Madron's Marketing Secrets

The headline – it’s the most important part of any sales letter.

In fact, some writers spend 50% or more of their time working on this one key element of their promotion.

And with good reason.

With direct mail, you have – at most – three seconds to capture the reader’s attention with a good headline.

With web or e-mail copy…you have even less time.

So for today’s entry, let’s take a look at five things every good headline MUST do…

1. Grab the reader’s attention – it’s not enough to have the reader think, “Gee, that’s nice” or “Isn’t that interesting?”  Instead…you need to forcefully grab the reader’s attention and let him know – beyond any doubt – that what he’s about to read is incredibly important.

2. Be about the reader…and NOT the writer – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen junior copywriters make the mistake of crafting a headline they hope will impress their friends or colleagues…without focusing on the reader.  Sure, a clever turn of phrase may impress a friend – but the focus of the headline should be squarely on the reader.  What’s in it for him?  Why should he care?

3. Deliver ONE complete idea – Under no circumstances should you leave anything to chance.  Never assume that the reader understands where you’re headed with your point…take him there and show him what you mean.  In fact, you should write the headline as though the reader will make his ultimate buying decision without reading any of the rest of your copy.  At the same time, make sure you’re delivering ONE complete idea in your headline – not a collection of several ideas that could confuse the reader to the point where he loses interest.

4. Move the reader along to what’s next – The best headlines are those that not only grab the reader’s interest…they actually leave the reader salivating for the next idea you’re about to deliver.  Many times as I’m writing headlines, I try and imagine the reaction I’m hoping to elicit from the reader – shock, anger, fear, greed – and in every case I want to not only get that reaction…but also keep them reading on for the next idea.

5. Directly connect your big idea to your product – This is another mistake I see young writers make on a regular basis.  In the quest for the “ultimate” headline, they sometimes lose sight of what it is they’re actually selling.  It seems like an obvious point, but…a powerful, fear-oriented headline about higher energy prices makes perfect sense if you’re selling a letter that covers natural resource stocks…but not so much sense if you’re selling a letter that focuses primarily on biotech.

Posted by JMadron at 06:43 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

One of the questions I'm often asked involves checklists.

 Before any promo leaves my desk, I have a simple list of questions I ask myself about the piece in the "final review."  The list has evolved over time -- and it's actually gotten quite lengthy.  So lengthy, in fact, that I don't often go through the entire thing.

 But there are a handful of questions that must be asked before turning in any promo.  Here are a dozen that I consider to be among the most important...

 1. What is the Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?  Is it clear?

2. What is the reader's point of maximum anxiety?  What keeps him up at night?

3. Does the package have enough all four components of the "four-legged stool"?  (Benefit, track record, credibility and strong idea)

4. Does the promo have enough of each of the Four P's?  (Promise, Picture, Proof and Push)

5. Is there an attention-grabbing headline?

6. Is there a strong enough promise in the lead?  Is it clear to the reader "What's in it for me?"

7. Does the promo have a single main purpose?  Is it clear how you want the reader to feel or respond?

8. Is there a single main idea that can easily be explained in 2-3 sentences?

9. Does the "close" of the letter tie back into the beginning of the piece?

10. Does the promo "show" rather than "tell"?

11. Is the pace fast enough?

12. Is the offer simple enough that the reader can easily respond?

Posted by JMadron at 08:58 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

OK, I’ll admit it – my basement is practically overflowing with direct mail samples.

And over the last two years, I’ve maxed out three hard drives storing e-mail samples and pdf files.

So why am I hoarding all of these marketing samples? 

There’s a reason for my madness – although I’m sure my wife would love for me to throw away all of the boxes of mail that are piled up all over our basement.

You see…I’m not just throwing my mail into a huge pile and leaving it at that.  Each promo sample is filed away meticulously…and each pdf file or e-mail on my computer is labeled and easily accessible.

That’s because I believe strongly that research is at least 80% of the game when it comes to creating winning ideas and successful promotions.

You see, in order for me to help successfully market your product or service to your prospect, I’ve got to know what he or she is feeling…what keeps him up at night…what web sites she reads.  And – most importantly – I’ve got to know what’s in the mailbox each and every day.

It's not enough to simply read the promos for competitor's products...I also insist on reading promotions from other advertisers who may be renting lists the prospect is on.  Because there's no guarantee that your competitor has the prospect properly identified...in fact, in many cases they miss the mark entirely.

You need to know -- with as much confidence as possible -- what your reader's greatest fears are.  You've got to understand the type of expressions he uses...and who his heroes may have been.  (In other words -- if you're selling to a list of 20- to 30-year-old web developers, chances are references to Mickey Mantle and John F. Kennedy are going to have minimal impact.)

So that’s the reason my mail carrier groans when approaching my house every day – it’s all because I like to get my hands on every single piece of advertising that your prospects are exposed to.  In the end, keeping an eye on the competition – and understanding what’s working in your marketplace – is critical to the success of any potential partnership.

Posted by JMadron at 05:12 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

As the marketing assistant, my job was to coordinate the printing and mailing…and to track the results.  So what I saw when I came in early on a Monday morning – a few days after the promotion had mailed – nearly knocked me off my feet. 

We had included a fax reply option in our mailing – pretty heady stuff for the early ‘90s – and as I sat in a quiet office I was curious what the “humming” sound was coming from the copy room outside my door.

When I went to check it out, I discovered that the humming sound was coming from our fax machine…and that there was curled-up fax paper all over the floor.  Upon closer inspection, I had to laugh – each and every one of those faxes, and there must have been hundreds, contained an order from our bookalog promotion.

Just like that…I was hooked.  I learned first-hand just how rewarding it could be to put together a blockbuster direct mail campaign – and I still get just as excited about positive results as I did that Monday morning more than 15 years ago.

Posted by JMadron at 08:45 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)