1. Testing Headlines &
Messaging Coherence
Willamette University Seminar
November 5, 2012
Synotac / synotac.com / 503.517.2116 All Material Copyright 2012 Synotac
2.
3. Tappers
In 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.
4. The Curse of Knowledge
"You can't read
the label from
inside the
bottle."
9. 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?
13. 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
14. 1. Relevance Comes First
Before 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?
16. 3. The More the Merrier
Professional 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.
18. 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"
19. 4. The Meek Are Punished
Which headline wins?
A Quick Reminder about SOBCon Chicago 2013
SOBCon Chicago 2013, A Quick Reminder
A Quick Reminder about SOBCon 2013 in Chicago
21. 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
22. How to Rank Value Propositions
1. Rank your ideal customer's desire level for the offer
2. Rank the exclusivity of the offer
3. Multiply the two together
If less than 2, try again.
Desire: Exclusivity:
0 – No Interest 0 – Anywhere Else
1 – Possible Interest 1 – Somewhere Else
2 – High Interest 2 – Nowhere Else
23. 6. Test Everything
Headline #1
*|FNAME|*, Digital Marketing Tools from State of the
Business Owner
46% open rate, 17% clickthrough rate
Headline #2
State 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
25. Case Study: SeniorDignity
SeniorDignity 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 dementia
2. Individuals with advanced dementia whose children want
them to have a fair bit of autonomy
Synotac / synotac.com / 503.517.2116
26. Case Study: SeniorDignity
SeniorDignity 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
27. Exercise
1. 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
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