The first is the first.
What is a direct response copywriter?
A direct response writer is a writer who specializes in writing text designed to get the reader to take action.
The action could be making an immediate purchase, signing up for an online report, making a phone call for a free consultation.
The primary role of the direct response writer is to move your prospect through your sales process and deeper into your sales funnel.
Before he or she can do that, the copywriter must have a clear understanding of what their sales message is about and who their target market is.
For some marketers, this is a real eye-opener. Many do not have a clear sales message. Worse yet, they haven’t sat down and put together a profile of their ideal prospect.
Some don’t know how to do it. Others just don’t understand their critical role in the marketing process. And some find it intimidating.
Whatever the reason, the copy that generates results must have this understanding as a foundation.
So when business owners ask me how much it costs to hire me, my answer is nothing.
Investing in the services of a direct response copywriter or marketing consultant who knows how to sell, online and offline, is an investment that should pay for itself.
This is what I mean:
Consider the results my marketing and copywriting leadership produced for these clients.
“So far, the results of the new website have been outstanding. We are currently tracking a 25% increase in conversions compared to the first week of December 2010 and a 44% increase in conversions over the same period last year. Plus, most conversions come from the home page, program page, comprehensive care link, and how it works page, all of which were written by you! -Lisa Borg, VP of Marketing, Slimband
“Now we are averaging 5-10 qualified leads per day based on the web copy you wrote for our site. Is incredible. We hardly got anything before.”
– Elizabeth Gomes, Yonge-Eglinton Laser Eye Center
“Until now, the the response from the sales letter you wrote has been 12.06%, that’s 25% above our projection.”
– John Andresen, Wyers Direct
I don’t know exactly what those numbers translated to as far as sales revenue goes, but I went on to do several projects for them, so it must have paid for itself many times over.
In addition to gaining a clear understanding of the message and target market, a professional copywriter must take a lot of information into account before writing a single line of copy.
Many business owners don’t realize what goes into creating effective direct response web copy, email marketing campaigns, or sales letters.
For example, here’s an excerpt from a proposal I sent to a potential client recently who was considering hiring me to build a basic marketing system for her that consisted of new direct response web copy, a free report they could offer as a lead generation and an autoresponder follow-up email campaign to keep the prospect “warm” until they’re ready to buy.
- Spend time with you/team to learn more about your company.
- Read all current company brochures, web copy, direct mail, and other relevant materials, including industry reports, studies, trade journal articles, statistical tracking reports, etc.
- Meet with staff to hear their thoughts on what market conditions are like and see what ideas they can offer.
- Gain insight into the current market environment so we can tailor our marketing efforts to meet the needs of potential customers.
- Talk to current/past customers to better understand what they think are the key benefits they received from their experience with your company. Very important and often overlooked. Feedback can help us create a laser focus on our sales story.
- Review competitor/related websites/initiatives so we know how the competition is positioning itself.
- Submit drafts of all content I write for review and approval.
- Create report concepts and titles and submit them for review.
- Give you a finished copy for your approval.
- Work with the web designer to get things in place after your approval and agreement.
- Give you the benefit of my writing, sales and marketing experience whenever I can.
The list above gives you an idea of what professional direct response copy entails.
Copy is the art of selling print.
And well-researched direct response copy makes the difference between a business that simply survives and one that thrives.