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Lend a hand with my first copywriting Job?

by bwhited1
9 replies
Hello all,

I finally got out there and I have a job to write direct mail letters and Groupon advertisements for this local bagel shop by me.

Here are the details:

The bagel shop has three locations relatively close to one another. There is also tons of competition around as well. Very competitive market.

The owner was particularly interested in direct mail in a 4-6 mile radius and groupon advertisements.

-My question is, are there better alternative mediums for his advertisements? What aspect of the business should I focus on in the advertisement? And should I go talk to customers and do research for it?

Any help would be most welcome.

Cheers,

Brandon
#copywriting #hand #job #lend
  • Profile picture of the author RickDuris
    Brandon, look into a birthday campaign. Sending postcards letting locals know they can come in their birthday for a free something or another.

    Guys over in the offline marketing forum can help you.

    I've done this with several local restaurant businesses and it's been very successful. You'd be surprised what else people will buy and who they bring with them.

    Don't underestimate the strategy. It's a sleeper.

    - Rick Duris
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  • Profile picture of the author joe golfer
    Forget Groupon. Go with an EDDM campaign. Search the offline forum for more.
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    Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
    - Jack Trout
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      If not birthday parties, office buildings and banquet halls and other facilities that allow businesses to rent space for conferences and courses.

      Also, are there hospitals nearby? A bagel guy around here's got himself a deal with the hospital cafeteria.

      How about a produce/food store? Where I buy most of my food, every morning, within minutes of opening, a bagel shop's guy comes and drops about 16 bags of bagels (about 40 bagels per bag): Asiago cheese, chocolate, plain, cinnamon raising, sesame seeds, onion, everything.

      The store sells the other kind (comes in bags, has long shelf life, preservatives and brommade of this and sulphate of that). They seem to sell about 10 of those a day (60 bagels) and they usually go through all the fresh bagels within 32 hours of opening.

      So, campaign for food stores. One for conference room owners. One for large business cafeterias.

      Of course, your guy would have to be willing to deliver.
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      • Profile picture of the author OutOfThisWord
        Contact Valassis, they are the folks that put all those coupon mailers in your mailbox every Wed.-Thur. in most markets.

        In fact, they are the single largest customer of the U.S. Post Office.

        For about 9 cents each, you can have a full-color, 8-1/2" x 11", printed both sides, flyer delivered to targeted homes in sub-zip code areas within 3-5 miles of the shops.

        Simply offer a deal, like you would on Groupon.

        And you may want to try giving 4 weekly deals, so the flyer has legs. In other words, week 1 special, week 2 special, etc. Just clip that weekly coupon and bring it in and keep the flyer so you can clip next weeks coupon.

        Their min. mailing quantity is 20,000 pieces and at 9 cents each that's $1,800.

        You can target too, so not every home will get the flyer. So determine who your ideal customer is, who will come weekly to grab that morning bagel. Are they families? Millennials? Single adults? Older adults?

        You can target by age, income and likelihood to visit a grab-and-go eatery.

        Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author bwhited1
    Thank you for all the great ideas! It has been immensely helpful!
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  • Profile picture of the author Nordstrom
    I'd say doing some research is always necessary. Talk to customers about what they like and dislike about your clients product (even if it is a commodity).

    Maybe there is some hidden gem in the business that you can push in your copy. E.g. That most customers drop in before boarding their train to work or that most repeat customers enjoy the same line of coffee-bean-bagels...

    ... Hell I don't know... but you should! It can never hurt to understand your customers needs and the product you sell.
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    • Profile picture of the author rwyp
      Originally Posted by Nordstrom View Post

      I'd say doing some research is always necessary. Talk to customers about what they like and dislike about your clients product (even if it is a commodity).

      Maybe there is some hidden gem in the business that you can push in your copy. E.g. That most customers drop in before boarding their train to work or that most repeat customers enjoy the same line of coffee-bean-bagels...

      ... Hell I don't know... but you should! It can never hurt to understand your customers needs and the product you sell.
      I agree with what everyone is saying. Yelp is a great way to see what customers think about your client. Sometimes businesses focus so much on new business when they just need to work on the customers they already have.

      Re: Groupon, speaking from experience. You don't want to do anything with Groupon. The customers will be coming for a discount not because they care about the business. Nothing but a headache and it cheapens your product. "Why would I pay $2.00 for a bagel when you were just offering bagels off by 50% a couple months ago". Always grow organically and with creative marketing suggested.
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  • Profile picture of the author TypingPandas
    I agree that research is extremely important. Ask the customers what is their favorite bagel shop and why. What do they find unique at your client's specific shop? Focus on those answers and highlight them in your content.

    Also, as other Warrior members mentioned, giveaways always work best. Think of a happy hour, when all bagels are 20 / 30 / 50% off or something like that. Give a free coffee or tea with the bagel, at least in the morning, from 7 am to 9 am, for example. There are tons of offers that you can use to attract customers. You just have to find the right one for your audience. That's what you need the research for.

    Best,
    Typing Pandas
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  • Profile picture of the author Ilenia Internet Marketer
    Hello bwhited1

    I'd say talk to customers and understand their answers through what their preferences is the right strategy, as you say the other warriors, think of some gift or discount.
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