can afford a series of very expensive direct communications - DVDs, books, lavish mailing packs and so forth.

But it all starts by thinking in terms not of expenditure, but return on investment, and taking a lot of trouble to try and assess what a customer is worth.

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 34 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbirdcommonsense.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.