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Subject: Should you write your own copy? -------------------------------------------
Bob
Bly's Direct Response Letter: Resources,
ideas, and tips for improving response to
business-to-business, high-tech, industrial, Internet,
and direct marketing. September,
2003 -------------------------------------------
You are
getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it
on www.bly.com or because you are one of Bob's clients,
prospects, seminar attendees, or book
buyers. If you would prefer not to receive further
e-mails of this type, go to www.bly.com, enter
your e-mail address, and hit Unsubscribe. -------------------------------------------
SHOULD
YOU WRITE YOUR OWN COPY? My
answer may surprise you, but it’s enthusiastically "yes"
– IF these three conditions exist: 1. You
are an excellent copywriter. 2. You
enjoy writing copy. 3. You
have the time to write copy. Business
owners and marketing managers who fit these criteria
often produce copy that’s better and more successful
than the pros. Why? They
know the product and the market intimately, because
they live with it full-time. Half the battle in
copywriting is really knowing the customer and the
product, so the business owner or manager has the
edge – IF he can write. On the
other hand, marketers who can't write, don’t like to
write, or don’t have time to write copy are better
off farming it out to an agency or freelancer. -------------------------------------------
INCREASE
“DRY TEST” RESPONSE BY 15% A
"dry test" is a direct mail campaign promoting a
product that doesn’t exist. If the test is successful, you
create the product and fill the orders. You may have to
send a "delay notice" to customers if the product
cannot be made and shipped within 30 days, letting
them know when you will be shipping and
giving them the option of a refund if they
don’t want to wait. Copywriter
Denny Hatch recommends adding this wording
to your dry test DM package: "This offer is
contingent on a sufficient number of orders being
received." He says that in tests, using
this line actually INCREASED response 15%! Source:
Target marketing, 8/03, p. 84 -------------------------------------------
CAN
"BLOGS" BE USED AS A MARKETING TOOL? Blogs.
They're not new, but they're new to me. If
they're new to you, you'll want to know
that, according to BLOGGER.com, a blog is: "A
Web page made up of usually short, frequently updated
posts that are arranged chronologically -- like a
what's new page or a journal. The content and
purposes of blogs varies greatly -- from links and
commentary about other Web sites, to news about a
company/person/idea." A
number of recent articles have talked about the potential
of blogs as a marketing tool: If you can
start a blog on your product (or the problem your
product addresses) and generate a lot of activity
on it, the blog can be a great resource of
information on your product, with much higher credibility
than banner ads, promotional e-mails, and
other paid advertising. To find
blogs of interest, click on the link below: http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/On_the_Web/Weblogs/ To
create and write your own blog, you can post in a
separate section of your Web site. You can
also find a Web-based tool for publishing
your blog at: http://www.blogger.com/ http://www.typepad.com/ -------------------------------------------
NEW TELECONFERENCE
REVEALS E-MAIL COPYWRITING SECRETS I will
be the featured presenter for the Newsletter and
Electronic Publishers Association (NEPA) September
24 Audio Conference, "World’s Best-Kept E-Mail
Copywriting Secrets." For more information, visit
http://www.newsletters.org. Or call toll-free 800-356-9302. -------------------------------------------
PLANTS AS PREMIUMS Here’s
an idea I never thought of: plants as premiums. According
to Debra Ersch, plants have several advantages that
make them great premiums, including low cost, high
perceived value, and wide appeal. Ersch
specializes in selling plants as marketing premiums. Most
items are $3 and under. Give Debra a call at 402-475-5507
and tell her I sent you. She promises to come
up with "an idea that will surprise and
delight your clients." You can
also email Deb at dersch@alltel.net. She
will be happy to send you fresh ideas for plant premiums
for every season! -------------------------------------------
FOR
SPEAKERS – AND THOSE WHO HIRE SPEAKERS -- ONLY Lilly
Walters, author of four of the best-selling books for professional speakers, seminar leaders, and
trainers, has a
free e-zine filled with useable information such as: what is
being said about famous speakers in the major media news
... tips to work with speakers bureaus in today's economy
... and a weekly report of which speaker's books are on
the best-sellers ... plus excerpts and tips from her
how-to books. Sign up and see past issues of this enews by
going to: http://www.motivational-keynote-speakers.com/enewssubscribe.html -------------------------------------------
TIPS
FOR WRITING FOR THE HEALTH MARKET AWAI
has a new guide, "Secrets of Writing for the
Health Market," packed with proven tips on how to
write copy for nutritional supplements, pharmaceuticals, and
other health care products. For a risk-free 30 day
trial, click on the link below. Satisfaction guaranteed
or your money back: http://www.awaionline.com/healthwriters
-------------------------------------------
WHY
EVERY PIECE OF COPY SHOULD BE PROOFREAD—TWICE The
theme of PriceLine’s new radio commercials featuring Star
Trek's William Shatner is, "Chat with Shat." Now, am
I the only one who is aware that "Shat" is the past
tense form of the vulgar version of the
verb "defecate"? -------------------------------------------
CREATE
AND SELL YOUR OWN INFORMATION PRODUCTS Want to
learn how to create and market your own information
products? Here's your chance. Fred Gleeck, master
product creator and mentor is holding an event
on Sept 12-14 in NYC. BUT, this time it's a
little different. Anyone who attends pays only
AFTER attending and then they only pay what they
think it was worth. Leave it to master seminar marketer
and innovator Fred Gleeck to set the seminar world
on it's head by this "put your money where your
mouth is" technique. If you're interested, go to
http://www.infoproductsseminar.com Tell
him Bob Bly sent you. -------------------------------------------
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. -------------------------------------------
Bob Bly Copywriter/Consultant 22 E.
Quackenbush Ave. Dumont,
NJ 07628 phone
201-385-1220 fax
201-385-1138 http://www.bly.com rwbly@bly.com |
