Simple Steps to Electrify Your Marketing Message

Simple Steps to Electrify Your Marketing Message Dear Friend: This packet contains eight powerful articles designed to complement your current marketing efforts. If you have any questions about my copywriting services or the material covered in the following articles, please feel free to contact me at tom@writewaysolutions.com or 602.305.6755. Best regards, Tom Tom Trush Content Specialist www.writewaysolutions.com www.tomtrush.com www.tomtrush.blogspot.com © 2008 Write Way Solutions – All Rights Reserved 2 CONTENTS Title Tags: The Forgotten Secret to Search Engine Success ………………………….… 3 How to Build Your Prospects‟ Trust Without Saying a Word ………………………….. 5 5 Simple Steps to Skyrocket Your Website Traffic in as Little as 30 Days … for FREE! ……………………………………………………………….10 6 Items That Will Boost Believability in Your Copy ………………………………….. 13 How 5 Words Can Instantly Create Curiosity in Your Headlines ……………………... 18 Can Your Marketing Materials Pass This Grade-School Challenge? ………………….. 21 Are You Making Your Marketing Efforts This „Fresh & Easy‟? ……………………… 24 A Simple Shortcut for Writing Irresistible Benefits ………………………………….... 27 3 Title Tags: The Forgotten Secret to Search Engine Success You‟d be hard-pressed to find someone who isn‟t looking for a quick fix to place their website atop the search engine rankings. In fact, many people are spending big bucks just for a shot at securing prime placements on sites such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN and AOL. But while most of that financial focus is concentrated on creating keyword-rich content and building incoming links, one forgotten element of a search engine-friendly website often receives little attention: title tags. So what are title tags? They are the descriptive text that displays at the top of your browser on every website you visit. Not only are title tags important for telling visitors what‟s on each page of your website, they‟re essential to high search engine placement. A simple adjustment to your title tags will often result in a rise in your rankings. Why? All major search engines, including Google, examine title tags because they offer information about your web page. In a way, your title tags – because of their position at the top of each page – serve as an introduction to your website. If the description on your title tags doesn‟t match the content on your web page, you run the risk of receiving a low ranking … or, worse yet, no ranking at all. However, when you incorporate keyword phrases that match your web page content and correspond with the terms your prospects search, you‟ll take a significant step closer to your desired position in the search engines. To test this concept, I encourage you to do a Google search. Type in any term or key phrase you want. Then, once the search is complete, open whatever website is in the #1 4 position (not one of the Sponsored Links). Once it‟s displayed, take a look at the browser bar at the top of the page. Do you see your keywords? When creating the content for my new website at www.writewaysolutions.com, I focused on the key phrase “Phoenix copywriting.” As a result, that is one of the terms I used on my home page title tag. Today, if you search Google for “Phoenix copywriting,” you‟ll see my website in the #1 position. Frequently, many companies only display their names on the home page title tags. The problem is that, unless you‟re a well-known brand, your prospects aren‟t likely to search by your company name. Instead, they will use terms that describe the product or service they need. To choose the most effective key terms or phrases for your title tags, begin by selecting words relating to what‟s described on your page. The trick is determining the phrases your prospects are searching, while avoiding broad terms with a lot of competition. You can use a free service such as Digital Point‟s Keyword Suggestion Tool at http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/ to help select your keywords One additional tip is to include your geographic area as part of your title tag phrases. By adding your city and/or state, you‟ll narrow down the number of websites competing for your desired search engine placement. By now, I‟m sure you‟re wondering what‟s in your website‟s title tags. So go ahead, take a look and start incorporating these suggestions. In no time at all, you could soon see your website soaring to the top of the search engine rankings. 5 How to Build Your Prospects’ Trust Without Saying a Word One of the biggest obstacles for getting prospects to use your services or buy your product is trust. But how can you capture it, especially when there are so many forms of advertising and marketing competing for attention? Take a minute and think about the number of methods companies use to attract your interest. Billboards … Mailers … Classified ads … Commercials … E-mails … Banner ads … Newspaper ads … Advertising has gotten to the point to where many times we don‟t even notice the product, while other times it‟s too obvious to miss. Take, for instance, product placement in television programs. You can‟t watch five minutes of American Idol without seeing some reference to Coke or Ford. Countless brands – Burger King, Crest, Domino‟s – have capitalized on the success of The Apprentice by having their products featured as part of the team challenges. One of the reasons we‟re seeing so much product placement is that consumers now have the option of tuning out commercials, thanks to the invention of digital video recorders … but that‟s a separate article for another time. The above examples are just a small sampling of the sources companies are employing to attract prospects. Unfortunately, though, many advertising methods are used so much that people often put up a mental defense wall when they see them, especially when they‟re accompanied by a sales pitch. Once you‟ve overwhelmed your prospect with a sales pitch, building trust is nearly impossible. 6 Think about car sales. Oftentimes, an advertisement will get a prospect into a dealership. Once there, if the prospect inquires about the ad, he is often met by a sales person who will sometimes spend hours trying to build trust with that prospect. But all the salesperson is really doing is overwhelming the customers. Is that really the best way to calm fears and increase credibility? I‟m sure you‟ve heard a similar high-pressured, full-court-press sales pitch before. How did it make you feel? I‟m guessing when you realized a sales pitch was coming you put up your defenses and tuned out. Now I‟m not saying traditional advertising or sales techniques don‟t work. They do. The point I want to get across is that there is an easier solution requiring less effort, and it will establish your credibility with nearly every prospect you contact. In fact, this technique will nearly eliminate all fears prospects have about working with you. I‟ll even go as far as to say you will establish these two trust-building factors with prospects the instant you use this marketing technique. What is it? The most effective way I know for building trust, establishing your credibility, and eliminating prospects‟ fears is publishing and promoting free articles written by you. So how can you do this? Easy. What are the most frequent questions prospects ask you? Start keeping track. Each answer is an opportunity for an article. By presenting to prospects the information they‟re looking for, you‟ll put them at ease. 7 Need proof this works? How many times have you purchased a product simply because it was recommended in something you read? It happens all the time, right? Pick up a newspaper or your favorite magazine. Do you trust the information your read in the ads more than what‟s included in the articles? You already know the ads are selling you something, but the articles present information in an educational format. There‟s no sales pitch. As a result, most people believe what they read in articles more than ads. We live in a knowledge-based society that craves valuable information. Your articles provide what people want. What‟s more, when prospects see you‟re offering free information that interests them, they will come back time and time again. In essence, you‟ll develop relationships without actually meeting anyone face to face. Here’s an added bonus … Publishing articles online will boost your search engine ranking, making you more accessible to prospects who search terms related to your industry. Search engines love content-rich sites that are updated often. Furthermore, the more you have other sites linking back to your site, the better chances you have for higher search engine ranking. So, in addition to posting your articles on your own website, find other sites where you can post and include a link back to your site. Need some help finding some? Here are four search engine friendly sites that will allow you to post articles for free: 8      Article Hut: www.article-hut.com EzineArticles.com: www.ezinearticles.com Approved Articles: www.approvedarticles.com Articlesbase: www.articlesbase.com iSnare: www.isnare.com If you haven‟t done so already, create a blog for posting your articles. There are multiple ways for creating your first blog – one of the easiest options is Blogger. Best of all, it‟s free. Here‟s a simple way to get your free blog online in about 5 minutes: 1. Visit www.blogger.com. 2. If you already have a Google account, sign in. If not, click on the orange arrow to set up your account. 3. Name your blog and create the URL (e.g., www.newblog.blogspot.com). 4. Choose your favorite template and click “Save Template.” 5. Click on “New Post” and paste in your article. 6. When the formatting is the way you like it, click “Publish Post.” Congratulations! You officially have a blog. 9 Once your blog is online, be sure to visit www.technorati.com to “claim” your blog. This will help with your search engine ranking and make it easier for online visitors to find your postings. 10 5 Simple Steps to Skyrocket Your Website Traffic in as Little as 30 Days … for FREE! Getting visitors to your website and increasing your search engine ranking doesn't always have to be an expensive process. Here are five easy-to-implement suggestions you can start using today to boost your website traffic. Step 1: Write and distribute articles. Publishing articles online using a free service such as EzineArticles (www.ezinearticles.com) or Articlesbase (www.articlesbase.com) will help boost your search engine ranking, making you more accessible to prospects who search terms related to your industry. Search engines love content-rich websites that are updated often. In addition, the more you have other websites linking back to your website, the better chances you have for higher search engine placement. Article distribution services help this cause by making it easy for publishers to upload your writing for use in their newsletters or websites, meaning any links to your website reach an even larger audience. Step 2: Use the link building and link exchange approach. As stressed in Step 1, the more text links you have directed to your website, the better chance you have of receiving higher search engine placement. So make it your objective to get your website listed on as many relevant websites as possible. What‟s a relevant website, you ask? A website that includes a significant amount of content similar is subject (or theme) to what is written on your website. For an excellent article on how you can use Google News to find relevant links targeted to your business, visit http://www.97thfloor.com/blog/proof-you-can-gain-additional-rankings-and-buildrelevant-links-with-google-news/. 11 Step 3: Write and distribute press releases. Not only is a properly written press release a cost-effective and efficient means for getting your news to a large audience, it can help drive traffic to your website, especially when circulated online. A distribution service can help deliver your press release to a wide online audience. Companies such as 24-7PressRelease (www.24-7pressrelease.com) will even distribute your release for free. You‟ll always want to include your website‟s URL in any press release. That way whenever it‟s posted online, you‟ll have another one-way link back to your website. Step 4: Make use of social media. If you haven‟t done so already, create a blog for posting articles, press releases and news about your business. There are multiple ways for creating your first blog – one of the easiest options is Blogger (www.blogger.com). Best of all, it‟s free. With Blogger, you can be online in less than five minutes. Once your blog is functional, be sure to visit Technorati (www.technorati.com) to “claim” your blog. This will help with your search engine ranking and make it easier for online visitors to find your postings. Also, why not create videos to help promote your company and demonstrate your knowledge? Today‟s technology has made creating and sharing videos easy … and free. Check out YouTube (www.youtube.com) or Google Video (www.video.google.com) to post and help generate ideas for your next video. (While you‟re making a video, you may want to consider creating a podcast as well.) Step 5: Post comments in forums. Do you frequently have an opinion for just about any topic? Use this trait to your advantage by seeking out forums with information similar to the topics covered on your website. Post your comments and include a link back to your website in your signature. The increasing popularity of social media makes it as easy as ever to find articles, blog postings, videos and podcasts. Again, check out Technorati as well as websites such as 12 Digg (www.digg.com) and ContentPop (www.contentpop.com) for information you can comment on that is relevant to the topics on your website. 13 6 Items That Will Boost Believability in Your Copy Your prospects buy from people they trust. Thanks to the Internet, today‟s prospects are more informed than past potential customers. There‟s no doubt about it. Readers of your marketing literature have become a knowledgeable group. Oftentimes, before they see your copy, prospects already know where to find the best deals, how many other companies offer a similar service, and why your product may not be better than your competition‟s. Simply put, your prospects are pessimistic. That‟s why it‟s important you strategically design your writing so that it falls somewhere closer to “I can‟t live without out it!” rather than “This is too good to be true.” To get you started, here are six items that will help boost the believability of your next marketing piece. 1. Statistics. Credibility is often based on figures used to demonstrate a product‟s benefits. Although statistics are extremely beneficial, their effectiveness lessens when you use certain numbers. Making the outcome too perfect will leave your reader guessing the truthfulness of your claim. For example, almost every Saturday morning I see an infomercial for a stock picking software that uses customers‟ comments to demonstrate how well the program works. People usually begin by explaining the simplicity of the software and then end by stating how much money they‟ve made. “I made $4,338 in just six weeks.” or 14 “The software told me which stock to buy at the right time, so I made $367 in just 24 hours.” Even amounts are noticeably missing from the infomercial. That‟s because someone who claims to make $10,000 in 30 days is much less believable than another person who made $9,346 for the simple fact the first dollar figure seems too perfect. 2. Stories. People think in images – not words. So what better way to get your prospects visualizing using your product than with a story? An added bonus is that a well-written story will also create curiosity. Below is an example of classic story used in one of the most profitable direct-mail letters of all time. The famed Wall Street Journal letter is responsible for producing an estimated $1 billion in revenues. Dear Reader: On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. They were very much alike, these two young men. Both had been better than average students, both were personable and both – as young college graduates are – were filled with ambitious dreams for the future. Recently, these men returned to their 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. 15 But there was a difference. One of the men was manager of a small department of that company. The other was its president. Not only does this story create curiosity, it appeals to a common reason why people buy anything – a desire to be perceived as successful. 3. Testimonials. I frequently stress using testimonials in all types of marketing literature for one simple reason: they build your prospects‟ trust. Your prospects seek out testimonials to determine if your product has worked well for someone who is similar to them. In fact, some will skip much of your copy just so they can read your testimonials. One place you‟ll often find people praising a product is on book covers. Here‟s an example from a book I recently purchased: “When I implemented Mark’s simpleology formula, I immediately tripled my production while simultaneously cutting my working hours. Amazing!” – Frank Rumbauskas, New York Times, bestselling author of Never Cold Call Again! The best testimonials offer a specific result by telling a brief story, instead of simple statement such as “I liked your book.” In the case of the above testimonial, the result of reading the book was tripled production. What made the testimonial even more effective was the use of an actual person who could be verified with a little research. (Note: Replacing names with initials does not boost believability.) One technique used by some copywriters is leading a marketing piece with a testimonial. In addition to prepping your prospect for a positive experience, the quotes around the testimonial will capture your readers‟ interest. This is because people‟s eyes are drawn to information surrounded by quotes. 16 4. Honesty. Plain and simple, honesty builds believability. People have a knack for finding false claims and deceitful practices. Unfortunately, you see these far too often with companies touting phony testimonials, unrealistic prices or “urgent” notices mailed in ridiculous envelopes. You can fool a prospect once … maybe even twice … but honesty will serve you best over the long run. 5. Enthusiasm. If you don‟t believe in what you‟re writing, how can you expect to convince your prospects? Your enthusiasm (or lack thereof) is contagious. When you‟re truly excited about your product, your prospects won‟t be able to ignore your writing because the passion will radiate from your words. Someone whose work is characterized by enthusiasm is Josh Towbin, a master motivator better known as “Chop” from the reality program King of Cars on A&E television. By conveying his enthusiasm and a true love of cars, people go out of their way to buy from his Las Vegas dealership. This achievement is especially impressive given the fact that car sales is often perceived as a dishonest industry. An added bonus of displaying enthusiasm in your copy is that it will help prospects feel happy about making a purchase. To get them excited, stress the benefits of your product as much as possible. However, don‟t get these benefits confused with your product‟s features. While features are facts, benefits explain why those facts are important to your prospects. 6. Originality. I recently met with someone to discuss copy for an advertisement designed to promote a company‟s line of refurbished copiers. The client, who owned an advertising agency, encouraged me to brainstorm some creative headlines that would not only attract positive attention, but also stir some controversy. I started generating ideas almost immediately, so I quickly sat down with a stack of images and started writing. The brainstorming was fun, and I truly believed my edgy headlines were perfect for the advertisement. 17 A few weeks later I received an e-mail with the final proof … that didn‟t include one of my headlines. Instead, above an image of a copier were the words “Got Copier?” – a reference to the slogan made famous during the “Got Milk?” campaign of the early 1990s. Even with “insider” knowledge, the lack of originality in the advertisement left me doubting the quality of the company and its products. I‟m almost certain most prospects felt the same way when they saw the full-page spread that ran on the back of a local business publication. Remember, people are eager to play a part in something new. Your marketing literature provides a great opportunity to get creative with your writing and offer an original item that will cause excitement. 18 How 5 Words Can Instantly Create Curiosity in Your Headlines I make no secret in my belief that curiosity is the strongest force in direct marketing. Since people have a natural desire to find out more than what they know, tapping into this trait is one way to increase the effectiveness of your marketing materials. Whether you‟re writing a sales letter, website content or just an e-mail, your headline (or subject line in the case of an e-mail) is arguably the most important factor in determining your prospects‟ interest level. After all, as your prospects‟ interest grows, so does their desire to satisfy curiosity. Copywriting legend Joe Sugarman is famous for saying, “The sole purpose of the first sentence in an advertisement is to get you to read the second sentence.” Of course, your prospect needs a reason to get to the first sentence – and that‟s why your headline is so important. The success of supermarket tabloids relies on curiosity-driven headlines. After all, who wouldn‟t give at least a glimpse to the following statements? Woman Delivers Own Baby While Skydiving! Taco Vendor Turns Tiny Visitors’ Abandoned Spacecraft into an … ALIEN SOMBRERO! Doctors Successfully Remove Banjo from Alabama Man’s Knee! Obviously, you don‟t want to make claims that are this outrageous, but that doesn‟t mean you can‟t brainstorm some surprising statements to trigger curiosity. Below are five words – and five time-tested examples – for helping create curiosity in your next headline. 19 1. How I recently read an interview with John Caples, who mentioned using the headline How a Bald Barber Saved My Hair to promote a hair tonic. Although the market was saturated with products when he launched the advertisement, he generated a significant amount of sales. One reason why, he said, was because the word “how” tells prospects a story is involved. A compelling story is one way to keep your prospects reading and, ultimately, buying. 2. These In the early 1900s, Maxwell Sackheim wrote the famous headline Do You Make These Mistakes in English? to promote an English mail-order course. The advertisement was so successful it ran for 40 years without any changes. Notice how the headline poses a question you can‟t answer with a simple “yes” or “no.” Because of the word “these,” you must continue reading to find out the mistakes. 3. Why Read the headline Why Some People Almost Always Make Money in the Stock Market, and you feel like you‟re missing out on confidential information successful stock traders already know. What makes this statement credible are the words “some” and “almost.” By demonstrating there‟s still risk and not everyone will make money, the headline portrays less hype and more believability. 4. Which The headline Which of These $2.50 to $5 Best Sellers Do You Want – for Only $1 Each? leaves you wondering what books are for sale and why they are priced at only $1. Unfortunately, I couldn‟t find who wrote this headline, but the pricing leads me to believe 20 the offer is from many years ago. In addition to curiosity, this headline targets your prospects‟ desire for bargains. 5. What When the copywriters at Bottom Line/Personal created a headline to help attract magazine subscribers, they used a subject that anyone who travels knows well: airline food. What Never … Ever to Eat on an Airplane! will keep you curious for a long time – unless you become a subscriber and find out the answer. Also, with this headline, you feel like you‟re getting access to rare information as a subscriber, which is perceived as being more valuable. An additional benefit … When you write headlines similar to the samples above, prospects are more likely to view you as someone who provides information that solves their problems. As a result, they‟ll feel less pressure and your credibility increases – two factors that go along way in generating more sales. 21 Can Your Marketing Materials Pass This Grade-School Challenge? As the son of two teachers (my mom taught 7th and 8th grade English, while my dad was a sociology and anthropology professor at a local community college), I lived in an educational environment for the first 19 years of my life. In fact, I was literally born in a school setting. On May 19, 1975, my parents were at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan – on a field trip with my mom‟s 8th grade class – when my twin brother and I entered the world two months early. With all this seemingly insider knowledge about teaching, you‟d think I might have had an advantage in school, especially when it came to taking tests. But, like most people, tests made me nervous. I could study for days, but it still wouldn‟t eliminate the sweaty palms and stomach aches I felt prior to putting my pencil to paper. Today, however, tests take on a new meaning. Because of my curiosity, I am actually drawn to certain types of tests. And here‟s a fact: Many of your prospects also enjoy taking tests. Presenting prospects with tests in the headlines of your marketing materials is a proven way to generate more responses. By reading this far, you‟ve confirmed how well a test works on you. Go ahead and reread the subject line of this e-mail to see what I mean. 22 In a previous article, I mentioned a legendary advertisement headline created in the early 1900s by Maxwell Sackheim that read, “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” This advertisement, which ran for 40 years without any changes, uses a headline that appeals to your curiosity. A perceived test that you can take yourself makes the advertisement difficult to ignore. Here are a few similar headlines you can adapt to fit your own industry:    Can You Spot the Design Flaws in This Kitchen Remodel? Does Your Mortgage Broker Ask You These Questions? Do You Know These Five Indicators That Signal the Start of a Recession? When writing tests for use in your marketing materials, the key is to create “answers” that reinforce why it‟s necessary to use your product or service. For example, a publisher might use the headline in the third bullet above to demonstrate how you receive exclusive information as a subscriber to their magazine. Or, a mortgage professional might use the second headline to highlight characteristics that set his services apart from the competition. Coming up with test ideas for marketing materials is often easier after reading samples. Here is a rare copy of Sackheim‟s advertisement to help with your brainstorming. 23 24 Are You Making Your Marketing Efforts This ‘Fresh & Easy’? At long last! A grocery store finally did something different to set itself apart from the wave of food advertisements that engulf my mailbox every week. While sorting through Wednesday‟s mail, a circular from Fresh & Easy – a chain of neighborhood markets that recently opened here in Phoenix – grabbed my attention. Adorning the cover were three slices of filet mignon nestled on a bed of fresh greens and cheese risotto, topped with a perfectly placed sprig of rosemary. This tummy-tempting image was a welcome change from the boring food items and oversized prices usually displayed in supermarket mailers. Teaser text such as “Inside: Burger Time!” and “No-fuss entertaining” on the Fresh & Easy cover created a little curiosity. In the upper-right corner, a headline promised a “Romantic dinner made easy” (an excellent idea with Valentine‟s Day approaching). Unless you‟re an absolute rookie in the kitchen, you can quickly figure out that the four items under the headline come together to form the pictured steak dinner. 25 From a promotional perspective, I appreciate how Fresh & Easy uses their mailers to market an end-result. Instead of simply displaying a random assortment of food items for sale, you‟re shown a simple, four-ingredient “recipe” that – when combined – creates a complete meal. Many companies market without giving prospects any direction. Fresh & Easy, however, shows you exactly what they want you to do. The message is simple: If you buy the four items (not just one) displayed on the cover, you‟ll be rewarded with an appetizing meal. The proof is in the picture! What‟s more, the idea that this process is simple is reinforced multiple times. Not only does the headline use the word “easy,” the term is also a part of the grocer‟s name. We are a culture that craves things quick and with minimal effort. Fresh & Easy targets prospects‟ desire for instant gratification – and so should you. One other cover item worth noting is how Fresh & Easy displays a unique characteristic that sets itself apart from competitors: No need for loyalty cards or product coupons. These are our everyday low prices. Consumers are selfish; they want to know why it‟s beneficial for them to use your product or service. Fresh & Easy gives you two reasons why in bold type right on its advertisement. Inside the eight-page mailer are headlines to attract your attention. Also, descriptive text explains serving suggestions and, more importantly, reasons why you should buy their products. Several images offer visual clarification of the serving suggestions. 26 Sure, this is just one advertisement. But I think Fresh & Easy is well on its way to being a powerful presence in Phoenix‟s crowded supermarket landscape. The company is a bit different … and that‟s a good thing. NOTE: As you‟ve probably determined by now, I study my mail. In fact, I don‟t mind receiving what some people might consider junk mail. These valuable pieces of marketing magic give me an opportunity to study the promotional efforts of companies from around the globe. Best of all, I never have to leave my house or spend a single cent. Did you ever think a free education in marketing was inside your mailbox? 27 A Simple Shortcut for Writing Irresistible Benefits Do you know if you‟re promoting features or benefits in your marketing materials? The answer to this question plays a significant role in the effectiveness of your marketing message. While features are facts, benefits explain why facts are important. It‟s these benefits that target your prospects‟ emotions – a key factor in selling situations. People buy for emotional reasons first. Then they look for facts to validate the purchase. When you only use features in your marketing materials, you ignore the real reasons why your prospects need your product or service. An easy way to write response-boosting benefits is to follow your features with the words “so that.” You can physically write these words or just say them mentally. Here‟s a basic example: Let‟s say you‟re promoting a computer monitor with a 19-inch screen. Your primary feature (or fact) is the 19-inch screen. With a little research, you can quickly create benefits, especially when you understand your prospects‟ needs. Maybe studies show a 19-inch screen is the optimal size for reducing eye strain. One benefit might be … The computer monitor screen is 19 inches … so that … you can reduce eye strain by up to 57%. 28 But why stop with just one benefit? You‟ll discover even more powerful benefits when you use “so that” multiple times. … you can reduce eye strain by up to 57% … so that … you can diminish the times you experience blurred vision, neck pain and fatigue… so that … you can work more comfortably … so that … you can complete more projects in the same amount of time … A description only touting a computer monitor‟s screen size does little to target a prospect‟s emotions. However, once benefits are added to the copy, prospects learn why they are better off purchasing the product. Below is an example of a benefit-oriented sentence pulled from a Sleep Number advertisement I recently saw online. The feature is the “Outlast® Adaptive Comfort® material.” The material‟s benefit (or the “so that”) is that it warms and cools “to keep you comfortable through the night.” Here are more examples from an advertisement for Amazon‟s new Kindle wireless reading device:  Revolutionary electronic-paper display (feature) provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper (benefit).  Wireless connectivity (feature) enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle – whether you‟re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed (benefit).  Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones (feature) – so you never have to locate a hotspot (benefit). 29  Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle (feature) for easy, on-the-go viewing (benefit).  No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments – we take care of the wireless delivery (feature) so you can simply click, buy, and read (benefit). Give the “so that” technique a try the next time you need to transform your facts from features to response-boosting benefits. This simple shortcut is certain to increase your prospects‟ interest while generating more sales. Without an effective headline, the likelihood of prospects seeing your benefits is slim. In fact, studies show up to 80% of people won‟t read past the headline on a marketing piece. My seminar recording, The Easiest Ways to Write Eyeball-Grabbing Headlines for Your Marketing Materials, tells you exactly how to appeal to your prospects‟ interests and keep them reading. Give me just 45 minutes and I'll reveal how you can instantly ignite the selling power of your advertisements, websites, brochures, articles, reports and even e-mails. Visit http://www.writewaysolutions.com/pdf/seminar.doc to find out how. 30