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Growing a financially successful business takes capital, determination and cost-effective strategies to reach your target group. For your optimum ROI, your direct mail/e-mail sales letter is one of the most effective mediums for delivering your targeted message. In my 25 years experience as a business writer, here are some guidelines I have developed that will ensure your success...
1. Create an eye-catching headline above your salutation or in your opening paragraph. Back it up with supporting copy.
2. Use a personal salutation.
3. Write in a friendly tone using “you”, not I or we.
4. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short.
5. Visualize the needs of your target and tell how your product or service can benefit them.
6. If possible, use case studies or testimonials. A third party endorsement is priceless!
7. Avoid sloppy grammar, punctuation and spelling. This is your image!
8. Have a clear and compelling call-to-action. What can you offer to get them to respond?
9. Highlight your offer. I like to include a buck slip.
10. Use teaser copy on your envelope.
11. Use a post script to reinforce your
incentives, benefits and call-to-action. Readers first look at the headline/opening paragraph, the signature (sender), and the post script. Then they read your letter.
12. If you do not feel confident about writing your own sales letter, invest in your business and hire a professional.
One of the most effective sales
letters in history was written by master copywriter
Martin Conroy. It is an engaging “fairy tale” that
begins...
On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. They were very much alike. Both had been better than average students, both were personable and both, as young college graduates, were filled with ambitious dreams for the future.
Recently, these men returned to college for their 25th reunion. They were still very much alike. Both were happily married. Both had three children. And, both, it turned out had gone to work for the same Midwestern Manufacturing company after graduation, and were still there. But there was a difference. One of the men was manager of a small department of that company. The other was its president.
A brief post script and a buck slip had a call-to-action for a subscription pitch for the Wall Street Journal. This letter, a lead winner, was in continuous use for 28 years. A hard sell nestled in a soft shell. A maybe case study in the form of a fairy tale with an implication that the more successful of the two men was a WSJ subscriber!
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A good domain name should convey your brand, business, and professionalism.
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| Internet Marketing – Choosing a Domain Name |
by
Mark Koep |
Often small business owners first question of their “web person” is what should my domain name be? The answer to this question is not a simple one and often sounds like “it depends”. A proper domain name depends on several factors including your target market, the use of your website, and future plans for your business.
A good domain name should convey your brand, business, and professionalism. It should unify your entire marketing message into a short narrative that is easy to spell or type. Most importantly it should speak to your target market. If you are a small business attorney located in Los Angeles you might want to look for domain names like: smallbizlawinla.com or labusinesslaw.com. While an attorney attempting to convey a corporate feel may option for a domain name that better captures their corporate name; examples include morganlewis.com, cwllaw.com, and others.
In addition to your target market it is also good to analyze the purpose of your website. Is the site an e-commerce portal, online brochure, or interactive message board? Do you expect to direct customers to your site or do you expect to receive random search traffic? For e-commerce sites it is important to include the product or service being sold within the domain; for example an online shoe store might be better named shoestore.com than markshappyfeet.com. In the case of most small businesses a majority of your web traffic will come from customers and business associates you know. For this purpose chose a domain name that is inline with the brand they know and love; a great example is our host’s site idigdesign.com.
Finally, you should look into the crystal ball of your business and plan for the long term. Looking back two years ago it was vitally important that your major keywords be found in the domain name of your website to rank at the top of results. Currently search engines are becoming more sophisticated and are moving away from this requirement. When choosing a domain name, re-answer the questions of who will be my target market? And what will be the purpose of my website? Then narrow your focus into names that will last the test of time.
In the end your domain name is simply a piece of your marketing collateral. By taking the time upfront to choose a proper name you are simply making your marketing pitch easier to handle. Remember to know your target market, understand the uses of your website, and think of the future.
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