If you’re not getting the kind of response you want from your marketing piece or sales letter, then you’ll want to pay close attention to what I have to say today…
Because… what I’m about to share with you is an absolutely critical element to creating any kind of money-making marketing piece your ideal buyers will respond to.
The sad fact is, 99% of marketers—even professional copywriters—fail to do a thorough job on this one critical preliminary step:
Preparation.
Let me explain what I mean by preparation….
- You must have thorough knowledge of the product or service you’re selling.
- You must be aware of how the product or service fits in with the overall marketing funnel.
- You must know the product creator and his personal story.
- You must understand the business as a whole and its unique selling proposition—or know the industry well enough to create one.
- You must be aware of the major competing products/services, and what sets this one apart.
- You must have a thorough knowledge of the true market for the product and what will most appeal to them.
There’s no way around it: it requires time. At least half of my time (often more) on a project is spent preparing to write.
Many people—some of my clients included—seem to think a great piece of sales copy can be whipped up in an afternoon. You can certainly write a first DRAFT in an afternoon… but only after investing the necessary time (yes, “investing” is the right word) on thorough preparation.
Why is this important?
Because without thorough preparation, you simply won’t have enough information to write truly fascinating copy that’s focused on your true prospects. Vague, non-specific copy full of empty promises just doesn’t sell.
If there is just one thing I can point to that separates great copywriters from mediocre ones, it’s how well they prepare before they write a single word. It’s the preparation beforehand that determines the effectiveness of the copy.
In future blog posts, I’ll share some specific tips and ideas to help you prepare thoroughly. I’ll also share some ideas and insights on how to take your first draft and polish it into what Joe Sugarman calls the “greased slide”.
