Shift the focus of your emails to your prospect (it’s not about you) and watch your sales take off!
In keeping with my theme of “Get Personal,” I’m sharing with you a blog by email marketing and copywriting guru, Ivan Levison. Ivan is king when it comes to content.
Change your message from one that’s all about you, what you want, and what you offer. Shift the focus to your recipient—your prospect or client—and gain more attention and more business in less time.
Insight and Advice From Ivan Levison
“In advertising jargon, “manufacturer’s copy” refers to the kind of self-referential copy 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 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 that you want. Think first about what the prospect wants and watch sales take off!”
About Ivan Levison
Ivan Levison is a professional freelance copywriter who builds profits for forward-looking companies. Direct Mail, Email & Advertising Copywriting | http://www.levison.com/
What Matters to You? Comment Here.
How do your vendors speak so you’ll listen? What catches and retains your attention? How to you communicate to your prospects and clients that they matter?
Comment and join the conversation.
always i used to read smaller articles which as well clear their motive, and that is
also happening with this paragraph which I am reading now.
my blog post – cli.gs
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was curious what all is required to get setup? I’m assuming having a
blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100%
positive. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
my blog … Harley
You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to
be actually something that I think I would never understand.
It seems too complex and very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post,
I will try to get the hang of it!
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