Last week’s blog post looked at how to write a perfect marketing email, so this week I thought it would be useful to look at how to write an effective sales letter.
Direct marketing, be it by email or letter, allows you to engage with your audience whether they are prospective customers, leads, end users or existing customers.
A great sales letter can win you new business
But it’s important to get your correspondence right. A well-written sales letter will gain the trust of the reader and help you win them over, thus leading to more sales. Here are my top tips for writing the perfect sales letter:
1. Use a personalised greeting
Use the person’s name when you can. If not, use a term that is relevant and shows you know something about the recipient, e.g. ‘Dear Gourmet Food Lover’. For a business audience use the job title
2. Use a headline when appropriate
This is not right for every letter, but can be a good way of making your principal message stand out. Ensure it’s relevant as well as attention-grabbing
3. Write an effective opening sentence
Make sure it is something that catches the reader’s attention
4. Prove your credibility
Show off your company’s credentials to convince your reader they should do business with you
5. Tell your reader what’s on offer
Ensure your reader knows exactly what you are offering and ‘what’s in it for them’
6. Keep your content relevant
You don’t want your reader to get bored, so make sure everything you write is relevant and refrain from going off at tangents
7. Include all the necessary information
Be sure to include all the benefits, details, descriptions, testimonials, etc, to win over your reader
8. Consider offering a guarantee
Can you reassure your reader that your offer is risk-free? If so, think about including a money-back guarantee
9. Don’t forget your call to action
Make sure your reader knows exactly what they need to do, whether that’s call a sales line, fill out a coupon or log onto a website
10. Encourage your reader to respond immediately
Think about presenting a limited offer to give the reader the impetus to get in touch straight away
11. Keep it to a reasonable length
Don’t make the letter any longer than it needs to be
Would you like an effective, persuasive sales letter written for you by a professional copywriter? Get in touch with me today to find out how I could help you with a winning direct mail campaign. Do you have any tips on writing sales letters? Leave a comment and let me know.
[Picture credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.Net]
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