As Internet Marketing niches become more and more competitive an online business based on the affiliate marketing model has to find ways to overcome the typical sales pitch super hype.  I like to consider myself as the Man Behind The Wheel on the ‘Straight Talk Express’ and always present you with the actuality of my personal experience with any given information product or service I want to introduce you to.

That being said, I also realize the importance of presenting appropriate sales copy when promoting your offer. My advice is just to not over-do the rhetoric. Use the writing tips from the “Pros” but just make sure you blend their tips into your natural “writing voice” style. Your loyal readers (and most times even first-time visitors to your site) will recognize Marketing Fluff immediately and exit your page at light speed. Virtually costing you money by way of the ‘wasted’ time you spent concocting your perfect pitch that never got read past the first sentence.

I recently read a review for a book titled – “Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear” written by Dr. Frank Luntz.  Although there are some seemingly unflattering comments about Dr. Luntz in Wikipedia I enjoyed the read.

Here is what Dr. Luntz list as “The 10 Rules Of Successful Communication”:

Rule One—Simplicity: Use Small Words
Examples of highly intelligent politicians who lost contact with their constituents using dictionary words are Newt Gingrich, Al Gore, and John Kerry. The big words and long phrases evoked no passion among voters. The same idea applies to business. International Business Machines is “IBM” and Kentucky Fried Chicken is “KFC.”

Rule Two—Brevity: Use Short Sentences
Calvin Coolidge may not have been our greatest president, but he is still known for using very few words. A dinner guest once bet him she could get him to say more than three words. His response was, “You lose.” Another example is the college student asked to answer an exam question “Why?” His answer was “Why not?” People become lost in long strings of words.

Rule Three—Credibility Is As Important As Philosophy
An example of this idea comes from President George H.W. Bush when he said, “Read my lips: no new taxes.” The author says to use this rule effectively, you must “Say what you mean and mean what you say.”

Rule Four—Consistency Matters
This means using repetition constantly to display an important idea in front of your intended audience. Among examples cited is the Maxwell House Coffee slogan, “Good to the last drop,” which is still prominently used in the company’s advertising. Guess where and when this slogan began? President Teddy Roosevelt said this in 1907 after drinking Maxwell House Coffee with visitors to the estate of Andrew Jackson.

Rule Five—Novelty: Offer Something New
This could involve a different or unusual use of an existing word or phrase. Americans are easily bored and so must be shocked to get our attention. Among the examples in the book is the definition used by Marlon Brando in a novel defense of his son who admitted killing his sister’s fiancé by shooting him point-blank. Mr. Brando said it was “accidental manslaughter.” If your message causes an “I didn’t know that” response your message is successful.

Rule Six—Sound and Texture Matter
One example of this is Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. That phrase, “I have a dream,” is repeated in so many different ways the dream becomes a part of the listener’s imagination. They begin to dream, as well. McDonald’s does this another way by ignoring language rules like “Think Different” (should be Differently), or their more recent “i’m lovin’ it” which violates several rules. These are all used to catch attention and cause some kind of action.

Rule Seven—Speak Aspirationally
An example of this comes from Olay: “Love the skin you’re in.” This phrase does not create false expectations; it encourages customers to use Olay products to make the best of what they have. The De Beers diamond company uses the greatest aspiration of all in its slogan; “A diamond is forever,” meaning eternity.

Rule Eight—Visualize
A good illustration of this is M&M’s “Melts in your mouth not in your hand.” Everybody knows how gooey chocolate on the fingers is. Another example is the competition between new models of Infiniti and Lexus a few years ago. Both had stirring ads about the great things in the cars. But Lexus used less than inspiring phrases while showing their car in many unusual situations, as Infiniti created wonderful fantasies about drivers of their cars. The problem was, Infiniti never showed a picture of the car; people could not visualize the Infiniti, and Lexus outsold it four to one.

Rule Nine—Ask a Question
Two classic ad campaigns illustrate this rule. Verizon Wireless uses “Can you hear me now?” and perhaps the most memorable ad of recent times is “Got Milk?” Ronald Reagan used a devastating political question to defeat Jimmy Carter when he asked voters “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” The author says in spite of their use by lawyers in many situations, the rhetorical question is one of the most powerful but underutilized communication forms.

Rule 10—Provide Context and Explain Relevance
One of the best examples of explaining context and relevance was the phrase coined by James Carville during the 1992 Clinton campaign, “It’s the economy, stupid.” When reacting to context and relevance your audience must be researched to determine exactly what they need and want. In the political arena, voters want safety, security, and peace of mind. Consumers want technology that operates without problems; they don’t really care how or why it works.

All of us in the Internet Marketing business have to heavily rely on words to get our messages out so I’d really pay attention to what these 10 rules tell you. These ideas work. Especially when used in email marketing campaigns. In addition to these ten rules there is another very important must read chapter – “21 Words and Phrases for the 21st Century.”  Dr. Luntz is frequently accused of “spinning” words to disguise their real meaning but I found his tips to be much more insightful than that. Don’t just take it from me; check it out for yourself and you just might see an improvement in both your personal and business communications.

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Tags: affiliate marketing, Internet marketing, Marketing Books, Marketing Tips, online business

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