January, 2012
In advertising jargon, "manufacturer's copy" refers to the kind of self-referential email copywritng that clients write for themselves.
It's all about "I," "us," "we," "our," and only incidentally about solving the prospect's problem.
Let me give you an example of manufacturer's copy that recently arrived in my inbox. It was an all-text lead-generation email. (Name and company name changed.)
Hello Ivan,
My name is Bill Smith and I'm hoping to reach your online marketing representative. I work for LinkFarm (www.linkfarm.com/) and we are an online advertising network with a Managed Services consultancy specializing in link building. I would appreciate an opportunity to discuss our service offerings with you and see if there could be a match. I can be reached by telephone or email (both listed below) or I can call you to discuss at your earliest convenience. Please let me know what works best for you and I thank you in advance for your time.
Sincerely, Bill Smith
What Bill is missing, I believe, is the fact that nobody really cares about what he's hoping for or who he would like to reach. Instead of focusing on his needs, Bill should immediately address the prospect's problem and explain how it can be solved.
Ok. Let's take a crack at a fast rewrite of the lead and see how we can make something of Bill's lead-generation email . . .
Hi Ivan:
Want to attract thousands of new visitors to your Web site?
It's easier than you think!
The secret is to get other Web sites to provide links to yours.
How do you do that?
You'll find answers in LinkFarm's brand new report titled . . .
"101 Ways to Build Web Traffic
With Link-Building!"
CLICK HERE
to get your FREE copy with no obligation!
From there, I'd give the reader some examples of the priceless information they'll find in the downloadable report. Then I'd tell them briefly that their free report comes from LinkFarm and I'd describe the company's services in just a sentence or two.
The key point is that I would use a free item to get the prospect to "CLICK HERE," then collect their contact information on a landing page. I would not expect people to call me or email me when I am offering them absolutely nothing!
The take-away message this month? Don't write manufacturer's copy that's all about you and what you want. Think first about what the prospect wants and watch sales take off!
