(c) Segmentation, Targeting And Positioning
Preparing your sales letter means you need to really have a comprehensive knowledge of the product or service being offered, the market dynamics, and the reader’s stated and unstated needs. There is no replacement for product or service knowledge.
What does the product or service do for the one who requires it? How can the reader benefit from buying it? What is the unique selling point of the product or service? To respond to these queries, you should begin by distinguishing the benefits from the features. The sales letter should be able to persuade your reader to buy your stuff based on the grounds of what benefit the product/ service derives and not based on its features.
The benefit is what the product or service offers and what the consumer profits from the feature. A benefit is the specific result of the feature. A feature is what the product or service already has built in. Benefits are what inspire people to buy. A refrigerator, for example, has defrosting facilities (feature). If that technology helps in getting rid of unwanted icicles and helps in keeping our greens fresh and healthy, then we have the benefit of that feature.
Decide on how you plan to advertise the product or service. Through the Internet, direct mail, email, direct sales, print advertising, etc.? Is there some other advertising or literature to support the sales letter? Who is your competition? What marketing activities have they undertaken? What is your advertising budget? Are you aiming too high?
Who is your potential buyer? What stimulates a person to buy this item? The experts point out that the emotion most often used to influence people to buy is fear, and a million other variations of it. You have to be in the consumer’s position to realize whether your offer appeals to the readers’ emotional needs.
(d) Following The Aida Model
Advertising copywriters follows the AIDA model. The AIDA model stands for
Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
Get Your Reader’s Attention
If you want your sales letter to have an impact on your readers, it must first get their attention. You can do this with a hard-hitting headline or lead paragraph that hits the nail directly on the head or you can even begin your letter with a captivating question. For instance, "Do you want to cut your electricity cost by 45%?"
An appropriate headline for a sales letter promoting a weight loss program might be: "Now, you can lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks without having to starve; and it’s easy and affordable!" This headline not only solves a problem, but also offers a quick and easy solution that keeps in mind the price-sensitive consumer.
Your reader will be interested only in knowing "What's in it for me?" "Why should I invest my time in reading on?” If you let him know instantly, at the beginning of your letter, he'll keep reading the rest of the letter. And that's half the battle won. In any case, he will rarely reach the third paragraph. So the impact has to be instant. The crux of the matter should be explained at the very beginning.
Gain Their Interest
You must clasp the reader's interest by showing him why he needs your product or service. You have to create a want for your product or service. Let him know how his life will become easier with your product. Show him what he is missing by not even trying the product.
Here, you require to prove your trustworthiness. You can rest your case by using testimonials or case histories. You can provide the communication details of users who have benefited from your product. Always remember that you know everything there is to know about your product, so “stale news” to you can be “fresh news” to the other person.
Create Desire
Now you've got the reader's attention and hooked his interest. Next, you’ve got to create desire. Tell the reader how exactly he'll benefit from your product. Link the benefits to the reader’s daily life. Get him to realize how your product can benefit him, how convenient it is for him to get it, and how comfortable life will be for him afterwards.
Generalities are less convincing. Specific details are far more believable. For example, when you want to sell books on lowering employee theft . . . "By the end of this quarter, you could see your percentage of employee theft drop by more than 37%. Imagine the spectacular effect it will have on your bottom line!" If it is selling a weight loss program… “Within 3 weeks you will have lost 15 pounds. Imagine the compliments pouring in from your spouse. Think how gorgeous you will look in that new swimsuit!”
Solicit Action
What do you want the reader to do next? Send in a reply card? Order the product or service? Call in asking for more information? Schedule an appointment? Notify him accordingly. It is amazing how many sales letters do not inform the reader about the subsequent step. They consider that the reader is a mind reader. But usually this is not the case.
You've worked hard so far. You've gotten his attention, hooked his interest, created desire. Isn’t it appropriate to ask for action? Don't presume that your reader knows what to do next. As a support to getting the preferred action, you must always incorporate a reply card with your letter.
The P.S. is one component of a letter that at all times gets read. Use your P.S. to emphasize your most compelling benefit or restate your guarantee. Don't waste it on merriment. Used wisely, it could be the final prod that tilts the buying decision in your favor. So be specific and give the final spurt.