As the Internet’s influence on marketing grows, you might overlook more traditional marketing tools, such as brochures, sales letters, and other direct mail marketing materials.
Despite, or maybe because of, the pervasiveness of web marketing, they can still pack a solid marketing punch. When you’ve been online all day, finding a compelling sales letter in your mail might almost be a welcome surprise..
But print marketing can be expensive – so don’t invest that money without making sure you’re making your sales letters, brochures and print ads as powerful as they can be.
The secret? Would you be surprised if we said “information”?
How can information marketing help these standbys?
Compare these two statements.
The X1A is a superior example of the functionality and craftsmanship we bring to every Widgetco product. The new X1A features the most innovative features yet — in a sleek, unparalled package…
Simply place the material in front-loading X1A. A single flick of the switch and in 2.3 seconds, your widget is complete and ready to ship. The X1A is smaller than your telephone, so it takes up half the floor space of competitive products, and it costs about the same as larger, slower models.
The first example is a cop-out. A quick tour of the thesaurus will yield a choice of adjectives telling how great, innovative, unmatched and supreme the X1A is.
But the second sells. It speaks to you, the reader. It gives you a rationale for buying the X1A. It makes you comfortable with the product. It uses details and paints a picture so you can imagine actually using it.
And your use of real information shouldn’t stop there. You should be prepared to give customers the details of your background — the “human interest” story behind your company. Offer them how-to information related to the industry. And share information about your company’s plans and strategies with your employees.
Here’s another example.
This, with a few minor modifications is from an existing website we were called in to completely overhaul.
Bob’s Builders knows that the key to a successful custom home build is the foundation of a strong builder/client relationship. That relationship is based on our dedication and commitment to providing a positive building experience and pride in the quality of our workmanship. Building fine homes, from conception through completion, Bob’s Builders works with you every step of the way to ensure that your home project is an experience of unparalleled communication, quality and trust.
Our homes are built with an uncompromising commitment to detail and quality. First class workmanship, structural strength, and the finest materials, set us apart from other custom home builders. You can count on our Project Management systems to provide timely, budget conscious services. We are attentive to your vision and are empowered to bring it to life. Our blueprint for success is as simple and unique as that.
Do you really get a sense that this builder is different from any of the others out there? To be fair, the writer did focus on “you”, but the generic, unsubstantiated claims lose any momentum the piece may have kicked off with.
This is from a sales letter we attached to a brochure package for another builder.
My promise to you: We will build your house as if it was our own
I grew up building houses. My family had a residential construction company in B.C., and I spent teenage summers driving nails, raising walls and hauling shingles up ladders. I built my first complete home in 1990, and I kept at, renovating and restoring while earning my engineering degree. Home building is in my blood, and your home is as important to me as if it were my own.In our first year, Henry’s Homes built two houses. To maintain our high standards and attention to detail, we declined additional requests. We simply wouldn’t commit to building more until we had the team and systems in place to achieve the same quality and craftsmanship in five homes or 20 homes a year, as we did when building only two.
Over the years, we’ve forged that team and established those systems. Today, for example, we employ a full-time décor consultant and a dedicated service manager, who has the discretion to hire and fire subcontractors based not only on the quality of their work, but on their service and attention after you move in.
With concrete information as your starting point, you can build a much more solid case for your product or service – and a desire to deal with you.
Make sure your copywriter and marketing team know what makes you unique. If they don’t ask enough questions, be prepared to tell them – or consider another team.
Contact us to use proven information marketing techniques to increase your sales.