Masonry Magazine May 2003 Page. 52
Marketing 101
Marketing in Tough Times
Cathy Lee Taylor
Principal, Creative Communications
Orange County, Calif.
When the economy is slow, companies often do the opposite of what's best for their business. Down times are when you need to escalate your marketing efforts, not reduce them.
Whether marketing in a print medium, radio, television or just networking, you have a limited amount of time to get your message across.
Whether marketing in a print medium, radio, television or just networking, you have a limited amount of time to get your message across. You want to initiate interest and be memorable when the contact has ended. Let's take a look at what it takes to win with print advertising.
Money-making Headlines
Winning headlines accomplish many things. They first attract your prospect's attention; communicate a strong benefit; and appeal to the self-interest of the reader. You know you have a healthy headline if it answers the reader's question, "What's in it for me?"
Tests show that a good headline can be as much as 17 times more effective than a mediocre headline even when the exact same body copy is used. Headlines are a powerful tool, and that's reason enough to get it right the first time. Successful marketers tell us to spend 70 percent of your time coming up with the headline in 17 words or less.
"On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that, unless your headline sells your product, you wasted 90 percent of your money"
David Ogilvy, Ogilvy & Mather
Worldwide
Hot Button Benefits
Use strong verbs in your copy to communicate your most valuable asset-your benefits. Don't confuse benefits with features. For example, a masonry business benefit is the security one feels when buying a durable, long-lasting solution. Bricks and blocks, and first-class assembly, are the features.
Benefits are always from the buyer's point of view; features are the facts about your products, which help build credibility. Both are necessary in your advertising, but benefits are what close the sale because people buy based on emotions, and then justify their decision with logic. Good headlines stir emotions and motivate response.
Here are 10 of the most powerful words used in successful headlines today:
Sale
How to
Discover
New
Facts You
Example headlines using these keywords:
Little Known Secrets of How
Brick Buildings Withstand
Earthquakes
10 Reasons New Contractors
Need Highly Skilled
Craftsmen
The Truth about Building Safe
Schools from Stonework
Discover How Breakthrough
Scheduling Provides Improved
Quality
Compelling Body
No one likes to be sold or manipulated they want to be communicated with and shown. If you have a product or service they want, your copy can't be considered too extensive as long as you keep them engaged. And that's the trick-you need to know intimately what your target market wants. Always put yourself in the reader's shoes when analyzing your promotion.
The body of your message is where you articulate your unique selling position. How do you differentiate your construction company from every other? Tell them how your solution solves the void in your marketplace (a void that they have as well). Your body copy should grow from what specific action you want your recipient to
Secrets of
Amazing
Breakthrough
The Truth
Free