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THE LEVISON LETTER
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Action Ideas For Better Direct Mail,
E-mail, Web Sites & Advertising
Published by
Ivan Levison, Direct Response Copywriting
January 2000
Volume: 15 Number: 1
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Copywriting tips for direct response marketers
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#1. Keep it simple.
Your prospects don't want to think about your message.
They
want to understand, QUICKLY, exactly what your product or
service can do for them. So don't use long sentences when
short ones will do. Don't use long words when short ones
will do. Explain benefits clearly. Strip off the verbal fat
and write rock-hard, muscular prose that gets results!
#2. Keep it short.
Some years ago I used to write long selling-letters
for clients.
"The more you tell, the more you sell" was my watchword.
And the long stuff pulled just great. Now, things are
changing. Readers are less patient. Their attention spans are
shorter. Which means that the sales letters, e-mail, etc., I write
are getting shorter too. Does this move to a shorter format
bother me? Absolutely not! The only thing any direct
response writer should care about is what WORKS.
#3. Keep it lively.
Hey, it isn't a crime yet in this country to have a
little
enthusiasm or a sense of humor. If your marketing materials
are flat or boring, bring a little personality to the party. You
know, your sales letters, e-mail, etc., need to communicate
more than features and benefits. They have to truly engage
the reader and connect at some emotional level. So don't be
afraid to write with a little punch. The spark you or your
writer brings to a project can make all the difference!
#4. Keep it real.
"Creative" advertising agencies -- the ones
with the hip
bubble-gum machines and barber chairs -- are often into puns,
jokes, double meanings, metaphors, cleverness, and hilarity of
all kinds. The ads and commercials they create are meant to be
fun. Chances are, though, YOU will do much better being
direct and down to earth. If you are selling a high-tech
product, resist the urge to get "creative." Keep your feet
on the
ground, be direct, sell with conviction, and all will be well!
#5. Keep it persuasive.
As I've said before in The Levison Letter, we must
never
forget that, though we may be into high technology, we must
also be salespeople who motivate prospects to ACT. Look at
it this way . . . what's the best way to sell someone something?
The answer is face to face, one on one. When you're right
there with a prospect, you can "read" them, answer their
questions, overcome resistance, and perhaps most important,
close the sale! But we can't be everywhere, selling in person.
This means our ads, e-mails, sales letters, and the like, are
proxies for us. They are, as someone once said, salesmanship
in print. Make sure that all YOUR sales materials are selling
hard and the coming years will be profitable indeed!
________________
Want me to create some "salesmanship in print"
for
YOU? Give me a call and let's talk. Or send me an e-mail. I
write for Adobe, Apple, Claris, Hewlett-Packard, Intuit, Intel,
Microsoft, Netscape, and many other terrific companies. Why not
you? If you need me to write sales letters, e-mail letters, ads,
Web content, whatever, please get in touch anytime. And if you
haven't done so already, check out http://www.levison.com/testimonials.html
All will be revealed!
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How To Get In Touch
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Ivan Levison
Direct Response Copywriting
14 Los Cerros Drive
Greenbrae, CA 94904
Phone: (415) 461-0672
Fax: (415) 461-7738
E-mail: ivan@levison.com
Web Site: http://www.levison.com
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Copyright 2000 by Ivan Levison. All Rights Reserved.
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