What do old ads that worked in the past and new ads working in the present have in common?

Simplicity.

But here’s one other thing I noticed too 👇🏿

While copying out this Pitney Bowes Mailstation 2 Ad last week, it struck me.

This ad is simple and goes straight to the point with one major thing: BENEFITS

Weigh It. Print It. Mail It. All-in-one.

The do-it-all digital mailroom.

It tackles the What’s In It For Me (WIIFM) question & tells you from the get-go what this machine is offering you.

Plus, there’s a coupon code right on the front page for you.

I mean, even if you wanted to resist, how many people can easily resist what’s free? 😁🤷🏿‍♂️

Especially when it’s plastered at the front like this 😁🤷🏿‍♂️

At the upper right-hand corner, there’s a postage stamp (PAID).

Look below and you see “An approved licensed partner United States Postal Service”

Just in case you don’t believe 😁

What this does is REDUCE the burden on the customer.

As EVERY ad should do.

“Receive a 60 day free trial & free shipping on your order”

Man, everything about this ad screams OFFER!!!

The offers are so much, you don’t even notice the company’s name 😁

Plus, it’s in small letters.

It tells you to IGNORE us & instead FOCUS on what we’re GIVING you.

Mailstation 2 also sounds like PlayStation 2.

Reminds me of the Poo-Pourri ad where the lady says it has better Amazon ratings than the iPhone 5

An excellent way to piggyback an existing or probably bigger brand.

Chances of stickability? Super High.

Also, look at how the different capabilities are segmented.

This proves people buy a product for different reasons.

Some people might buy this Mailstation because of its weighing capabilities.

Others might buy because of printing, while some others because of mailing.

Also, some people might buy it simply because it’s a great deal & it’s going to help them save money.

Notice how the colour on the SAVE segment is different too.

Eye-catching.

Just in case you’re not convinced by every other thing, it REMINDS you it’s a deal which will save you money.

Human beings love anything which either makes them money or saves them money.

Kaboom! 🙌🏿

The segmentation also helps to highlight each of the capabilities with the use of bullets.

“•Save space”

“•Print postage”

“•Mail & Track”

“•Refill Postage”

If you’re not convinced from bullet 1, then bullet 2 should get you.

Isn’t it why they are called bullets? 😁🙌🏿

They are also highlighted with a darker ink to draw your attention to them.

Smart 👌🏿

Even the website pboffer.com/smallbusiness alludes to the fact this deal is mostly for small businesses.

And how’s it even a lie?

A small business would need an all-in-one mailroom because:

– They either don’t have enough space for all the other machines.

– They don’t have money for all the other machines.

– They probably don’t process enough orders to need all the other machines.

Genius stuff 🙌🏿

“Start your 60-day free trial. Hurry, this special offer expires May 31, 2016,” says one thing:

This is a GREAT DEAL & it won’t last forever.

One word: URGENCY

The next section breaks down the offers in easily digestible bites for the customer.

I mean, how is it a good offer if your customers don’t even understand?

$20 in postage coupons every month.

Net cost per month.

Metered mail discount.

Free Shipping.

Offers! Offers!! Offers!!!

This section also shows us how important it is to REPEAT the offers.

Your customers have a lot going through their minds already.

They’ll forget.

So, REPEAT the DAMN OFFER again and again and again.

See how the pronouns YOU/YOUR are used in this section.

It’s always about the customer.

Powerful Words 👌🏿

They also managed to add their social media buttons.

Just in case you decide not to buy, you could follow them on any of the social media channels.

Following them on SM will likely put them in your face all the time.

Chances are sooner or later you’ll buy 😁🙌🏿

If you don’t, at least they can brag about an extra follower on social media 😁🤷🏿‍♂️

Also, Mike Schauer of swiped.co had this to add.

But above all, I think this is a damn good ad.

PS: As I’ve said before, this is my breakdown of this sales letter. I probably missed some things too and you’re free to point them out.

P.P.S: As much as I call myself a copywriter, like other copywriters, I miss some of these things while writing too.

My breakdown of this letter isn’t to tell you how to write or what to do.

It’s simply to reinforce what I’ve been hearing for the last year.

And hopefully get better at this thing of ours.

I hope this helps you.

If this post gets serious engagement, I might be tempted to continue to do this kind of breakdown every week.

So, like, comment and share so other people can learn.

Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.

Go here: twitter.com/ucheokorolive

That’s where I drop other powerful insights in sales and marketing you won’t find here.

If you’re interested in this letter, here’s a link to it: https://swiped.co/file/trial-postcard-pitney-bowes/

If you decide to learn advertising, sales and marketing, you need to study the old guys and what they’ve done.

It’s disingenuous thinking old things have passed away 😁

And here’s why:

After writing out this “Don’t Do It!” ad used sometime around 1860 by hand, I decided to study it and see why it worked.

Niche: Consumer Goods

Headline: DON’T DO IT!

It’s a WARNING SIGN which means it’s attention-grabbing & curiosity laden.

Prospect sees it and asks themselves “I shouldn’t do what?”

The other subconscious question is, “why should I not do it?”

Consequence? Hooked.

Also, as kids aged 5, human beings are used to being told ‘no’ as much as 10 thousand times.

Compared to ‘yes’ a thousand times.

So, the word ‘No’ subconsciously takes them on a trip to their childhood when they were seeking Daddy & Mummy’s favour 😁

So Robert Greene 👌🏿

Don’t Do It uses reverse psychology on the ad reader tapping into a phenomenon called the Forbidden Fruit Syndrome (I coined this 😁).

To explain this, imagine if God had told Adam & Eve to eat only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden and no other 😁

They would have most likely eaten every other fruit out there and avoided the forbidden one.

And that’s the thing with human beings – they do what you tell them NOT to do.

It’s the reason why ‘illegal’ stuff & banned substances sell like crazy e.g drugs, alcohol, sex etc.

Look at this logo closely, if you’ve seen the movie Compton, you’ll understand.

This is primarily one of the reasons why rap music blew up like crazy.

Forbidden Fruit Syndrome lends itself to our deepest desires as human beings – curiosity.

We want to know.

We want to know why.

Then the lead goes off listing a couple of things you shouldn’t buy.

This does 2 things:

1. It implants authority from the ad owner into the prospect’s head.

It also holds their interest.

Because if you’re telling me I shouldn’t do this, I’ll be waiting for the WHY.

2. It’s also polarizing.

(How dare you tell me what to do? Or what not to do?)

People DON’T LIKE TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO in an obvious manner.

But they love to be seduced and led.

Now this ad tells them what NOT to do, gets them angry while seducing them into doing what was planned all along by the ad owner – to get them TO DO what he wants.

Genius stuff. 😁👌🏿

“In fact, don’t buy anything for yourself or boy until you have seen our stock” breaks down the prospect’s buying decision into easily manageable steps.

Doesn’t tell you to buy anything.

Instead, it puts the decision in your hands – “until you have seen“

No commitment required.

The prospect tells themselves “I don’t need to buy anything. I can just go there and feed my eyes.“

From feeding their eyes, they essentially start feeding their brains.

And they’re READY to buy at this point.

It just becomes a matter of how the offer is presented.

AND WHY?

There’s a phenomenon called Reticular Activating System (RAS) in your brain.

The way it works is it makes your brain obsessed with incomplete thoughts, curiosity & questions.

You want to get to the root of anything you don’t understand.

Your CURIOSITY

AD OWNER WINS🙌🏿

“Because we have anything you wish. The stock is the largest, the styles the best and prices low as can be found anywhere.“

Benefits. Benefits. Benefits.

What your prospect looks out for any time they see a sales & marketing material.

People are inherently selfish.

Know this

And to round it off.

George Muse Clothing COMPANY gives a vibe of authority & establishment.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a small shop or a face-me-I-face-you.

The prospect will have to confirm.

But that’s until when they get there 😁

TARGET ACQUIRED.

Mission Accomplished.

The first step in any online sales process is to get your prospects to CLICK.

Once you do your job to get them to click, the buying decision is cut by half.

This is what they do here.

Get the prospect to our store first, we’ll handle it from here.

Brilliant 🙌🏿

PS: As I’ve said before, this is my breakdown of this sales letter. I probably missed some things too and you’re free to point them out.

P.P.S: As much as I call myself a copywriter, like other copywriters, I miss some of these things while writing too.

My breakdown of this letter isn’t to tell you how to write or what to do.

It’s simply to reinforce what I’ve been hearing for the last year.

And hopefully get better at this thing of ours.

I hope this helps you.

If this post gets serious engagement, I might be tempted to do this kind of breakdown every week.

So, like, comment and share so other people can learn.

Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.

Go here: twitter.com/ucheokorolive

That’s where I drop other powerful insights in sales and marketing you won’t find here.

If you’re interested in this letter, here’s a link to it: https://swiped.co/file/dont-buy-ads-1860-1880s/

Takes 5-7 seconds to grab your prospect’s attention & get them to read your sales message.

This’s why how you write your leads is important.

If you dunno, a lead is the first 5-15 sentences, 300 words, 30 seconds or few pages of your message.

Here are 8 ways to do them better

1. Start with a story

People love stories.

But people are moved to buy by great stories.

You don’t know how to structure a story?

Study grass to grace stories.

Study The Hero’s Journey storytelling style.

Use them in a way that applies to what you’re selling.

Also, don’t forget people are moved by 3 types of people:

A champion.

A master.

An underdog.

Choose one character, create a story around them and exploit the hell out of it.

2. Give a compelling promise or promise a reward EARLY that what the readers are about to read/watch is worth their time.

E.g

“Ensure to read every word of this letter…”

Or

“Watch this video to the very end because what I’m about to show you is the secret that will…”

Another alternate ending is:

“…and what you’ll discover will be the…”

(And then you include your promise)

But learn how to vary it by trying different versions.

Don’t say something like “this is the best thing you’ve read or you’re going to read” if you can’t back it up.

It’s cliche and empty nowadays because people have seen or read so many promises like that that failed them.

Don’t burn yourself too.

3. If you don’t/can’t give a direct promise (due to whatever reason), then at least allude to it.

But understand some people might miss this.

Because all your prospects won’t be on the same level of understanding and sophistication.

As proven to be a norm, assumption is dangerous and the mother of all fuck ups.

So, as always, it’s better to be simple and break it down for them.

4. Lead with benefits before risk.

Every buying decision is weighed on the scale of benefits vs risk.

Every time a prospect sees an opportunity, they subconsciously ask themselves, “What’s in it for me?”

You give them reasons to buy from you when you show them the benefits.

And how these benefits outweigh the risks of not getting it.

5. Tackle a pain point or problem early on.

E.g

“Weight Loss doesn’t have to be a do or die affair like most weight-loss experts would make you believe.”

6. Ask an opening question.

E.g

Have you been struggling with making sales with your e-commerce store? So, what if I could show you a way you can turn it around in less than 4 weeks?”

But ensure this question is relevant & important. Not the usual cliche ones.

Also, it must point to the results or benefits they’d get from you or your product/service.

7. Use a baiting strategy.

E.g

“Before I go any further I need you to promise you’d watch this 70 seconds video to the end. Because only then will you…”

(And then your promise)

8. Build credibility early

You do this by introducing yourself and giving them reasons to continue reading or listening to or watching you.

This is where your qualifications, achievements, experience etc come in.

PS: You don’t have to lie or use conflated figures or unnecessary titles & buzzwords like 6-figure copywriter, leading expert/authority, 9-figure salesman if you’re not.

They are still people who’ll buy from you because you’re relatable or closer to the level that they are at.

I hope this helps you.

– Uche

If you enjoyed this article, you can follow me on Twitter where I post regular insights on sales and marketing that I don’t blog.

Go here

So many years ago, a beautiful young lady was sitting alone sipping on her drink slowly at a bar.

While she sat there, lots of men kept walking up to her and asking for a dance.

Some asked to buy her another drink.

But she kept saying no to every single one of them.

Most of these guys were young rich good looking Wall Street guys.

Entrepreneurs, lawyers, investment bankers wearing dapper suits and Rolexes.

But she said no to all of them.

She didn’t even turn to look at some of them.

Then this guy walks in.

A balding unremarkable plain-looking guy.

Not rich, at least obvious from his looks.

He sits for a few minutes at the other end of the bar.

Then he stands up and walks up to her, and whispers something in her ears.

Immediately her eyes lit up.

And then she turns around to face him with the most wonderful smile.

But what’s shocking is as he walked out of the bar, she followed him.

What did he tell her?

I’ve got some coke. You wanna play? 😁

I can’t remember where I read this story.

But this is one of the reasons why ugly guys get the most beautiful women.

I mean, let’s face it.

Most good looking or rich guys depend on either their good looks or displays of wealth to attract a woman.

Whereas, most ugly guys have known a long time ago that nothing comes easy – talk more the undergarments of a woman.

So, what do they do?

They focus on improving themselves.

They improve their appearance by working out, dressing well, smelling nice etc.

They improve their status by doubling down on their hustle.

They make money and gain some status.

Because they know this is also important.

But they don’t stop there.

They also improve their ability to begin and carry a conversation.

They read books.

They learn manners and sophistication.

And in doing so, they develop the kind of steely confidence that reminds you of Alexander the Great.

Whereas the good looking guy keeps meeting women who aren’t moved by his looks.

Same with the rich guy.

You might be wondering if there’s a sales and marketing lesson in here.

Well, would there ever be a post where I won’t teach you something about sales and marketing?

You know they won’t 😁

So, what’s the lesson?

Be the ugly guy.

Every single guy in that bar was interested in that lady.

But they weren’t intelligent enough to think about what she wanted before approaching her.

What if they knew she was a coke fiend?

They were going to get her number and possibly even take her home.

But since they never bothered to look closely, they lost the pretty lady

And this is exactly how sales and marketing should be done.

This is exactly how your prospects think.

Everyone out there doesn’t care what you’re selling.

Or what your business does.

What they only care about is one thing – themselves.

The earlier you put your prospect/customer at the forefront of all your marketing efforts, the better for your profits and revenues.

Lemme say it again, the customer is always right.

But not about their opinions.

No, fuck that!

They are right about what they care about.

And you should too if you want your business to grow.

You have to be obsessed with your customers and what they want or need.

Your business and life depends on it.

I hope this helps you.

– Uche

PS: You should be following me on Twitter for regular sales and marketing insights I dont post here.

Go here: twitter.com/ucheokorolive

Do you run a business or provide a service and you usually get advice to use testimonials on your pages when trying to sell?

But you can not.

Especially because no one has used your product/service yet.

Well, here are 5 ways you can do it differently:

1. Use It Yourself

I remember seeing a tweet from Bruno Nwogu where he told his followers he had discovered a new way to make money via affiliate marketing.

He added that he wasn’t sure about it, but he was going to test it out and give them feedback.

Then, he came back and referenced the same tweet and shared his results with them.

Boom!

Toyin Omotoso used this same style when he wanted to grow his Twitter account.

He got a bunch of resources, tested them, dumped the ones that weren’t working and figured out how to get a large following.

Then he packaged this information and made his Twitter Money Blueprint Program.

And I’m a testimony to this because I’ve had a Twitter account since 2012 and never had up to 1,000 followers.

Let’s say it was because I wasn’t serious 😁

But using some of the things he shares I’m almost up to 2,000 followers all within the last 4 months.

Powerful stuff 🙌🏿

But don’t also forget you can suffer from owner’s bias. You need a balanced approach when it comes to using it yourself.

2. Give away for free in exchange for feedback.

I learned this from writing 1 post every week on my blog www.ucheokoro.live for 1 full year.

I’d write a post every Sunday evening, publish it, then take the link and post it on my WhatsApp status.

The feedback I kept getting helped me to keep going even when I didn’t feel like writing.

That’s how I got better at writing consistently.

Bruno Nwogu has a free Telegram group where he shares tips and techniques with 2,000+ other affiliate marketers on how to make more money.

Nowadays, he has a paid group.

But he uses the success of that free group to sell the opportunities in his paid group.

What are you selling?

Give away some of it to your target audience.

Then ask for feedback in exchange for what you gave them.

Then use this feedback as testimonials on your page.

Believe me, it works.

3. Encourage people to talk about you – Church style.

Have you ever been to a church?

Have you noticed that even people sleeping during the sermon wake up when it comes to testimony time?

That’s how powerful it is.

But it’s also powerful because all of us humans are moved by social proof – we usually do things because we see other people doing it.

Or because it works for other people.

That’s how Church grows.

Go figure.

4. Call your customers and ask for feedback.

When you’ve started getting some sales, you should call your customers and ask them some of the following questions.

“What was your experience?”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Are you glad you bought it?”

“Do you like it?”

Then ask them for permission to use their testimonies on your page.

Church style again 👌🏿

Voila!

5. Use case studies.

These can be stories of similar people like the person you’re trying to sell to.

When you do this, you help your prospects identify with your subject’s problem.

And you also make them experience the future relief (through the story you’ve shared) of what it would be like using your product/service.

I’m sorry I have to reference church again, but it’s a community that influences my thoughts on sales and marketing.

If you’ve noticed in certain churches during testimony time, there’s always another person (pastor, church worker etc) with a mic repeating the words of whoever is giving a testimony.

It serves three things:

1. The Power of Repetition.

You begin to believe anything you hear over and over again.

2. It elevates the perceived value of the church in your mind.

They emphasize certain points or events in the testimony making it seem deeper than you might have thought.

3. It paints a clearer picture.

Because in certain instances where the person giving the testimony can’t articulate it properly, the pastor or church worker does it better.

The power of testimonials lies in social proof.

And majority of people base their buying decision on the strength of other people’s testimonies.

And this is why undeniable testimonials = effortless selling. Don’t sleep on it.

This is also how church works & grows.

Learn how to use it in your business and watch your sales soar.

I hope this helps you.

– Uche.

If you enjoyed this article, you should be following me on twitter.com/ucheokorolive too.

Alright, I’m off to church.

Ciao!

In today’s world where there are so many products struggling for your prospects’ attention and money.

This is why having a specific & compelling USP is one of the ways to differentiate yourself.

Here are 4 ways to do it differently:

But first, what is the USP?

According to advertising OG Rosser Reeves, the USP (unique selling proposition) is the one reason a customer needs to buy a specific product or service, or why it is better than its competitors.

Some USPs you might have seen before that are instantly recognisable are:

– Domino’s Pizza: “Fresh hot pizza in 30 minutes or less.”

– Avis: “We’re number two. We try harder.”

– Amazon: “Earth’s largest bookstore.”

– Coca-Cola: “Delivering/spreading happiness.”

– Peugeot: “Made for Nigerian roads.”

But it’s not just about the slogans.

A USP is what sets you apart from your competitors or why are you better than them…in a favourable way.

It’s simply what makes you different.

For example, Facebook started with connecting you to people you used to know but you might not have seen in years.

For young Nigerians, Twitter is a space where they learn, laugh, love, make money, make friends, hook up, debate, argue and fight.

That’s a crazy USP.

Back to the topic, these are ways to improve your USP:

1. Insist on benefits over features

“Why should I buy your stuff?”

“What do I stand to gain?”

“How does it help me?”

Your Customer is selfish and doesn’t care about you.

This is why your USP should be about them and how they stand to benefit from your product/service.

2. Differentiate Yourself.

What makes it different from others out there?

That’s why you see certain sales messages start with “Unlike most other products out there…”.

Or “Unlike some of our competitors…”

Once you can answer these questions clearly and compellingly, you’re on your way to making good money.

3. You can even do it through your domain or product name.

Think of products like Reel Fruits.

Most people won’t even remember the word is reel because it’s the same pronunciation as real.

Genius stuff 👌🏿

Think of oneminutecureforalldiseases.com

lowestfares.com

4. Highlight a feature that your product/service has that others don’t/Fill a void in the marketplace.

When you go through Expertnaire’s timeline on twitter.com/expertnaire

You notice their USP’s are tied around the biggest commissions in Nigeria, getting paid every Friday, best affiliate marketing platform in Nigeria, how they fill in the void for Nigerians interested in Affiliate Marketing but can’t get on Clickbank, Moreniche, JVZoo because of location etc.

Also, their pinned tweet helps break it down for people with no prior knowledge or experience of affiliate marketing.

Now, the cool thing about USPs is you can use them for your advertising campaigns, product or service branding.

Or even a headline for a sales message.

Or an idea for a product launch.

Or a theme that sets you or your brand apart.

So, you must dig deep to find something powerful & compelling.

Your options for crafting a USP are enormous. Just don’t limit yourself.

I hope this helps you.

– Uche.

You can follow me on twitter.com/ucheokorolive