Step 5: Present Your Case

Just like a trial attorney presents a case to a jury, you need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that your product is clearly the best choice in terms of value based on the hot buttons and needs of your target market. As the marketer, you are the attorney and your prospects are the jury. If you present your arguments well, you get the business.

The kind of evidence you need to present varies depending on the type of product or service you offer and the audience you are targeting. Generally, the forms of evidence you can present include testimonials, endorsements, results of studies, certificates of achievement, awards, guarantees, demonstrations, product comparisons, charts, statistical comparisons, checklists, Better Business Bureau ratings and samples. Avoid generalities and stick to specifics.

One of the questions you might have is whether ad copy should be kept short. The copywriters’ objective is to present the case for the product or service. If it can be achieved in ten words, great. If it takes 1,000 words, and you have the space for it, that’s o.k. too, as long as each word has a purpose. If your headline and sub-headline have been written well, many prospective buyers will read long copy if it contains important information that will aid in their decision making. Descriptive copy headers that contain hot buttons grab attention and help readers focus on information that is most important to them. We recommend these if you have long copy. Because space is often an issue, advertisers usually cannot do more than present the key points of their argument in their ad and offer readers a persuasive invitation to receive additional information. As mentioned in step 4, you can provide as much information as you need to in one or a combination of the following: Sales letters, reports, websites, CDs, DVDs, talks to groups, teleconferences or video conferences. Choose the format your audience would respond to best. If you are not certain which, when you survey, ask prospects what format they would prefer.