BREAKING NEWS: A Short Book Written in 1922 Reveals How To Make Sales On Any Platform

Outside of copywriting circles, this book is relatively unknown, hence my excitement in bringing it to your attention.

There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of books & articles sharing insights about how to use the internet to win customers, make sales and increase brand awareness.

I try and read one book every couple weeks to get different ideas different thoughts different ways of doing things but I've never come across a book like this.

The book is based on thousands of tests of advertising effectiveness.

It was brought to my attention by a fellow by the name of Drayton Bird, who David Ogilvy affectionately termed, "the world's best direct marketer".

It's called Scientific Advertising by Claude C Hopkins and it was written in 1922.

At 40 pages, it's a cracking book chock full of proven value for any marketer worth their ergonomic seat in the office to take a look at.

I thought I would give you my very brief summary of each chapter so you could get a taste of what it was like and to see whether you think it's worth the purchase.

So here goes;

Chapter 1 – How advertising laws are established

• The lack of understanding of advertising fundamentals and universal principles is the main cause of poorly performing campaigns and wasted budgets.
• The biggest problem is that, without know the fundamentals, each employee becomes a law unto themselves about where the investment should be made.
• It's the blind leading the blind in many cases and many campaigns get beached or crash into unseen reefs.

"This book sets out those universal laws"

Chapter 2 – Just salesmanship

• The only purpose of advertising is to make sales.
• Based on results it is either profitable or unprofitable.
• Treat advertising as a salesman - it must justify itself and accept no excuses.
• Average salespeople burn leads one at a time but average advertising burns hundreds if not thousands if not millions at a time.
• Always ask yourself "Would this ad help a salesman sell the product/service?".
• Your ad is a salesperson. Do you want them to wear flashy suits, gaudy ties, speak or shout loudly, or be a rampant speechmaker?
• No. We want sincere people who know their customers and know their products and services.
• This is what advertising must also be.
• However, some ads try to entertain and are written to please the seller. And the buyer is completely forgotten.

"Instead of sales they seek applause"

Chapter 3 – Offer service

• Remember that people are essentially selfish and have no real interest in your business or your profit. They are looking products and services for themselves.
• Do not ignore this point because it is a costly point to ignore.
• The best ads asking no one to buy and instead focus entirely on service.
• Whilst this seems charitable, it is based on knowledge of human nature and what actually causes purchasing behaviour.

"People can be coaxed but not driven"

Chapter 4 – Mail order advertising and what it teaches

• Selling viaMailIs the harshest test of a lad.
• Every wasted dollar ads costs to the bottom line.
• It is tough and efficient and has an economy that you cannot hide from.
• There's no boasting, no puffery, no useless talk, no attempts at entertaining and nothing to amuse.
• Every feature, every word, and every picture is there to do a job - sell!
• And the best results prove the best advertisers.

"It is hard to sell goods that can't be seen"

Chapter 5 – Headlines

• The sole purpose of a headline is to qualify interested buyers and to disqualify everyone else. You should know who they are!
• So only craft headlines that will interest the people you're trying to reach.
• People choose what they want to read by headline alone and they don't read ads for amusement.
• And when you consider most people don't fully read the books they have already paid money for, why would they spend time reading your advertising?
• The entire return from an ad depends on attracting the right kind of people.
• People will not read your ads for fun to find out if your product or service is of interest.

"Address the people you seek (via the headline) and them only".

Chapter 6 – Psychology

• The principles of Psychology are fixed and enduring and human nature is perpetual.
• One of the strongest drivers of human incentive is curiosity.
• Treat people as if they can afford your products and service and don't treat them cheaply.
• People also judge quality by how small or large the price.
• Guarantees work; Try before you buy or buy them try and return if you're not happy all work well.
• There is something to be said about putting peoples names on things and then telling them that you're holding something for them. Because when someone knows that something belongs to them they will make an effort to retrieve it.
• Making an offer to certain groups of the peopleIs far more effective than an offer to all the people.
• Brands that encourage comparison with competitors tends to do better than not.
• It's hard to get people to pay after they receive your goods and services for free.
• If people can be made sick or well by mental impressions, then they can be encouraged favourite brand one way or another

"An identical offer made in a different way may bring multiple returns"

Chapter 7 – Being specific

• Do not write platitudes or generalities in your ads, such as lowest price or best in the world. These types of statements cause the reader to discount ALL of your statements.
• Make specific claims.The reader there knows you're either telling the truth or telling a lie.
• And that the more specific and exact, the better. Readers get full value from specific statements.
• For example using specific facts "tested 130 times" instead of "rigorous testing" or "our profit is 9%" instead of "Lowest prices".

"No generality has any weight whatsoever. But specific claims when made in print are taken at their full value"

Chapter 8 - Tell your full story

• Advertising should tell a reasonably complete story.
• And once you get a person's attention, then you should only assume that you will not get their attention again.
• And everything you want them to do should be proposed - so propose every claim you want to make.
• Most people only read something once. So if you don't tell them something important, they may never know what you leave out - it could be the difference between making or losing a sale.
• Any reader of an ad is there because they're adjusted, so do your best to convert them otherwise you may never get the opportunity again.
• Just like a salesperson trying to get in front of a prospect - you may never get a chance again and this is one chance to get action.
• Don't use other ads as guides. And don't assume they have done the rigourous testing on all the text and image combinations before they have put the ad into circulation.
• Use common sense!

"Take the opinion of nobody who knows nothing about his returns".

Chapter 9 - Art in advertising

• Do not use pictures to entertain or amuse or attract attention because successful ads are not designed to do that.
• You're writing about the subject of spending money for a specific minority.
• Use pictures only when they are attractive to the people you are seeking to attract.
• Don't overshadow the headline with frivolous pictures!
• The picture must help sell the product or service. If it can't, then use the space for something else that can.
• Always compare the results.

"One may gain attention by wearing a fool's cap, but he would ruin his selling prospects"

Chapter 10 – Things too costly

• Getting people to change old habits is very expensive.
• And often attempting to do so does not deliver the return that you are seeking.
• Instead watch the development of popular trends, creating new desires. And then at the right time, offer a product or service to satisfy those desires.
• But to create fashion or new tastes on your influences is very different and expensive.
• People aren't interested in prevention but they will do a lot to cure their troubles, including spending a lot of money.
• The most successful toothpaste advertiser never features images of tooth decay. Instead, he'll show beautiful images of beautiful teeth.

"To even mention the (decay) might destroy the beauty claims"

Chapter 11 – Information

• Impressive claims are made far more impressive by being specific and exact.
• Know your audience and be relentless in understanding them better.
• You must research research research!
• Even after reading volumes of dry scientific writing, there may be a single sentence that inspires a cutting edge idea for you to sell your product.
• Ask people if they would buy your products.
• Collect newspaper clippings any time your product or a similar product is written about.
• Learn how much a user spends in your category, so you don't overspend in winning them.

"The cost of advertising largely depends on the percentage of wasted circulation"

Chapter 12 – Strategy

• Sometimes it's a simple as having a great name for a product because the name is always so conspicuously displayed.
• Some names though have a distinct disadvantage because there can be copied. For example, toasted cornflakes or puffed wheat.
• The greatest profits are made on high volume, small margin products.
• A price which only appeals to 10% of people increases the costs of selling.
• But on some lines, price is unimportant and on others a higher price induces greater sales.
• How strong are your competitors and could they mount a defence?
• But we can't go to war to sell to millions if we don't know how to sell to one person.
• People don't change their habits for no reason. So give them a good reason.
• Always consider the attitude of your dealers and do not advertise if few dealers can deliver. That's just a waste of ammunition!
• There are many challenges in creating strategy but preparation is the key. Remember one oversight may end up costing millions. It may be twice as effective at half the cost done another way.
• Most often strategy begins with the foundations and works its way up into a tall building skyscraper. So get the foundations right!

"Advertising is much like war minus the venom. We are usually out to capture each other citadels or garner others' trade"

Chapter 13 - Use of samples

• Samples are generally the cheapest form or method of selling.
• Samples stimulate action and lostThat I'm immediately great customers they do get people interested in your products.
• Asking people to pay for samples inhibits responses, as well as prohibiting you from using the word "free".
• The same goes for two for the price of one offers; it's just as hard to get someone to buy that offer as it is to buy a single product!
• When it comes to coupons, more people will present theirs at a store than to mail a reply in to you, despite driving, petrol and car costs outweigh the cost of buy a stamp and putting it on an envelope!
• Samplers don't always repeat with a purchase. Repeaters form a small percentage so make sure you figure that properly in your costings.
• Samples delivered to homes without request never really pay you back and cheapens the product.

"Answer all arguments by tests"

Chapter 14 – Getting distribution

• You can name your dealers in your advertising.
• Start town by town and grow from there to national advertising.
• Whether you have many dealers few dealers if the product is successful then dealers will want to join your program.
• Coupons with the dealer's name and address listed encouraging delivery at the store are very powerful.
• Mail the dealers proof of ads before there are to be sent into advertising.
• If a prospect outside of your distribution network wants a sample, ask them to contact you directly, but do not send them the sample.
• Instead, send it to be picked up from a uncontracted dealer and arrange for the prospect to pick it up from there.
• Then contract the dealer!

"Don't start advertising without distribution"

Chapter 15 –Test campaigns

• It may cost too much to win customers away from rival products.
• Test one one thousand to know how one million will respond.
• Establish averages on the small scale and they will generally be true on a larger scale.
• Doing this means you're playing it safe on a long shot.
• If it's successful it could make you a lot of money and if it's not, it hasn't cost a lot either.

"Almost any questions can be answered cheaply, quickly and finally, by a test campaign. Go to the court of last resort, the buyers of your product. Try out plan after plan to constantly reduce cost"

Chapter 16 – Leaning on dealers

• Dealers generally work on their own preferred brands, not another man's brand.
• Generally, the discounts and extra concessions you provide to dealers won't increase the number of sales you make compared to if you didn't offer those incentives.
• Additionally you don't want to just make a sale to a new customer you want to convert the new customer. Sometimes, dealers don't have the conviction to do this.
• Costly displays in windows don't count for much.
• Your goal is to get new customers profitably.
• And you will do these better yourself rather than relying on dealers.

"Much money is frittered away on forms of dealer help - spend your ammunition where it counts most"

Chapter 17 - Individuality

• Be unique in a way that your audience will admire.
• People respond to accomplished people and not soulless corporations.
• We're not known just by our name but also by our tone and our mannerisms.
• People want to know that offers come from the heart and are not studied and created!

"Doing admirable things in a different way gives one great advantage"

Chapter 18 – Negative advertising

• Stay away from condemning competitors - its not a good look.
• Instead focus on the bright and on the positive and on theHappy attractive side of life.
• Show the light not the dark. Show the beauty not the ugly. Show health and not sickness. Show successful people not unsuccessful people. Shoe envied people not envious people.
• Give people direction for what you want them to do but don't tell them what to avoid.
• Always assume people will do what you ask.

"Don't do before and after shots - no one wants to see the gloom!"

Chapter 19– Letter writing

• Tell buyers what you want them to know.
• Be specific.Test your letters like you test your advertising.
• Some letters will make sales and some will not.
• All letters regardless of cost or of fine stationery will garner the same amount of attention from the buyer.
• Create offers requesting immediate action and tell them what delaying action will cost them.
• Put limits on offers and expiration dates etc to reduce procrastination!

"Strike while the iron is hot. Get a decision then. Have it followed up by prompt action when you can."

Chapter 20 – A name that helps

• The name should support the advertising.
• Some names are complete advertisements in themselves and are worth a fortune. And some names are meaningless and do not aid or support advertising at all.
• If the name is too generic like toasted cornflakes or malted milk, then once demand is created others can join the market and ride on the back of that demand.
• Don't be frivolous and lose respect in calling products silly names.
• When you are not sure what to call a product, call it in the name of the creator, beacause that shows someone has pride in their accomplishments.

"A name is of serious importance in laying the foundations of a new undertaking. Some names have been chief factors in success and some have lost four fifths of the trade they developed."

Chapter 21 - Good business

• Advertising is like a rapid stream.
• You can either put in a wooden waterwheel to harness a small percentage of the stream's power.
• Or, you can put in turbine which creates energy from the entire stream.
• Think of that when you think of the potential power and waste of your advertising.
• Don't create palaver in your advertising. Be as efficient as an expert salesman.
• Always know your results and don't presume anything.

"Measure by known returns"

Im sure you will agree its a staggering work that synthesises hundreds of thousands of hours of advertising results into short, palatable bites.

By now, I hope you found something of value in there and are able to use it at work tomorrow.

Take ACTION!

Sincerely,

Rad

PS: Ive taken the time to find the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2oL92nZ