Originally written back in 1923 by Claude Hopkins – Scientific Advertising – is considered to be the original source of many successful direct response marketing campaigns today.
What’s interesting is how the new paradigm of web 2.0 marketing has seduced many rational people into ignoring, forgetting, or never-even-learning the basic concepts of salesmanship-in-print.
Unless you are big business with deep pockets, “branding” is just not going to be cost-effective.
Plus it’s clear that it’s important – invaluable really – to understand and identify with your target audience in these turbulent times:
- Customers like to be courted.
- They expect to be appreciated – treated as though they’re special (in their mind, they are special).
- They like to be assured. They want YOU to take the risk. They want a guarantee!
- Customers buy benefits, not features.
- They are influenced by endorsements – they’re looking to hear the opinions of people they trust and respect.
- Once they’re looking to buy, customers respond to headlines. They want to hear the whole story and they don’t mind spending the time it takes to hear it all – but, they will not tolerate being bored!
- They are turned off by negative advertising.
- The right name can make or break a sales campaign.
- What works and what doesn’t is determined by testing. Not guessing or opinion. Testing.
The nuances may change, but the principles of business do not!
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