Can men write copy that appeals to women?
Well, if you’re a man you will read this headline completely differently to a woman. Let me take you back to the 1950’s when there were three things a lady should not do.

1. She should not smoke in public
2. She should not wear long pants, unless under an overcoat
3. She should not colour her hair

It was into this environment that Clairol first introduced their revolutionary “Miss Clairol Hair Colour Bath”. Previously hair colouring was mainly restricted to prostitutes. It was also quite a complicated procedure taking a few hours to complete.

The aim of this product was not only to make hair colouring more mainstream. It also made it possible for women to easily colour their hair themselves… at home…in just 20 minutes! 

So how should they market such a new concept?
This was almost too revolutionary to sell. Within 6 months of introduction the number of women visiting salons for hair colouring increased by more than 500%!

Women still didn’t believe this was possible to do themselves in their own home. In fact it took three years before “Good Housekeeping” magazine would accept ads for this amazing new product.

The person chosen to head the campaign was one Shirley Polykoff. She understood emotions and also understood that you can be very naughty…as long as you are first seen to be nice!

She chose to go with the naughty headline accompanied by a nice picture. Her first thoughts were, Does She…Or Doesn’t She? Only Her Mother Knows For Sure. She didn’t want to upset the salons too much so she changed “mother” to “hairdresser”.

Men automatically assumed the answer to the question to be sexual. 
Life magazine were in fact reluctant to run the ad until a survey showed that women were not filling in the ellipsis the same way as men!

So successful was the Clairol campaign it skyrocketed sales by 413 percent in six years and influenced 50% of adult women to colour their hair. Very clever when you consider, once someone has coloured their hair they have to keep doing it…hair grows and roots show!

Would this campaign have been as successful if a man had been in charge?
Well without sounding sexist…I doubt it! Men just can’t think the same way as women.

So if your target market is female…you need a woman.

Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter

http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979

Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.

Bet you thought of long or short pants – right? One covers the essentials and one covers everything! Actually, I was thinking about sales letters!

Topics for heated debate have long been religion and politics and now they’re joined by the length of your letter!  How 21st Century!  Yes, we do live in an age of gnat-span focus, instant gratification and constant rush but there is method in the madness.

Have you ever read to the end of a long sales letter? I’m talking marathon here, perhaps more than thirty pages. If not, the chances are you weren’t the target customer for the product or service being sold!

Let’s rewind.

Imagine a subject that passionately grabs your interest.
Suddenly before you is an oasis of new knowledge that, at last, answers your questions AND promises new and exciting gifts – yes, for free! Would it feel like you’d found the Holy Grail?

Could you see yourself in the story and sense how great it would be? See how different it feels when you’re the intended reader in the target market? 

Research has proved that long letters really do sell more. So why ‘go long’?

• INFORMATION SEEKERS…for every scan reader there will be information hoarders who research every product they buy; if their needs aren’t satisfied, they’ll click goodbye.
• PRODUCTS…with lots of features and benefits require more explanation.
• ANTICIPATING OBJECTIONS…comforts the customer.
• HIGH PRICED ITEMS…require more justification and persuasion.
• CUSTOMER ‘LIGHTBULB’ PRODUCTS…if the client hasn’t yet realised their life ‘depends’ on your product, there’s some persuading to do!

Pruning should be perennial and not just for autumn!
Cut anything that doesn’t help the prospect make a buying decision – including your ego!  Major on the benefits of the product rather than how the company was created using Great Aunt Maud’s money…unless that’s relevant to the story! 

Tell them what THEY want to know, not what you want them to know!
Remember, the only boring you should be doing is down into the benefits of your niche product!   If your words are boring and disengaging NOTHING will keep your prospect reading…one click and he’s away to a competitor! Ouch, that’s painful on the pocket!

Think about a ‘real life’ customer for a moment. If, after beating on his door for ages, you finally won an appointment you’d do better than your best to persuade him your product was the answer to his prayers…wouldn’t you?

So why wouldn’t you do that for your potential virtual buyer? Of course you would.

HOW…?

• By using the sharpest tool in your toolbox!
• A long, exciting and effective sales letter.

But it’s not just about the facts and benefits. Your clients are looking to you for understanding and companionship and a sense of being heard and understood. 

Your words tell them they’re not alone in their problem! They trust you and believe you really have the solution! They take action and buy your product.

And once you have a satisfied customer, who feels you’re speaking only to them, they’ll come back again…and again…and again as you contact them with future products and, wait for it – higher priced ‘back end’ items.

Ka-Ching!  Ka-Ching!  Ka-Ching!   Ka-Ching!   

Janet Swift
Writing to Win

URL   :  www.swiftcopywriting.com
Email :  enquiries@swiftcopywriting.com 
Tel      : +44 (0)208 133 4088

Please feel free to use this article but I ask that you kindly include the above URL and signature.

Stop Advertising?
When everyone is cutting back on spending, what should you do, stop advertising?
If you have a new product and you stop advertising you will probably kill it forever.

Strange but true.
Studies over the last six recessions have shown that the companies who continued advertising to the same level achieved greater increases in profit than the companies who cut back. An example of this can be seen during the recession years of 1974-75. Companies who continued spending their normal budget on advertising through this time achieved 50% more sales than companies who cut back during 1974. By 1977 their sales had more than doubled their pre-recession figures while sales for the companies who cut back had barely increased by half.

There was a Morril survey carried out which clearly showed that share-of-market increased during the bad times when advertising was continued.

Marketing your product should always be priced in as part of the production costs and should never be cut back the same as you wouldn’t cut back on any other vital component.

During World War II the British Government prohibited the marketing of margarine under brand names. Unilever however continued to advertise one of their brands, even though it wasn’t available for consumers to buy. When the war ended and brands were again allowed on the shelves guess which brand was the top seller? You guessed it, Unilever.

Price Wars.
When times are hard and competition is fierce, price wars appear everywhere. Does the consumer always go for the lowest price? Not always. A lot of the time, we as consumers determine quality by price. The more expensive the item the higher the quality is thought to be. When the French Government were trying to determine the causes of inflation they cut thousands of cheeses in half and put them on sale. Half of the cheeses were priced 51% higher than the other half. The higher priced cheeses sold faster than the lower priced. Consumers often judge the quality of a product by its price.

So don’t get disheartened by all the doom and gloom around you. Just keep marketing and the consumer will keep buying.

Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter

http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979

Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.