Proofreading - one of the most vital steps in marketing

Ever get a marketing letter from someone and change your opinion about them and their business? I try not to let that happen if it's a person I know - and know that they're good at what they do - but when I hear from a stranger, I can't help but form an opinion based on their written words.

Sometimes a letter can do more harm than good when it shines a negative light on the expertise of the sender.

It's not just the composition that counts. It's true that a letter that fails to tell the reader "what's in it for me" will not get the hoped for results. But a letter filled with mis-used words, misspellings, and plain old typos can portray that person or business in a really bad light. As in sloppy, or unintelligent.

One accountant wrote that she had lost business because the letters she sent out made her look as if she paid no attention to details. Not a good trait for an accountant!

The cure is proofreading - not just once, but 2 or 3 times. And not immediately after you finish writing. At that time you still know what it is supposed to say - even if it says something else. It's easy to overlook a missing word or a repeated word or a spot where it says "teh" instead of "the." (Yep, you guessed it - that one is one of my big problems. Even copywriters need proofreaders.)

Sometimes it's helpful to use tricks on yourself. Read your work aloud to catch missing or doubled words, or read it backwards to catch misspelled words. The best method of all is to get someone else to read it aloud to you.

When you go to the trouble to contact your clients and prospects, make sure that your letter makes a favorable impression - proofread before you send!

Oh - and that goes for email, too. It's such an easy place to make a silly goof!

Are you driving away prospects with offers that are too good to be true...

Today I got a postal mail promotion from a well-known company - in it was a letter about a "system" for making money on the internet that "anyone can do" even if you have to go use the computer at the library.

It promised rich rewards for being an "Internet deal maker." I read the whole thing because I thought that this particular company couldn't afford to send out something completely bogus. But... in spite of the temptation, I didn't mail in the payment.

Why? Because I learned a long time ago that things that are too good to be true usually aren't true.

If I told a copywriting client that my letter would absolutely quadruple his sales within 2 weeks - would he believe me? I hope not. I know a good sales letter could do that, and I'd be glad when it did. But since there are so many other factors to consider, if I promised it I'd be a fool, or a liar.

Look at your own promotions. Are your promises reasonable? If not, tone it down a bit and see if your response doesn't improve.

And if you need a sales letter that speaks to your prospects, or a web page that shows what you can do for your prospects, drop me a note. I'd love to help.

Yours for prosperity,
Marte

Is your copy layout hurting your sales?

Years ago, newspaper ad reps used to tell people that they needed plenty of white space around their copy. Most people I talked with had the opinion that the advice was just a ploy to sell bigger ad spaces.

But it wasn't.

You really DO need some white space. Breathing room, so to speak. And now that we're using the web it seems more important than ever. We've all gotten in a hurry - so we look at a web page almost to see if we HAVE to read it. It's true - we're looking for an excuse not to.

This is a completely different situation than we have with a newspaper or a magazine. Those you might read while eating a solitary meal, or while riding a bus or an airplane. At those times you're looking for something interesting to read. On the web, most of us are not. We're looking for information, and scanning to see if what we want might be there.

And who can scan a wall of copy? Who even wants to try? It's easier to click away and find a friendlier page.

Even in print the white space around a headline or between paragraphs is helpful. It gives our eyes a rest and lets us focus in and find what we want to read.

And yet - I see web copy so dense, and in such a small font, that the only way I'd read it is if I believed it held something I absolutely needed to find.

I get marketing emails in the same format - but I can't tell you what they're selling, because I've never taken time to read any of them.

Right now you might be thinking about some of the long running ads that are dense copy covering an entire page in something like the Enquirer. But think twice about them. The copy is long, but there are definitely paragraph breaks, and sub heads and bullets scattered throughout.
Those elements keep pulling the reader's eyes along the page - so even if they're scanning, they've got a place to stop and see what's next.

Before you send your next letter, go back and make sure you've left space between your paragraphs - and slice up those paragraphs so that none is over 7 lines long - less is better.
If it's a sales letter, take some of your information and put it in bullet form - and add some sub-heads to build interest and keep your reader moving.

Meanwhile, check your web site. Make sure the font size is large enough to see when you're sitting back in your chair relaxing. Then check the white space for both readability and visual appeal. You don't want all of your sentences the same length, by the way.

Make everything you send out look easy to read - that's the key. Let your reader quickly scan to see what you're offering - and if that's the right person for your product, they'll go back and read everything in between.

Call or write if you need some help!

Marte
writer@marte-cliff.com
208-448-1479