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Bob Bly's Direct Response Letter:
Resources, ideas, and tips for improving
response to business-to-business,
high-tech, industrial, Internet, and
direct marketing.
May 26, 2003
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UPCOMING SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS WHERE YOU CAN
PICK BOB’S BRAINS (SUCH AS THEY ARE) FOR FREE!
I will be speaking on e-mail marketing at the NEPA
(Newsletter & Electronic Publishers Association)
annual meeting on June 3 in Washington DC.
For more information call NEPA toll-free
800-356-9302. Or click on: www.newsletters.org
The very next day, I will be giving my talk
"The World’s Best-Kept Copywriting Secrets"
in New York City at DM Days. For more
information call 212-790-1500, or visit:
http://www.dmdays.com
If you’d like to schedule a free 15-minute
consultation with me at either event, please
call Fern Dickey at 201-797-8105 or e-mail
her at dickeybf@aol.com. Time slots are
extremely limited, so please do it today.
Thanks!
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DO WHITE PAPERS WORK?
Do White Papers still work as a direct
response offer? Yes, says Nick Copley,
Vice President of Bitpipe.
"The big [magazine] publishers are scaling back
the amount of editorial space they have
to offer," he explains.
White papers allow marketers to bypass
the trade press and reach their prospects
directly, and the IT audience is receptive.
"People are looking to get up to speed on
technology any way they can, and a little
bias seems to be okay."
Here are a few of Copley's tips for writing
effective white papers:
* Determine the objective: Decide up front
the one goal you are trying to achieve
with this document. Save all the other
nuggets of ideas for other white papers.
* Add a case study: When your white paper is too
abstract, adding a case study or two,
perhaps as sidebars, "can bring the paper back
to reality."
* Address competing technologies: Show how
your solution maps against the competition.
Make sure your white paper addresses the major
issues your competitors raise.
* Have a call to action: You’ve educated
and persuaded the reader. Now spell out
the next step.
Source: Software Success, Vol. 16, No. 22
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STEAL THIS MARKETING IDEA!
How about using a scratch-off business card?
My local Chrysler-Plymouth dealer
handed me a yellow card that said, "Scratch off
to see if you are a winner!"
There were 7 options listed on the card,
e.g., "(A) Free Oil Change, (B) $25 Off Next
Required Service," etc. When you scratch a silver
circle, the letter of your prize is revealed.
This could be a great idea for ANY business.
For instance, a dry cleaner
("A. Free starch"), computer dealer
("A. Free screen saver"), real estate agent
("A. Free home buying seminar"), or just
about anything you can think of.
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DOUBLE YOUR E-MAIL RESPONSE WITH A NEW SUBJECT LINE
I have seen enough tests to know that you can increase
click-through rates on e-mail marketing messages up
to 50% and sometimes as much as 100% just by
changing the subject line. Now I am looking
for 3 clients to help me prove this.
If you are one of the first 3 people to respond
to this offer, I will write an e-mail marketing
message for you at 33% off my regular rate AND
give you two subject lines to split test.
All I ask in return is that you share the results
with me.
To find out more about this offer, call Fern Dickey
at 201-797-8105 or e-mail her at dickeybf@aol.com.
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WRITING TIP OF THE MONTH
"Don’t assume that every thought you have is
fascinating to others. Your job is to give
people a reason to keep reading."
--Dave Barry
Source: The Writer, May 2003, p. 66
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NOW YOU CAN WRITE COPY THE WAY YOUR PROSPECTS TALK!
Copywriters are always searching for those
perfect words that will help sell a product
or service by painting a favorable picture
in a prospect's mind. However, no one, until now,
has ever taken the approach of determining what
specific words and phrases have worked best in terms
of selling to, negotiating with, or motivating
specific occupational groups.
After 20 years of research entailing over
12,000 interviews, The Brooks Group has put
together a set of profiles showing what words
in copy work best for specific target
audiences. These guides cover how to write
to lawyers, doctors, accountants, entrepreneurs,
engineers, CEOs, CFOs, and dozens of other markets.
If you wanted to write a sales letter
or advertisement for a certain group
of career professionals, doesn't it
make sense to know the specific words
and phrases that most appeal to that
group? I’ve read most of these guides
and they are a goldmine; I wouldn’t
part with my collection for a new BMW!
For more information, click on:
http://www.thewordsthatsell.com
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60-SECOND COMMERCIAL
FROM FERN DICKEY, OFFICE MANAGER:
Bob is available on a limited basis for
copywriting of direct mail packages,
sales letters, brochures, white papers, ads,
e-mail marketing campaigns, PR materials,
and Web pages. We recommend you call for
a FREE copy of our updated Copywriting
Information Kit. Just let us know your
industry and the type of copy you’re interested
in seeing (ads, mailings, etc.), and if
Bob is available to take your assignment,
we’ll tailor a package of recent samples
to fit your requirements. Call Fern Dickey
at 201-797-8105 or e-mail dickeybf@aol.com.
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Bob Bly
Copywriter/Consultant
22 E. Quackenbush Ave.
Dumont, NJ 07628
http://www.bly.com
rwbly@bly.com
phone 201-385-1220
fax 201-385-1138
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