Do you offer “quality service” or do you have a “7 Point Checklist” that shows why I should use your product or service?
Have your prices been reduced for a sale or have they been reduced by 25% for 3 days only?
Platitudes and generalities roll off the human understanding like water from a duck. They leave no impression whatever. To say, “Best in the world,” “Lowest price in existence,” etc. are at best simply claiming the expected. But superlatives of that sort are usually damaging. They suggest looseness of expression, a tendency to exaggerate, a careless truth. They lead readers to discount all the statements that you make.” ~ Claude Hopkins, Scientific Advertising
Whether we’re talking about your overall message, the sales copy for your next ad, or the content of an email blast, the more specific your message, the more weight your message will carry. A specific message is either truth or a lie. There’s no middle ground, less opinion, more fact.
If a claim is worth making, make it in the most impressive way.
Today’s Assignment: Create a checklist of specific claims that you can make about your product or service. Don’t just file it away when you’re through. Post it somewhere you’ll see it often. Add to it or delete from it as needed. Refer to it when creating your next ad or promotional copy. Turn it into a flier and use it as a “leave-behind.” Post it to your Web site as an FAQ page or as a list of reasons to do business with you.
David Daniels of Radon Specialists of WI does this brilliantly. Every customer question and its answer is posted to an extensive FAQ page. Another page shows photos of poorly installed Radon systems by unnamed competitors, each with an explanation of what was done wrong and why it matters. The end result is a site that shows his company’s expertise. He doesn’t shout “we’re the best” from the rooftops; he specifically shows how and why they excel at what they do.
Wired ZipLine Challenge Course in Canton, Texas has the right idea too. They’ve issued a charitable challenge: Fan them on Facebook from now through the end of March and they’ll donate $1 to North Texas Food Bank for each new fan. They’ve issued a press release with (you guessed it) all the specifics.
Get specific. It works!
That’s really good advice, Shari. It’s very important to remember to be specific, and then deliver on the claims. I think that’s why it’s so important to have another pair of eyes going over any material before it’s used. Often what we think we are saying about our product can get lost while we sort through the technical and mundane aspects of marketing that product. (I’ve noticed parenting is similar…easy to unwittingly miss the point. lol)