Acoem Presentation Nov 12 2009

How to Write Marke-ng Copy that Sells

Presented by Sheri Jacobs, CAE, President + Chief Strategist

Avenue M Group, LLC

American College of OccupaAonal and Environmental Medicine

November 12, 2009

Name something you’ve recently bought that you

really love.

Why do you love it?

I love my camera!

What do I love about my camera?

•  Fits in my pocket.

•  I can take great pictures from anywhere.

•  It is so easy to use; I actually appear in pictures from family vacaAons.

Lumix Panasonic with mega OIS image stabilizer.

Another approach… Nikon D40. Campaign used real people, real pictures

and real words.

Nikon ad copy •  Benefit: Simple to use.

•  Proof: Large sample audience (200 residents).

•  Technology: Nikon used a microsite called Picturetown.

•  People: Seven stories of people’s lives and experiences with examples.

Outcome/Results •  Nikon became the brand most likely to purchase.

•  Changed percepAon from 'for professionals only' to 'easy to use' cameras 'for everyone.’

•  Web site engaged visitors with 9.5 million pictures viewed.

•  Increased market share by 30%.

People don’t read ads. They read what interests them and sometimes that

happens to be an ad.

It’s easy to market when this is your product.

That’s great. But I’m selling membership, conferences or advocacy!

Your challenges… •  Being heard. Gedng my message read.

•  Numerous audiences – creaAng a segmentaAon strategy

•  Reaching new customers and prospects within current audience segments

•  Reaching new audience segments

•  High product costs – downturn economy •  Achieving diversity

What do you hope to learn

today?

•  How to get emails opened and read

•  How to clarify your message •  How to determine your unique selling points •  How to develop markeAng that stands out on a limited budget

•  How to make minor and major changes to improve your current markeAng efforts

•  What else?

hjp://www.wordle.net

Our world today… •  Total saturaAon •  New technologies •  Many compeAng forces •  A recession •  Budget cuts, doing more with less •  In short…a period of radical change

MarkeAng is about 3 things…

1.  Unique value to the audience.

2.  IdenAfying the most trusted sources/channels.

3.  The right words to connect with customers.

•  Know everything you can about who you are selling to.

•  Know everything you can about what you are selling.

•  Know everything you can about your compeAAon. •  Know everything you can about the best channels to reach your customers.

•  Know everything you can about what moAvates your customers.

To sell anything you must…

It all starts with understanding your

prospects and what you are offering.

Do you know? •  How prospects find you?

•  Why do they join, register or purchase?

•  What other organizaAons they belong to?

•  What they need based on their size, locaAon, business or other factors?

•  What is keeping them up at night?

Don’t know…ask!

www.wordle.net

How do your members behave online?

Ask a few simple quesAons. How onen do you…

•  Maintain a blog, read a blog, comment on a blog.

•  Write reviews, read reviews.

•  Maintain a facebook page, comment on a facebook page.

•  Post a twijer comment, follow others on twijer.

Listening + Engagement Campaign •  How do members describe the services they use?

•  How do members describe the problems they are facing?

•  What types of soluAons are they looking for in specific terms?

•  What suggesAons are other members offering to help solve their problems?

5 Steps to Engagement •  INVOLVE -‐ listen to, live the social web, understand it, this

cannot be faked

•  CREATE -‐ make relevant content for communiAes of interest

•  DISCUSS -‐ no conversaAon around it, then the content may as well not exist

•  PROMOTE -‐ acAvely, respecqully, promote the content with the networks

•  MEASURE -‐ monitor, interaAvely develop and respond or be damned!

Involve Create Discuss/ Listen Promote Measure

How well do you know what you are trying to sell?

Conduct an Asset Audit

Conduct a Benefit Analysis •  Advantages: Describe what disAnguishes the feature as

unique or special. What makes this ajribute special?

•  MoAves: MoAves describe what the features saAsfy as a result of buying and using your “product.”

•  Benefits: What favorable or desired experience will the customer derive as a result of the feature and advantage? How will the member/prospect avoid pain or gain happiness?

•  Evidence: What anecdotal and actual data do we have to back up our claim?

Create a Marke-ng Brief •  What differenAates your product

•  How to stand out in the marketplace

•  How to make it relevant

•  How to make it believable

•  How to make a connecAon.

How well do you know your

compeAAon?

How do you compare? What do prospects see when they look at other medical socieAes?

•  MarkeAng and promoAons •  Segments served

•  Pricing and discounts •  Online presence (Google search)

•  Product line •  Brand strength and recogniAon •  Strengths and weaknesses (resources, staff size)

Let’s Take a Break.

Capturing the prospect’s ajenAon.

Know the triggers

95% of the reasons a prospect buys involve a subconscious decision!

Source: Triggers by Joe Sugarman

Proof of Value

Should I spend $1000 for a laptop?

Price: $3,848.00 Ouch!

Price: $989.00 Yes!

Proof of Value All the features I need in

a laptop.

$3,848+ vs. $989

Proof of value When you jusAfy the price of your product or service, you add value to your offer and give the prospect one more logical reason to buy.

Show two pricing opAons, one being considerably more expensive.

•  Premium membership and regular membership •  Your organizaAon vs. compeAtor

•  Regular fee vs. special offer fee

Tone What is the nature of what you are selling? Is it Serious? Fun? Luxurious? Inexpensive? What words match your product?

•  Free, freebies

•  Exclusive, InvitaAon only

•  PresAgious

•  Serious

Emo-on What emoAonal needs will your product solve? •  Staying afloat during the recession •  SorAng through an avalanche of informaAon •  CommunicaAng the value of the profession •  Budget constraints – no money to travel and ajend conferences

•  A decline in residency programs and the specialty

How Do You Handle Objec-ons? Raise the objecAons and then resolve them. Don’t ignore objecAons.

If cost is an issue, talk about it. •  Membership is less than $2/day •  Offer freebies to offset the cost to ajend a meeAng

If lack of Ame is a concern… •  Tell how ajendees can stay connected at the conference

MarkeAngProfs Business-‐to-‐Business Forum 2009

What you get with the cost of registraAon: 1.  Free copy of B2B Marke)ng in 2009: Trends in

Strategies and Spending 2.  A free Premium Plus membership for Basic and Non-‐

members. 3.  Free one-‐to-‐one expert advice 4.  Free ongoing private (exclusive) networking with fellow

ajendees on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twijer. 5.  Free meals throughout the enAre conference

Involvement & Ownership A good involvement device in direct response adverAsing has doubled and even tripled response rates.

“Write down 3 issues you want to address when you come back from the Coding and Classifica)on for the Occupa)onal Medicine Office.

Storytelling

A good story should capture a person’s ajenAon, relate the product or service to the sales message, and help you bond

with the prospect.

Actual Copy

WSAE holds eight 1/2 day educaAonal programs each year presenAng some of the best naAonal and state speakers discussing cudng edge soluAons to the challenges

faced by associaAon execuAves.

Another way to say it:

WSAE offers educaAonal programs “that are worth gedng up at 5:00 am and driving halfway across the state to ajend.”

Authority and Credibility

Credibility Examples

“Join more than 352,000 members”

“Top-‐rated service 3 years in a row”

“Selected as one of Chicago's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For by the NaAonal AssociaAon of Business Resources”

Logic In today’s economy, people need to jusAfy the purchase – membership, ajendance, adverAsing, sponsorships. •  RecogniAon – you deserve it •  Savings

Remember two main points about logic as a trigger: (1) You buy on emoAon and jusAfy the purchase with logic. (2) View logic as the answer to the unspoken objecAon, “Why should I buy this thing?”

EmoAon: BMW. The UlAmate Driving Machine!

Logic: UlAmate efficiency. Well equipped. No-‐cost maintenance. No-‐cost BMW Assist Safety Plan.

SaAsfacAon Guarantee UncondiAonal, no-‐hassle, money back guarantee

•  Membership: We will refund your money if you are not saAsfied -‐ up unAl the very last day of your membership.

•  MeeAngs: We will refund your money and let you keep the course materials if you are not completely saAsfied.

What type of guarantee could you offer?

Sense of Urgency •  Introductory price/offer

•  Limited quanAty – only the first 20 people who register will receive a free white paper

•  Pricing based on number of seats sold

•  First 10 seats sell for $49

•  Second 10 sell seats for $99

•  Third 10 seats sell for $149

Exclusivity •  Create a sense of exclusivity

by sedng limitaAons on who can buy, join or register.

•  Offer other exclusive products to prospects have parAcipated, joined or ajended a session.

KISS – Keep it Stupid and Simple

Make it so easy to register, join or buy that all the customer needs to do is pick up a pen and sign on the dojed line.

Unless you are going for exclusivity!

Be Specific Don’t say “Top rated educaAonal program”

Say…

People are skepAcal about adverAsing. Make it believable. By being specific you sound like an expert.

“95% of past ajendees of the OccupaAonal Medicine Board Review rate this course as one of the most important moves in advancing their career.”

Create a Must-‐Read Headline

The enAre purpose of the headline/subject line is to get the prospect to read the next line.

The enAre purpose of the next line is to get the prospect to read on. And so on.

This should conAnue unAl the prospect takes the acAon you desire.

10 Online mistakes that can get you fired

Use How to or a Number in your Title •  How to recognize the adverse effects of chronic lead exposure •  How to apply the low back guidelines to clinical pracAce

situaAons •  How to prepare your pracAce for the changer over from ICD-‐9 to

ICD-‐10

•  11 Emerging Trends in Waterborne Disease •  9 Legal Issues you should know about Social Networking •  5 Ways to Evaluate Financial Policies and Rate Impacts.

Use the word “Because” People are skepAcal. If you are offering something too good to be true, they may not respond. Explain why you are giving something away for free or at a steep discount.

Tell people what’s in it for them and what’s in it for you.

Cut your copy in half! Use short simple sentences. Avoid complex jargon.

Provided that -‐ -‐ If In order to -‐ -‐ To The majority of -‐ -‐ Most Accordingly -‐ -‐ So Facilitate -‐ -‐ Help Frequently -‐ -‐ Onen Commence -‐ -‐ Start Nonetheless -‐ -‐ But

Use Curiosity to Get Them Interested Program: Physicians and health care reform

50% of Physicians Report Health Care Reform Worsened CondiAons for their PracAce

In this session, you will understand the key implicaAons of health reform legislaAon impacAng OEM physicians. The session will cover health and producAvity strategies, how to market your services, and the key condiAons that are driving up cost.

Be AuthenAc. Show your personality.

People are drawn to real people, not brands, companies or organizaAons. Forget the talking points and encourage your volunteers and staff to speak with authenAcity.

Don’t filter their comments. Ajribute comments to their owners.

Complete the worksheet.

MarkeAng with Direct Mail.

15 Ways to Get People to Act Now

1)  End your price with a 7 or a 9.

There is a psychological price point – a dues amount that ends with a dollar amount of a “7” or “9.” For example, an acquisiAon price of $139 will typically generate more revenue and members than a price of $150.


2) Build your campaign around a metaphor:

•  Survey •  CerAficate •  Temporary membership card

•  Gin card •  InvitaAon

Make them stop and think.


3) Use the P.S.

•  Remind buyers of a special gin they will receive if they respond.

•  Emphasize the guarantee

•  Repeat the key benefit •  Provide contact informaAon


4) Personalize communicaAons

•  Segment messages

•  “Dear Sheri Jacobs” out pulls “Dear Prospect” by 30%

•  Use Variable Data PrinAng


5) Leave out the brochure!

•  Change the process from a “sales effort” to a personal communicaAon

•  Test with a brochure and without


6) Tell customers what will happen if they buy, register or join now

End your copy by telling people what will happen – use your most powerful benefit.


7) Tell people what will happen if they don’t buy, register or join!

Use a problem that they won’t be able to solve without it.


8)  End your copy with a quesAon people will always say yes to.

•  Do you need to stay up-‐to-‐date on xyz? •  Are you looking for ways to cut costs yet sAll

deliver great service?

•  Do you want to know how other nurses handle the stress of the job?


9) Add a powerful guarantee

Give them a lifeAme or a triple your money back guarantee.


10) Add a FREE bonus to your offer

When you give a free bonus it increases the product’s perceived value. Free is also viral.


11) Create a no-‐risk offer

Remove any risk of joining your organizaAon. Offer a 30-‐day or 60-‐day free trial of membership. To ensure the prospect has the chance to fully uAlize the free trial, create an instant membership if they apply online.


12) Offer installments to lower the perceived price.

If your members are resistant to paying $599 to ajend your educaAonal conference, try offering it for three installments of $199


13) Avoid all capital lejers, all italics or all bold words

These formadng features should only be used to highlight one or two words. All three techniques, when used for more than one word, make it difficult to read.


14) Keep your envelope blank

An envelope with no wriAng has to be opened to see what’s inside.


15) Add a Q & A to your MarkeAng Materials

QuesAon and Answer secAons are like Cliff Notes. Readers have grown accustomed to thinking that most of their quesAons will be answered quickly and succinctly in a Q & A secAon. Add a Q & A secAon to every communicaAon device sent to members or prospects from your organizaAon.

Plus, use these 5 important words

1.  Free (shipping, downloads, reports)

2.  Sign up 3.  Buy 4.  Now

5.  Thank you

Sign up NOW and receive a FREE report on [whatever]. Thank you!

MarkeAng in the age of Web 2.0.

10 Ways to Ensure They Open Your Email 1)  Spend Ame wriAng a great subject line.

2)  Use the “from” line to brand your email.

3)  Give away something free. Free helps things go viral.

4)  Send it on a Tuesday or Thursday. 5)  Focus on what is seen in the preview pane.

6)  Add urgency to your email with a deadline. Offer something free but with a deadline. (Free shipping, 3 free months of membership)

7)  Avoid capital lejers and fancy fonts.

8)  Make sure your email is readable when the pictures aren’t downloaded.

9)  Use bullets and keep your copy short. No long paragraphs. 10)  Test one variable at a Ame such as day, offer, copy.

5 Ways To Use Social Media To Spread Your Message

1)  Sign up for an account at AddThis.com or ShareThis. Both offer a free social sharing tool that helps organizaAons, bloggers, and publishers spread their content across the web.

2)  Find out where and how your members access emails. If they access them from their mobile phone consider using text-‐only rather than HTML.

3)  Use PR Newswire to monitor the conversaAon about your organizaAon and your industry

5 Ways To Use Social Media To Spread Your Message

4)  Bring your copy to life using YouTube. Create a video and put it on YouTube.

5)  Every three to six months, research what keywords are most applicable to what you are selling. IncorporaAng the right key words will increase the likelihood that your prospects will find you when they conduct an online search.

One final thought…

If we mixed up your

marketing collateral

with another

association would

anyone notice?

Q & A Do you s-ll have ques-ons? Contact me.

Sheri Jacobs, CAE, President + Chief Strategist Avenue M Group, LLC

[email protected] T. 847.849.3396

Acoem Presentation Nov 12 2009

Art & Photos