Page 40 - 100 Great Copywriting Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

Dear Mr Sample, I want to thank you for being a regular
customer. So the next time you call to place an order, please
call me on my direct line—020 555 1234—and I’ll make sure
we give you a 25% loyalty discount.

Or . . .

Dear Mr Sample, Your custom is important to us at Watkins
Widgets of Wolverhampton. So, as a “thank you,” please
accept the enclosed voucher for a free trial pack of our new
ExecutivePlus Non-slip Luminous Widgets.

See what I mean? It takes a little thought, and a little time, but your
client ends up thinking that maybe, just maybe, you do actually care
about him.

At the end of the day, you shouldn’t touch clichés with a bargepole.
Whichever way you look at it, they don’t fly. They’re dead in the
water. They’re . . . [That’s enough clichés—Ed.] OK—the truth?

The world is saturated with marketing messages. Most of them are
flat, poorly thought through, and amateurish in their execution.
Think harder than the other guys, spend a little more time, effort,
and money, and you can stand away from the herd as they stampede
wildly for the cliff top.

In practice

• Set your cliché scanner to “high.” If it sounds familiar and

overworked to you, just imagine the impact (or lack of it) that it
has on your reader.

• Whenever you find yourself using a cliché, rewrite it in Plain

English. Customers will be more engaged with your copy and
that means more sales.

100 GREAT COPYWRITING IDEAS • 31