Failing To See The Happy “Medium”
While some people have chimed in on the salesletter debate about whether long-copy salesletters are scammy, I believe we need to stop and take a closer look at what this whole thing teaches us.
Will this debate ever stop? No. In fact, it’s nothing new. It’s been around for hundreds, even thousands of years. Even as old as right-wing versus left-wing ideologies.
Push versus pull. Direct versus indirect. Advertising versus publicity. Long copy versus short copy. And now, Internet marketers versus bloggers. Nothing’s changed.
The Internet is just a new medium in which it takes place.
While old-style direct marketers will defend their position that the medium doesn’t change things and the rules of copywriting still apply…
… The early adopters will fight tooth and nail to preserve virgin turf from being adulterated by would-be-contaminators from the other side of the spectrum.
Brian Clark, a blogging copywriter made an interesting case that I strongly agree with, in that neither side is correct. Nor wrong.
What Brian communicated in his article, whether he intended it or not, is the idea that it has nothing to do with who’s right or wrong, but comes down to the failure from both sides to learn from one and other.
In Brian’s own words:
Ultimately, it all comes down to presentation, and that depends on the audience you hope to reach. Both bloggers and traditional Internet marketers are leaving money on the table by sticking with convention and failing to learn from one another.
Whether or not this debate is valid, it still tells you something.
It tells you that the mere existence of a debate is case enough to question how things are done, and to take a more careful and sober look at how we can use all the tools presented to us to improve the way we reach our markets, write our copy and sell our products.
I believe that it has been overblown by extremists from both camps. While either side is passionately defending its position, I think people do take extremist views mostly to avoid that one problem we all fear the most:
Change.
In the comments’ section of that same post mentioned earlier, Brian pointed out the following gem:
“[...] I made reference to legions of would-be online copywriters mimicking what worked for Michel Fortin 3 years ago without realizing that times change. The only constant is change. [...] People copy what they see work online, but don’t understand that what sells a million bucks in a day for John Reese in one market may not be the right approach for every situation.”
Beautifully said.
In this new Web 2.0 where people can interact more, and are more vocal about their opinions and criticisms, we can become bombarded with diatribe from either side, confusing the issue even more.
Which often leads to paralysis.
Or as Brian Tracy calls “Psycho-sclerosis,” which means hardening of the attitudes.
(For the uninitiated, Web 2.0 refers to the idea that the web has evolved from a unilateral, unidirectional, static medium, to a more dynamic, interactive, two-way conversation. For example, we see this with the explosion of blogging, social bookmarking, AJAX scripts, which are tools that allow interactivity on websites, etc.)
You heard of the saying, “Paralysis by analysis.” What’s worse is “paralysis by passion.”
We shouldn’t take every dissenting opinion as gospel (including mine on this very blog), but see this debate as an opportunity to take a moment and question how things are done, and see what we can learn from both sides to take our copywriting to the next level.
In my opinion, the problem is not the use of salesletters. It’s the pervasiveness of a certain style of salesletter, which can be abused and greatly inappropriate for specific markets.
This “me-too” tactical approach lacks creativity, professionalism and strategy. Because it’s laziness, pure and simple. (And THAT is the root problem that should be debated, not its symptoms.)
I’m not against the use of websites with salesletters. (I still write copy for them right now.) But I’m against the fact that so many business owners discount other methods simply because they are different…
… And therefore fail to try them, to listen to their market, and to make an effort in coming up with, or applying, a few changes that can dramatically impact how large of a market they can reach.
(Or how profitable they can become with established markets.)
I don’t mean that we should discount fundamental principles of good copywriting, which, in my estimation, will never change — or change so dramatically as to no longer be valid.
Salesmanship is salesmanship is salesmanship.
But what I means is, we shouldn’t swipe every bloody salesletter out there only on the basis that it worked at one time, for one business, with one market.
Doing so, we at the same time ignore new profitable ideas, fail to differentiate, or avoid thinking a little more creatively and strategically. (And as a result, as Brian Clark so perfectly said, we “leave money on the table.”)
And this is true with both sides. While there are “scammy-looking,” hard-hitting, hype-filled, “me-too” salesletters with bold red headlines and such, there are also hard-to-navigate, fancy-looking websites that require a Ph.D. in Geek 501 to learn how to buy from.
Proponents of the former bash those of the latter, and vice versa.
We can still take issue with either side, but I believe there is a happy medium. While this debate might ignite passions, some are getting swept up in it without accomplishing much, while others are watching quietly by the sidelines…
And profiting.
I think it’s about time people start seeing this debate for what it really is, which is a need to evolve to fit a new medium or to sell to equally evolving markets, without having to copy others thinking that a successful approach is universally applicable.
If we discover how we can learn from both sides and adapt what we learn to our market and goals, we could bring our copywriting to a whole new — and far more effective — level.
About the Author
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker, consultant, and CEO of The Success Doctor, Inc. Visit his blog and signup free to get tested conversion strategies and response-boosting tips by email, along with blog updates, news, and more! Go now to http://www.michelfortin.com.
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Posted by Michel Fortin on November 10th, 2006. Filed in Articles, Copywriting, Internet, Psychology. Tagged as advertising, blog, blogger, Copywriting, Marketing, sales, scam, web 2.0. Follow responses through the RSS feed.
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From Eric Graham
This has needed to be said for quite some time.
Salesletter websites are great fits for many products, niches and markets. But they are not the best website design/format for ALL products, niches and markets.
In Advertising Secrets of the Written Word, Joe Sugarman talks about “creating the perfect buying environment”. And while in his book Joe is talking primarily about the design, look and feel of print advertisements and direct mail pieces, his advice is 100% applicable to website design and online selling.
To maximize conversion and response, the type of look and feel you need for a website selling 50 million dollar private jets is vastly different than the look and feel you need for a website selling an ebook on low carb recipies.
The buying environment you develop depends ENTIRLY on gaining a true understanding of the nature of the product or service you are trying to sell and the target audience you are trying to sell to.
Eric Graham
“The Conversion Doctor”
Author's Website November 10th, 2006
From Tim Bruxvoort
In 1923 Claude Hopkins wrote in his book Scientific Advertising: “Some say, “Be brief. People will read but little.” Would you say that to a salesman? With a prospect standing before him, would you confine him to a certain number of words? That would be an unthinkable handicap.”
Michael is right, this has been an age old battle.
I wouldn’t want to tell my salespeople they could only use 300 words and after that they had to use pictures and fancy graphics.
But as Eric pointed out above there are correct uses for long copy and short copy. If someone is buying a private jet there will most likely be a salesperson visit involved so all the website has to do is get the potential buyer to say “I need to see a salesperson”.
Author's Website November 10th, 2006
From Michel Fortin
@Eric
Yes, exactly. When, for example, bloggers put down salesletter websites, they see it as not being a fit any time. Which is not true.
Conversely, direct markers will say the Internet is no different and direct mail rules still apply. Er, sorry, it’s called “direct mail” because it’s for… of all things… “direct mail.”
I’m not saying it’s not applicable to the web. I’m just saying it’s not all applicable to the web. And it’s certainly caters to a different audience, too.
People read copy online and buy online differently than they would direct mail — as they would, say, TV. You don’t read a salesletter on TV. No, you watch infomercials.
That being said, copywriting is persuasion in print. That won’t ever change. The presentation, as Brian (and Eric) point out so well, may be different. And it may change.
(It has to be BECAUSE of the medium delivers it differently.)
Neither side is right, and neither side is wrong. But take sides, and the only side you end up on is on the losing one.
Author's Website November 10th, 2006
From Bard “The Singer” Lim
I completely agree with you, Michel.
It’s not the matter of long or short. Most important of all is how we deliver the *value* to readers.
I mean, the readers are selfish by nature. **They only concern what they’ll get from the letter without coughing out money first.**
To ensure that they get the value, it’s our job to test — like the $400K letter that I did.
Then again, whenever my clients asked me to write long letter to up-sell, I reject their requests, sometimes. Because they’ve already established solid relationship with customers. Long copy is probably not necessary. But I always give them 2 versions (long and short) to test.
Test…test… test… IMHO, that’s the most important of all.
Warmly,
Author's Website November 11th, 2006
From Peter Gillberg
So true, Michael.
The debate reminds me of the old discussion that used to go on in many ad agencies “what’s better - PC or Macintosh?” The simple answer: “Don’t be religious.”
Impressed with the results of many long salesletters we did a large number of split tests to evaluate and incorporate certain elements. Many tests failed miserably.
What we learned is that most software product has several different target audiences and every group will convert very differently to different structures of a salesletter. Talk about “Paralysis by analysis.â€
For example we are pretty sure that a Government purchaser will not respond favorably to big bold red letters. But then again, this really boils down to the software product, the individual purchaser and what day it is.
I also suspect that the weather that day has something to do with the results we get.
PS. Note to self: test long salesletters on rainy days.
Author's Website November 11th, 2006
From Nicole
I’m so glad you brought this up, Michel! A happy medium is what is really needed, a balanced approach that transcends “partisan politics”.
I agree that everything depends on your target market and their preferred buying environment.
Personally I get totally turned off by anything flashy-trashy-looking and I believe so do most of the niche markets I target -that type of sales letter would just scream “scam” at them.
Esthetically tasteful and easy to navigate CAN go together very well!
Loooooong sales letters turn me off as well because they take so much valuable time. I’d rather see a very succinct overview of benefits AND features, giving as much information in as few words as possible, on a page that looks pleasing to my eyes and doesn’t give me a headache, so that I can quickly assess whether a product is a good fit for me and/ or my business model, buy or not buy and move on.
Nicole
Author's Website November 11th, 2006
From Steve Monroe
Michael
I am a “user”, part of the that formless lump of clay
called the public.
Each side of this issue tries to mold this great lump of clay into a
recognizable image that represents their opinion and theories.
While they debate the rest of us, the “user”, the public is moving
on. When it comes to the web, we scan, we do not read.
If we have to read to get the fine details then we print it off.
We neither have the time (culture) or the patience to read cartoonish
salesletters or techno-journals.
Marketing theory and salesletters are necessary to “help the
public to buy” but maybe each proponent should strongly consider
whether they understand how today’s, and I mean right now, public
is interfacing with the Web.
I agree with Nicole……….no more headaches…..and do not waste
my time. If you cannot say it (or sell it) succinctly then do not bother.
—–a fox and a bobcat debated over a speckled chicken that
had wandered too far away from the farmhouse.
They both needed a meal.
The fox said, “I deserve the chicken because I am clever, sneaky
and besides, rather good looking.
The bobcat replied, “that maybe, but I am strong, sleek and quick.”
The speckled chicken returned to the hen house
during the argument.
The moral: Obviously neither the fox or the bobcat ate that day
and the chicken did not become a victim of an untimely death.
We are not mindless prey. Help us and you will become successful
in your marketing endeavors.
Steve
Author's Website November 12th, 2006
From James Riddett
When I first got online and would occasionally stumble upon a single webpage with a red headline and yellow highlighting, I would *assume* 100% ~ that it was a scam and would hit ‘back’ on my browser… That wasn’t based on any bad experiences, it was purely an instinct.
One day I landed on a sales page for an ebook that I’d heard great things about - I REALLY wanted it, so I took the plunge and bought it… Even then I was relieved and delighted when I found I hadn’t been scammed.
Most people I’ve asked (totally unscientific) say their defences immediately go up when they see that classic salesletter layout…. red headline… yellow highlighting. I’m still *amazed* that format gets such a good response. Are us English types less responsive to that full-on approach?
To me, those red-headlined sales letters just scream ’sheilds up!’
I’d love to see a new wave of subtler designed (and worded) sales pages, that respect the intelligence of the reader a little more.
‘Who Else Wants To Be Screamed At in Big Bold Red Letters?’
Not me, thanks.
Author's Website November 12th, 2006