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Your direct mail, particularly in
Autoresponder messages, will draw better results if you follow some easy
copy-writing ideas. Once you get into the habit of using these, it will
become automatic and you will have a greater response to your letters.
When available, use your reader's first name
to generate a "personal" feeling. It makes them feel like you took the time
to address your message directly to them and not to a general audience. I
have received lengthy emails that I might never have read completely except
for the fact that my name was scattered throughout.
And be creative --- start out with: "Hey
John, how are your marketing efforts going..." or "Hi Jennifer, it's been a
good day for me, how about you?". Don't you think they are bound to read the
rest of what you have to say? If a first name is not available, try for the
second best by using "Hello Entrepreneur" or "Dear Marketer", rather than no
personalization at all.
And while you write to John or Jennifer, be
sure to speak as if they were across the table. We aren't creating poetry,
we're trying to explain a new product or promote an easier way to perform an
Internet task. Naturally, typo errors and misspellings must always be
corrected, but if you are known to say "ain't", feel free to use it.
When you proofread your copy eliminate every
unnecessary word. This is one of the first lessons in Creative
Writing called the surgical step. The Teacher used to tell us, "...if
you don't cut them out, I will, and mark your paper accordingly" Surgery
keeps your writing succinct.
Quotations get attention. This doesn't mean
that every message should contain one but if a situation calls for it, use
them. Italics don't show up as such in many screens; use them sparingly.
Bold and CAPS should not be necessary to get your point across.
Color offers great emphasis but if you are
using text instead of html-source, this may not be possible.
Factual numbers are always a plus. If, in
your research you find a real factual number, use it as a lead-in or a
conclusion. People follow numbers -- it seems to prove the statement that
they are attached to. "50% of all households in the US alone will be
involved in a home based business by the year 2005" - a quote from Newsweek
Magazine. Quotes and Facts like this drive home your point.
Keep this Article in front of you the next
time you need to get out a message that everyone will read.
© 2004 Esther Smith
About
the Author: Smith has published numerous articles and writes a blog for
all artists:
http://the-self-taught-artist.com/blog.html
She also coaches new students on how to leave the time-for-money trap and set up
Leveraged Income for life.
http://thepermanentventure.com/dcc.htm If you can’t sing or ride a
bull, you better learn how to make your money work for more money.
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