You still can't beat a well-written piece of direct mail!
Here's a powerful but easy six-point plan to help you to produce a powerful sales letter to use as part of your direct mail: 1. What is the objective of the letter? Think very clearly about what you want the letter to do: o Get a direct order? o Generate enquiries? o Get a sales interview? o Get filed for future reference? o Inform and educate? o Get the reader to expect a telephone call from you? If you don't start off with a clear objective, how can you expect the reader to respond in the way you want? 2. Get attention quickly You have about 5 seconds to get the reader's attention - to persuade him/her to read the rest of the letter rather than chuck it. So use a headline to great effect. Try one of these attention-getters: o Ask a how or why question o Offer a benefit. o Offer a challenge. o Make it BIG (but don't go over the top!) o Make it relevant - don't disappoint people by promising something in the headline that isn't justified in the rest of the letter. o Name a price - if that's a major benefit of what you are selling. Make it easy to read: o Keep the first sentence short. o Keep the paragraphs short. o Use wide margins. o Break up the text - use indents and sub-headings. o Write with one person in mind - make it personal without being too chatty. o Get someone else to check your letter for easy-to-read appeal. What benefits will the reader gain? o Concentrate on benefits rather than features all the time. Make the letter as personal to the reader as possible. Talk in terms of their industry and their interests - again, part of the targeted marketing approach. Try to build a partnership between you and the reader: o Talk in terms of the reader, not you. o Avoid too much use of "I" and "me" o Start with "I", move to "you", and with "us". Get the reader to act in the way that you want them to - don't leave them trying to guess the purpose of the letter. If you want them to read a brochure, tell them. If you are going to phone them, tell them.
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No-one has yet written the perfect sales letter that gets results every time. But this six-point plan may help you to write more effective letters.