…maybe!

Let’s face it, nobody likes a braggart.  Which is why one of the guidelines for effective copywriting is to focus on your prospective customer rather than indulge in chest-thumping about how great you or your company are.

However, there is a lot of poor copy out there and you often see ads loudly proclaiming “We’re #1 In XYZ” without anything to back up the claim.

I saw a couple of ads like this today, which prompted this post.

But, it did occur to me that there are occasions where it is OK to “brag”.  They are…

1. When you’ve genuinely got something to brag about and you can back it up; and…
2. What you’re bragging about is relevant to the customer

Basically, when you’ve got something that enhances credibility and helps advance the sales argument, then it’s fine to include it.

Just make sure, as always, that the focus is on the customer rather than being self-indulgent.

Coming towards the end of the 2008 Olympics, couple of observations about success occur to me.

Now, I will confess that I’m not a great sports fan and I haven’t been watching the games much. I’m also somewhat dubious about the idea of using athletes and sportsmen and women as role models in other fields of endeavour like copywriting.

However, there’s no question that top athletes have succeeded in an extremely competitive environment and so it’s of value to understand what they do to be successful.

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Fascinating discussion of the psychological dynamics involved in closing a sale in this video from master copywriter John Carlton.

Copywriting has been defined as “Salesmanship In Print” (or, alternatively, “Multiplied Salesmanship”).  To me, one of John Carlton’s great strengths is his very clear eyed focus on what the purpose of your copy is.  That is, to make the sale, whether that’s the final step of placing the order or an intermediate step along the way.

In this short video, John hammers home a number of points.

And what do you think is the first thing on someone’s mind when they come across your ad?  The answer may surprise you…

…no need to fix it!

I was reminded of this adage while doing a little background research on Robert Ludlum for yesterday’s post.

As mentioned, I bought the new Jason Bourne novel (“The Bourne Sanction”) and while glancing through the list of other Ludlum novels, I couldn’t help notice that the titles all looked…well, pretty similar.

For example, not just the “Bourne” series but “The Bancroft Strategy”, “The Ambler Warning” and “The Tristan Betrayal”, to name but a few.

In fact, Wikipedia notes that…

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If you’ve been studying copywriting and direct response marketing for any length of time, you’ve probably come across…

1. The technique of using stories in your copy; and

2. The idea that “secrets” are a powerful device to attract the attention of your prospect.

I was reminded of these 2 things over the last couple of days firstly by an ad for a financial trading service from Agora.

The service is called the “1-2-3 Trader” and here’s an extract from the email lead to the main letter…

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A rare treat this week.  Legendary copywriter Gary Bencivenga has released another of his “Marketing Bullets”.

It’s titled “3 Secrets For Multiplying Your Productivity, Success, Income And Personal Happiness As A Copywriter Or Marketer”.

I recommend that you read the whole article, but here are the 3 tips, plus my comments…

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