As a copywriter I am frequently asked by my clients to write direct mail sales letters.

These are quite an art form in themselves and can be quite complex to write.

But the work begins long before you actually put pen to paper or finger to keyboard.

In fact this is true for just about any form of copywriting. If you launch in without a lot of thought, you are very unlikely to produce something that will be strong enough to sell. There’s a lot of ground work to get through before you should even consider writing.

The first stage is to know your market. How can you convince someone to buy something if you don’t know what they want? But not only do you need to understand who you are writing to, you also need to identity why you are writing to them in the first place.

Yes, I know you are writing to them because you want them to buy from you, but unless you are 100% clear about the reaction you want to evoke, you may not get the response you are looking for.

Basically you are looking to identify:

What you want your reader to know

The key here is to ensure your writing is benefit-led and not feature-led. Obviously you’ll need to tell your reader some facts about what you are selling so that they can then justify their buying decision,  but the benefits must come first. Also resist the temptation to tell them all about your company, they are really not interested. All they want to know is what you are going to do for them.

How you want them to feel

Getting an emotional response is the best way to get them to buy. Make sure your sales letter makes them feel they’ll be missing out if they don’t buy. You are offering them a fantastic opportunity and they must act NOW!

What you want them to commit to

Even if you write a really strong sales letter, omitting your call to action will make the whole exercise a complete waste of time. It can be as simple as ‘buy now’, ‘recommend a friend’ or perhaps ‘book an appointment with an advisor’. Just make sure it is specific and direct. You must leave them in no doubt whatsoever about what they should do, how they should do it and when.

These three simple rules will help you write stronger, sales orientated copy that will get your readers taking notice.

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Being a copywriter my work has to inspire, entertain and inform my readers. It has to help them make the right buying decision, which, of course, means coming to the conclusion that that product or service I happen to be writing aboutis the one they want.

But there is a saying coined by yours truly that shows this isn’t quite as easy as it sounds:

‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a reader in possession of a sales letter, will be in close proximity of a rubbish bin’

OK, so I may not have come up with that one totally on my own – I had a bit of help from Jane Austin. But it is very true – people don’t like sales letters. They turn up on your door step unannounced trying to sell you something you don’t want (I like to think that you may not  think you need it…yet). It is an invasion of their privacy so there is only place for them to got – in the rubbish to be recycled into something more useful.

How to make your sales letter un-recyclable

I agree that, technically, a sales letter is going to be recyclable however well it’s written. But hopefully this post will delay the inevitable until your letter has been read and, preferably, been acted upon.

If your letter is unsolicited it is unlikely to be read.

The potential success of your letter is determined before it has been written – it’s all in the planning. You do plan, don’t you?

Don’t panic! I have a plan

The planning of your letter is vital. You’d be amazed at how many people think it’s OK to skip this step.

Cast your mind back to your school days if you can – remember that teacher (you know the one, brown suit and socks with sandals) who always told you to plan your essays, well he was right. Remember how, when you took his advice, you grades began to rise? Well, if you plan out your sales letters your sales results will also start to rise. There’s nothing worse than receiving a letter that’s all over the place – no planning means no focus. And no focus means wishy-washy nothingness.

This list of pointers will help you plan your letters.

• Who am I writing to? – your target market/ideal reader this will determin the voice you use
• What do I want to say? – focus on your reader’s needs not yours so clearly state the benefits as they will see them
• How much space do I have? – if there is a set word limit make sure you know what it is
• How do I want to come across? – what’s your tone to be? Friendly, approachable, authoritative…
• What’s my deadline? – this is vital!
• What do I want to achieve? – what is the objective of your sales letter?
  

There is a good reason why the last point is in bold – because it’s flaming important!!!!

You must know what is to be achieved by your letter if you are going to make it happen. Do you want it to change your readers’ minds about something? Do you want them to buy something, book an appointment, sign up for a newsletter…

Why am I telling you this?

For the simple reason if I don’t you could end up spending a small fortune on your sales letter campaigns in return for absolutlet nothing.

These simple tips will help  you get your plan in place. Make sure you:

• Find our who your audience is
• Tell them the benefits of your product
• Tell them what you want them to do next

Before you whinge that you haven’t got time to plan – just think about what diving in unprepared might do. It could turn  your unopened letter into a paper cup!

Of course there is one way that you can save yourself the time it takes to plan and execute a brilliant sales letter – hire a copywriter!

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