Direct Response Copywriter On Differentiating Your Product/Service

How To Smash Your Competition To A Pulp, Legally Take Their Market Share Forever, and Win Every Marketing Battle Before That Battle Even Begins ... How I Took Eight Sales Pages From 2% Conversion to 11% By Differentiating The Product ...

Maybe I'm guilty of being a smidge bombastic in the headline, violent even, but, in this essay, I'm going to show you how to become the dominant force in your vertical.

Here’s something super-cool. Very few of your competitors understand the importance of differentiation. Even better, very few of the companies who want to differentiate their product or service know how to make this happen.

So when you take differentiation seriously, you can be the winner in your category. How would you like that? In 25 years writing direct response copy and working with many of the world's top direct marketers, success requires ... DIFFERENTIATING YOURSELF FROM THE COMPETITION. So in this post, I'm going to show you how I've done this and thus helped companies generate millions of dollars in revenue, often out of thin air.

Most of your competitors are just thinking, “I’ll just throw money at traffic and I'll win.” I recommend you spend money on traffic judiciously and prudently but when you differentiate, guess what happens? You get more, a lot more, from your traffic spend.

Suddenly, your sales pages and VSLs are converting at 11% instead of 2% and that can mean a ton more revenue. First of all, I never want you to differentiate simply by price. That might work for some companies but I’ve never been a fan of advertising to reduce top-line revenue. It’s just not how I work.

I’m going to bounce around a little bit in this post and I make no apologies. By the end of this post, you’ll know how to set yourself apart from the competition so that customers buy what you’re selling, even it has a higher price.

Where Differentiation Must Start

It all starts with research. This DOES NOT mean pumping a prompt into AI: “what differentiates my skin cream from other skin creams?” David Ogilvy’s agency was advertising Rolls-Royce cars back in the 1960s and 1970s. He came up with this famous headline for ad ad …

“At 60 miles per hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”

This epic headline came from meticulous research and differentiates the product.

This headline came from meticulous and deep research. The copywriter basically unearthed this headline in a "boring" technical manual about the car. 80% of the time, deep research will give you the fact or factor or whatever it might be that will set your product or service above the competition. In many markets, you can try the following.

Find a powerful USP. If you don’t know what a USP is, make it a priority to understand this crucial concept.

Unique mechanism … something that’s genuinely unique that leads to a powerful benefit … something about how the product or service works that’s new and different.

Something new and newsworthy. The latest science/developments ... only available here.

People. A person or people who have enjoyed huge success.

Value. Stressing the many benefits.

Unique ingredient … unique blend … unique formula.

A new study that reveals something that leads to a powerful benefit.

No risk. A big guarantee.

Sometimes, I see the approach that says, “We’re #1” or “We’re The Best” without anything to back this up. I know one copywriter who runs around saying, “I’m #1” when he’s not.

A Note of Caution About Celebrity Endorsements

Every day, hundreds of marketing decision makers think, “if I give a vast amount of money to a celebrity to endorse my product, money will fall from the sky.” So a company will send $10 million to a celebrity to appear in ads, or do something, and there’s never any indication there’s any ROI. Why? Because there isn’t. Simply slinging a celebrity out there is a poor way to differentiate a product. Hiring an expert to share their expertise and selling that expertise is totally different.

Would You Like An Emu?

Massive, multi-billion dollar companies hire advertising agencies and spend tens of millions of dollars to differentiate themselves. You can see this in the insurance industry. I rarely watch TV but I see the insurance ads for Flo, the emu, the people who are becoming like their parents. If you feel the urge to spend tens of millions of dollars on TV advertising plus tie your company to a lunatic emu … have at it. But if you still want to differentiate your product without spending all that money, hang with me.

Graphically, a logo and a “look” can help you stand out. However, it’s not going to generate much of a bump in revenue and it’s hard to measure the impact. I’ve worked with super-successful direct marketing companies that have paid very little attention this part of branding.

Maybe someone has told you to stick with the "brand voice."

Quick ... how often have you bought a product or service because you loved the "brand voice" of the company that makes that product or service?

Q: What’s The #1 Way to Differentiate Your Product In A Crowded Space? A: Follow the fundamentals of direct marketing and direct response copy …

Motivate prospects to read the copy with a compelling headline.

Pile on the believable proof.

Provide reasons to try the product.

Justify the price by stressing the value.

Reverse any risk with a guarantee that’s way better than what the competition offers.

Empathy … we understand what you’re going through.

Copy that gets the prospect nodding their head in agreement.

Plus … put a 3-5 minute video above the fold. The goal of this video is to motivate the prospect to read the copy.

Give the prospect information about the real person behind the product and the real company behind the product.

Build everything around clarity.

A comparison chart that’s not overwhelming.

When you follow the fundamentals of direct marketing and direct response copywriting, you will differentiate your product in a crowded market and bludgeon the competition … competition that thinks that direct marketing is for the birds.

A Powerful Technique ... Rarely Used ... Your customers will tell you what's different and better about your product or service. Ask them in a survey or look through online reviews. It's part of my research process.

There’s Nothing Wrong With This … I regularly write copy that directly addresses the faults of the competition and the magnificence of the product or service I’m selling. The subhead reads something like this … Here’s Why People Choose The Acme Can Opener Over Other Can Openers.

It's not simply saying, with no proof or logic, “we’re better than everyone else.” It's using logic and proof to prove the product is better.

The Difference Between The ‘OK’ Direct Response Copywriter And The 'Elite-Level' Direct Response Copywriter … And What This Means For You ...

Every day, I see really poor copy, probably produced by AI. I also see copy that’s “OK” … if that. Sometimes I see copy that’s really powerful and motivates me to try a product or service.

When you hire an elite-level direct response copywriter who can successfully differentiate your product from the other products, your revenue can skyrocket. An “OK” copywriter will not know how to differentiate your product and thus your revenue will be flat.

I see a lot of sales pages that scream “we don’t really care about differentiating ourselves from everyone else” and that means only one thing: hemorrhaging money.

**How I Do This … **

I position myself as the copywriter who is the most likely to help you generate the most money. I can back this up because many of the companies I’ve worked with have kept me around for several years. It’s not because they like the way I dress or talk or ski. It’s because I drive more revenue than any other copywriter.

**And If You Want To Build A Brand … Don’t Do This … Do This Instead … **

There are lots of branding “experts” who can tell you how to build a brand. Avoid them. If you want to build a brand, which is another way of saying, “we want to differentiate our product” then hire direct marketing people plus an elite-level direct response copywriter. Your brand will emerge.

If you have any thoughts and/or want me to help you with generating more revenue, more often, please leave a comment below or contact me directly through LI.

Direct Response Copywriter On The Real Role of A Direct Response Copwyriter

If you're a business owner, a marketing manager, or a CMO ... or just someone involved in this crazy world we call marketing, it's easy to get distracted.

* You might be managing a team.
* Some people want to win awards for creativity.
* Others think it's all about technology ... especially in the age of AI.

But the #1 goal is always ...

MAXIMIZE TOP-LINE REVENUE

Other things are going on below that top line but, in business, a lot of revenue is always a good thing.

From my perspective as a direct response copywriter, this means ...

You must be working with the copywriter who is the most likely to bring you the most revenue. It's your responsibility to shareholders or the business owner to make this happen.

You need to be a little brutal here and ask this question ... "is my current copywriter the one who is going to write copy that brings me the most money?"

A copywriter must have the following.

* Awesome traffic.
* The ability to test.
* Superb products and services to sell.

On occasion, direct marketers I’ve worked with have tried to find a copywriter to replace me or they’ve used a different approach to generating that top-line revenue.

I fully expect this. However, these companies kept me around. Why? Because my copy kept millions of dollars rolling in.

A copywriter is a salesperson. What happens when salespeople fail to generate as much revenue as they could/should? They get replaced.

If you’re looking for the copywriter who is most likely to generate the most revenue, then we should definitely talk. Go here to contact me.

Marketing is not joking around. Your business/career depends on finding the people who are going to bring you massive revenue. You can't afford to have passengers on the team.

I've seen numerous CMOs get fired over the years. Not one of these CMOs wanted an elite-level direct response copywriter in their organization. They thought, "I'll get a copywriter who can be on-brand and be OK plus a junior copywriter will be just fine and will save me a bunch of money."

Best wishes for your success ...

Scott Martin Direct Response Copywriter Direct Marketing Specialist

Direct Response Copywriter on The Search For a Copywriter. My Advice To Marketing Managers.

Looking For a Copywriter?

If you're a marketing manager or you're an HR professional, then I have some advice for you, but only if you're serious about finding a really good copywriter.

I recorded a three-minute video about this subject and I'll summarize my thoughts below. The video is here.

I see a lot of companies who advertise copywriter openings on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and other sites.

The HR people follow a template. They usually want a full-time employee and, thinking they'll get a higher quality candidate, they say they’re willing to pay slightly above the average.

The average comes from some data source that may or may not be accurate.

All of this totally misses the point.

Why?

You’re treating a copywriter like a commodity and if you look at a copywriter in this way, you're doomed to failure.

What’s the job of a copywriter?

Let me tell you what it’s NOT.

• A copywriter is not here to win awards.
• A copywriter is not supposed to capture “brand voice” … whatever that means.
• A copywriter is not supposed to be original.

The job of a copywriter is to generate top-line revenue using proven direct response copywriting techniques. Yes … the company must have traffic and great offers. But the smartest copywriters understand that having an elite level direct response copywriter on their team will bring them tens of millions of dollars in revenue.

Unfortunately, most companies believe this: “I’ll get a great copywriter by paying slightly more than other companies and making them a full-time employee … with great benefits like Ice Cream Socials every other Tuesday afternoon plus an extra 15 minutes every day to walk their dog or pet ferret.”

Surprisingly, even if you get a stack of applications, you’re only going to get a mediocre copywriter.

Is that what you want?

• That top direct response copywriter will bring you tens of millions in revenue. (I’ve done that for several companies).
• That mediocre “award-winning” copywriter will bring you a fraction of that.

If you have some flexibility in your hiring model, then your chances of finding and keeping a top copywriter skyrocket.

One more thing … if you’re a marketing manager/executive, then you’re going to look like a rock star when you can bring in all that revenue. You get all the credit.

Do you want to be a rock star or a never was? If it’s the former, then find that top direct response copywriter and kick that "typical" employment model to the curb.

Direct Response Copywriter On The Bad Side of Marketing

I’ve been working in marketing for a long time, close to 30 years. As such, I’ve worked with some great marketers and some marketers who are not so great.

What’s the difference?

The great marketers understand what a direct response copywriter can do for them. They actively search for ones who can help them generate significant revenue. Also, the great marketers speak a very specific language …

• Call to action.
• Headline testing.
• Highlighting benefits.
• Cost per acquisition.

The language is precise. They treat direct marketing as a science.

What about the not-so-good marketers? That’s easy. Here’s what I hear … jargon.

• Low-hanging fruit.
• I’ll be untangling the spaghetti here.
• I’m going to bird dog that for you.
• We have to maintain some brand equity here.

What did the great David Ogilvy say?

“Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.”

At the risk of sounding like an ornery so-and-so, I’m not impressed when someone in marketing starts speaking in jargon-ese. I like to spend time with direct marketers. These are my people and I love speaking the language of direct marketing.

Direct Response Copywriter on "Reasons Why" Copy

I see a lot of direct response copy. Much of this includes the “fundamental” elements:

• Pre-head
• Headline/deck
• Lead
• Features
• Benefits
• Guarantee
• Close
• Call To Action

All good. But here’s something I rarely see: “Reasons Why" Copy. I always include this copy element in my long-form copy. I sometimes include this in shorter copy, including opt-in pages.

I use the format:

23 Reasons to Try INSERT PRODUCT

It might be fewer reasons … it might be more.

I write this element after I’ve written all the other copy. It’s basically a summary of the benefits, presented in a numbered list. Yes, I fully admit I’m going to repeat myself. But let’s remember that around two-thirds of people don’t read all the copy. A list of “reasons why” might be the one thing that really grabs their attention deep in the body copy. There might be one benefit that will ultimately motivate them to try the product or service. They will likely find this benefit in the “reasons why” copy. Plus the other benefits will buttress their decision.

In a perfect world, I want the reader to sell themselves on their buying decision. If you’re like me, you’ve justified a purchase to yourself by including some additional benefits beyond your original ones.

For example, you might decide to buy a car because it’s fast and powerful. If you’re on the fence, you might ultimately "sign on the dotted line" because of the color or the promise of a super-high resale value. I pity the salesperson who doesn’t introduce the other benefits of the car beyond its raw speed.

If you’re a direct response copywriter, I encourage you to start using “reasons why" copy. It’s one reason my copy has helped my clients generate millions in revenue. Sometimes the list isn’t that long. Sometimes it’s really long. I include as many of these as I think I need to make the sale.

And one more thing … the inclusion of this element will make your copy longer. That’s always a good thing when the copy is relevant. Long copy almost always beats short copy.