When you’re marketing to your prospects, a “Big Idea” in your advertising copy is critical.
This applies to all your advertising channels.
Take direct mail. Your direct mail should have one common goal: To show your prospect how your product or service will improve his or her life…and to make it so irresistible that he or she is launched into action.
But in their eagerness to create a compelling case, some marketers try to show off everything their product can do all at once…thus turning their direct mail into an overwhelming flood of benefits. And that can confuse your prospect. It’s not the way the human brain works.
Instead, successful direct mail will present one focused Big Idea.
It’s a single strong theme that can be explained concisely and understood quickly. It lets your prospect know right away what you’re getting at.
The best Big Ideas track with your audience’s strongest trigger points. They’re timely and emotionally stirring, to awaken, shock or fascinate your reader. They work because they make a connection with your reader.
If you can’t describe your Big Idea in just a few words…then you don’t have one. Revisit your approach and search for that one angle that will reach the real needs, fears and concerns of your prospect.
To put it simply, your Big Idea must make your prospect feel like the lightbulb just went on.
Here is a secret to help you determine the Big Idea: Identify the top 4 to 7 benefits (not features) of your product or service. Then narrow it down and select the strongest one. You can use the others for your next campaign or test two and see which one the marketplace decides is best.
Here is an example of a recent magalog we did for a client. The lead teaser said “Special FDA Favor” ties into our “big idea.” We ignored all the other benefits to drive our “big idea” and it got huge response.
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