Copywriting and Your Five Senses

Copywriting and Your Five Senses

by: Karon Thackston

In its most basic form, copywriting is, among other things, the art of conveying a message in writing for the purpose of persuading someone to do something. This is especially true when writing descriptive copy. Why? Because your customer’s five senses don’t work on paper… they only work in person. That’s why we, as copywriters, have to create a sensory experience for our customers through our words.
Have you ever stopped to consider copywriting as a sensory activity? You should. As I said, in order to see, hear, smell, taste, or feel a product, we have to be in the presence of that product. All too often, when copywriters create descriptions, they leave a lot to be desired. There is no excitement, no interaction, no experience. Descriptions should be, well… descriptive. Effective descriptions should fill the gap of what customers would see, hear, smell, taste, or feel if they were standing in the presence of the product. Effective descriptions should draw customers in and create an actual event… as if they were able to be right there with you.
Do you make cinnamon rolls? You wouldn’t want to describe them simply as ขdeliciousข or say they ขsmell great.ข Instead, you’d want to bring your customers into the experience of enjoying your cinnamon rolls. Think of which of their five senses would be most in tune with your product and write to those. Try this:
Definitely NOT grandma’s cinnamon rolls! Bake them fresh right in your own oven. As the aroma of these gourmet rolls begins to waft through the air, your nose will start to tingle and you’ll immediately know they are worth the wait. The scents of freshly ground cinnamon and yeast begin to merge as the dough rises and the cinnamon, sugar, and butter begin to bubble. Open your oven door to reveal one of the largest sweets you’ve ever seen. Drizzle the homemade frosting over the top to complete your warm, gooey treasure. Your taste buds will praise you with every bite!
Can you smell the cinnamon? Can you visualize the dough rising in the oven with the cinnamon and sugar bubbling on the top of each roll? Are you remembering the times you’ve glazed cinnamon rolls in the past and, with sticky fingers, taken that first bite out of a freshly baked, warm, gooey pastry? This copy brings it all back, doesn’t it?
Do you rent private, Jamaican beachfront condos? Taking a basic route and falling back on the phrases ขocean viewข and ขsunsets are includedข will leave your reader lacking a truly intriguing experience. Something like this will work better:
As your day begins, enjoy a gourmet breakfast prepared by your own private staff who is at your disposal 24 hours a day. A gorgeous view overlooking your own crystal blue freshwater pool welcomes you to another exciting adventure in Jamaica. A morning stroll along your private, white sand beach is the perfect way to welcome the day. A funfilled outing can consist of splashing in the surf, sunning on the beach, or napping in an authentic handwoven hammock that cuddles every curve of your body. At the end of the day, you’ll have sunkissed shoulders, a glowing bronze tan, and a phenomenal appetite. Unwind at the poolside gazebo as you prepare for a worldclass dinner that rivals any fivestar restaurant. Refreshing afterdinner cocktails are especially enjoyable when sipped on the terrace as nature provides an amazing display of sunsets and a soft, caressing breeze you won’t soon forget.
Let’s go! ขSplashing in the surf, sunning on the beach, or napping in an authentic handwoven hammock that cuddles every curve of your body.ข Can you just imagine? How about ขsunkissed shoulders, a glowing bronze tanข? That paints a picture, doesn’t it? Can you feel that warm tingling you always get after spending a day in the sun? ขNature provides an amazing display of sunsets and a soft, caressing breeze.ข I’m ready! Where do I sign up?
Are you beginning to see the importance of writing truly descriptive descriptions? Your customers aren’t there. They can’t see, hear, feel, taste, or smell what you can. You have to do the next best thing and vividly depict what their sensory experiences will be like so they’ll want to buy what you have or do what you’ve done.
When you write descriptive copy, choose the senses that are most appropriate and focus on them. If you’re describing food, of course you’ll want to think about what you’re tasting, but also what you smell and see. (Presentation is just as important as taste.) If you’re writing travel copy, you’ll want to focus on sights and sounds plus feelings (relaxation, enjoyment, excitement, etc.).
Your goal is to have your readers close their eyes and genuinely, vividly imagine they are in the midst of the same experience you are. When you accomplish that, you’ll find your sales increase as will your bank account balance!
by Karon Thackston © 2004

http://www.copywritingcourse.com

About The Author

Copy not getting results? Let Karon provide search engine copywriting, catalog copywriting, or other types for you. Just visit http://www.marketingwords.com. You can also learn to write your own SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com.

This article was posted on June 25, 2004

by Karon Thackston

ขSuper Adjectivesข Boost the Power of Your Copy

ขSuper Adjectivesข Boost the Power of Your Copy

by: Karon Thackston

Pretty or elegant? Good or scrumptious? Nice or delightful? There is power in the adjectives you choose. Just like Clark Kent and Superman or Bruce Wayne and Batman, some adjectives are plain, ordinary, everyday words. Others are alterego Super Adjectives that leap into your customers’ minds in a single bound. Adjectives are boring, but Super Adjectives impress, inspire, and convince your customers more effectively.

Look at these examples to see what I mean:

Before

Great Top for Hot Summer Days

When it’s hot outside, this top will help keep you cool. Made of cool nylon, you’ll love how it sheds moisture. Available in four pastel colors.

After

Perfect Tank Top for Hot Summer Days

When the temperatures are steamy outside, this tank will help keep you remarkably cool. Made of breathable 100% nylon, you’ll love how it sheds moisture. Available in four springfresh colors.

See the difference? The latter paints a more vivid picture of the tank top than the former.

Try this…

Before

The Prestige Collection is a unique selection of ceiling fans available at Hastings Home Center. The Prestige Collection offers all the quality craftsmanship, and dependable performance, you expect from Hastings along with styles so pretty they take ceiling fans to the next level – and dress your home for any occasion.

After

The Prestige Collection is a distinctive selection of elegantly designed ceiling fans available exclusively at Hastings Home Center. The Prestige Collection offers all the expert craftsmanship, and whisperquiet performance, you expect from Hastings. In addition, you get styles so stunning they take ceiling fans to the next level – and exceptionally dress your home for any occasion.

What’s the difference? Why are the ขaftersข so much more powerful than the ขbeforesข? Because compelling adjectives were used. Adjectives let the reader know more about the product and develop a connection with it. But boring ordinary adjectives aren’t the answer. You need Super Adjectives to entice your readers. For example, instead of just ขcool nylon,ข we say ขbreathable nylon.ข The colors aren’t just ขpastel colors,ข they are ขspringfreshข colors. When you read that, you begin to envision what the colors look like. They aren’t deep, dark colors. They are delicate shades found during the springtime.

Instead of saying ขa unique selection,ข we said ขa distinctive selection.ข Rather than ขquality craftsmanship,ข it’s ขexpert craftsmanship.ข Not just ขdependable performance,ข but ขwhisperquiet performance.ข

Where do you find these Super Adjectives? They are all over the place! Here’s a short list. You can also visit free sites like http://www.thesaurus.com for more.

Adjectives vs. Super Adjectives

Appealing – attractive, alluring, fascinating

Best – excellent, unsurpassed, paramount

Cool – trendy, fashionable, hip

Different – unusual, exclusive, special

Easy – effortless, troublefree, userfriendly

Fabulous – tremendous, magnificent, remarkable

Handy – functional, ideal, wellsuited

Improved – enhanced, superior, refined

Leading – firstrate, topnotch, supreme

Mouthwatering – tasty, savory, succulent

New – innovative, fresh, inventive

Powerful – forceful, persuasive, compelling

Reliable – dependable, steadfast, trustworthy

Safe – secure, fully guarded, guaranteed

Unique – distinctive, rare, matchless

Vivid – vibrant, brilliant, stunning

Wonderful – magnificent, amazing, astonishing

Take some time to go beyond the ordinary. Find a few Super Adjectives to use in your copy in order to boost excitement and interest in the products/services you write about. That added attention Super Adjectives bring can easily correlate to additional sales.

By Karon Thackston © 2004

http://www.learncopywriting.com

About The Author

Tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques? Need an uptodate directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting? Visit http://www.learncopywriting.com today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

IF PUBLISHING ON A WEBSITE, USE THIS RESOURCE BOX:

Tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques? Need an uptodate directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting? Visit Learn Copywriting today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

This article was posted on October 05, 2004

by Karon Thackston

ขSuper Verbsข Really Move Your Copy

ขSuper Verbsข Really Move Your Copy

by: Karon Thackston

Run or hustle? Eat or devour? Move or scurry? You can boost the power of your copy by boosting the quality of verbs you use. Verbs show action, and the way you describe that action can have a dramatic bearing on your readers. Why would you want to fill your copy with complacent words when you can conjure emotions and visual imagery in the hearts and minds of your readers? Sure, กrunก and กhustleก both indicate that someone is moving fast. But กrunก is a dull, ordinary verb while กhustleก evokes definite images in your readerกs mind.

Hadn’t really thought about it? You should! You can choose commonplace verbs like ‘talk,ก กmake,ก and กlike,ก or you can electrify your copy instead with verbs like กchatter,ก กdiscover,ก and กadore.ก

Look at these examples to see what I mean:

Before

Down Comforters Let You Get Warm

When itกs cold outside, get into bed and warm up with our genuine goose down comforters. Thereกs no reason to be cold when you can heat things up instead!

After

Down Comforters Let You Snuggle

When itกs cold outside, leap into bed and burrow down with our genuine goose down comforters. Thereกs no reason to shiver when you can snuggle instead!

See the difference? The latter paints a more vivid picture of the comforter than the former.

Review this one…

Before

Whether you’re doing aerobics, Pilates, or any other workout, Ziox sneakers will give you the support you need. Specifically made for indoor low and highimpact exercise, Ziox is created to keep you on the path to meeting your fitness goals.

After

Whether you’re performing an aerobic, Pilates, or other workout, Ziox sneakers will offer you the support you need. Specifically engineered for indoor low and highimpact exercise, Ziox is designed to keep you on the path to accomplishing your fitness goals.

What’s the difference? Why are the ขaftersข so much more powerful than the ขbeforesข? Because compelling verbs were used. Verbs bring the action to your copy. They give the reader (or at least they should give the reader) something to envision. You need Super Verbs to entice your readers. For example, instead of just ขget into bed,ข we say, ขleap into bed.ข Instead of กbeing coldก and กheat things upก we say, กshiveringก and กsnuggle.ก When you read that, you begin to envision what action is taking place in a very specific way.

Where do you find these Super Verbs? Everywhere you look! Here’s a short list. You can also visit free sites like http://www.thesaurus.com for more.

Verbs vs. Super Verbs

Accent – emphasize, underscore

Break – smash, crush, demolish

Eat – consume, devour, feast

Forgive – pardon, excuse, overlook

Hate – detest, loathe, despise

Imagine – envision, conjure, conceptualize

Improve – enhance, refine, perfect

Jump – leap, lunge, bound

Learn – discover, grasp, comprehend

Like – admire, adore, cherish, delight in

Make – create, engineer, design

Promise – vow, swear

Reveal – manifest, unveil, disclose

Take some time to go beyond the ordinary. Find a few Super Verbs to use in your copy in order to boost excitement and interest in the products/services you write about. That added attention, which Super Verbs bring, can easily correlate to additional sales.

By Karon Thackston © 2004

http://www.learncopywriting.com

About The Author

Karon Thackston is a professional copywriter with over 20 years of success. If you’re tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques, or if you need an uptodate directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting, then visit Karonกs directory at http://www.learncopywriting.com today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

IF PUBLISHING ON A WEBSITE, USE THIS RESOURCE BOX:

Karon Thackston is a professional copywriter with over 20 years of success. If you’re tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques. If you need an uptodate directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting then visit Karonกs directory at Learn Copywriting today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

This article was posted on December 08, 2004

by Karon Thackston

The Best Traffic Generation Tool Is Free

The Best Traffic Generation Tool Is Free

by: Diane Hughes

Although search engines have been around since the beginning of the Web, many businesses (large and small) are just now waking up to the gigantic benefit search engines provide. What other medium gives you at absolutely no cost whatsoever a way to drive unlimited traffic to your site? None. That’s why, once people understand search engine optimization (SEO), they get hooked!
I want to give you some basics to follow in order to help get your site ranked at the top of popular search engines like Yahoo! and Google. I also want to provide you with some exceptional resources so you can further your SEO education in the future.
What Is Search Engine Optimization?
SEO is the process of creating a Web site that fosters the design, coding, copy, and linkbuilding elements search engines most like to see. Through the process of SEO, you can develop a site (or alter an existing site) so that the engines will move you up to the top of the search results. That means people who are actually looking to find what you have to sell will click to your site before your competition’s.
How Does SEO Work?
There are three fundamental parts to the SEO equation: coding, copywriting, and link popularity.
Coding is the manipulation of your HTML code so that it is clean, uncluttered, positioned correctly, and easily accessible to the search engine spiders and bots. You want to be sure the most important information to the spiders is located up top where they can quickly and easily find it. You also want to ensure that java scripts and other such coding are moved out of the spiders’ way.
Copywriting relates to the text on your site. Search engine copywriting pertains to being able to write in such a way that you include your primary keyphrases in strategic places so that you get the most กpointsก from the engines.
Link popularity deals with how many sites have links that point back to your site (and vice versa). The theory is, that if others think highly enough of your site to link to it, your site must be of good quality.
When you have a good combination of all three primary elements, you stand a much better chance of ranking high with the engines.
Doesn’t SEO Depend On META Tags?
It used to… a long, LONG time ago. When the ‘Net was first founded, just about all you had to do to get high rankings was to shove a bunch of keyphrases into your keyword tag. Now, however, the engines are smarter. They pay no attention to the keyword tags and very little attention to the description tag. The only tag that carries much weight anymore is the title tag. It is extremely important.
Isn’t SEO Copywriting Just Using Keyphrases As Many Times As You Can?
No! Not only does that put you at risk of spamming the search engines, it makes your copy sound horrible to your human site visitors. What good are high search engine rankings if your copy doesn’t convert those visitors into paying customers?
You need to find creative and strategic places to use keyphrases so that you maintain the balance between natural language and keyphrase use.
How do you learn all you need to know about SEO? From the pros! Here are several resources you can use to improve your education:
High Rankings Forum http://www.highrankings.com/forum/
Best Practices Forum http://www.ihelpyouservices.com/forum/
Search Engine Watch Newsletter http://www.searchenginewatch.com
Search Engine Guide Newsletter http://www.searchengineguide.com
EMarketing News http://www.emarketingnews.co.uk/
Search Engine Optimization Fast Start http://www.cannedbooks.com/
The StepbyStep Copywriting Course http://www.copywritingcourse.com
How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy) http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword
The Nittygritty of Writing for the Engines http://www.highrankings.com/seowriting.htm
It’s not hype. I can tell you from seeing it firsthand. It’s well worth the time to learn SEO.
With a little effort, you can quickly have your site pulling in plenty of targeted traffic at no cost to you whatsoever.
Copyright 2004 Diane Hughes

About The Author

Diane C. Hughes * ProBizTips.com

FREE Report: Amazingly Simple (Yet Super Powerful) Ways To Skyrocket Your Sales And Build Your Business Into A Tower of Profits! ==>> http://madmarketer.com/diane

This article was posted on May 24, 2004

by Diane Hughes

Creating A Web Page That Sells A Look At Graphic

Creating A Web Page That Sells A Look At Graphics and Copywriting

by: Patrick Mahoney

This is a response to a client that we have been working with, and a website they are building that will sell an eBook on กHair Styling Tipsก. We thought the information was important and relevant enough to include in this months newsletter.

==CREATING A WEBSITE THAT SELLS==

The website that weกll be dealing with sells an eBook based on hair styling tips, but these concepts should translate very easily into any website that sells a product or service.

In this article, we touch on subjects such as:

The use of graphics on a web page

Copywriting insights

Web Page Headlines

Benefits, not features

And more.

Our hope and desire is that you find this article of value, and that you find thoughts and ideas you can put to use in your own online business.

Let us begin…

==COPYWRITING SUGGESTIONS==

Copywriting is probably one of the most misunderstood elements of marketing, and I am not going to claim I know it all. Website copywriting is more than just your typical กonelinersก that we see so much in todayกs Internet marketing arena.

Iกve learned a couple of lessons over the past few years that are usually pretty tough for people to get ahold of, and most of them I have learned from my beautiful wife Marsha.

My wife Marsha has been a hair stylist for over 22 years, and for more then 18 of those years has managed one of the largest hair styling salons here in Ohio.

Iกve learned more about advertising from her then I ever have from any Internet guru, although thatกs not to say we cannot learn from them. กInternet guruกs that isก

Here are our suggestions for the copywriting on your web page.

The first thing to understand is:

People/Customers only care about themselves.

At first, at least until the customer gets to know you a little better, they are only concerned about one thing, and that is กwhats in it for meก.

Think about these thoughts for a moment:

I want to feel better

I want to look better

I want people attracted to me

I want more money

I want to be accepted

And there are many more thoughts that run through our minds as human beings everyday. They are all natural thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and everybody has them, although some may not admit to it.

Also, we must understand why people buy things. Do we as shoppers buy what is needed in life, or do we buy what makes us feel good, look better, feel happier, etc?

If we think about this for awhile, and think about it with honesty, we will find that 98% of the time that we are buying something, itกs because we think that it will make us feel good, be happier, or look better in some way.

With that being said, now we can ask ourselves what is it about our copy that presents something to our customers that will benefit them in some way?

If I am selling a book on ‘tips for quick and easy hair styling solutionsก, then I am going to put myself in my customers shoes, and ask what is it that is going to catch my attention?

If I write something like the following:

Hello, my name is Marsha, and Iกve been a hair stylist for more then 20 years now, and I guess you could say, I know a little something when it comes to hair styling.

And I would continue on here with more about what I know, etc.

As a potential customer, would you really care to read anymore? Most likely not.

But, what if I were to write the following:

Give me just 5 minutes, and Iกll show you 5 simple tips you can use to have the most beautiful, full bodied hair youกve ever seen… And Iกll teach you how to do it in as little as 7 minutes a day.

or how about this one…

Imagine, you wake up in the morning, wash your hair, and just 7 minutes later youกve got the most full bodied, beautiful hair youกve ever seen… Warning, don’t be surprised when you get more attention at the office today.

And there are many more ideas, but the bottom line is, what one of these would grab your attention, and make you want to read more?

When writing anything on your website, always think กcustomer BENEFITSก.

Again, we can help more in these areas if you want them, but the greatest single gift we can give you to help convert visitors to sales is to teach you to sell benefits, not features.

==WEBSITE GRAPHICS SUGGESTIONS==

Graphics on websites are a heavily debated issue, although we feel very strongly that they shouldn’t be, and hereกs why.

It all depends on what your selling or trying to sell.

Internet marketing information based products do not need all of the graphical content as would a company trying to sell a new video game for the Play Station, Game Boy, or any of the game boxes available.

These types of customers want to see what they’re buying before they shell out $50 or more for that กnext big gameก.

Internet marketers are looking for usable information on how to market their businesses online. They typically do not need the graphic intensive website design that a game company would.

BUT, we also have to remember that just because we may not classify ourselves as a ‘typicalก Internet marketer, we are never the less marketing our products on the Internet, whether or not they are PC games, Internet marketing information products, or how to best style your hair.

With that being said, what we need to find is a กmiddleก ground that will lend itself to our products and services.

Back to our hair style website idea, I would recommend the following, which we feel will lend itself greatly to enhancing the กoverallก effect, and would help increase sales of your product.

Suggestions:

1) Thinking back to our กCopywritingก insights, and the natural human emotion of wanting to look better or feel that we are กattractiveก, it would play in nicely to have a few pictures of very attractive people peppered throughout the website or sales page.

We would suggest that these images would lend themselves to the content at very precise moments, and help add กeffectก to what is being stated.

Example:

If your explaining how they will learn that they can have better, more natural, fullbodied hair, then you might want to add a small, but very clear image of a beautiful woman throwing her hair back. This image would be of a woman with กfullbodiedก hair, and of medium length.

Focus on a picture that you, yourself may feel deeply inside that กIกd sure love hair like thatก. You need to find that กemotionalก moment, and then use it to your copywritingกs advantage.

2) It has been shown that by adding a 3D graphical image of your book or eBook can increase sales by as much as 300% and more.

It has been found that this gives the potential customers กsubconsciousก mind something to hold on to and feel.

‘touchก

Touch is something that we as marketers lack greatly on the Internet, and we see no such abilities of this in our foreseeable future.

The only option we have at this point are graphics, and images, along with sound.

We know that graphics and images, along with proper copywriting skills can sell a lot of products. We know this to be fact for the simple reason that we witness this type of content everyday, all day through TV commercials.

How do we know this to be fact?

No one would spend the billions of dollars they do, each year, creating TV commercials if they did not increase the sales of their products.

Example:

Without mentioning a name, have you seen the TV commercials where the women who wash their hair with a certain hair care product, seem to be in Ecstasy?

OOohh, AAaahhh, Oh Yes, Yes, YES!!!

Sound familiar?

And do we honestly believe, that if those commercials did not increase sales of that product, that this company would really spend the millions of dollars a year they spend for them?

Of course not. Spending with no return on investment is the fast way to kill a company.

==FINAL THOUGHTS==

There are many more areas that will help create and generate more sales from a website, and we have hardly scratched the surface here.

But, you should be able to pull out the beginnings of a very good start at creating a website that can generate revenue very early on.

We must come to understand, that although there may be ideas, and thoughts that seem foreign to us, and some may even feel uncomfortable, if we want to create sales, we will have to overcome some of those boundaries within ourselves.

==IN CLOSING==

Whatever you decide to do, one thing to remember is, itกs one thing to focus on benefits, and peoples emotions, but a completely different thing to lie.

We never suggest lying to customers.

If a product cannot produce the results that the sales page says it can, then the sales page needs to be changed to fit the product.

If not, customers will not be happy, it can ruin a business, and people who do it can get into more trouble then it has ever been worth.

Focus on benefits in your sales copy, a website that is fresh and new (not a lookalike), build brand awareness, and customer service, and you will have the beginnings of a great website, and online business.

About The Author

Patrick & Marsha Mahoney are successful online business owners, and entrepreneurs. They can build you a custom minisite design that creates your own look and feel, can develop brand awareness, and help produce higher sales of your products. Their website can be found at: http://www.internetmarketersresources.com

This article is part of their กProfit Builders eNewsก publication. You can join their newsletter at: http://www.internetmarketersresources.com/newsletter.html

This article may be used as content on your website, newsletter, and ezine publications, so long as the resource box above stays intact with this article. You may however, remove this statement.

This article was posted on August 02, 2004

by Patrick Mahoney

Copywriting & Conversion Techniques That Will Driv

Copywriting & Conversion Techniques That Will Drive Your Sales Through The Roof

by: Mark Flavin

What This Article Shows You:

What exactly is conversion and why it is the single most important factor to your success?

How can I get more sales out of the same amount of traffic I already have?

How the words you use determine how much money you will make?

Traffic conversion is the single most important factor to the success of your business.

That is not a question it is a fact, and I can prove it.

What exactly is conversion?

Conversion is turning lookers into buyers. It is taking visitors and making them paying customers.

If you don’t have customers if no one buys your product or service then your business is a failure.

Evidence: Look at all the กDotComก (some called them กDobBombก) companies of the early 2000กs. Many of them had plenty of visitors & offered a great service but most did not have an effective way to turn those visitors in to satisfied paying customers so they failed.

FACT: You will fail too if you can’t convert.

Sorry, but it is the truth the point of business is to exchange a product or service for money. That is how it has worked since the Ancient Egyptian days and the Internet did not change that at all. Everyone no matter if you are online or offline everyone must convert their visitors into customers or they will wind up just like the infamous Pets.com (down the drain).

But don’t think that we will not continue to provide great traffic creation tips just like we always have.

We will always provide 510 traffic creation tips. But additionally, we are going to push the envelope into the justasimportant area of traffic conversion, and also give you many different ways you can use your website to convert those visitors youกve worked so hard to get into happy customers.

Think of it this way, your Free traffic Tips Newsletter just got an injection of steroids… and is now even beefier 🙂

I would like to share with you some shocking conversion facts that Bryan Eisenberg recently presented:

FACT: ก50% of Visitors are LOST because visitors can’t easily find contentก Gartner Group FACT: ก40% of Repeat Visitors are LOST from negative experienceก Zona Research FACT: ก85% of Visitors ABANDON a new site due to poor designก cPulse FACT: 70% of people who are ready, willing and able to buy online don’t complete the sale.

Remember that last fact from Lesson 1? (It is unbelievable.) It was that 7 out of every 10 people who have their credit card out, know what they want to purchase and want to make the purchase online CAN’t!

Think about it. If you can improve your websiteกs conversion rate, you have the potential to increase your sales by over 233% without spending any more money on advertising or working any harder to draw traffic to your site.

How do you improve conversion on your site?

Just as there are many different ways to increase traffic, there are many different ways to improve conversion. Today we will cover copywriting what your website is saying to every visitor.

What is copywriting and Why is it important?

Copywriting is the process of turning words into cash. Selling your product through words.

More specifically, web copywriting is the process of developing the wording of websites that sell something.

The job of your website is to: 1) Explain how your product fills the wants & desires of your customer 2) Take the customers order as fast & easily as possible.

The point of copywriting is to clearly communicate the value of your product or service to your visitors. In the offline world, a salesperson does this. On a website you are completely dependent on the power of your words to qualify prospects, give your sales pitch, close the sale and take the order.

Based on the statistics given above (85% of Visitors abandon a new site) our websites are not doing a very good job. Some people even condone firing your website. I say: กdon’t fire it, fix it.ก

How do you fix your websiteกs sales copy?

As you will learn in future issues of Trafficology, there are very specific ways to engage the reader at a deeper level. We will discuss how to become a better copywriter, and the things you can do to enhance your copy. But, in this course we will focus on the basic fundamentals of copywriting.

The first step in copywriting is to understand the wants & desires of the people who will buy your product. You learned in lesson 2 how to easily find this information with some basic research.

If you did that research when finding keywords, you can use the same information here. If you did not conduct that research, I highly recommend that you review lesson 2 and learn exactly how to find the customers who will come to your site and will buy your product. This is the fundamental building block of copywriting without it you can’t know for sure which customers to focus your efforts on.

Once we understand the wants & desires of our visitors, then we need to think about how we can frame our offer. Remember, you are not selling a product with physical features you are selling a solution to a problem that the customer is having. You are not talking about the product specifications you are talking about the benefits and how your product fills the wants and desires of the visitor.

What we need to do is create a sales presentation that:

Grabs the visitors attention with a compelling headline

Draws the readers interest by creating a connection between their problem / desire and your solution

Peaks their Desire by making an emotionally compelling & believable case for your product

Motivates the reader to take action and fill their wants & needs by purchasing your product or service.

When you write your web copy you need to walk the reader through each of these 4 steps. Use what you have learned about the readers to reach their deepest emotions and compel them to give you money in exchange for your solution to their problem.

Sometimes visitors already know what they want and you just need to show them the order button. Sometimes your visitors don’t even know they have a problem and you have to explain everything stepbystep. But, every time you need to help your visitors achieve what they really กwantก that right THERE is the point of copywriting and salesmanship on the web.

In future issues of Trafficology we will explain each step of the copywriting process. We will show you how to write copy for different types of products & services, and we will also share with you the best tips from some of the greatest copywriters ever. Yes, ever.

Online or offline, conversion has been the key to business since the beginning of time. On the web, conversion starts with your copy it is your websiteกs salesperson. กDon’t fire it; fix it.ก

I hope this article has helped you, if you would like to recieve more of these tips please visit http://nicetodobusiness.com

To Your Success

Mark Flavin

http://www.nicetodobusiness.com

About The Author

Mark Flavin

age 21

country ireland

websites http://www.nicetodobusiness.com

http://www.nicetodobusiness.com/freetraffictips2.htm

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 05

by Mark Flavin

Writing To Overpower Your Competition

Writing To Overpower Your Competition

by: Karon Thackston

กWe don’t have any competition. We’re a truly a oneofakind company.ก Iกve heard that line from clients for years. I wish it were true, but itกs simply not. In fact, it wouldn’t matter if you held a monopoly on your particular product or service; youกd still have competition. How? Because your competition doesn’t come from a singular source.

There may be no other businesses that sell the product or service you sell, but you still have competition. Once thatกs understood you have a greater advantage when it comes to copywriting. You can recognize the other options your customers have before them and can position yourself as the only logical choice.

Know Who Your Competition Is

Competition comes from a variety of sources. Yes, there are those who sell the same things you sell, but there competition comes in other forms, too.

The Same But Different

Charitable organizations are a good example of กsame but different.ก Your group may be the only one raising funds to save the purple spotted toad of northern Antarctica but that doesn’t mean youกll receive a flood of contributions from everyone you call. Why? Because there are a million and a half other charitable organizations out there all vying for the same money from the same people.

None of these other groups is trying to raise funds to save the purple spotted toad of northern Antarctica, but they are trying to get individuals to donate to their causes. That makes them all your competition.

How do you get around this problem? Assuming your traffic generating efforts or your mailing list is highly targeted, youกll want to make a strong case for this little toad. In your copy, let the readers know why the purple spotted toad is important to the environment (heกs the only toad in existence that carries antibodies that can cure cancer). Tell them why the world would be a much sadder place without our bouncing little friend. (In addition to being the only purple toad in the world, this guy is the only food the frosty wilder beast will eat so heกs vital to the food chain).

Just like with any other type of copywriting, list the benefits of the purple spotted toad. Why is he important to nature, how will the ecology suffer with his demise and what will happen to the rest of Antarctica if he becomes extinct? All of these are vital to convincing your audience that they should favor you with their contributions instead of some other organization.

Everyone In the Search Results

Go to your favorite search engine and type in กcopywriting courseก (without the quotes). What do you see? There are a lot of options listed on the search results page. Are all these products the same? By all means no!

Some are live workshops, others are ecourses, some focus strictly on one type of copywriting leaving all others by the wayside, some are correspondence courses while others are downloadable. But because they all appear in response to the query กcopywriting course,ก they all have the potential to take sales away. Even if your site falls into the coveted #1 position, the others on the page could potentially grab some of your sales.

So how do you get surfers to click on your siteกs listing? Your title and description have to be first rate.

If your copywriting course has a specialty (sales letters, search engines, catalogs, etc.) say so. Choose the most powerful benefit and a way to set yourself apart (your USP) and use those in the tags for your search results along with your keyphrases. Simply having keywords in your title and description might get you ranked with the engine but it sure won’t entice anybody to click to your site.

Other Options

There are options and substitutes for practically everything in the world. If people don’t want to pay for a computer and Internet access so they can send email, they can write letters or call their friends and family. If customers decide the cost of groceries is out of control, they can plant a garden and eat a vegetarian diet. There are even alternatives to cars: taking a cab (as most do in New York), bicycling (very popular in London) or walking (great exercise). All of these alternatives can be competition for you.

To overcome the pull of other options, when you write copy be sure emphasize why those other options really aren’t viable. The sheer act of writing letters takes time in and of itself. Then you have to mail the letter and wait. If the person wants to respond, they have to get motivated enough to sit down and write a reply and mail it. Then you wait again. The phone? Yes, people could use the phone to talk like they always have, but what about when you want to show the person you’re talking with something? A picture of your new grandchild or your new car can’t be shown over the phone. You get the idea.

Drop the egotistical viewpoint that you have no competition and take a good, hard look around. Once youกve realized that there is always an alternative to buying what you offer, youกll be in a better mindset to write copy that outlines why yours is the only option the prospect should consider.

by Karon Thackston © 2005

http://www.learncopywriting.com

About The Author

Tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques? Need an uptodate directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting? Visit http://www.learncopywriting.com today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

IF PUBLISHING ON A WEBSITE, USE THIS RESOURCE BOX:

Tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques? Need an uptodate directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting? Visit Learn Copywriting today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

This article was posted on March 18

by Karon Thackston

CallsToAction: Making Them Fit Makes All the Dif

CallsToAction: Making Them Fit Makes All the Difference

by: Karon Thackston

It was going so well, so what happened? Many copywriters get off to a wonderful start: The headline is compelling, the body copy is benefitfilled, but then comes the calltoaction and the whole thing falls apart. Why? It could be a dozen different reasons, but one of the most common I’ve seen is that the calltoaction doesn’t fit the target audience.

Calltoaction statements (those final words that inspire your customers to take an action usually to make a purchase) are not universal. Just like your headline, your subheads, and your body copy, callstoaction need to be as specific as possible. They need to ขmatchข the style of your audience.

To me, an effective calltoaction is more than just the simple ขorder todayข or ขclick here nowข phrase. Yes, those play a part, but it takes more than that to motivate buyers.

Let’s look at an example or two of powerful callstoaction and see what makes them tick.

Langtry Manor (http://www.langtrymanor.co.uk/weddings.htm)

This site represents an old English manor that is available for (among other things) weddings and receptions. Their branding positions them as a very upscale, exclusive, highly sought after location for brides around the world to be married.

After going over the benefits of using the inn for a wedding and/or reception, the calltoaction comes into play. Notice how there is more than the simple ขcontact us todayข statement.

Because of the historically romantic setting and immense popularity of Langtry Manor Hotel among brides worldwide, our schedule becomes filled quickly. We recommend you contact us for additional information or to arrange for a viewing of the hotel as soon as possible. This will help to guarantee a reservation for your preferred date.

See how the calltoaction fits the audience? The copy doesn’t stop in the middle of romancing the bride in order to scream, ขDates are being booked as we speak! Call us today before your wedding date is gone forever! Don’t let some other bride get the jump on you! Pick up the phone now!ข This audience would run for their lives if they read that copy.

Tai Chi Flow (http://www.taichiflow.com)

This site actually had three callstoaction (CTA), one for each segment of their target audience. See how each CTA struck a nerve with a specific group.

The ancient masters practiced Tai Chi faithfully and lived a life filled with peace and wellness. The moment you order your Tai Chi Flow for Everyone video youกll vow to never be without it again!

==============

Your child will receive the same benefits you receive, but through a video created especially for him/her. Teachers, moms, and dads agree, Tai Chi kids share some pretty amazing qualities. Order Tai Chi Flow for Kids today.

==============

Designed according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines, Tai Chi Flow for Pregnancy is the safe way to receive the benefits of an aerobic workout… even if you are sitting down. Order Tai Chi Flow for Pregnancy today.

Each CTA appeals to the specific wants/needs/desires of that individual segment.

That’s what effective callstoaction are all about. You don’t lose your connection with the audience at the end. Instead you maintain that emotional bridge all the way until they click the buy button.

In your CTA, tell your customers why they should buy. Let them know what will happen when they buy. Give them some end results to look forward to. And do it all with the same consciousness you had when writing the rest of your copy. When you do, you’ll find your sales process goes more smoothly and your conversions reach higher rates.

by Karon Thackston © 2004

http://www.learncopywriting.com

About The Author

Tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques? Need an uptodate directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting? Visit http://www.learncopywriting.com today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

IF PUBLISHING ON A WEBSITE, USE THIS RESOURCE BOX:

Tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques? Need an uptodate directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting? Visit Learn Copywriting today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 21, 2004

by Karon Thackston

Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy

Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy

by: Karon Thackston

Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important elements in copywriting. As has been said countless times before, if you don’t get your readers’ attention with the headline, the chance of them reading your copy is virtually none. But headlines (and subheadlines) play a vital part in the copywriting process for other reasons, too.

Whether we, as copywriters, like it or not, the fact is most people will not read all the copy word for word. Headlines can help fill in the blanks in several ways so กskimmersก still get the gist of the information included in the copy.

Headlines Outline the Benefits

Using headlines and subheads that state benefits about your product/service can be a powerful strategy. Using wireless home networking for example, you might create headlines and subheads that read:

Work From Anywhere In Your Home

No More Jumbled Cables Strung Everywhere

Have Multiple Computers Online At The Same Time

Make All The Computer Users In Your Home Happy

Even if the customer didn’t read the copy included in between these heads and subheads, they would still be made aware of all the benefits of having a wireless home network.

Headlines Give An Overview

Depending on the type of copy you’re writing, headlines can help to urge your customers to read further. In fact, in longform copy, headlines should create their own subset of copy. If you read just the headlines, they should make sense all by themselves. For example, copy about a new book on how to start your own business might use the following headlines.

New Book Takes You StepbyStep Through Starting Your Own Business

An introduction would go here as well as copy designed to gain the attention of the reader.

Starting A Business Is Easier Than Ever

Continue with the copy here.

The Little Known Secrets In This Book Will Show You How

More copy here.

See? As you read through the headlines and subheadlines they make sense even without any copy. This serves to give an overview of the information to those customers who may not read every word of the copy youกve written. If they read just the headlines and subheads, theyกll still understand what you’re offering.

Headlines Can Raise Curiosity

Make a statement thatกs so unusual it doesn’t make sense. Create กcliffhangersก with your headlines and only give so much information before stopping. When you use these and other interest builders, you can encourage customers to read further into your copy just to satisfy their curiosity. Using natural gardening products as our example, the headlines and subheads often look like this:

My Roses Are Bursting With Blossoms Since I Stopped Watering Them

My PrizeWinning Tulips Would Wither Up and Die If It Weren’t for…

Which Annual Blooms Twice As Big When You Give It A Beer/Shampoo Cocktail?

These statements make you think. They start the reader wondering so that he/she continues to read on to get the rest of the story.

When creating headlines in your copy, think about how they all work together. Instead of just plopping bolded words in between paragraphs, create a plan revolving around progressive headlines that can lead your readers to buy.

by Karon Thackston © 2004

http://www.learncopywriting.com

About The Author

Tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques? Need an uptodate directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting? Visit http://www.learncopywriting.com today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

IF PUBLISHING ON A WEBSITE, USE THIS RESOURCE BOX:

Tired of endlessly searching the ‘Net in hopes of finding the latest copywriting techniques? Need an uptodate directory filled with the best ways to learn copywriting? Visit Learn Copywriting today for the widest collection of the most popular copywriting resources available.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 25, 2004

by Karon Thackston

Optimizing Online Catalog Copy for the Search Engi

Optimizing Online Catalog Copy for the Search Engines

by: Karon Thackston

It only makes sense. You have an ecommerce catalog site. You want lots of visitors to come to your site and buy. The best (and most costeffective) way to do that is with great search engine placement. However, search engines are text machines, and most catalogs don’t have a lot of text, so herein lies the problem.
The obvious answer is that you need more copy on each page. However, the pictures of your products are just as important as the copy, so they can’t be removed to make more space. That doesn’t leave a lot of room in the product description area, does it? Maybe not, but who said all the copy had to go in the description area? Who said you have to create a site the same way a paper catalog is created?
Sometimes we view our site’s pages with a very narrow vision. This causes us to have an ขit’s always been done that wayข mentality. While direct mail catalogs may be sorely limited on space and require short sections of copywriting, Web pages have infinite room for copy.
Your Home Page
Most often, online catalogs have a home page that is almost exclusively graphic. There may be short blips of copywriting here and there, but not much. Since your home page is the most important page to have optimized for the engines, you’ll want to include a minimum of 200 words of SEO copywriting there. Don’t panic… it doesn’t have to all be in one place.
You can create a short section of keywordrich body copy as an introduction to the site. Then, under a graphic of your new spring additions, include some SEO copy explaining why your visitors will just *have* to have these products. You can then add a sentence or two of copy under the graphics in your sidebar. Lastly, give the highlights of your customerservice program or moneyback guarantee and an invitation to click further into the site to shop around, and you’re all done.
Obviously, where the copy goes is dependent on your site’s layout, but you get the idea. Spread the copywriting around. You don’t have to put it all in one lump in the middle of the page.
Category Pages
What traditionally happens with online catalogs is that you click from the home page to a ขcategoryข page. That category page usually just has links on it to other individual product pages plus perhaps a picture or two. That’s a shame because category pages are another perfect place for SEO copy.
Since keyphrases are often highly descriptive of products (i.e., crew neck sweaters, sixdisc CD players, etc.), they work wonderfully on category pages. Because category pages are selective (they only show products within a certain category), they are exceptional arenas for SEO copywriting.
Let’s say you have a catalog site that deals with interior design accessories for the home. One category might be Tiffany lamps. Because the phrase Tiffany lamps is also a wonderful keyphrase, its inclusion in the category page copy comes quite naturally. This means you can create SEO copywriting for the top or middle of the page (just a short paragraph or two) and also write blips of copy for each product description. For example:
===================================

The Tiffany Lamp A Timeless Masterpiece

===================================
Tiffany lamps have long been considered icons of style. While certain characteristics are constant (that’s what makes a Tiffany lamp a Tiffany lamp), there is also tremendous variety. From Tiffany lamps for your floor to those made to adorn your ceilings, you’ll find one reflective of your own personal taste and style.
Next you could list all the individual products (floor Tiffany lamps, ceiling Tiffany lamps, desk Tiffany lamps, etc.) and give brief, keywordrich descriptions of each one.
Product Descriptions
When you get to the product description level, you’ll want to include enticing, keywordrich copy with each listing. However, you’ll also want to include more text on each product page.
Consider that most people shopping online don’t have the benefit of being able to touch, feel, smell, taste, or see the actual products. Use the lack of human senses to develop more descriptive information for your visitors.
You might also want to include any technical information you have for your products on the same product description page. Contrary to Internet myth, people don’t mind scrolling one bit *IF* there is information they want to see on other parts of the page.
By reconsidering your catalogcopywriting techniques when it comes to the Web, you can get your ecommerce catalog ranked highly in the search engines. It just takes a little openmindedness and a willingness to break free from the ways of the past. When you do, more customers and higher sales levels are bound to follow.
by Karon Thackston © 2004

http://www.marketingwords.com

About The Author

Copy not getting results? Let Karon provide search engine copywriting, catalog copywriting, or other types for you. Just visit http://www.marketingwords.com. You can also learn to write your own SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com.

This article was posted on May 18, 2004

by Karon Thackston

Copywriting Secrets Of Indiaกs Mystics

Copywriting Secrets Of Indiaกs Mystics

by: Dave Alston

Hi everyone,

Been ruminating on this one for a little while now but it’s probably one of the most profound discoveries of my life. It all began with a little book about music and it’s had such a deep influence on my copywriting and small business, indeed my whole outlook on life, Iกd like to share it with you all now.

Here’s what happened…

About 8 years ago I bought the book ขMan and Music In Indiaข by Roshmi Goswami and was introduced to a staggering thought from within it’s pages… that every note sounded by a musician is actually a container for the spirit of the musician.

Now breaking that open further I began to see that (I’m a musician myself; drummer, guitar player) as the notes of a musician could be filled by the very soul or spirit of the musician himself or even God or demons (if you believe in them) so the notes were almost like little boats that each musician filled with their persona unique to them and by plucking, singing, striking the note they in essence ‘launched’ it out into the waves of the sea of sound where it eventually reaches the ‘port’ of it’s destination the audiences hearing ear, who gladly receive and enjoy it (or otherwise if a bad musician).

In my mind’s eye I saw each musical piece therefore (stick with me here it’s worth it I promise) as composed of thousands of little boats (the notes) sent out to sail across the sea of sound by vibration (the waves) to the audiences listening intently on the other side of that ’sound sea’.

For many years I thought about this and then realised (sorry I’m a bit slow on the uptake sometimes!) that this didn’t just apply to notes in music but more deeply and profoundly it actually applied to the very stuff of life itself WORDS.

As such every single every single word you say or write is a container, a ‘little boat’ as it were… that actually contains YOU! The question is what fills your ‘little boat’ before you launch it out to sea?

If the light bulb has not gone on yet it will, just keep pondering the bigger picture above perhaps of a lone master violinist or a sitar and tabla player deeply intwined in an intricate Indian raga and before long you’ll understand exactly what I’m driving at… and it’s deep, very profound.

When you apply the above metaphor to words you see the little boats not as notes just being ขcontainers for the music and spirit of the musicianข but rather words as little ships themselves that contain YOUR very essence, spirit, soul and persona.

Every time you speak or write a single line you release a little ‘Armada’ of these little boats out onto the sea of existence itself if speaking, then out onto the splashing waves of the ’sea of sound’ if writing, then even more deeply into the sea of ‘heart to heart direct communication’ itself… without a sound, directly to the target.

What’ s so profound about the written word is it’s ability (when the writing is good) to bypass all the defences humans erect against other human’s intrusion and drop directly into the emotional and decision making part of the heart to evoke powerful responses. That’s also good if you want to sell something to someone.

Quick example…

My wife didn’t even know I really had feelings for her in the first months of us knowing each other and she’d moved to another town 65 miles away I wrote her a letter; it was pretty powerful (I was terrible at controlling my emotions then and splurged the clumsy letter full of poetry and undying declarations of love etc!) and she phoned me saying she was surprised at my feelings for her; within 8 weeks we were married and that was 17 years ago.

Prior to the letter I’d just been a fleeting aquaintance and if I’d tried face to face I’d probably have blown it being so nervous and all but; the words carrying my spirit, passion, persona bypassed all her natural resistance and… melted her heart!

So what’s this all got to do with copywriting? Well a massive amount really; the point I’m trying to uncover here is that you reveal your very personality through every single word you write… even if there are some aspects you’d rather not show to others, especially prospects or clients. Each little copywriting ‘word boat’ is saturated with an invisible (to you but not your readers), almost DNA like substance which betrays who you really are to everyone who reads what you write.

Eek! Kinda scarey…

So putting your best food forward for business doesn’t mean covering up the nasty bits and hoping folks won’t find them. Their ’sixth sense’ tells them to avoid you or do business with you because the ’substance’ leaks out from the little boats to alert them to who the real you is, whether you like it or not.

Rather, you fix what’s wrong in your business, align who and what you are with an honest decent direction and let that saturate all your future messages as you roll out your campaigns to win the world. Then your transparency will win you friends and business… you become attractive.

Never forget when your words drop through someones letter box, email box or arrive through the ether on a telephone wire folks instantly know deep in their gut whether you’re the ‘real deal’ or not.

You can’t hide it when you wrote your copy or launched into your sales pitch you filled your ‘little boat’ with who you really are, your own unique DNA … probably without even knowing it.

Think about your copywriting this way; yes you’ve got to grab attention, give the other person what they want, see things from their perspective, give them the benefits up front etc but when it comes to your USP and what makes YOU special, make sure your entire message is drenched in your unique, niche tailored, custom fitted, perfectly targeted USP… but it must be done with absolute honesty or they will know, they just will.

I remember years ago working for a photocopying company I was the best in the whole company at getting appointments yet useless at selling them if I went on an appointment; why? Because although I’d admitted it to no one including myself at the time I hated photocopiers (they are so boring) and the people could instantly tell that when I spoke about them.

On the other hand I loved getting appointments for the company (I secretly hoped the boss would send the other ‘good reps’ on the calls) and that’s why I did so well at setting them, people were instantly turned on by my words down the phone to them because I was passionate about lead generation.

My boats were full to to the top with unique ‘Dave Alstonness!’ and people loved it so they set appointments with me.

You also need to be special, unique, different for someone to do business with you these days because folks can so easily go somewhere else at the click of a mouse align your business with who you really should be.

Ensure every word you say, or write is filled to the brim with the right spirit and true integrity and allow the ’sea’ to carry each ‘little boat’ directly into every single heart you target. You’ll be amazed at what happens.

Make no mistake, in these increasingly impersonal and troubled times people value enriching business ‘partnerships’ they can rely on and will give them their business. But you’ll only get them by targeting the heart… and they’ll only let you in if they can instantly sense they can trust you.

People want to know you care they’ll sense it instantly; good or bad, when your ‘word ship’ arrives whether you want them to or not. So why not examine all your words verbal and written from how your small business answers the phone, your voice mails, your sales letters, autoresponder messages, right through to your web site content? Replace defective words with heart to heart communication instead.

Check if your communications really are brimming with the good stuff you want others to see in your business when they get word from you. Don’t send them containers full of refuse with your good companies name on it without even realising it. The world’s got too much of it already… spam. Send out a little fleet of ‘word ships’ filled with gold to make peoples lives better instead.

That’s just one tiny copywriting secret I’ve gleaned so far from the Indian Mystics. Keep your eyes peeled for the next article it’s ‘The Indian Rope Trick’.

About The Author

Dave Alston is the Author of กRevealed: The Hidden Truth About Web Designก and owner of http://www.aceofwebs.com small business web success driven by crystal clear copywriting. Subscribe to his กAce Tipsก marketing RSS feed by copying and pasting http://www.aceofwebs.co.uk/rss/wprss2.php into your RSS Reader.

This article was posted on December 15, 2004

by Dave Alston

Keeping It Real: The Only Copywriting Trick That W

Keeping It Real: The Only Copywriting Trick That Works

by: Robert Warren

Much of todayกs accepted copywriting wisdom comes from old books written for a different, quieter world.
For most of the twentieth century, widely promoting a successful message was expensive and difficult, requiring control of significant resources and substantial time commitments. Though the general public was more trusting and open to suggestion, more effort was required to reach them. Until the midnineties, marketing was generally a money game: whoever could afford the loudest message often sold the most product.
The information age and the Internet in particular changed all that.
Today, your competitors aren’t the other businesses providing similar services: they are the millions of voices screaming at the top of their lungs, desperate for attention. They are the vast seas of noise the four billion websites that are of no interest to your prospects, the commercials that don’t relate to them, the telemarketing calls that still interrupt their dinner despite new laws. Your competitors are everyone and everything that pushes the general public into apathy, desensitized by information overload.
Creative and pushy techniques don’t work when a million other people are doing the same thing. The battle today is not to make people listen, but to convince them that you are worth listening to. While authenticity has always been a good strategy, now it is the entire game.
To write truly effective marketing copy, you must go beyond the buzzwords, slogans and pitches, to get to the secrets that make your business unique and credible:
Challenge your own assumptions about your clients and their needs. It is easy to fall into the trap of limiting your market with faulty assumptions. Take a hard look at your current marketing efforts who do you think your clients are, and why do you think that? Gather as much information about your clients as possible and challenge any beliefs you hold that are not based on solid evidence. Never assume that common wisdom is actually true it often isn’t.
Question the quality and value of your own services. People do not buy things; they buy values. Take a fresh look at the value of what you offer, and what makes that value attractive to prospects and clients. Question it: explore new areas where your services would be useful, and new ways that you can improve their relevance. Dig deep to learn what you are really selling and what it truly means.
Embrace your flaws as well as your strengths. None of us are perfect, but most attempt to disguise or deny their flaws by overcompensating in marketing. Flaws are relative things, and weakness in one area is often the result of strength in another. Don’t disguise your flaws simply present them positively. Brainstorm ways to turn your weaknesses to your advantage.
Ask yourself is your marketing driving you to higher standards, or disguising lower ones? Effective marketing is never about the status quo; it is either a growth vehicle or a means of damage control. Which are you doing? Are you promoting yourself based on valid strengths, or are you trying to cover up apparent weaknesses? If your marketing does not inspire you to serve your clients better, it won’t inspire prospects to become new ones.
In a world of noise and manipulations, your prospects crave simplicity and integrity. Honestly approaching these issues will result in a wealth of unique material for your advertising efforts, as well as new insights into your own business.
Retire the tricks and gimmicks they don’t work anymore and probably never will again. If you want to attract and keep clients, use the only copywriting trick worth learning: reality.

About The Author

Robert Warren (http://www.rswarren.com) is a professional marketing copywriter and editorial consultant, specializing in promoting experts and independent professionals with the power of the written word. His offices are based in Orlando, Florida.

[email protected]

This article was posted on June 16, 2004

by Robert Warren