If you've ever watched a movie that gripped you with all the drama and excitement you could handle, did you ever think what the impact would be without the emotion, the lighting, the film score?

You see, a sales letter, or any other marketing document, is pretty much like a movie.

Dialogues alone won't do it. All the other 'side-show effects' are just as important.

How can a dull, monotone, complex looking sales letter, be transformed into a dramatic, compelling and entertaining piece of advertising copy, WITHOUT ALTERING ANY OF THE WORDS?

* Well, for a start, the beginning of each paragraph can be indented to 3-5 spaces. This breaks up the BLOCK effect, as done for this paragraph.

* Keeping the sentences short, sharp and punchy, ads a flow and continuation to the piece. It also gives a lot of 'eye-relief' to the reader.

* Underlining relevant and important parts that you specifically want the reader to 'get', breaks up the dense mass words, thus drawing the reader to want to know more of what's being said.

* Adding Bold and CAPITAL letters to certain words or even whole sentences, gives the piece a personality and makes it enjoyable for the reader to go through it.

*Differing font sizes also helps emphasise key elements of the communication. Its effect is similar to a change of TONALITY if we were actually speaking to each other.

*Highlighting certain areas of a marketing document, helps create drama, curiosity, interest. It also helps to change the look and 'feel' of the written communication.

*Changing font styles also creates a changing dialogue within the piece and moves it along at a slower or faster pace, thus encouraging the reader to keep alert, attentive and to keep on reading.

* Putting borders or frames around certain words, sentences or paragraphs, helps create attention and emphasises something important is being said.

*Using 1,2,3, Numbered lists, breaks up the use of continuous prose, and, it adds a value to the content order of the list.

* Using 'Bullets' add life to an otherwise mundane looking piece. Bullets create the impact of importance as well as giving an added zest to the flow of the piece.

*Scribbling hand written notes in the margins, or even within the paragraphs, helps give that certain 'authenticity' to the communication.

*Similarly, 'junking' up a sales letter or marketing document, adds a personal effect that just wouldn't be there with a straight, plain, lifeless looking piece.

By 'junking' I mean double underlining, maybe in colour. It could mean striking through certain words or sentences, and having it re-written up above. It could mean writing things, in bold felt tip pen, like " I can't believe I just did that!" when making an offer that seems so irresistible.

This 'junking' effect can now be easily created to website sales messages due to the enormous range of software that's available to duplicate this 'look'.

Of course, with all of the above, we need to ensure that we don't go over board and detract from the main message we wanted our audience to hear.

Though, the tighter our relationship we have with our audience, the more we can 'get away' with it all.

I know of someone who's used a simulated coffee cup stain on his sales letter, just to bring a little bit of realism and authenticity to his marketing messages.

See what life you can bring to your own advertising and marketing messages! It could surprise you and your prospects and customers!