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Sales Letter Writing - Using Aida
By Sharon Jacobsen, Sat Dec 10th
Writing a sales letter that really moves the product it'spromoting isn't something everybody can do, but there are thosewho could well be great marketing copy writers, but who stillhave to learn the basics of direct mail copywriting, be it forthe web or for print. One of the most successful formulas for any copywriter is what'scommonly known as AIDA, an acronym for Attention, Interest,Desire, and Action. If you've had any previous interest in copywriting, you'llprobably have heard of AIDA already, but knowing what it standsfor isn't synonymous with knowing how to put it into use. Justhow do you grab the reader's attention? What's needed in orderto get them interested in the product? How do you stimulate thedesire to own the product? And finally, what action's needed andhow do you get the reader to do as you ask?
Attention The average website visitor will spend just seven secondsscanning a page before deciding whether or not it contains theinformation he's looking for. Unless he feels that your page isthe right place for him to be, he'll be out of there quickerthan the proverbial bat in a hot place! As sales letters are notoriously long (there's a lot ofinformation to be given, after all), it's important you use:
* Bullet points * Headings * Coloured text * Tables * Graphics All of the above will draw attention to important points withinthe letter. Use them to draw the reader to those points youbelieve he needs to notice during his initial scan, as well aspoints you feel ought to be highlighted whilst he's reading -after all, few people read everything that's included in a salesletter. Interest Now that you've got the reader's attention, you need to keepthem interested. The first paragraph of your sales letter is very important here,as it needs to arouse curiosity. The best way to do this isgenerally through a question. * Do you know how many people are paying too much for theelectricity? * Isn't it about time the government improved our schools? * What do you imagine's the best way to earn money on theInternet? * How often have you been made a promise that wasn't delivered?
A question will immediately engage the reader, rousing interest. However, it's important that the question is relevant to theproduct you're selling. There's no point in asking about theprice of electricity if you're selling a cocktail shaker! Questions also need an answer. Make your answer interesting. ~~ According to a recent survey carried out by
"Surveys Inc", 36percent of Americans are paying well over the odds for theirelectricity supply - and most don't even know there's a cheaperalternative! ~~ ~~ 36 percent of Americans pay too much for their electricityand have no idea they could get it cheaper. ~~ Which do you think works better? I'd say the first examplebecause it tells you where the data comes from, usesconversational language and has a mild "shock" element to it. Use humour where suitable and keep the tone light. Give thereader facts but don't drown him in dry statistics and lists ofnumbers. Ask yourself whether you'd find what you've writteninteresting or not. Desire Hopefully, you'll have hooked your reader and have himinterested enough to want to know the benefits of the productyou're offering. It's now up to you to convince him that he MUSThave this product. Every possible benefit should be mentioned. Let's say you'reselling a year's subscription to a men's fitness magazine. Whatbenefits might the book have? There are obvious benefits such aslearning how to improve your overall health and fitness, readingabout celebs and how they work-out, and reading about the latesttrends, but they're really not enough to base the sale of ayear's subscription on. You have to give the customer somethingthat he won't get by going to shop and buying the magazine inindividual editions. * 12 editions for the price of 10 - let him know how much asubscription will save him
* A free pulse meter with ever subscription - let him know howmuch this is worth and what it can do to help him improve hisfitness levels
* The magazine delivered right to your doorstep 3 days before ithits the shops - make it clear how much easier it is to NOT haveto go out in rain and wind in order to buy the magazine, only todiscover that it's sold out!
* Receive special gifts available only to subscribers - giveexamples of the kind of gifts subscribers can expect and whattheir value is likely to be. The above are all incentives that are designed to create desirein the customer. People like to get as much as possible fortheir money and, quite often, they'll buy the subscription tosave money and receive free gifts, even though they'd nointention of buying the magazine to start with! Give them reasons to want what you're offering! Action Now comes the crucial part - you need to get the reader to dowhat you ask of him. * Order the product * Donate money * Sign up for your service
Whatever it is you need him to do, it's vital that you don'tlose him at this point. Offer clear links to your payment/donation/sign-up page andreiterate not only what he'll be getting by acting now, but anypossible consequences of not ordering/donating etc. * "Order the 'thingamyjig' now to save yourself from thebackbreaking task of digging the beds"
* "Click the link to be one of the lucky first 100 customers whowill no longer need to worry about frozen pipes during winter" Both of the above examples point out the benefits of acting now,but also make it perfectly obvious that not doing so will haveconsequences. Who wants to dig the veggie bed if they don't haveto? And would you want to deal with frozen pipes unnecessarily? Conclusion Hopefully you'll now be better equipped to use the AIDA methodwhen writing your sales letters. There's absolutely no doubt that when used properly, AIDA cangreatly improve the number of sales your copy will generate soit's worthwhile investing some time in getting it right. Although everybody doesn't have the ability to write marketingcopy, there are plenty who can but because they haven'tunderstood how it should be done, their copy simply hasn't giventhem the results they need. By using AIDA, that will changedramatically! Good luck. ~~+~~+~~ About the author:Sharon Jacobsen is a full-time freelance writer based in SouthCheshire, England. For a competitive fee she'll happily writedynamic sales copy promoting your product or service. To contact Sharon, or to learn more about her work, please visitwww.sharon-jacobsen.co.uk
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