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For you to improve your chances of making a sale, first you need to improve your exposure. Your conversion rate is direct result of your open rate.

Do you ever monitor the open rate of your newsletter campaigns? It tells you how many people actually read your newsletters. In most case the average open rate is 20 ' 30%, but some receive 60%.

So what is the secret of having people eager to receive your newsletters? "It is the content.'

The reason why most people gets poor result is because they spend majority of their time designing a fancy looking newsletter instead of working on the content.

From what I have observed, newsletters that get my attention every single time always stick to the following principles:

5 Second Attention

In sales, the first 5 minutes determines the outcome ' 'order won or order lost.' When it comes to newsletter, it's the first 5 seconds ' 'continue reading or delete.' So always have something interesting to say in the first paragraph.

K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple & Stupid)

When it comes to online materials, I'm one of those with A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder). I really don't understand why some people would spend all their energy designing fancy tables and images or send me a 1000 word essay in an email. I would much prefer if they cut to the chase and get straight to the point.

Value Focused

Most people make the mistake of focusing on product rather than value. Take copywriting for example, most people wouldn't be interested in learning how to write a good sale copy; they are only interested in one thing, which is 'how to get more sales'. So give some thought to what your clients want to read, NOT what you want to write.

Here's a newsletter sample from CopyWritingThatSells:

Hi Friend,

If you own a shop in the middle of the desert, and nobody walks past... obviously you're not going to attract many customers. If you own a vegetarian caf' in the middle of a meat-eating suburb... you could get very skinny... very fast. And if you run ads where either:

a) The wrong people see them OR
b) Not enough people see them

Your phones aren't going to ring... and nobody is going to come into your store... No matter how good your copy is. No matter how good your headline is. No matter how good your offer is. And I see people make this mistake all the time. For instance, about a year ago I was chatting with a guy I know who sells computer gear to businesses' and he was thinking about placing an ad in the Sydney Morning Herald.

What's wrong with this?

My guess is 90% of the people reading the Sydney Morning Herald are NOT business owners' and therefore 90% of his advertising dollar is wasted. What's the alternative? Place ads in business publications where you are reaching 100% of your target market. Or alternatively, rent a list, and direct mail the decision makers within the specific companies you want to approach. You may pay more to reach each individual: however every single person you communicate with is a potential client. It makes a lot more sense... doesn't it? And here's a tip for those businesses who sell products to the general public (like property, clothes, entertainment, home improvement, food or anything else).

If you want your ad to be seen then place it:

a) On the right hand side of the newspaper. Research has proven that right hand side pages get a better result than left hand side pages.

b) In the early general news' as far forward as you can. I always go for page 3, 5 or 7. And pay the loading (usually 30 ' 50%) because my experience shows it's well worth it!

But don't take my word for it. Implement these strategies, measure the results and see what results you achieve in your business.

One final point: Once you start advertising directly to your target market, you'll generate profits so easily, you'll be the envy of all your competitors.

In fact, you'll start stealing so much of their current business, the mere mention of your name will make them shake in their boots.

Chat with you shortly,
Scott Bywater
Copywriting That SELLS