A Guide To Writing

An effective marketing letter is one that compels the reader to take action by visiting your website. In this article we are going to discuss how to construct an effective marketing letter, the sort of things it should say, why it should say them, and how we hope it will bring about the end action we are seeking; compelling the reader to visit your website to find out more. The keyword in that last sentence is COMPELLING!

Marketing is a numbers game, and marketing letters are proof of that. No single marketing letter is going to be effective for all the recipients; indeed, the concept of impressions applies here – it usually takes seven to fifteen repetitions of the message to make an impression on the subject. While there are some people who will respond immediately to one marketing letter, there are plenty more who will need a follow up message or more. You’re using this marketing letter to open a door of awareness.

Think in terms of campaigns when you’re writing your marketing letter. Make them part of a series that builds an on going effect. You want to avoid this circumstance from a used car lot, where the sales clerk swoops down like a hawk, saying “Can I be of assistance” – which usually elicits the response of “No, thanks – just looking.”

By saying that – or giving that impression – the damage has already been done. The customer feels under pressure, and they leave quickly. Left to their own devices, they may have wandered around, made some comparisons and chosen something.

Whomever the recipient of your marketing letter is, keep in mind that they don’t know you, you don’t know them, and your letter is one of thousands that they get each day. Give them something interesting to read, something immediately useful, and then give them a way to indicate interest (usually by clicking a link to a web site.)

Your letter needs to be subtle to carry this off. The wrong tone will get it thrown into the waste basket or deleted. The right will build interest – and there does need to be a gentle call to action, something that says “If you found this interesting, let us know.”

Now, let’s break down the contents of an effective letter. It has an effective, attention grabbing headline, something that makes people click on it to go “Hey, what’s that?” An example of this is “How to lose weight and look terrible”. It breaks from the convention of standard weight loss articles, and promises an expose on diets or exercise. It makes you think. And click the link.

After the headline, you need the lead. This is a short paragraph that describes in brief what the rest of the document is going to cover, sounds excited without being breathlessly overhyped, lets them know quickly if this is for them.

For the rest of your marketing letter, avoid making outrageous claims. Exaggeration trips the skepticism meters. It sounds like you’re pulling their leg, or it sounds like you’re desperate. Even little things like “I know you’re not going to believe this…” undermine your credibility. Everyone who reads your marketing letter is as smart as you are, and they’ve been mass marketed to since the age of three. Go for interesting writing and honestly informative. Don’t make it sound like the greatest thing since sliced bread; it’s an internet product. It isn’t.

The last thing that an effective marketing letter cannot be without is a final call to action. You’re not trying to seal a deal at this stage so, no: “Buy one now” type remarks; they simply won’t work 99% of the time. A simple: “Visit our website to find out more”, is sufficient; just make sure that the landing page carries straight on from the marketing letter so it’s like a natural progression. Good luck!

John Farrazio is an internet marketer who figured out how to finally create an effective marketing letter in the most efficient and inexpensive way possible. Find out how he created a high impact marketing letter in under twenty minutes for one of his websites and how you can do the same!