When it comes to your company’s advertising, are you more concerned about how it looks or what it says? While design and style are important, all the glitz is worthless if there is no real substance to your message. Whether you use print ads, direct mail, email, digital or social media, the copy is king!
So the next time you sit down to prepare a new marketing campaign, give a little more thought to your copy.
6 Steps To Make Marketing Easier and More Effective
Step 1: Define Your Ideal Customer
The best marketing starts with a clear ‘audience’ in mind! Write a one-page description of your most ideal client/customer. Describe in detail all about them. For consumers, this might include age, marital status, the car they drive, the number of children, income range, personality type, common problems or challenges. For businesses, this might include size, industry, the number of employees, decision maker title, hobbies, personality type, goals, and common problems. This answers the question “Who” is your ideal client (not your target market – your IDEAL “A” class customer)
Step 2: What Would They Buy?
“What” would your ideal customers buy from you? Most businesses offer more than one product or service for their ideal customers, so identify all of them.
Step 3: Why Would They Buy?
This is important and is two-fold. Why would they buy from you instead of your competition and what are the benefits they receive when they make the purchase? Your Unique Value Proposition is important here so you don’t compete on price alone!
Step 4: Headlines That Speak to Ideal Customers
Whether you are creating a landing page on your website, an email marketing campaign or direct mail piece, a powerful headline is a must to get attention and encourage ideal customers to read more. Brainstorm and write down 10 headlines that speak to your ‘who’ and grab the attention of your ideal customers. Here are a few headline starters to get you thinking:
- Here’s How You Can …
- 7 Ways to Increase Your…
- 5 Reasons to Try (or Call)
- For Less Than $5 a Week…
Step 5: Outlandish Offers
Offers are a must for small businesses to get people to take action – call, visit your website, come into location, sign up for an event, etc. So based on “What” they would buy – come up with 3-5 outlandish, over-the-top kind of offers.
Step 6: WIIFM
Develop benefit-oriented copy based on the answer to the ‘why’ above. Remember the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) — How can your products or services solve their problems, ease their fears or make their life better, simpler or more profitable.
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