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“In an age like ours, which is not given to letter-writing, we forget what an important part it used to play in people's lives” - Anatole Broyard
For centuries people have put pen to paper to communicate with others, but with the emergence of the internet, and in particular email, the art of letter writing is fast disappearing. We’re seeing it not just in our personal lives but also in the world of b2b marketing. No longer do we use or send sales letters, instead everything seems to be done predominantly through online channels. Are these modern alternatives a poor substitute for a written letter (be it typed)? Are we alienating our target audience by concentrating our efforts in the digital arena?
Letters, even sales letters, can be viewed as having a more personal touch than simply hitting the enter button on your computer. Drayton Bird comments that “the letter comments, amplifies, makes more human, sells the facts in other material. People expect to receive a letter. They like getting letters.” So, while emails deliver our b2b marketing campaigns instantly but they are not an out-and-out substitute for a sales letter. Committing words to paper shows an investment in the relationship, the effort a b2b marketer goes to communicate with his/her audience. But this effort takes time – something that the modern day marketer simply does not have enough of.
Still, just because we have seen a significant decline in sales letters doesn’t mean that the fundamentals of persuasive writing shouldn’t be applied to our online marketing. Writing effective online comms is as much a skill as writing successful sales letters and by applying some basic principles you have every chance of creating a campaign that will convince people to purchase your product or service:
• Effectively communicate your key product strengths - it’s no good just saying how great your product is, or raving on about features which each of your competitors can also claim. Get straight to the “why should I buy your product from you?” question.
• Get inside the head of your target demographic – this will help you tailor your tone and style to match the audience you are trying to speak to in a way that instantly resonates.
• Pick your tactics carefully – you can generally motivate a person into action by eliciting either a negative or positive response in them. Decide beforehand which would best compliment your call to action.
• Create a sense of urgency - the style and tone of your writing will generally help you to create this. What you are really after is your audience taking action as soon as possible.
• Make the first three seconds count – that’s how much time you have to grab your reader’s attention so don’t waste it writing a long waffley introduction. Bird remarks that “an instant statement, instantly comprehensible is most likely to work.” Create an effective opening, whether it be funny, witty, or an engaging headline
• Include a bold call to action – make the statement clearly. Draw on all the elements of the sales letter and construct a powerful and convincing closing statement – don’t be afraid to say what you want the reader to do to respond.
• K.I.S.S – this actually originates from World War II and stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid. Don’t write in a language that will confuse the reader or overload it with facts and figures. If you can use a 100 words rather than 200 then do.
So all fairly basic stuff really, but a good reminder of the key things to keep front of mind when writing any b2b communication, even if you no longer have the time to draft a well-constructed sales letter. If nothing else, you may stand out from the crowd if you do, may be worth a try to cut through all the online noise?
