Writing Sales Copy
That Wins Customers
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Only three seconds. That’s how much time you have to captivate and convince your reader to continue reading your sales letter. Don’t expect it to get longer in the years to come. In 2004, it was five seconds.

What are the secrets to writing dynamic ad copy that will help you accomplish this task? To find some answers, I interviewed copywriter Carol Hubbard, an associate creative director for Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ms. Hubbard is an Addy Award-winning writer who has been writing for over 20 years and writes much of Focus on the Family’s direct mail.

The Unique Selling Proposition (or USP)
A realtor’s mantra is location, location, location; for the copywriter, it is benefit, benefit, benefit. The USP is a proposition to the customer that says “Buy and you’ll get this benefit.” Every business, including home-based businesses, should have a USP; it’s what makes that business distinct from its competitors. Do you patronize businesses that are just there or ones that offer guaranteed low prices or the best selection in town or high-demand items always in stock? The USP establishes a consumer’s perceived image of the business. Example: Wal-Mart’s USP is “always low prices,” and its advertising states that via rollback prices.

“Clearly conveying the USP through both your marketing and your business performance will make your business great and success inevitable,” states Jay Abraham in his article How to Create a Unique Selling Proposition. Without a unique selling proposition, a business lacks the appeal to attract new customers. Even if she has to drive farther, the consumer on a strict budget will be swayed to buy at Wal-Mart® over the grocer down the block who lacks a USP because she knows Wal-Mart® promises to have the lowest prices.

Is It Advertising or Direct Marketing?
Advertising creates awareness and reinforces a brand. Direct marketing (a sales letter) always asks for a response (buy this, donate money, call your senator, etc.). And, yes, the techniques for direct marketing differ from advertising. “Good direct marketing uses active language, emphasizes benefits, tells the consumer exactly what you want them to do (without hesitation, apologies or subtlety) and gives them all the information they need to respond,” states Ms. Hubbard.

Before you put your fingers to the keyboard to write that compelling sales letter, there are questions that demand answers.

• Who is the target audience?
• What are his or her needs and wants?
• How does the service or product solve his or her problems?