How to boost your marketing response: 10 more great copy tips

In the last issue of Direct Response, I gave you “10 great copy tips for online and offline marketing.” Here are some more tried-and-tested direct response copy techniques that good copywriters use in almost every marketing piece they write.

Check the copy in your latest direct mail piece, website or email against this list as well as the lists in your previous issues of Direct Response to make sure your copywriter is making your marketing work as hard as it can for you.

1. Have you eliminated all references to “we think” or “our company believes”? Remember, your prospects don’t care about what you think, they only care about what they need.

2. Do your materials anticipate and answer your prospect’s questions? Write your copy as if you were face to face with your prospects and anticipating their questions.

3. Do your materials anticipate and answer your prospect’s objections? An objection is often a question. One way to turn a potential negative into an advantage is with a question-and-answer format.

4. Can you relate your product or service to items in the news? Be careful to make sure it is timely and relevant to your product and its benefits.

5. Have you stuck to the facts? Exaggeration can diminish your credibility and hurt your response rate.

6. Is the type large enough to be easily read? Body text should be at least 12-point type, but with our country’s aging population, I recommend nothing less than 13-point type.

7. Have you proven why your product or service is unique? Use credible evidence to convince your customers why they should do business with you instead of your competitors.

8.Have you defined your Unique Selling Proposition at the start, and reinforced it in the middle and at the end? This is what sets you apart—make sure it weaves through your entire message.

9.Are all the benefits of your product or service clearly explained? Show how you will help your prospects solve their problems or enhance their lives.

10.Do your materials position your company as an authority with a solution to your target’s worst problem? Make it clear that you are the obvious resource to meet your prospect’s needs.

Do your current marketing materials pass this test? Are they making you as much money as they possibly can?

If so, congratulations!