Willamette messaging seminar

Testing Headlines & Messaging Coherence

Willamette University SeminarNovember 5, 2012

Synotac / synotac.com / 503.517.2116 All Material Copyright 2012 Synotac

TappersIn an experiment, two parties were sitting across the table. One person (the tapper) was asked to tap a well-known melody they were singing in their head, and the other (the listener) listened until they were confident they knew the melody.

The tappers thought the listeners correctly identified the melody 50% of the time.

The listeners correctly identified the melody 2% of the time.

The Curse of Knowledge

"You can't read the label from inside the bottle."

MINI-BIO

Synotac / synotac.com / 503.517.2116

Synotac / synotac.com / 503.517.2116

HEADLINE WRITING PRINCIPLES

A Brief Quiz

1. Who doesn't get enough emails?

2. Who doesn't know what to buy because they don't see enough product advertisements?

3. Who has had trouble understanding what a company does and who they help when they go to their website?

Inboxes

Landing Pages

Websites

How to Create a Great Headline

1. Relevance comes first

2. Headlines are like a great date

3. The more the merrier

4. The meek are punished

5. The offer matters

6. Test everything

1. Relevance Comes FirstBefore you write anything, make sure you know:

● What are the emotional hot buttons of your audience?

● What is important to them about what you sell?

● What do they need to know to make a good buying decision?

● How are you going to teach them this, and then prove it?

2. Headlines Are Like a Great Date

3. The More the MerrierProfessional copywriters spend 80% of their time on headlines and write hundreds of headlines before coming up with a winner.

The more headlines, the better.The more writers, the better.

The Inverted Pyramid

Headline Starters"How To" - How to eliminate the six-month lag time and 34% chance of rejection on your next business loan

Comparison - Most fences last only three years due to shoddy materials and workmanship, our fences are GUARANTEED to last at least 12 years

Testimonial - I used to receive only 2 referrals a month, but since I started using The Referral Card Marketing System I get 8 or 9 a month

Inflammatory - How to keep your fence from falling over and squashing your kids

News - Introducing the first FDA-approved diet pill to reduce your weight AND prevent hair loss!

Use words like "new", "finally", "introducing", "at last", "announcing"

4. The Meek Are PunishedWhich headline wins?

A Quick Reminder about SOBCon Chicago 2013

SOBCon Chicago 2013, A Quick Reminder

A Quick Reminder about SOBCon 2013 in Chicago

Sources of Inspiration100 Greatest Headlines of All Time - synotac.com/100

Google News

5. The Offer Matters

Offer > Conversion Page > Traffic

Fill out our 1-minute survey and receive $1,000

Fill out our 10-minute survey for a chance at $200

Fill out our 45-minute survey and receive a thank you card

Fill out our 4-hour survey for a chance at a $10 gift card

How to Rank Value Propositions1. Rank your ideal customer's desire level for the offer2. Rank the exclusivity of the offer3. Multiply the two together

If less than 2, try again.

Desire: 0 – No Interest1 – Possible Interest2 – High Interest

Exclusivity: 0 – Anywhere Else1 – Somewhere Else2 – Nowhere Else

6. Test EverythingHeadline #1*|FNAME|*, Digital Marketing Tools from State of the Business Owner

46% open rate, 17% clickthrough rate

Headline #2State of the Business Owner: Digital Marketing Tools to Help You Grow

24% open rate, 3% clickthrough rate

Final Results: 40% open rate, 14% clickthrough rate

CASE STUDY

Synotac / synotac.com / 503.517.2116

Case Study: SeniorDignitySeniorDignity is an assisted living community for the elderly. They have an expanded location opening in January, 2013, and they need to add 48 additional clients.

SeniorDignity has an innovative approach to assisted living that allows seniors to live in a house environment and have an unusual amount of autonomy through advanced technology. They address three key market segments:

1. Couples that want to live together when one has dementia2. Individuals with advanced dementia whose children want them to have a fair bit of autonomy

Synotac / synotac.com / 503.517.2116

Case Study: SeniorDignitySeniorDignity has acquired an email list of 350,000 individuals near the property. They need an outbound email campaign that will generate enough interest to help them fill the new location.

The standard SeniorDignity sales cycle is as follows:

1 out of 10 who reach out to SeniorDignity agree to have a tour of the location

1 out of 3 who tour the location choose to place their parent at SeniorDignity and become clients

Synotac / synotac.com / 503.517.2116

Exercise1. Create ten headlines that will engage your target

demographic

2. Explain what will be inside the email: copy, graphics, call-to-action

3. Define the future engagement steps