Continuing from Part 1 earlier this month on “Writing stuff that gets read,” I’ll provide some helpful words of wisdom from a marketing mentor, as well as rules to live by when writing for your audience.
Some more words of wisdom
Leo, the marketing guru, also taught me these great tips:
All of your writing and your ads follow the same formula:
1. Great headline that makes the reader feel they either must have this or they don’t ever want to suffer with this thing you’re writing about so "give me the cure.”
2. A little plain-English conversational copy with nothing technical unless you use the keyword to help them understand what it’s “like”.
Ex:The heating system is like a car in that it needs air, spark and fuel to run properly.
3. The turn or pivot statement from your headline, which is “But don’t take our word for it…” or “Here’s what one customer had to say…”
4. A great testimonial to what you’re writing about.
5. Call to Action that aligns to what we’re talking about.
Ex: Call in the next two weeks for a $50 coupon for water filters.
Rules for writing:
1. Make sure there’s a paragraph break every seven lines. You must have some white space or our eyes glaze over at the big block of copy and we won’t read it.
2. Font size is a minimum of 10, and better yet 12, for the 40-and-over crowd to easily read it.
3. Keep the font style consistent. Don’t mix in too many font changes or it’ll end up looking like a ransom note!
We buy the benefit not the features, so use these words in your copy:
1. Save money
2. Peace of mind
3. Safety
4. Comfort
What to write about?
1. Ask the CSRs what customers are calling about or concerned about when talking to them.
2. Ask the Techs what customers are calling about or concerned about when they’re on the job.
3. Ask the Sales People what customers are calling about or concerned about when they visit.
Always end with a Call to Action. This means that you lead me to what you want me to do with the knowledge you’ve imparted on me.
Ex: Call in the next two weeks and save $50 on your cooling tune-up.
Follow these tips and watch how your writing can positively affect your sales and marketing!
Testimonials are key
Just take a look below at a recent testimonial ad I ran in PM magazine that incorporates some of these techniques. I try to practice what I preach.
Being a Contractor is Tough!
Well, it doesn’t have to be…but don’t take my word for it. Here’s what just one client had to say:
“Why is running a commercial and residential service and install business so hard? Why can't employees do what I need them to do? After all, it's just common sense…isn't it?
Truth is I love being in business. I'm excited to design solutions to the problem and acting on these solutions. All great stuff until I'm faced with the frustrations of day-to-day business.
With the work our company has done with Al Levi, I came back from a vacation and
the GREAT thing I found was that the team had kept the progress of what we are doing going forward. It is as if I was still there, boy this is really nice!
Progress was made without me being there to push. Also speaking to the CSRs, the busy days went really smoothly…a lot better than in the past. Better customer satisfaction and the employees are working more efficiently. Everyone sees the improvement and likes it.”
Dave Dalpe, Owner
Victory Mechanical
Bellingham, MA
ANNOUNCEMENT:
What’s the number one question I get asked? …
“How do I get my phone ringing NOW?”
I hear you and that’s why I took the highly successful program calledGet More Calls Now and made it even more affordable by making it a self-study program.
Learn more here: www.GetMoreCallsNow.com
