Your post card, sales letter, flier, invitation, or
ad can soar or nose-dive on the headline. For
email your subject is your headline.
We're assuming you have the prerequisites for client-acquisition
in place:
1) You have zeroed in on the right target
audience and
2) Your message gets to the right people.
Good, that's out of the way. You are now ready to construct
your headline.
Give a lot of creative elbow grease to this process.
You can't lavish too much attention on it. Remember,
a successful copywriter can spend more than 5 or 6 times
more work on the headline than on everything else.
There's a strong reason why.
If one headline can attract a 21 times greater
response than another, isn't it worth the extra
care?
Four Power Headlines For
Client-Acquisition Punch
These are proven winners you can adapt to your unique
situation.
1 - Start off smartly with a major benefit
for your prospects
A straightforward example is (with thanks to Bank of
America): “Seven Figure Service For Six Figure
Assets.”
There are really two benefits here.
First, the experience of being catered to just the way
the very wealthy are. Second, being able to get this
extraordinary service with as little as $100,000 to
invest.
2- Call out to the people you want to halt
in their tracks
In a test one headline promised, "Save One Gallon
Of Gas In Every Ten." Next, the copywriter added
the two words "Car Owners" to the ad -- words
that snagged just those readers who would benefit. The
headline became "Car Owners, Save One Gallon Of
Gas In Every Ten."
The outcome: The second version
drew 20 percent more responses.
Couldn’t be simpler.
It works because we’re all bombarded by messages.
Those two words let you know instantly (if you’re
a car owner), “Here’s something that could
pay off for me.”
Note: The Bank of America ad also calls out to the
chosen target market: people with “Six Figure
Assets.”
3- Make news
Americans have a love affair with everything that's
novel and fresh.
Put this enchantment with the latest to work for you.
Begin with a word such as "Announcing" or
"New." As an example you could follow with
a service you added to your practice.
Perhaps, it’s the Charitable Partners program.
In this example here’s how it could work:
Announcing A Program That Keeps On Giving Back To
Your Favorite Charity
Be sure the News headline delivers a benefit for your
specific audience.
4- Display your offer in your headline
This type of headline brings success to many marketers.
An example for lead generating is: Free Report Reveals
“7 Hidden Money Snares That Can Shatter Your Financial
Well-Being In Retirement.”
Resources To Jumpstart Headline
Ideas With Prospecting Power
Three of our favorites are
www.msn.com.
We're always sidetracked by the pithy headlines we find
there.Today's harvest includes:
"Top 10 Card & Board Games,"
" Seller's To-Do List,"
"Who Really Needs A $24,000 Watch?"
"Money Woes? They're All Your Fault."
"Who's Behind Criminal Bot Networks?"
"Car Flipping Contest Wows Onlookers"
"Second Prehistoric Shark Caught."
Another place for headline treasures is Gary Bencivenga's
website. He has been called the best copywriter in the
US. Go to http://www.bencivengabullets.com
and sign up for his email monthly bullets.
The sales letters for financial newsletters (produced
by top copywriters) that find their way into your mailbox
are the third rewarding resource. Save them in your
"idea" file for profitable marketing ideas.
Did you notice?
Something is missing from our headline suggestions.
And it may be something that you unfailingly put into
yours.
We don't recommend the use of a company name alone,
a logo, or a statement such as "12 years of experience."
That's because they don't qualify as power headlines.
They have their place, but almost never is it in your
headline. They can produce a headline that's as weak
as a limp handshake.
Shirley Hanson specializes in coaching financial advisors
to acquire their ideal clients and reach their dream
practice. You can contact
her about financial advisor marketing here or call
Shirley at 215.753.2620.
