Make Stuff Sell: Direct Marketing And Emotional Copywriting Strategies That Work.

Speed Copy Overhaul…

by Scott Murdaugh- Follow Him On Twitter

Hey guys,

Just posted this video on my blog.

It’s for the Lunch Box Diet by Simon Lovell…

And I’ll show you…

A common way people generate scarcity that completely destroys buyer confidence (and how to fix it)….

The BIGGEST mistake people make when using video online and how to increase viewership by over 300% by making a simple 2 minute change to your copy…

The secret to creating that “slippery slide” in your copy and commanding your prospects full attention from the very first second they hit your page until they hit the order button…

The second highest read part of your sales letter (and how to use it for maximum conversions)…

How a two minute “special request” email to Clickbank (that anyone can get approved for) can instantly multiply conversions by 10x or more…

And a whole lot more!

Check out the video here…

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Thanks!

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. Let me know what you guys think. If you’re learning something from these I’ll make them a regular addition to the blog. Thanks!

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Some Interesting Test Results (I’m Not Your Friend)…

by Scott Murdaugh- Follow Him On Twitter

Dear Friend,

I have a confession to make…

You see “Dear Friend” as the greeting on so many sales letters. It’s almost like some unwritten copywriting law…

… And it’s something I’ve tested on probably ~20 different products all in different niches. These are client sites so I can’t really show you an example or get too specific…

But in many cases, no greeting at all can DRAMATICALLY improve readership and conversions.

Why?

I honestly can’t say for sure, but I do have my suspicions…

1. Your greeting is in prime real estate, usually after the headline and before the lead. Maybe it’s serving as a roadblock before you suck them into the lead copy.

2. It’s overplayed. Especially in the bizopp/make moniez niches. It just screams “I’m selling something”!

3. It’s insincere. Most of the time when you’re selling in print you’re not *really* friends with your customers. Sure, hopefully you have a good relationship with them. I’m happy to chat with some of my subscribers from time to time, and in the case of my clients, we genuinely are “friends”, but that’s after we’ve already established a working relationship.

When I hit a complete strangers sales message, and I see “Dear Friend”, I think “Yeah, I don’t know you, what are you trying to sell me?”

But I’m not my prospect…

Point being, there are no “rules” in copywriting that are set in stone.

I’m not saying never use “Dear Friend”, sometimes it pulls better, other times it doesn’t…

But the differences are substantial enough to test.

The BIG takeaway here is even the little stuff is worth testing, because overtime even the small changes can lead to serious profits.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. While we’re on the subject of “breaking the rules”, check out how these guys are quadrupling opt-in rates by… Get this… Removing the opt-in form from their squeeze pages! It’s pretty crazy stuff, but what’s more impressive is that it’s producing some incredible results for people… http://www.makestuffsell.com/Social

(The recorded webinar is only like 5-10 minutes and definitely worth the watch)…

http://www.makestuffsell.com/Social

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Invent A Disease – Sell The Cure…

by Scott Murdaugh- Follow Him On Twitter

Listerine has a pretty neat history, and it also has a really neat marketing lesson built into it.

A lot of people don’t know that it was invented in the 1860′s…

It was packaged up as a surgical antiseptic, a floor cleaner, a treatment for sore throats and even… A cure for gonorrhea!

But it wasn’t until they marketed it as a cure for “chronic halitosis” in the 1920′s that Listerine really took off…

“Chronic halitosis” was invented by their marketing team. But it worked. Even today Listerine is available in almost every grocery store and pharmacy in the US.

Listerine turned “bad breath” into a “disease”…

From something people weren’t really concerned with to a freakin’ disease… Meaning something is medically wrong with you – But the cure is cheap and you can buy it right now.

So how can you apply this to your own marketing?

I mean, we don’t really have the liberty of “inventing” a disease that we can cure with our products…

The real lesson here is in positioning.

There are literally hundreds of ways to position any product. And you’ll need to experiment in order to find that “sweet spot” that makes your product a home run.

Take any given diet product…

With the right tweaking to the product, it could be positioned as a diet for new mothers, or a diet for athletes trying to cut weight, a diet for men in their 40′s to get back into shape, or a shortcut to six-pack abs, toned muscles…

There are thousands of ways to take it.

But nail that positioning, and you can take your product from a floor cleaner that few people want to buy to a “must have” cure to a pressing problem that EVERYONE in your market wants to buy.

Sometimes you’ll get it right the first time.

Other times, you’ll need to experiment. You’ll want to try all kinds of different hooks and angles…

And the results can be truly amazing.

If you have a product you’re having a hard time selling, start thinking about new ways to position it, new appeals to bring it into your market… And you might just end up with a best seller on your hands.

Take care,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment below, share on Twitter or Facebook and DEFINITELY sign up for free updates so you’re never left out of the loop!

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How To Write Incredibly Effective Advertising.

by Scott Murdaugh- Follow Him On Twitter

If you want to create advertising that sells, you have to make people believe. And you have to do it multiple times…

Your prospect has to believe reading your offer is worth their time.

To do that you have to create headlines that can’t be ignored. Your lead copy has to be so compelling that they can’t resist reading further…

Your prospect has to believe your offer can help them.

People have VERY sensitive BS detectors that are easy to set off.

They have plenty of options to choose from. And they have every reason in the world to assume you’re a liar. You have to make a compelling offer that has both a huge benefit and is believable.

You have to use every proof element at your disposal. You have to present your facts in a logical way that gets them excited without assuming it’s all lies and hype.

Your prospect has to believe in HIMSELF.

This is something that’s VERY important and rarely talked about. If your product helps people lose weight, make more money or play better golf… Whatever it promises, even if people believe that it’s helped others they don’t believe it can help them…

They’ll think to themselves “That’s great she’s lost 58 pounds, but it won’t work for me”… Or “that guy made a ton of money with Adsense, but he doesn’t have a full time job and 3 kids to raise”…

People doubt themselves. Even if they believe your copy, even if they think it works for other people, many of your prospects simply won’t believe it’ll work for them.

People need encouragement like…

“If you’re like me, you’ve tried every diet from Atkins to Jenny Craig… And even if you lost a few pounds here and there it always came back. That’s how diets work. When you’re starving yourself the weight comes off, but if you stray from the diet the weight comes back within a week…

That’s where my diet is different. The weight comes off easy and naturally… And the best part is it STAYS off…”

Back up statements like that with proof. You show them it’s worked for other people. It’s different than all of the other solutions out there and it WILL work for them as well.

ALWAYS remember that people need help believing in themselves.

Being believed is quite possibly the most profitable skill in advertising.

If you can grab attention, hold it, and present an irresistible offer AND get your prospect to believe your claims, you’re set for life.

Make them believe…

Always keep that in mind.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. Share any tips you have on gaining visitors trust in the comments below. Thanks!

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Marketing Is Evil…

by Scott Murdaugh- Follow Him On Twitter

To be really good at marketing, you have to have the mindset that you’d be willing to reach through the computer screen, pull out your prospects check book and force them to write you a check on the spot for whatever it is you’re selling.

Pretty evil, right?

That’s a pretty aggressive mindset.

And your job, if you’re into marketing, is to squeeze every possible dime out of anyone who could use your products and services.

You want to play on every possible emotion.

You want to use every persuasive tool in your arsenal to get people buying whatever you’re offering.

That’s all true. But it’s only evil if you make it so.

First of all, if you’re marketing something, it really should have a positive impact on the people you’re selling to.

And if it does that, you have a moral obligation to do everything in your power to let prospects know about it.

What about the marketing itself?

Isn’t it “wrong” to interrupt someone’s day anytime you want to with an email or a sales letter?

If you’re doing it right you’re not an interruption.

If people are really interested in what you’re offering, and you market to them the right way, they’ll look forward to hearing from you. In a lot of cases your email could be the highlight of someone’s day.

And if that sales letter shows them the solution to a problem they’re having, more often than not they’ll thank you for showing it to them.

Marketing is only evil if you make it so.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. On that note, I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t tell you that I would have paid 10x the asking price for this book (real, physical book) and it would have still paid for itself within a day or two of reading it. It’s not a “method” or a “system”, it’s proven marketing strategies that work like crazy, and they work for any business… http://www.makestuffsell.com/Max

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Kill Violent Time Bandits…

by Scott Murdaugh- Follow Him On Twitter

I’m sort of a “recluse” during the day…

I stay invisible (or signed out of) Skype and other instant messaging.

Unless I have a call scheduled there’s ZERO chance I’m answering the phone while working.

I sometimes hang out at forums but rarely spend time posting.

You won’t find me on Facebook or Twitter during the day.

And it has nothing to do with not liking people. I love people. I love networking. I love chatting it up with old friends and clients…

It’s just that I’m VERY aware that all of those things are competing for my time.

And they drain your time too, probably more so than you think.

For example, if you’re in the middle of a project, and you stop to read an email or answer the phone, you’re going to lose a lot more time than the 2 minutes you spend on the phone…

Because when you get interrupted like that, you fall out of motion. And if you’re like me once you lose that focus it can take 20 minutes, even an hour, to get back into the swing of things.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of “pseudo work”…

You tell yourself you’re on Twitter to network…

Or that you signed in to Facebook to see if a business partner is online. But when you look back on it, you spent the whole time making plans for the game next weekend or an hour debating the plot line of “Inception” with a total stranger…

I’m not saying avoid social networking. Or that phone or instant messenger are necessarily bad things…

I’m just saying it pays to be VERY aware of how little distractions like that can add up and rob you of HUGE chunks of time.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. Speaking of time savers, my buddy Andy Fletcher just released his product launch platform for WordPress… I’ve been playing with it this morning and it’s SWEET. Point and click interface, Sexy sales letters, Kajabi style launches, and a ton of other cool things. And since he just launched he’s giving it away ridiculously cheap, you can check it out here… http://www.makestuffsell.com/afwpt.php

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The REAL Cure For Procrastination…

by Scott Murdaugh- Follow Him On Twitter

Here’s a trick I use all of the time.

When you’re staring at a blank screen, or you get caught up wasting time on forums or email or doing things that don’t make you money, there’s an easy way out.

When you feel like you can’t do anything, it’s usually because you’re not moving at all.

And if you’ve ever paid attention on one of your really productive days, it seems like you’re just flying through work, right?

It’s because you’re MOVING.

If you’re stuck and not doing anything, it’s hard to get yourself in motion.

But once you get going, and you’re in motion, it’s almost just as hard to stop yourself.

So here’s the trick…

The next time you’re procrastinating, set yourself a dead easy goal. Something that only takes 5 minutes or less.

In my case I may say I’m going to come up with an email subject. Or write a couple of new bullets for a sales letter.

If you’re setting up an Adwords campaign just tell yourself you’re going to add a couple of new keywords, or create a couple of new variations of an ad.

There’s no stress or pressure there if you have a small goal that only takes a minute or two.

But you’ll find, just the act of getting yourself in motion, just focusing for a minute or two on what you’re supposed to be working on, you’ll end up getting sucked in, you’ll be working on it, and you’ll find it’s just as hard to stop as it was to motivate yourself to start in the first place.

A couple of quotes I like…

“Movement Beats Meditation.” – Gary Halbert

“Money Loves Speed.”

I’ve found them both to be profoundly true.

The next time you’re stuck, give yourself an EASY task. Anything to get you started. More often than not, once you get moving you’ll look back a few hours later and see that you’ve accomplished a ton of work.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

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A Common Copy Killer…

by Scott Murdaugh- Follow Him On Twitter

I critique quite a bit of copy.

A HUGE mistake I see, and I see it all of the time, is people focusing on the product and not the person they’re selling to.

Case in point…

I recently saw an ad, and the very first thing it said was “You are about to purchase the most amazing product of your life”…

Really?

That’s how you’re going to hook me?

If you met me in real life would the first words to come out of your mouth be “You are about to purchase…”

Because that’d be a little creepy.

On another letter (and no offense if you read this) I saw “over 11 hours of content” touted as a benefit 3-4 times throughout the copy.

If you said “in depth” or “everything I know about” that’d make sense.

But just saying “11 hours of content”… Really, who wakes up in the morning and thinks “Man, I need to get my hands on 11 hours of content today”…

That’s the problem when you focus on your product and not on what the person you’re writing to is thinking about.

You completely miss the mark.

Selling in print is all about having a conversation with your customer.

And your customer, just like everyone else on this planet, they want to talk about THEM.

It’s okay to talk about your product. But tie everything into how it’s going to help the person you’re selling it to.

If it’s not a real benefit, skip it.

Because the second you stray from focusing on the person you talk to, you run the risk of boring or insulting them, and you’re giving them a very good reason to pass on your offer.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

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How To Work Like A Super-Human…

by Scott Murdaugh- Follow Him On Twitter

Here’s a startling revelation…

As a writer, I spend a good chunk of my time not wanting to write.

If you write, you’ve probably experienced staring at a blank page for hours on end. Or getting “something” down on paper but throwing it out after a few hours of work because it’s just not cutting it.

For me it can be because I didn’t get enough sleep. Or it’s noisy. Or I’m just not “feeling” it when I sit down to write.

I can come up with a million excuses to avoid writing.

But, when it’s your job, even if you don’t feel like it you have to do it anyway.

I find writing (and just about every other kind of work I do) is A LOT easier when you feel like doing it. Sometimes you just feel like you’re “in the zone”, you fly for a couple of hours, and you come up with something great.

I’ve found 2 ways that help me get “in the zone”.

The first is doing my “money work” first thing in the morning. In my case that’s writing. That’s nothing new, it’s something I’ve heard a lot of successful people talk about. But for whatever reason it does work for me. Once I get past the first 5 minutes or so in the morning I’m usually on cruise control for the rest of the day.

The second is when I can get myself truly fired up about a project.

I’ve written an entire sales letter overnight for a client after waking up with a headline idea.

I’ve created entire products and sales letters for them in less than 24 hours.

Whether you get fired up because of a new idea, or a new project you want to work on, wherever the inspiration comes from I’ve learned it’s CRITICAL to feed on it while it lasts.

Work that would normally take me 20 hours to do suddenly gets cut down to 4 hours when I’m in that zone.

Projects that seemed mind numbingly boring suddenly become a blast to work on.

I get much more accomplished, and I have a lot more fun working when I’m in the right state of mind.

The trick is getting into that state of mind.

And to do that, you have to figure out what motivates you. It could be money. It could be providing for your family. Or doing a good job for a client you want to work with again. Or breaking your own sales record for the month.

Point being, we all have different ways to motivate us to get there.

But if you want to get a lot more accomplished in a lot less time, you’ve got to figure out a way to motivate yourself to get into the zone, and always take advantage of it when it happens.

Peace,

-Scott Murdaugh

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Fear As A Buying Motivator…

by Scott Murdaugh- Follow Him On Twitter

Think about this…

Every Government in the world uses fear to rule. They use fear to manipulate elections, to pass laws that fit their agendas…

We’re afraid of the economy.

We’re afraid of high taxes.

We’re afraid of terrorists.

We’re afraid of war…

Every politician campaigns on fear. “If x party doesn’t get elected, the economy will crumble, we’ll be attacked by terrorists and the world will forever change as we know it…”

Seeing a pattern here?

Fear is powerful.

It’s an emotion that plays a big part in every buying decision you make.

People buy nice cars in part because they’re worried about what others think, they’re afraid that people won’t think they’re successful.

People buy marketing products because they’re afraid of not having money in the future. Or afraid of not being able to keep up with the competition.

So is capitalizing on fear immoral?

It depends on how you do it.

One thing is for sure…

Fear plays a part in every decision people make. There’s nothing we can do about that, we can’t change human psychology.

What we CAN do is acknowledge the fact that fear is a buying motivator. And use that knowledge to persuade prospects that what we’re selling can help alleviate their biggest fears.

And think about it…

Fear isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We don’t touch fire because we’re afraid of being burned. We go to the doctor because we’re afraid of death and disease…

Every entrepreneur in the world fears failure, and that fear generally motivates them to succeed.

It’s not such a dirty word.

We’re programmed for fear. It effects nearly every decision we make. Including your customers buying decisions.

If you know what your prospects biggest fears are it gives you a glimpse into what they’re thinking – What they REALLY want, and puts you in a perfect position to give it to them.

Take care,

-Scott Murdaugh

P.S. Just one of the insider marketing secrets you’ll learn on my FREE newsletter could lead you a monumental breakthrough in your business – the only thing I know for sure is that definitely WON’T happen if you don’t sign up