MARKETING MAGAZINE

Volume 1, Issue 3                                                                                September, 2000

The Association for Rehabilitation Marketing

www.nysarm.org

• •Copy writing Techniques
• •How to get More Referrals
• •Can there be Too Much Work ?

Article 1:    Copy writing: Techniques for a Great Body!

By Wild Bill Montgomery

1) Think about your Readers

When writing ad copy be sure that the average reader can easily understand and relate to it. Put yourself in their place. Would you understand? Would you say, "That's me"? One way to help you write for your readers, is to write just as if you were saying it to their face. Address the reader as "you" in your copy. Just like a one on one conversation. Sometime take a closer look at some of the advertising around you. How many times do you see them using "you"? Make your copy interesting to read, almost story-like, all the time generating enthusiasm

for your product or service. Find ways to place facts in your copy without sounding like an Army Service Manual. The trick is to convey the hard dry facts and numbers, while making them interesting to read. Don't talk about yourself. Readers don't care what you like, what you did or what you think. They want to know if they will like it and how it will benefit them.

2) Organize your Copy

When you write your copy you should always know what your primary message or selling point is as well as all the secondary selling points. You might want to use your primary message as part of your headline and then dedicate a few lines or paragraph to expand on it. Then fit in your secondary selling points in lines or paragraphs after that. Whether they are a few lines or a paragraph would depend on the size of your copy. How much space you can set aside for your selling points? Before you start writing your copy write down all your selling points. Sort them in the order of importance. When writing your copy, move smoothly from point to point, one leading into the next.

3) Short is Better

Everyone knows that short sentences are easier to read and comprehend than long sentences. One thing that all writers have in common is that they are taught to write short and to-the-point sentences. Read back through your copy. If you find a sentence that has more then 12 words, find a way to break it down. Break all long sentences into 2 sentences. If necessary, break them down again. You can also use hyphens to help separate long sentences. This is not to say that all your sentences should be the same length. Copy can become boring when the sentences are all the same length. Vary their length. Just keep them under 12 words. Remember you are writing copy, not fiction. Sentence fragments, as long as they sound good to the readers ear, are completely acceptable in copy writing.

4) Don't be a Dictionary

Use simple and easy words. That's what a reader understands. Consider the mind set that you are communicating with. This reader is not trying to dissect and devour your copy. This is someone, who for one reason or another has been distracted from their primary goal to read what you have to say. It's only a short pause they're taking to quickly read your words. If you use complex words, you will either annoy or completely lose your reader. Keep It Simple Stupid! Ad Copy is Communication. Don't think that you are impressing them with words they probably couldn't spell and would never use themselves. Make it easy for the reader to understand and keep up with the copy.

5) Keep Clear of Tech-Terms with Wide Audiences

If your copy is to be read by a wide audience, don't wrongfully assume that they will know what you know. If you feel that these facts must be used, find a way to convey these terms in the best way that they can be understood. Don't use a technical term unless it is the best choice. Sometimes you have no other route than to use technical terms. Lets use "software" as an example. What other way can you put it? It's software. But then again you wouldn't want to say "C++ Software" just Software. The average reader has no idea that C++ is a programming language and could care even less.

6) Clear & Concise

Keep your ad copy free of clutter. Don't use words that aren't needed. You are wasting your readers time, weakening your sales message and taking up valuable space that could be better served in your interest. Your readers attention span is short and they are usually in a hurry. Avoid redundancies, over-worded phrases and other poor writing mistakes that serve no other function than taking up space. Provide specific and concrete information in a clear and straightforward manner. The more specific you are the less chance your readers have of misunderstanding you.

7) For God's Sake, Get to the Point

Be direct and to the point. There is not time for beating around the bush or to keep your reader guessing. Next to the headline, the first paragraph of your ad copy is the most important text in your work. The first paragraph, better known as the "Lead" paragraph, is what draws in the reader. If your lead paragraph is uninteresting to the reader, they will surely move on. Move right into your primary selling point. Don't waste time with introductions and explanations. If you must use them, use them later. Your ad copy should be the essence of sell from the first word to the last. Loose the fluff and fringes. They're for weddings not ad copy.

8) There's No Place for Sexism or Racism

I was listening to an ad on a college radio station in the middle of the summer semester. It was an ad for a local business. During the course of this 30-second ad they managed to insult the Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai and all women everywhere. Now needless to say that any type of racist or sexist attitude doesn't go far in advertising. But here we have a student population, which during the summer, by the statistics taken each year, is almost 30% of oriental origin and 65% female. Not only was this commercial poor advertising, but just plain stupid. Gender bashing, racist remarks and general rudeness offends people. You don't sell by offending others. The hardest of them to deal with is the use of gender in your copy. How do you handle it? Instead of "service man", it's "service person". Instead of "his", it's "his/hers". There are however a couple of other ways to help deal with this problem. One is two use plurals. Instead of his or her, try they, them or theirs. Another is to rewrite your copy taking out any reference to sex at all. You may even try alternating sexes through the ad copy.

Well, that's it for now, hope you're walking away with more than you came with.

Listed above are just a few techniques that you can use to help you write better ad copy.

Remember good copy sells, but great copy sells well!

"Wild Bill"

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ARM Notes:

• Remember to submit job postings, equipment for sale, trade or to buy to the ARM web site for a free listing. E-mail them to info@nysarm.org. Note: There are new listings for equipment on the ARM web site-- make sure to check them out.
  
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Article 2:     How to Get More Referrals

by Wanda Loskot

If you've been in business for a while, you've learned to appreciate the value of word-of-mouth advertising. It costs nothing and brings in high quality prospects, already sold on your product or service.

Aaah, if only it could happen more often...

It can. With a little planning and a slightly different focus in your marketing efforts, you can develop a steady stream of predictable referrals, week after week, month after month. But first let's understand the difference between two different types of referrals.

You see, one of them just happens. The other is orchestrated. Although subtle, the difference is dramatic.

Let's start with the basics first. Where do referrals come from? From satisfied customers, of course! Or, better said, from those customers whose expectations we exceed. Yes, but what are they satisfied with? Heck, that is precisely what you have to figure out.

You have to realize that every business transaction consists of two parts. One is the product/service. Your customers evaluate quality, features, benefits, price, and how this all compares with your competition.

The second part is the experience. Customers will evaluate how easy, how fast, convenient, satisfying and how *pleasurable* the total experience of doing business with you is for them.

Do you know any businesses that deliver an inferior product, yet are able to survive...maybe even do remarkably well? Chances are that what's lost in the quality of product is somehow compensated in the quality of experience. And I'm sure you know some businesses -- maybe even yours-- which deliver superb quality products or service, but somehow are not able to attract as many customers as they could. Quite possibly, the process of buying needs some work.

Imagine what would happen if everyone doing business with you felt compelled to talk to others about your business! To make that happen you'll need a system that delivers...and delivers consistently. For starters, find out how you are doing in the area of quality. Develop a simple survey to measure both, your product and customer's experience. Rate different aspects of them on a scale:

1 - for good
2 - for excellent
3 - for exceeding expectation

And make sure that you provide space for comments and examples so you know what specifically needs improving. Then ask your customers for evaluation.

To get ongoing referrals you can bank on instead of the occasional lead generated by worth-of-mouth advertising, you need to score consistently "3" in both: product/service and experience.

Don't fret if your first surveys come back with lackluster results. They're sure to point to some areas that need improvement. Make the improvements, then ask your customers for their feedback again. You can try another survey, or better yet a small focus group.

Most likely, your customers will jump at the opportunity to provide you with feedback - they will easily recognize and appreciate your efforts and that counts a lot.

From now on you will be on the roll and to get you started on building your business through referrals.. Good luck!

About the Author:
Wanda Loskot is a professional business coach - are you ready to make more than "just a living" and get paid what you are really worth while doing what you LOVE? - experience http://loska.com  Are you tired of prospecting, cold calling, handling objections? Read "Referrals Unlimited" - mailto:newsletter@loska.com 

Copyright 1998, 1999 Kate Schultz
E-ZineZ.comÖ is a Registered Trademark of Kate Schultz
kate@e-zinez.com

Article 3:     Can there be Too Much Work?

By Steve Susman

It's a problem most of us have not had to face in the past- - WE HAVE TOO MUCH WORK ! Well, I am of the belief that there is no such thing as too much work. In these days of funding drying up and of the vocational rehabilitation side of our agencies depending more and more on income generated by the businesses we run, there should (almost) never be a time when you say NO to a customer. I operated for more than 15 years with this philosophy and over that time our business grew more than 5,000% (that's not a misprint). We almost never said no to a customer. We tried to either do the work ourselves (we put on a second shift) or subbed all or part of it out to other rehabilitation businesses or "regular" job shops.

We have to have the mind set that we are in a period of economic growth and that if we don't grow our businesses now- the future will be bleak. Rehabilitation businesses need to develop the flexibility of regular business both in hiring and in capital expenditures. When an opportunity presents itself, we need to be able to act quickly.

That said, I also advocate planned growth - the development of business plans, marketing plans and budgets that take measured growth into consideration. An agency that gets bogged down in bureaucracy- where all decisions are made by committee- will not succeed in the future.

Our agencies need to be ready when opportunity knocks and also need to have a long term plan for growth. These are two different concepts. The first requires fast decision making, a modicum of risk taking and a quick assessment of the opportunity by one or two key decision makers. This assessment should take the form of a mini-business plan and should contain some of these basic topics: capital investment required, personnel required, space issues, brief market analysis and projected cash flow.

The more long term planning is more conducive to a decision by committee. This would require, among other things, a product or service development person, fiscal people, market research and analysis, a plan for the purchase of equipment and /or space required, the ability to hire expertise needed and a detailed business plan. The business plan should be 'bankable'. By this I mean that if a 'regular' business was to go to the bank for a business loan, the bank would want to see certain thing in the plan- detailed cash flow projections, an entire funding scheme, an analysis of the competition and of the market and much more. This long term planning is not without risks but is less risky than the first scenario.

One final note- the corporate structure of the agency needs to be thinking outside the box. They need to explore not-for-profit and for-profit subsidiaries; changing the way they do business; changing accounting procedures, changing hiring policies and human resource management. Rehabilitation agencies need to EMBRACE CHANGE and make change work for them.

 Web Sites of Interest

www.ideas2000.org - "New Ideas for a New Century"

www.zapdata.com - On demand sales leads, mailing lists and more.

www.pcpitstop.com - Analyze and tune up your computer.

www.salesforce.com -Delivers enterprise-class sales force automation as a subscription service online.

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