| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
How to Convey Trustworthiness in Direct Mail Marketing Sales Letter
A person or business that might buy from you is called a prospect. But they might just as accurately be called a skeptic. We live in the age of the spam filter. And call-display. We live in what fellow-copywriter Herschell Gordon Lewis calls, "The Age of Skepticism." Your sales letters must overcome your reader's built-in baloney detector. Your prospective customers are on their guard. Here, in no particular order, are some tips on how to prove your trustworthiness on paper. 1. Third-party endorsements If your product has won an industry award for innovation, say so. If your service was ranked among the top 10 in your industry by a trade publication or other impartial group, mention that. Leverage the positive press you've received. 2. Testimonials If your clients have said kind things about your company, your products or your customer service, cite these accolades in your sales letters, with the client's permission, of course. Solicit these testimonials often, and file them. Wherever possible, use the testimonials that speak to the concerns and challenges facing each particular prospect that you write to. To increase believability, cite the full name, job title and company (and website if the testimonial appears online) of each person who gives a testimonial. 3. Industry accreditation If your company is ISO 9000 certified, and if that is of value to your prospects, say so. If you are members of your industry association, or the Better Business Bureau, and if saying so will increase your believability, mention that as well. 4. Longevity The longer you have been in business, the easier you are to trust. So mention your years in business or the year you were founded, whichever sounds the most impressive and plausible. 5. Industry leadership Are you the leader in your industry? That's worth a mention. You can demonstrate leadership in terms of annual sales, breadth of product line, market share, number of employees, number of customers, and number of countries where you have a presence. Special challenges If your company is brand new, unknown, or cannot say any of the above things, there are still ways to communicate trustworthiness. Incorporate your business, since having Inc. after your name makes you look established. Get a toll-free number. It says "big business" and "customer service." Offer a money-back guarantee. Offer "no money up front, pay later" terms. Add the years that your partners have been in business and present that figure as your combined years of experience. Locate your office at a prestigious address in the same neighbourhood where your competitors are known to do business (Madison Avenue, New York, for advertising, Saville Row, London, for men's suits, and so on). ABOUT THE AUTHOR © 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Getting Paid to Promote Yourself We all know we can pay a magazine or a newspaper to run ads for us. Businesses do it all the time. Dear Friend: Dont Start Your Non-For-Profit Fundraising Letters As A Stranger Dear Friend:Don't do it.Don't start your fundraising letters with "Dear Friend. A Jack Of All Trades Is Often The Master of None You've heard variations of that saying your entire life. Consider: a marketer to all markets . Corporate Branding and Trade Shows - 8 Tips for Marketing Managers Trade shows are part of the marketing mix and the appearance by your firm should be a continuum of your entire marketing including advertising, public relations and events.While you may introduce a new product or showcase a service, many firms make mistakes by not connecting the overall corporate branding with the show. Smart Ways To Rocket Launch Your Profits If you really want to pull more profits from your business, you really need take some of the actions listed here. 1. Create Your Own Rumors A consultant new in the city asked me how I managed to get business so fast. Working for that marketing company definitely gave me a jump start. How to Really Get Your Customers What Really Makes Your Postcard Mailing Successful? The biggest single factor in the success of your postcard mailings is who you send your postcards to.You need a list of people or businesses to send your postcard offer to. How to Turn Your Marketing Into a Money-Making Machine - Preparing for Marketing That Yields Results The usual complaint from companies is that Marketing simply does not yield as expected. So much effort, time, and money goes into campaigns, and yet the frustrations persist: Why aren't sales up? Why are we not growing? And the truth, sadly enough, is that no one can really pinpoint what is working well, and what simply is not producing anything (and costing the company!). FREE Means MORE Business Why give freebies?We have all seen freebies at trade shows and we have all probably seen the person that goes from booth to booth collecting as much of it as possible. There is always someone that only goes to get the free stuff, but then again there are also people that go there to learn about new products or services. Connect to Your Customers with Superb Sales Letters In the age of e-newsletters and e-mail, you may not consider a sales letter, sent through the regular old postal service, as a viable means of contacting your target market. But the traditional sales letter has not gone completely by the wayside. 5 Steps to Success: A Surefire Way to Achieve Your Goals No doubt you started this year with some big ideas about what you wanted to accomplish. I know I did!Maybe it was how many new clients you wanted to get, or how much money you wanted to make, or how many products you wanted to sell. Secret of Strategy - Part 1 A step-by-step guide to creating a growth strategy based on your current situation and future possibilities. I'll bet you think you already have a strategy. B2B Marketing Tips - Create an Interactive Online Experience for Clients Business to business communications on the web are as stale as a piece of week old toast.As a marketing director you want to give your company the biggest bang for it's marketing buck. A Tool For Selling New Ideas! Imagine tossing a pebble into a crystal clear pond on a still day, & watching the ripples make their way to the shore. A tiny cause has a massive effect. Marketing And Patience "Get your positioning and your programs implemented properly, and the numbers will come. But you've got to have some patience. Color Part 2: Formats and Systems There are several color formats and systems available for mixing and specifying colors. Here, we explain three of the most common systems: RGB, CMYK, and Pantone colors. 8 Proven Ways to Get Referrals Do you find it hard to ask for referrals? I know I do! Your heart starts racing, you stumble for words, and sometimes you break out in a sweat just thinking of asking for a referral. But the secret to getting referrals without having to ask is to develop a system that does the asking for you. You're In Charge. Now What? For years now, you have been waiting patiently for that first opportunity to be put in charge of a group and show what you can do. It has finally happened. 5 High-Impact Marketing Tips Here are 5 high-impact marketing tips you can use to boost your sales quickly. All are simple to implement and they involve little or no new expense. Market Planning -- Getting the Word Out "There are those who get things done and those who think about getting things done."--Col.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
