Sales letters, whether sent in the regular mail as a direct mail piece or as email (Remember the email must be signed-up for in advance or it is considered spam), are effective marketing tools. When designed well and used appropriately, sales letters can drive a lot of new prospects to your business. There are ways to increase this likelihood.
Make sure you know who your audience is. If this is a direct mail letter, your writing should be directed to the demographic you are sending it to. If it is an email letter, you should have had subscribers request information from you (or else it is illegal spam). Use the proper voice for the group of recipients you are writing to, i.e. more formal for an older group, more casual for younger prospects.
The sales letter should be personal. It should be addressed, by name, to the customer or prospect, not to a general address. You should know, in advance, why they might want to hear from you. Your letter should acknowledge that need. “I understand you just bought a new car”, “I understand you just had a new addition to your family”, etc. You should tailor your message for the right demographic: women, young parents, new homeowners, etc.
You have a tiny window of opportunity to grab your reader’s attention. Be clear and up front on what your message is about, no later than the second paragraph. Be brief and to the point. You can add more detail further down in the letter or email.
Be sure you are answering the question “Why would I want to buy your product or obtain your service?” not “what does your product or service do?”. You are selling benefits, not features. Knowing your customer’s information in advance helps you educate them specifically on what you can do for them.
Everyone is more decisive if they are given a deadline. Special offers that expire at a certain are more likely to be responded to than an open-ended offer. Providing a bonus free product if the prospect makes contact by the deadline is even more compelling.
Let the reader know what you expect them to do after reading the letter. This is your “call to action”. Whether it is a call to your store, going to a Web site, or filling out and returning a form, don’t expect the sales letter to make your sale. It is meant only to get the prospects attention. Work on the sale after they’ve taken that next step.
Be sure to make the letter one page and easy to read. This involves using good graphic design, proper grammar and spelling, bullet points, blank (white space) and bold or italics for information you want to stand out. Readers have short attention spans and lots of competing information. Make your offer easy to read with emphasis on key points. Always end with that “call to action” (the next step you want them to take)!
With 30 years of consulting experience, Steven Schlagel offers training and coaching for startups, entrepreneurs and small business owners. Check his site for more articles to increase your success!
