Dear Marketing Top Gun:
Welcome to your first issue of Bencivenga Bullets, my complimentary e-letter about how to boost your response, online and off.
Tom Watson, Sr., the founder of IBM, said that to be great, a company needs a religion.
Good advice, too, for an e-letter like this.
So in this first Bullet, let me share my core beliefs about advertising, and you can see if they match yours.
First, I believe the purpose of advertising is to sell, not win awards or applause. This is why each Bullet will share a little secret of master salesmanship, applied to direct response advertising.
Second, I believe that a single measurement is worth a thousand opinions. That's why these Bullets trade not in opinions, but proven strategies my clients and I have discovered by investing tens of millions of dollars in scientific direct response tests.
Third, I believe in selling with integrity. The strongest ads tell the truth dramatically. You don't have to lie, shortchange your customers, sully your good name or cut corners. Treat your customers by the Golden Rule and they will reward you with much more gold.
Fourth, I believe in you, in the tremendous untapped power of your mind to achieve anything you truly desire and believe, as long as it does not harm others. So in these Bullets, I will serve up bite-sized secrets of great direct response advertising, powdered with some magic sugar, little tips for unlocking your own creativity, productivity and talent to achieve your greatest potential.
If you share these four beliefs, I am delighted we have found each other. You and I are kindred spirits, marketing comrades. Which leads me to:
Bullet #1: In your copy, especially your Welcome Letter, never be afraid to say with clarity and boldness precisely what you believe and specialize in. Like the original IBM, have a company religion and evangelize it with zeal.
The Credo Technique.
I call this the Credo Technique.
Credo (pronounced CRAY-doe) is Latin for "I believe."
But it is much more than a technique. It is an expression of your most strongly held core values which serve as a clarion call to gather the like-minded faithful of your marketplace.
You'll find that when you clearly stand for something, you will never stand alone. Indeed, standing for something special in your overcrowded marketplace sets you apart from armies of me-too competitors who try to be everything to everybody, and wind up meaning nothing special to anyone.
Using the Credo Technique is the surest way I know to attract and bond with your kindred spirits, your true believers, your most loyal comrades in arms, your best clients and friends, as I hope I have found in you.
Sincere wishes for a good life
and (always!) higher response,
P.S. If you know any copywriters or marketers who would enjoy this
P.P.S. Your e-mail address will never be shared. And if you ever wish to
unsubscribe, just let me know and I will vanish from your life like a shadow in the night.
To Visit Gary's Arsenal (Bullets Archive), click here.
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click here.
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