Dear Friends, 

 

I recently smashed my engagement ring in a door, and am in the process of getting it repaired. 

 

The incident reminds me of the movie Apollo 13, when Marilyn Lovell (played by Kathleen Quinlan) loses her wedding ring in the shower and desperately claws at the drain in an effort to get it back.

 

For the rest of the film, as the team of scientists works to bring her husband and the rest of the crew back from the far side of the moon, they had only to show her wringing her hands to express how worried she was. 

 

Of course, "worry" is a pretty one-dimensional way to describe how she must have been feeling. There must have been a sense of powerlessness and pent up energy that she couldn't use in a constructive manner to help. Fear that at any moment she could lose her husband. Pride at how brave he was being. And maybe some guilt thrown in, and perhaps a trace of irrational paranoia: what if she caused the accident by losing the ring?

Her emotions were packed tightly together like a fiery rocket hurtling through the atmosphere.  

 

The people who buy from you or donate to your cause are like that too. The emotions that cause them to act are complex and multilayered. Relating to their emotions on more than one level using words or images is the only way to get their attention in your ad. 

 

I can't overstate the importance of tapping into your customer's emotions in an authentic and visceral way. Like a rocket, your customer's emotional core has an incredible amount of energy and momentum. You need that momentum to get people to overcome inertia and actually do something. 

 

People often ask me what a "direct response copywriter" does. The way I see it, it is my job to get people to do something: call your office, send a check to your non-profit, buy your product, sign up for your newsletter or attend your event. Whatever the desired action is, your customers need a little push. 

 

I work best with clients, rather than come to me with a specific idea of what type of marketing piece they want, come to me with a specific action that they would like their customers to make. Starting with a goal of "I want my customers to _____" makes it easier to determine the most efficient and cost-effective way to make it happen.

 

I look forward to helping you reach your goals!

Mandy Marksteiner

Copywriter and Marketing Consultant

505-515-7001