SSWT Internet Marketing Forum

Another example of a disguised sales letter is this Bottom Line Health Magalog I got a few days ago.

The headline is:

"Why some doctors refuse to give you alternative treatments, even when they know they work..."

This sucker looks (and even reads) like a real issue of their newsletter.

In fact, I thought I must have subscribed to BLH or something when I got it. It doesn't even try to sell anything until page 6!

Not sure if this is a control or not, but it's always interesting to observe how a $100 million direct mail house is crafting their ads...

Ben

Hey...

I actually have a "possible" disguised ad.

The David Ogilvy classic "The Only Sound You Will Hear .... Is The Electric Clock" ad for Rolls Royce.

Wouldn't that qualify?

Joseph, Ben... nice to be here.

Looks like a nice quiet place to hang out and talk shop. I even see Ray Edwards has taken time out of his busy schedule to share some wisdom. Nice!

I love these disguised ads, especially that magnetic marketing one. I've seen the live speech and that presentation pulled like crazy.

Really, all advertorials (like the Rolls ad) are disguised ads. They're deliberately designed to look like an article. We just don't see them as often on the Internet.

I've been laying out more of my letters like advertorials lately, ala Makepeace, and it's been working a treat.

Just as an aside, and I'd love to get your opinions on this, I think in a lot of cases your copy has to be stronger to pull off formatting a letter like this online.

Here's why...

While an "ordinary" looking salesletter might scare away a certain number of people, there's still a certain percentage who are trained to equate buying stuff to solving their problems.

Even if your letter isn't the greatest you can often win them over with 1 bullet... or even the hope that what you're selling will solve their problems. So you get a "safe" 1-5%+ response rate (give or take.)

Whereas if your letter looks like an article you really have to work to keep them reading. There isn't that "all I have to do is buy what they're selling and my problems will go away" feeling.

We don't tend to put a high value on an article, so if the prospect is bored (even for a second) they're much more likely to click away.

And if they really do think it's an article they're not going to scan to the bottom to see the offer at all -- so you miss out on the "oh what the hell, I'll give it a shot" crowd.

Thoughts?

How's this for a "naked" ad -- no messing around, no disguises, not even a whiff of editorial.

An ad (classified ad?) that Ernest Shackelton said prompted what seemed like half of England to respond:

"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success."

Ben

Hey Joseph and Kyle and Ray and Ryan and all my lurking friends,

Here's another "naked-as-a-jay-bird" ad that has been running for decades in various magazines and papers:

"Corns Gone In 5 Days Or Money Back"

From what I understand (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, I have not actually responded to this ad), you go straight to an order taking process from there.

Moral of the story?

If a problem is specific enough (and urgent enough) and the offer is right, you can get away with showing your cards right out the gate.

What say you?

Ben