UNIT-3 [ Lesson-6: Promotional Letters ]
After reading this lesson you will be able to:
- what is meant by promotional letters, and
- how to write promotional letters.
Promotional Letters
What are promotional letters?
When a businessman wants to introduce a new commodity, or promote sale of a particular item, or inform customers about a special benefit, he can either put up advertisements in the newspapers, on radio and television, or write to prospective customers.
This sort of a letter is meant to promote business by promoting sales. Such letters are known as Sales Promotion Letters, or simply Sales Letters or Promotional Letters. The general tone of these letters is somewhat persuasive. Therefore, these letters follow the persuasive approach, trying to convince the reader to buy the commodity. They can be considered as Advertising Letters.
A sales promotional letter serves the following purposes:
– it attracts the attention of the reader
– arouses desire
– produces conviction, and
– stimulates action.
How to write effective promotional letters?
To write effective promotional letters you must try to attract the readers attention right at the outset. You must establish rapport and give the reader a purpose for reading.
Beginning of a Promotional Letter
You can begin your letter in one of the following ways:
(a) Begin with a surprising fact. An electric bulb company writes:
In six months’ time our production has been doubled. Won’t you like to find out why?
(b) Make an emotional appeal. A home builders company writes to prospective customers:
Home is where the heart is
Home is where people wait for you.
Would you like to have a home of your own at a bargain price?
(c) You can put your reader in a hypothetical situation and induce him/her to read the whole letter, e.g.,
Suppose you’re feeding your sick child at home and suddenly everything becomes dark. You can’t even find a candle at hand. What do you do? Have you ever thought of it? If you haven’t, don’t worry. We did, and aren’t you interested to find out what?
(d) A challenging statement can also be a good opener, e.g., We have made a million pairs of excellent shoes with not a single complaint.
(e) Begin your letter with a quotation
Do unto others as you would
Have them done to you.
We believe in this and so with all our sincerity we produce the best kind of shoes for you. Won’t you like to try?
(f) Show how to save money
Oh, the heat is too much to bear. Right? and your throat is parched. Care for a drink? Yes, you do. These little bottles of coke drain a lot of your money. Why not buy a giant size Coca-Cola and save the price of a little one.
Middle
In the body of the letter you must develop your central selling point and highlight other appeals. There is no set pattern of organisation. But generally speaking, you must first create in your reader a strong desire to buy your product or services by focusing on the benefits.
Then provide evidence and testimonials to support your claims. At this stage of the letter you will perhaps have to talk about price. Now, how do you do that? Remember, your reader must feel that the price is reasonable, one she/he can afford.
Here are some of the ways you can talk about price.
1. What benefits does the price buy?
For only twenty taka, let your child enjoy four MEENA comics, plus the free bonus.
2. Compared to similar items don’t you gain?
Soya bean oil sells at Tk. 50.00 per Kg. at the retail stores. Our price is just Tk. 45.75. Buy from us and save about 10%.
3. How does the price work out in monthly payments?
The annual fee is Tk. 2400.00. But with only Tk. 200.00 per month you can buy enough entertainment for you and all the members in your family.
4. If the product comes in quantity, what is the price per item?
For only Tk. 80.00 you buy a pack of twelve and save more than 58 paisa for each soap.
Ending your letter
As you develop your selling point you are in a way influencing your reader to buy your product, or to show interest in your product. When you come to the last part of your letter you must show your reader easy ways to take action. You can encourage your reader to act in one of the following ways:
1. Ask the reader to act within a limited time to earn a special discount or free offer:
If you submit four of those foils by Sept. 30, 1995 you will get one packet of milk free of charge
or
If you order before 30 March our quoted price will include free delivery.
2. Ask the reader to act now because of limited quantity:
We have only 200 sets to sell at this low clearance price. Don’t be left out. Order today.
3. Offer a free trial period:
You have a thirty-days right to examine your GEC air conditioner. If you are not completely satisfied with it, you can return it to us for cancellation and a complete refund of the amount you have paid.
4. Emphasize reader benefits:
You can close your letter by reminding the readers of the benefits they will enjoy. c.g.,
If you use our pen you will surely not like to use any other brands. The smoothness and the speed with which it runs will make you feel, you are the winner.
Another way of motivating your reader to take action is to send them prepaid self-addressed envelopes, or business reply cards. In the last part of your sales letter you can ask your reader/your prospective customer to sign a form or a card which may be enclosed with the letter.
You can also ask him/her to put a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ stamp and post it. This makes it easy for the reader to take action, and once she/he signs it, your letter has won half the game. Therefore, take care about your last paragraph, how you write it.
ACTIVITY
Remembering the special importance of the right approach in promotional letters draft on opening paragraph for each of the following situations:
- Take any advertisement from a newspaper or magazine and use it as a basis for the opening paragraph of a sales letter.
- Imagine you are the manufacturer of a washing powder for cleaning utensils. Draft the opening paragraph of a letter to be circulated to housewives.
ACTIVITY
Now draft the closing paragraph for each of the following situations:
Imagine you are the manager of a publishing house. You have just published a book on business English. Highlight in your closing reader’s benefits.
Imagine you are the manufacturer of a cough syrup. You are writing a sales promotional letter to housewives advising them to keep a bottle of your syrup for every one at home. High light in your closing your offer of a special discount if your prospective customer acts within a limited time.
Sample of promotional letters
Read the following letters carefully and then practise writing such letters.
Show your work to your tutor.
REFERENCES
1. Forman, J. with K. A. Kelly (1990)
The Randon House Guide to
Business Writing. Singapore. McGraw-Hill Publishing
Company.
2. Gartside, L. (1963) Modern Business
Correspondence. HongKong. Pitman.
3. Kapoor, A. N. (1994) A Guide To Business
Correspondence. new Delhi. S. Chand & Company Ltd.
4. James, D. (1979) Teach Yourself Letter
Writing. Kent, U. K. Hodder and Stoughton.
5. Sagar, A. (undated) Improve Your
Business Letters. New Delhi.
New Light Publishers.