Testing. Most marketers and copywriters know the importance of it. They pay lip service to it. But so few do it consistently. In many ways, testing was a lot easier to understand (and explain) before the advent of the Internet. Thanks to … [Continue reading] about What To Test (Part 1)
Referral Marketing: Setting Up a Basic Referral Rewards System
93 Extraordinary Referral Systems Looking for a basic referral rewards program that works? This is a bare-bones template for new customer acquisition I used with some of the hardest hit restaurant owners in Post- 9/11 Downtown Manhattan. I wish I … [Continue reading] about Referral Marketing: Setting Up a Basic Referral Rewards System
Caples On Copy
Caples on Copy, published 33 years ago was part of the brilliant "The Wall Street Journal. It Works." campaign. This print ad is like getting a bite size version of Tested Advertising Methods. (Note: the 4th edition or earlier of that book is the … [Continue reading] about Caples On Copy
Phyllis Robinson: Copy Chief at DDB
Phyllis Robinson was one of the major forces in late 20th Century advertising. When Bill Bernbach opened the doors to Doyle, Dane & Bernbach in 1949 -- what would soon become one of Madison Avenue's dominant agencies -- he recruited Phyllis … [Continue reading] about Phyllis Robinson: Copy Chief at DDB
Corporate Advertising: 12 Questions To Ask
Listen to direct response copywriters and they'll tell you corporate copywriters are clueless branding nuts. Corporate copywriters will tell you direct response copywriters are nothing more than peddlers of get rich quick schemes, enlargement pills, … [Continue reading] about Corporate Advertising: 12 Questions To Ask
Ad Headlines in Health | Alternative Medicine Ad Headlines
If you're looking for proven ad headlines in the health and alternative medicine markets...here are some to get you started. I've spent a small fortune on books and newsletter subscriptions over the last decade to acquire the most successful direct … [Continue reading] about Ad Headlines in Health | Alternative Medicine Ad Headlines
The Invisible Hand Of Advertising
The 18th Century economist, Adam Smith, was one of the founders of modern economics. Roust a copywriter from his slumber at 3:00 a.m. and ask him what he knows about Adam Smith and he's likely to utter the now famous, two-word metaphor: "invisible … [Continue reading] about The Invisible Hand Of Advertising
High Energy for Life Video Series (Dr. Mark Stengler)
Got quite a few emails since blasting a message out about Dr. Mark Stengler’s High Energy for Life Video series. Emails like: this promotion is not congruent with the reasons people signed up to your list! (Yes, I know, a high percentage of people … [Continue reading] about High Energy for Life Video Series (Dr. Mark Stengler)
Herbal Ban in UK Around the Corner
Alternative medicine practitioners and marketers in the United Kingdom have been bracing for this for a while. The Belgian bureaucrats are putting the clamp down on sales of herbal products across the board. Herbalists, Chinese medicine … [Continue reading] about Herbal Ban in UK Around the Corner
2011: Your Not To Do List
Welcome to 2011! It’s not only the start of a new year, as well as a new decade, but 2011 is a mathematically loaded year. 1/1/11 is a week away, 11/11/11 is a mere ten months from here. 2011 is also the first prime number year since 2003. The … [Continue reading] about 2011: Your Not To Do List
Bonusitis
A client consulted with me recently about an online sales letter and autoresponder campaign. He told me the sales letter used to convert like gangbusters but now it was on life support. Usually, it takes some probing to get to the cause of such a … [Continue reading] about Bonusitis
Millionaire Marketing Student Vs. Drug Dealer
Exactly seven years ago, I was holed up in a military barracks in the far flung Andean city of San Cristóbal, Venezuela. To this day, whether you're in downtown Caracas or an Andean village, Venezuela is not the place you want to walk around the … [Continue reading] about Millionaire Marketing Student Vs. Drug Dealer
Bank Advertising: Too Big To Succeed?
Imagine a world in which big banks actually had to create good advertising -- a world where they didn't sit high above Uncle Sam's perpetual safety net. Today, it's accepted that certain banks are "too big to fail." The big banks have it … [Continue reading] about Bank Advertising: Too Big To Succeed?
In Memory of Bill Steinhardt (1927-2010)
Bill Steinhardt was at the center of direct marketing and mail order copywriting for 60 years. He was not only one of the highest practitioners of our direct response craft but a lifelong "amateur" in the truest denotation of the word: he loved … [Continue reading] about In Memory of Bill Steinhardt (1927-2010)
$50 Million In Sales From This Self-Published Book
How do you sell $50 million of a single, self-published book? First, you float an offer. Then, you wait for the market to to tell you you've got a winner. Once you have that winner, you pull out all the stops and sell it every way you can: direct … [Continue reading] about $50 Million In Sales From This Self-Published Book
How To Write Results Based Testimonials That Pull Orders
Next sales letter that crosses you path, take a close look at the testimonials. Most likely, they’ll be the wishy-washy variety that makes you feel apathetic, indifferent or just plain blah about whatever product or service is being hawked, even if … [Continue reading] about How To Write Results Based Testimonials That Pull Orders