Is it the end of an era? Replacing sales letters with digital sales comms

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There is no doubt that sales and marketing by way of e-newsletters, social media, websites and blogs are taking over the electronic world. Results are instant; you can reach your market immediately, and it's comparatively better for the budget than sending letters via 'snail mail'. With postage costs increasing, data analysis being less thorough and the turnaround time being longer, it is no surprise that many sales teams are opting for electronic communication as their primary method of creating magic.

There's a move towards digital sales communications and we can't fight it - so we may as well join it.

Nobody's taught how to write letters anymore and with the art form being so distinctively different from writing emails, for marketers less accustomed to sales letters I thought I would share some tips on writing a good sales letter which will have your clients wanting more from you and your product:
Believe you're the customer: Who knows what they want more than your customer does? If you've done your research, you'll know exactly who your target buyer profile is and what they want from your product. Pretend you're them and write as if you're writing to you!

Structure: Don't begin writing your letter without a plan. As with all good content, a sales letter needs a beginning, a middle and an end. Introduce yourself and your product, detailing why it's the best in the market and invite your reader to take action.

Keep it simple: Don't fill up your letter with complicated jargon, industry terminology and clutter. Keep your sentences short, sharp and to the point and explain just why your potential customer should choose you.

Make it grammatically accurate: There's nothing worse than reading content which is unstructured and filled with errors. Aside from making you look unprofessional and giving a negative impression of your company, it isn't pleasant to read. Bad grammar will have your sales letter thrown in the recycling before your reader even knows what it is you're selling.

Use headlines: Believe it or not, headlines and titles are not just restricted to emails. You can use more headlines in a letter. Make them bold and large so that they stand out causing your reader's eye to be immediately drawn to key points. As with all sales, the headline needs to explain your product, create urgency and interest and engage with your reader. That's a lot of pressure on those 10-15 words, so choose them carefully!

Keep it interesting: Here's the tough one when writing a letter. You need to keep your reader's interest until the end. Once they've put the letter down, it's unlikely they'll pick it up again, and you'll have missed your moment. Create urgency and intrigue in the headlines and the first couple of sentences to keep them reading all the way through. If you're already in the mind of your buyer as previously advised, this one won't be as complicated as you think.

Explain the benefit to your reader: Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is irrelevant, everyone wants to know what's in it for them. To sell your product, your reader needs to know what problem of theirs will be solved. Write down how your product will help them sleep at night, save money or contribute to their long-term goals, because that's the stuff people want to read about.

Make it visual: Don't be afraid to use images in your letter. Make sure they're relevant, appealing and are formatted well to avoid clutter. Humans are extremely visual by nature so as much information as you can get down onto paper without expecting them to sift through to draw out key facts, the better.

CTA: Give the reader as many calls to action as possible without confusing the content: 'Visit our website' 'Call us today' and 'Buy now' are all good CTA statements which prompt action. There's little point in crafting a technically accurate, engaging letter which doesn't follow up with how the reader can take advantage of it. Make it as easy as possible for them; include a pre-paid envelope where appropriate, pre-fill any forms that need completion with as much information as you have, and give vital information of how they can utilize your service.

Make it personal: Where possible, always Personalize your letters. Refer to your reader's name, location and previous buying history. Nothing kerbs interest more than 'Dear Sir/Madam' Your reader could be anyone and they will know that which will remove any chance of them becoming loyal to you.
Letters are still one of the most active forms of communication in sales for any industry, and if you get the content right, they have great potential to improve your results. Applying the layering technique and pre-empting or following up your letter with an email allows you to use many communication methods in conjunction with each other to further improve your response rate.

For particular industries the old letter will always be king, however being aware of these steps can be beneficial for getting a quick sales communication across to target audiences.
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