Copywriting Solutions

Killer Sales Letters - Pressing the Hot Button!

2010-07-15T03:38:00.000-07:00

Selecting the right words is critical to the success of the sales copy. Salespeople and Network Marketing members aptly call it “pressing the hot buttons”.
   You will want to do the same for your own sales letter because it will be doing all the selling for you!
   Recent research conducted at Yale University found 12 words that are the most personal and persuasive words in our language! Be sure to use as many of them as possible!
   Here are six of them.
1. You
Notice something? It is “you” and not “I”. You see, the salesletter is about solving your prospect’s problem, not yours. You simply provide the solution. And when you write in terms of“you”, not only does it become more personal, you shift thefocus of importance and limelight onto your prospect rather than blatantly talk away or praising yourself.

2. Discovery
Sometimes, your prospect may perceive a problem he is facing as “cannot be solved” - he/she wishes, “I hope there is a solution” or subconsciously thinking, “It would be nice if someone had already discovered it”. Thus “discover” or“discovery” is a powerful hot button to press and use in your sales letter. For example, if you are facing a situation with your spouse and fear that if the divorce is granted, you would have to part with 50% of your asset, you would probably wish there were a way to stop your divorce. What if I told you that I have discovered a way? Sure, you would jump on that!

3.Safety
Most people are not risk-takers by nature, thus safety and security are appealing to them. When you especially recommend a tangible product or service, you can automatically put a seal of assurance by letting your prospect know that it is safe to use or 100% tested.

4. Money
Money, money, money – this is yet another hot button to press on! Let’s face it, we are all interested in money, whether we admit it or not. Words such as “make money”,“save money” and “multiply the amount of money you already have” are hot buttons you can easily press..

5. Proven
You want to convince your prospect that your product or service is already proven and tested before being brought to the online public. It would really scare most people if they found out that they were the first to test at their own risk of time and money. If you lose the sale, you know why!

6. Results
No matter how high your claims about your product or service in your sales pitch, your prospect would only find you spewing hot air without the results. So, you showcase your testimonials. Even better, you showcase your own results which you have personally found with your own product or service. Examples of results are:
“I have lost 22kg in three weeks!”
“I have made $1,031.00 withDEF program!” and
“With JKL Software, I have saved 3.5 hours every day in writing and submitting my articles to directories!"

More words in next post! Plus more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy at Bizwrite!

Writing Killer Sales Letters - AIDA is not old hat!

2010-07-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Attention - Interest - Desire - Action. You may be tired of hearing this formula. But top copywriters still use it - so you ignore it at your peril!

Grab Attention.

This, of course, is about your headline. Go back over everything we said about headlines, and remember once again that if it does not GRAB your prospect’s attention, the rest of the letter is a waste of time. If you are sending the letter as a mailer, remember many people open their mail standing by the bin. Speaking for myself, a sales letter gets only the briefest of glances before being dropped in the bin. That’s how much time you have to attract the reader’s interest!
     If you are doing an online sales letter, just think of the many distractions your reader might have. The baby crying – the doorbell ringing – the phone ringing – having to collect the kids from school – the sun shining outside … You have to COMPEL your reader to pay attention to your letter.
     Imagine your target prospect sitting across the table. Suppose it’s a female who might be interested in your weight-loss product, but she is engrossed in a TV program or a magazine. What do you say about your product to get her attention? Write that down!

Arouse Interest
OK, you’ve got her attention, but then her eyes begin to drift back to the TV or her magazine. What do you say about your product to KEEP her attention? Write that down! Enlarge on the benefit TO HER. Be personal. Make her see you are really interested in her and you understand her problem.
     Your first sentence could be a question, like “Why aren’t YOU earning $50,000 in your spare time?” Or it could be designed to intrigue, such as “Today you had an idea that could make you millions. And you didn’t even notice it!”
     Remember, even if the reader’s attention has been attracted by the headline, it could still fade if the beginning of the body copy fails to hook. So DON’T waste time on a warm-up paragraph – get straight to the point.

Create Desire
Ram home the benefits of your offer. Include as many benefits as possible, as near as possible to the beginning of your letter. Benefits are what the product can do for your customer, not how much time you took to produce it or what brilliant techniques were used.

· Be as specific as possible with your benefits. Instead of saying “Your customers will love our new computer game” say “Earn $2,000 from every sale!”

· Use bullet points, bold type, highlighting etc., to emphasize points that need emphasizing. But don’t overdo it – too much emphasis is counter-productive.

· Use sub-headlines, which definitely help to get your letter read. This makes it easy for the “skimming” reader. Many people “skim” with one finger on the trigger – make sure they get the essence of your message. Follow the same rules as for headlines. Make them convey a benefit and make them interesting enough to compel the reader to read the text that follows them.

· Always include at least one P.S. to reinforce the main benefits in your letter, especially an off-line sales letter. Everyone who writes sales letters agrees that a P.S. increases effectiveness, though it is not really clear why.

· Use endorsements or testimonials wherever possible. If you don’t have anything suitable, offer a few free samples of your product in return for answering a questionnaire.

· Make sure you provide a cast-iron money-back guarantee – decide what period of time this will be for – 30 days, 3 months or whatever. Although this will attract some freebie-seeking refund requests, it means an overall increase in sales. Look in your swipe file for examples of guarantees. There is an art to writing a guarantee so it will be quicker and more effective for you to see how other people do it!

Initiate Action
Be VERY clear about what single action you want your readers to take and make it VERY easy for them to take it. DON’T offer them the choice of more than one action. In the case of sales letters, the action is usually to buy the product. If you want them to buy your product, CLEARLY ASK FOR THE SALE.
     Eliminate distractions like external links. Give them only ONE way to proceed – to your order form.
     Before you close the sale, remind your readers what will happen if they don’t act. Remind them of their problems and make them feel the pain of not solving them. Then remind them how good it would be if they had your product. Once you’ve emphasized the gap between their current situation and their desired state, ask for the order.
     Highlight reasons why they should act right away. It is well known that if they put it off, most people will forget or the interest will evaporate. Emphasize that stocks are limited or offer special bonuses for early ordering.
     Make it absolutely clear how to get to the order page and offer several alternative ways to pay. If it is an off-line mailer, make absolutely sure you provide an order form including your name and address and providing space for customers to write theirs. Offer as many different ways to pay as possible, including credit card if you possibly can.

Of course every letter is different. But keep this basic formula in mind and you WILL succeed. More tips and tricks about writing compelling copy in future posts and at Bizwrite!

Writing Killer Salesletters - CONNECT with your Customer!

2010-07-11T02:56:00.000-07:00

Writing salesletters is one of the most important things you will have to do as a copywriter. But a sales letter HAS TO SELL! How?
   Have you ever read a book or article and immediately felt a powerful connection with the author? As if the author was writing directly to YOU?
   Have you ever read a salesletter that made you feel like that?
   For me, very seldom. But when I DO come across such a letter, I find myself pulling out my credit card. Almost as if I had no choice!
   Here's the simple secret to wielding that kind of power.
   Before you try to SELL to your readers, meet them where they are!
   What do I mean by this?
   Show them that you can see the world through their eyes. That you understand their feelings, that you're aware of their problems, fears, hopes and desires!
   You can't fake this. You can only only show them all these things if you GENUINELY enter into their problems.
   Think about your own relationships. NOTHING creates a bond between two people faster than sharing something in common, especially a common pain or frustration.
   Now - when you can show your customers that you see the world from where they are standing, that you can feel what they feel, the frustrations and struggles that they are going through, then you can easily lead them to the solution. And the solution is what you are selling!
   Why do you think personal stories and testimonials work so well to sell products? Because the customers RELATE to the people in the stories. If you have personally gone through the same problems and challenges and can use your own personal story, that's even better. (That's why those 'rags to riches' stories shift moneymaking products so well.)
   So take your mind OFF your product and concentrate on your customer. Only that way will your prospects be interested in what you have to say!
   But do that and you'll create instant rapport! Your salesletter will take on a MAGNETIC quality. It will COMPEL your customers to buy from you, and leave your competition in the dust!
   Lots of earlier posts such as 11-14 June are really relevant to sales letter writing so do go back and take a look. And of course don't forget to visit us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy.

Writing KIller Sales Letters - Your Salesletter is Your Sales Person

2010-07-08T02:32:00.000-07:00

Your Sales Letter is Your Sales Person

Your sales letter is your virtual sales person. Your sales letter does all the selling on your behalf to your prospects.

Unlike conventional and direct response marketing businesses, there is no need for you to train and recruit multiple sales people. All of your efforts should focus on creating a powerful sales letter that produces a minimum 2-4 percent conversion rate on your behalf, and better later on.

In other words, for every 100 prospects you refer or visit your web page, 2-4 of them will be your customers. After that, you just provide the marketing and draw in targeted prospects to visit your sales letter and it will do all the selling to your prospects for you.

Your sales letter is like a personal letter from you to your prospect. In your letter, you tell and convince your prospect to buy your product or access to service from you.

You have probably already got a great idea for a product, now you will need to have the following in order to churn out a sales letter that kills:

1. Good writing skills. Since you will be writing your own sales copy, you will need to have good writing skills and a good command of English, at least. Note however, that there is a big difference between best-writing and bestselling. More on that in future posts.

2. Personality.Yes, you need personality. You will be writing a personal letter from you to your prospects so be friendly and approachable in your letter. Don’t write a stiff letter, because not only is it boring to read, you turn people away from your web page faster than Speedy Gonzalez! Mix your writing skills with personality, and you will make a perfect sales letter that kills!

And last but not least, you need…
3. To take action! There is a wealth of information on how you can write your own killer sales copy staring at you – don’t waste it all by not doing anything with the information!
Got it? Now, let’s get started.

Lots of earlier posts such as 11-14 June are really relevant to sales letter writing so do go back and take a look. And of course don't forget to visit us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy

Power Copywriting: Seven Sure-Fire Headlines

2010-07-05T04:35:00.000-07:00

Headlines range from "hit-you-in-the face" to more understated ones that don't appear like a headline at all.
Your headline gets noticed when it appeals to the reader's interests. You must use your headline to point out a difficulty the reader has or something you know the reader feels powerfully about.

This is the last post on headlines and is intended to sum up the last few posts.

Seven Sure-Fire Headlines

1. Ask a Question. "Are you worried about becoming fat and flabby?" A question headline forces the reader to answer in her mind. You mechanically get the prospect involved in your message.
2. Begin your headline with "How to." "How to lose 15 pounds in 3 weeks." People love information that illustrates how to do something valuable.
3. Provide a testimonial. The advice of a satisfied customer can act as a catalyst in pursuing others to buy from you.
4. Issue a command. Some traditional headlines order readers to "Aim High" and "Move Ahead” and so on. Turn your most significant benefit into a strong headline.
5. Significant news makes a good headline. This especially works well for huge changes in your organization or the introduction of savvy new products.
6. Headline a last date for a special offer. Most of us are always too busy and tend to put off taking action. "Save Money Now" and "Get Bonus If You Buy Now” offer augment response.
7. FREE offers often draw the greatest response. There is a myth that wealthy or professional customers are turned off by free offers. This is not accurate at all. Just customize your free offer so as to match the style of your customers or industry.

REMEMBER:
Prospects are always hard-pressed for time. They are barraged with hundreds of ads, sales letters, postcards, and commercials every day. They tend to tune out any advertising message that looks like it will take quite long to figure out. Headlines help them decide. So focus on them.

Sales letters and web copy are the most likely areas where you will need to use headlines. Those two places are where we are going next.

Meanwhile, don't forget to visit us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy

Powerful Killer Headlines - the Guarantee Headline

2010-07-01T03:52:00.000-07:00

We are looking at more steps to power copy, or to writing compelling copy. In this post we are looking at other kinds of killer headline besides the benefit headline (which is still the no.1 attention grabber).

But another very effective type of headline is the GUARANTEE HEADLINE.

That is, a headline that contains a guarantee right there in the headline, instead of OR as well as further down in the copy.. It can be an effective way of gaining trust and credibility with your target market.

These headlines are particularly useful when you are offering a guarantee that is unheard of in your industry.

• Are You Tired Of Throwing Away Your Hard Earned Time And Money On A New
Garden That Is Impossible To Keep Under Control? Here’s A New Way To Solve
All Your Garden Problems… 100% Guaranteed!

• Hands That Look Lovelier In 24 Hours – Or Double Your Money Back!

• Announcing A New Technologically Advanced Lap Top Computer That You Can Never Drop, Never Smash, And Never Lose… 100% Guaranteed!

• Double Your Appointments In 30 Days Or I’ll Pay You $500 Cash!

• The “Art Of Negotiating” Guarantees To Make You A Better Negotiator!

• Yep, I’ll Teach You How To Make More Money Than You’ve Ever Dreamt
Possible – Or I’ll Give You Your Fee Back Plus A Ten Dollar “Penalty” Right Out
Of My Pocket!

• The Missing Link – Never-Released Original SEAL Training Guaranteed To
Skyrocket Your Fighting Skills!

• Quick Turn Real Estate Expert Reveals Secrets To Making $117,000 In Cold Hard
Cash… In 12 Months Or Less Using A 100% Guaranteed Program!

Come and see us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy

Power Copywriting: Killer Headlines - The Testimonial Headline

2010-06-30T03:54:00.000-07:00

Up to now we've been concentrating on the Benefit headline. This is certainly the type that's guaranteed to grab your reader's attention.

But there are other types of headline that can be very effective and now we will look at some of these. First, the Testimonial Headline.

The TESTIMONIAL HEADLINE uses a powerful customer testimonial right inside the headline, instead of, or as well as, further down the copy.

This adds credibility to what you are claiming. Testimonials from someone well known and respected by the target market are the most powerful. Testimonials from unknown persons are not quite as powerful, but still very effective.

• The Results Were Phenomenal! We Took In Over $1,895,000.00 (Yes, Almost Two Million Dollars!!!) On This Single Promotion!
Eileen & T.J. Rohleder, M.O.R.E. Inc., Goesell, Kansas

• I Was Hesitant To Get My Building Supplies From Johnson Brothers – After All, All Tool Dealers Have The Same Pitch. But I’ve Come To Find Johnson Brothers To Be All They Say And More. I’ve Saved $32,516 With Them This Year Alone. That Says Everything!
Scott Williams, Williams Construction, Sydney NSW

• I Was Held Hostage For 4 Days By The Sharpest Minds In Direct Mail. And When It Was Over I Didn’t Want To Leave. I Had learnt The Ultimate Skill… How To Make Real Money Anytime, Anywhere. All My Fears About Not Knowing What To Do Were Gone. By Day Four, I Had The Formula Down; I knew How To Do It Right, And Even Before I Got Home From The Seminar, I Had Started A Major Direct Mail Project Which May End Up Earning Me $20,000 This Month!
Dan Reynolds, Harrison, Arkansas

Come and see us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy!

Power Copywriting - Tips for More Effective Headlines

2010-06-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

To sum up the last few posts, here are 16 tips for writing effective headlines!

1.Deliver your main message immediately. You only have 1 to 3 seconds to lure serious prospects with your headline.

2. Use benefit-oriented headings at the top of every ad or marketing communication. Never use this most valuable space to announce your company name. Even the most basic, benefit-oriented headline will command more attention than a name, unless the name itself conveys a strong, unique benefit.

3. Grab your target prospect by the jugular. Don’t beat around the bush. Reach out daringly, provocatively and directly in a way that’s impossible to overlook.

4. Make your headline tempting, teasing, and tantalizing. Touch a nerve in your prospect. Generate a headline that’s difficult to resist.

5. Think benefits. Benefits are helpful or useful advantages that are clearly spelled out for the prospect. A good headline strategy to use is to deliver the biggest, most unique and desirable benefit possible. The strongest benefit you can isolate is prime headline material.

6. Keep it clear and concise. Refine… rewrite… reduce… and otherwise modify until you have your headline down to a brief statement with an unmistakable message. Craft a handful of words that resonate with your prospect. Most people today prefer information in quick, easy to digest, bite-size pieces.

7. Compose your headline with an understanding of the sheer volume of competing messages that are all vying for the same prospect’s attention. You want people to perk-up… to pay attention to your message… so you need to develop a headline that advertising-weary eyes will find appealing. Entice prospects into the rest of your message with a riveting opener.

8. Consider it an “ad for an ad”, a line or two you run at the top of a display ad or marketing piece to lure attention. In effect, your targeted headline says this, “Here’s something important, unique and of value to you, dear prospect. Pay attention here or you’ll miss out”.

9. Stick to a single, coherent idea or concept. Focus on one powerful thought that is easily understood and absorbed in an instant. Think of your headline as a “grabber” that must be compelling enough to interrupt the busy person and get him or her to notice your message. Your headline does the job when an otherwise indifferent reader is pulled into the body of your message. One strong idea is all you can expect busy people to grasp in a quick glance.

10. Summarize your main selling message as a headline. Readers should get the gist of what your entire message is about by reading headlines and sub-headings only. By offering your strongest selling point up-front, you help attract prospects who are genuinely interested and you’ll help turn away the “tire-kickers”.

11. Capture attention quickly. The single, most important task of any headline is to get noticed. One way to get noticed is to stand out from the crowd. Think of your ad as a telegraphic communication, conceived for the purpose of attracting qualified attention from the maximum number of prospects. Your headline needs to hit hard and hit fast.

13. Beware of making statements that others could easily claim as their own. Generic benefits that others offer are too common to be effective. Add an original twist with a specific promise or result.

14. Convert facts into meaningful prospect benefits. Avoid headlines that are mere factual statements about a product or service. The facts are only features and features by themselves, don’t sell. True prospects are attracted by what those facts mean. It’s the sizzling benefits and mouthwatering descriptions that pull larger audiences.

15. Be upbeat and positive. Paint a bright future. Offer workable solutions that provide hope and inspiration. Avoid gloomy, negative headlines. Raise the spirits of your audience with an upbeat approach.

16. Simplify your message so it’s easy to grasp. Don’t force people to stop and think about what it is you’re trying to say, or you’ll quickly lose the audience!

Come and see us at Bizwrite for loads more tips and tricks about writing compelling copy!

Power Copywriting - Get Your Headline Read!

2010-06-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

Your copywriting is about MARKETING! Never forget this. So there's no point in crafting clever-clever headlines if they don't get read!

A leading professor at the Institute for Direct Marketing at Munich once conducted a famous live experiment as part of the Institute's research into headlines. He found there are some words that encourage people to read the headline, called REINFORCERS, and words that put people off reading it, called FILTERS.

The most powerful reinforcer is the word YOU. This lets readers know there's something in it for them!

Conversely, the strongest filter word is the word "I". This gives readers the message that the headline is about someone else, not them.

It has been proved that headlines containing as many reinforcer words as possible attract much higher readership than those containing filter words. So try to use as many reinforcer words as possible in your headlines. and as few filter words.

Apart from the word YOU, the other really effective reinforcer word is the word FREE. When readers catch a glimpse of the word FREE, greed takes over and they can't resist reading on to see what's in it for them.

There are more proven reinforcer words, the most powerful including:

Yours
Now
Who
Secrets
How
Fast
Money
Save
Why
New
Easy
Announcing
At last

There's plenty more to say about headlines! But meanwhile don't forget to come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy!

Power Copywriting - The Benefit Headline

2010-06-26T05:10:00.000-07:00

The problem so many people have is that they find it difficult to distinguish between BENEFITS and FEATURES.

If you're selling a car, no matter how large, sleek and shiny the car may be, THIS IS NOT A BENEFIT. It's a FEATURE. The benefit may be comfort, or how much your friends and neighbours will be impressed or envious! Even if it has a powerful engine or a 5-litre capacity, these are FEATURES, not benefits. The benefits may be easy and relaxed driving, how quickly you can get from A to B, or again, how much others will be impressed!

As has been said several times before, before writing ANYTHING, you must KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER. Only by knowing your customer will you be able to judge which benefits will grab their attention. These are what you put in your headlines.

Benefit headlines are most effective when the benefit referred to is SPECIFIC and MEASURABLE.

• Make More Money Faster With This New Cash Generating Computer Marketing System!

• Want To Spend More Time Making Money In Your Business Than Doing The Books? This New Accounting Package Will Save You At Least 2 Hours A Month… 100% Guaranteed!

• Dry Up Your Hay fever In 15 Minutes

• Yes, You Too Can Learn To Create Beautiful Crafts With Ease!

• $11,600 A Month With Tiny Classified Ads! You Can Do It Too, Once You
Discover These Insider Secrets!

• Experience The Kind Of Profound Pleasurable Sex Most Men Only Dream About!

• Sexy Hair In Minutes!

• They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano, But When I Played…

• Let Me Show You How I Made Over $109,305.20 In Only Seven months Using My Top Secret Free Advertising System

There's plenty more to say about headlines. Meanwhile don't forget to come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy!

Writing Compelling Copy - Let Go Of The Product!

2010-06-24T03:54:00.000-07:00

Many copywriters have a hard time getting hold of one of the most vital concepts of writing compelling copy: selling the BENEFITS. Why is it so hard to get hold of? Because to sell the BENEFIT, you have to LET GO OF THE PRODUCT.

I know it's hard to grasp, because from your own point of view, you are selling a product. But you must remember that the prospective customers are not actually interested in the product, they are interested in WHAT IT CAN DO FOR THEM.

Just think back to when you last bought any product, online or offline. Why did you buy it? Because of its size, colour, measurements or technical specifications? Or because of what it could DO FOR YOU?

Of course, the features of the product are important, in that they can differentiate it from competing products. But they are not what the customer is buying. The customer is buying the benefits arising from these features. So you must be speciific - identify the benefits then TURN THEM INTO FEATURES.

Last week I bought a new hosepipe for the garden. I bought a 100 foot hosepipe to replace the 50 foot one I had before. Why? Because my old hosepipe didn't reach to the bottom of the garden. This was a PROBLEM I had. The 100 foot length of the hosepipe is a feature, but this wasn't what I was buying - I was buying a SOLUTION to my PROBLEM!

Your copywriting, and especially your headline, has to reach into the heart of your reader, has to CONNECT with them on a visceral, "feeling" level, has to strike a responsive chord. Otherwise they won't respond. And you won't do this with highlighting features.

More on benefits in headlines in the next post, but don't forget to come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy.

Power Copywriting - BENEFITS not Features

2010-06-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

The last post on headlines stressed that the most likely headline to GRAB attention is: The major benefit your customer gets from the product. For more on Benefits, check the June 12, 2010 post.

Remember your customer only cares about how your product can make their life easier or better... or how you can solve a crucial, nagging problem they have... or how you can
help them achieve a goal they desperately desire.

So why fool around with anything else? Use your headline to drive your advertising stake directly through the heart of your customer's most critical needs. It's simple and it works like wildfire.

The following headline is from a sales letter for the Lifecycle:

Now you can cut your exercise time in half – risk-free for 30 days!
Plus receive a $199 home gym absolutely FREE –
No obligation!

Let's take a look at what kind of promises the advertiser is using in this headline and subhead. First, they concentrate on the major benefit "cut your exercise time in half."

Then they kick in another benefit, a "risk-free 30-day trial."

The subhead makes another powerful promise:
A bonus of a $199 home gym absolutely FREE.
They worked FREE into their promise too – a powerful motivator.

Now, let's take a look at one more example.

How To Sell Much More Of Your Software And Eliminate Your Two Worst Headaches!
....Now an ace copywriter (who is also a former software engineer) can kick your sales
into high gear – and make your life a whole lot easier at the same time

This example demonstrates how focusing on the key benefit and offering the solution to a critical problem makes a powerful combination. Also, notice how the subhead speaks directly to making the reader's life easier.

More on benefits in headlines in the next post, but don't forget to come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy.

Power Copywriting - the Attention-Grabbing Headline!

2010-06-20T03:02:00.000-07:00

Imagine you are stranded on a rocky shoreline - the tide is coming in fast and your only hope is to attract the attention of a low-flying aircraft or a search helicopter. You have to construct an attention-grabbing message in huge letters on the sand. What would you write?

Something that would make it absolutely clear what you needed! Something like "Help! Save Me!" might do the trick.

Would you write a joke, a pun or a clever play on words? I don't think so! You have just seconds to catch the attention of a potential rescuer. Anything that failed to get your message across in the clearest possible way, would be a dreadful waste of that amazing opportunity.

Yet would you believe that this is a mistake made by more than 90 per cent of advertisers, when writing their all-important headline? Just see for yourself - look through the ads in your newspaper or magazine, or visit a few web sites at random. The headline may be clever, but it gives no clue as to what the ad is actually about or what it promises.

Just like your stranded victim, you have 5-10 seconds AT MOST to give your visitor a compelling reason why they should continue reading the rest of your copy. If you fail to do this, YOU'VE LOST THEM!

And what is the promise that is most like to keep them reading? The anwer is: THE MAJOR BENEFIT YOUR CUSTOMER WILL GET FROM YOUR PRODUCT.

The subject of benefits is a very important one and will be dealt with in the next post. But meanwhile here is a collection of successful headlines to get you started!
http://www.bizwrite.co.uk/headlineideas.html
And don't forget to come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy.

Persuasive Website Copy: How do I Use My Keywords?

2010-06-19T02:50:00.000-07:00

So - you now have your list of keywords. Keywords that are as competitive as possible - that is, that have reasonably high search levels, but not too many competing results so you have a reasonable chance of appearing near the top. (However, if you are selling a particular brand, by all means use that as a keyword - even if not many people are searching for it, those who do type it into the search engine are absolutely targeted.)
Similarly if you are marketing a particular book - use its title as your main keyword - so people who arrive at your page will se exactly what they are looking for.

So what now?

When writing website copy, use the keyword as many times as possible, right?
WRONG!

This is called "keyword stuffing". “Stuffing” means putting your keyword far too often, in order to try to get your site or article ranked high in the search engines for that keyword.

So you get sentences like: “When your small business is ready for a small business start-up, your small business should get the best small business resources for a small business start-up.”

In the first place, this clearly sounds ridiculous. If all your website copy is like this, nobody will read it. In the second place, far from impressing the search engines, it will get you BANNED! Their spiders are very clever and can easily detect keyword stuffing.

You should aim for a keyword frequency of between 5% and 8% of your total copy. Certainly have your main keyword near the beginning and near the end, but otherwise have them spread out throughout your copy - not more than once, or at the most twice, in each paragraph. And weave them into your writing so that it sounds natural. Remember, you want real people to read your copy as well as search engines!

And, of course, you need to have your keyword in your HEADLINE! We'll start discussing headlines in the next post.

Meanwhile, come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy! Or to find out all the ways we can help you. And don't forget to let us know any questions you'd like dealt with in this blog, or anything you don't agree with!

Writing Website Copy - the Rights and Wrongs of Keywords

2010-06-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

In the last post we saw that writing website copy is a special skill you need to learn. A really vital skill if you want to make your website a success. And one of the most vital aspects is: getting your use of keywords right.

First, you need to know which keywords to concentrate on. You presumably know that keywords are the search terms that people type in to search engines, when they want to find a product or an answer to a problem. So, you need to use these search terms in your website copy, otherwise nobody will find your site.
But: how do you choose which search terms to use? If your site is selling golf equipment, you could use the phrase "golf equipment". That is probably the most frequently searched term by people wanting that kind of product. But, unfortunately, it will almost certainly have literally millions of results that come up on the search engine. So your chances of getting highly placed for that search term are very poor. It's well known that very few people keep looking beyond the first five or six pages at most, so if you are on page 146 your chances of anybody finding you are virtually zero. So that search term is too general.
You really want to use much more specific terms, like "golf fairway woods", "ladies golf set", "junior golf set". Or you can use specific brand names in your copy, if you think people will search for them. The trick is, to use a keyword tool, e.g. the free Google adword tool, to identify the most competitive terms, balancing number of searches against the amount of competition. The main point of using very specific terms is that your visitors will be targeted - that is, they will be looking for EXACTLY what you are offering. (But make sure you ARE offering what you use in your keywords).

So, having decided on your most advantageous keywords to bring people to your site, how do you actually use them in your copy? That is what we shall be looking at in the next post.

Come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy! Or to find out all the ways we can help you.

Writing Website Copy - What's Different?

2010-06-17T02:48:00.000-07:00

Is writing website copy anything special? Is it different from other types of copywriting?

Copywriting is just copywriting, whether it's online or offline, right?

Wrong.

Of course, there are lots of principles that apply to all copywriting, and many of them are explained in this blog. But there are at least three important reasons why website copy is different.

Internet users are active, not passive. People looking at a TV ad don't have much control over what they are watching, unless they want to switch off the TV. Internet users are usually sitting with a finger on the mouse button. They can click away from a site as easily as they arrived at it. You have seconds to capture their interest - if you don't, they will leave.
There are thousands and thousands of web sites. Whatever the site is about, there will be loads of others on the same topic. If a person is looking at an ad on a billboard, a TV ad or a piece of direct mail, it will be the only one on that topic at that moment. When writing website copy you have to make an offer that is compelling enough to convince visitors that yours is the site they are looking at. Look back at the previous post to learn more about how to make a compelling offer.
The most important reason why internet copywriting is different - how did the visitor arrive at your site? Almost certainly, via a search engine. In other words, they have typed in keywords. The keywords represent the problem they have or the solution they are looking for. When they arrive at your site, they have to see at once that it addresses their problem or provides the solution they are seeking. And this means that you can't get away from the importance of keywords. Of course there are right and wrong ways to use keywords and we will say more about this in the next post.

Come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy! Or to find out all the ways we can help you.

Persuasive Website Copywriting - the Offer is Everything!

2010-06-16T03:54:00.000-07:00

A great copywriter called Bob Serling taught me this. And it's true. I promise that if you master this one simple concept alone, you can easily double or triple your sales. Bob is one of the greatest masters of persuasive website copywriting - and writing powerful copy of all kinds. So if you want his kind of success, listen to what he says!

In today's marketplace, your offer is the most important component of your advertising. Or, put another way, the "deal" is everything.

Bob said he attributed the majority of the success he'd had to his ability to craft an extremely potent offer. And I can testify that this is true for me, too.

Always develop, refine, and perfect your offer before you do anything else with your ads, sales letters, or web marketing.

In fact, I'll take it one step further: I know this might sound highly simplistic – even too good to be true. But I'll let you in on the greatest marketing secret you could ever hope to learn!

You can virtually write your own ticket by becoming an expert at creating powerful, compelling offers.

Here's why: In today's marketplace, prospects and customers are saturated with advertising material. Television, radio, magazines, newspapers, the Internet, billboards, movie theaters, grocery stores, and many other sources bombard us all on a daily basis with more advertising than you can possibly absorb.

What does this mean? It means your customers are almost immune to advertising. It barely registers any more.

The way to cut through this saturation layer and overcome your prospects' resistance is to make an offer that is (1) so compelling, and(2) so believable, it stops them in their tracks.

So, when you sit down to create copy, for yourself or someone else, slave over the offer. Once you've come up with an offer you feel will be successful, put it aside for a few hours. Then edit it and reedit it. Then put it aside until the following day.

The following day, edit and re-edit the offer yet again.

The objective of this entire process is to come up with an offer that's so exciting, nobody can resist reading the rest of your copy.

Your offer can't leave anything to the imagination. Every aspect must be totally clear.
Come and visit us at Bizwrite to learn more about writing compelling copy! Or to find out all the ways we can help you.

Writing Compelling Copy - Who Says?

2010-06-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

In the previous post we talked about how essential it is to build a relationship with your customer. You will never connect with them if you don't - and connecting is what writing compelling copy is all about.

We talked about getting them to like and trust you. But there are always two sides to a relationship. And there's another aspect to getting people to listen to what you have to say.

When visitors arrive at your site, they are almost certainly total strangers to you. They have probably never heard of you. So why should they listen to you? All the other sites they have been looking at will have grand and extravagant claims about their products. So why should they believe your claims?

You have to show, not only that you are a credible person who can be trusted, but that you are an authority on your subject - that you know what you're talking about. You can't afford to be modest. Mention any books or e-books you have written, articles you have published, other related products you've sold successfully. Your aim is to impress them, so don't hold back.

What's more, you have to show that you genuinely believe in your product. You do this by providing a no-quibble, cast-iron guarantee - for a long period. A year if you can do it. The words "no-quibble, cast-iron guarantee" have become a bit of a cliche, but you must really mean them. If a product has a guarantee lasting two weeks and is hedged around with all sorts of ifs and buts, what impression does that give? It sounds as though the seller doesn't really beieve in the product and suspects that lots of buyers will be returning it. If you really believe the customer will be delighted with the product, you can afford to provide a five-star guarantee!

Come and see us at Bizwrite for more tips and tricks for writing compelling copy!

Writing Compelling Copy - Build a Relationship

2010-06-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

What is the main objective of the copy you are writing?

The objective is to get the reader to say "Yes". Or it should be. It isn't to tell them all about yourself or about how much you spent in developing your product. They don't care.

Writing compelling copy means putting the customer in the mindset to say "Yes" - that is, do do whatever you want them to do - buy your product, sign up to your newsletter or use your services.

So how do you do this? Not by giving them a sales pitch. This is more likely to make them say NO.

One of the most powerful YES secrets is that people buy from those they like, and those they trust. So get them to like and trust you.

First, you must establish a bond between yourself and them. Talk their language. You know who your target customers are - their age, gender, social class, interests, occupation (if you don't, you shouldn't be marketing!) Use the sort of language they would use, tell personal stories that show you are a real person and they you're one of them. And pay them compliments. If you show you like them, they'll like you back!

And what about trusting? DON'T say "Trust me". When someone says that to you, trusting them is the last thing you do! The best way to show you are honest is to admit to a negative. If your product is the second or third best seller, not the best seller, say so - but say you're aiming to make it the best seller! don't make up silly reasons for reducing prices. If it's because you're desperate for sales, or you're short of money, say so. You may be afraid to do this. Won't it scare people off? No it won't. It's incredibly persuasive and will make customers much more likely to believe your other claims.

Visit the Bizwrite site to find plenty more secrets of writing compelling copy. Let us know if you agree or disagree and tell us any questions you'd like us to deal with.

Writing Compelling Copy - What's Different?

2010-06-13T03:10:00.000-07:00

We saw in the last post that one of the most essential aspects of writing compelling copy - if not THE most essential - is to answer the customer's question "What's in it for ME?" This question is answered by BENEFITS, not features.

But there are other questions that the prospective customer will ask, and which you have to answer, to achieve copywriting in marketing power. Probably the foremost of these is "What's different?"

No matter what product or service you are offering, there will be dozens or even hundreds of similar products or services on the market. If you are offering it on a web site, there will be dozens or hundreds of sites offering something similar - sites which the visitor can click away to in an instant. They want to know why they should be interested in your product rather than any of the others - what gives it the edge over the others.

In other words they want to know the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) - or ESA (Essential Selling Advantage) as some call it.

So - how do you identify a Unique Selling Proposition to distinguish a product from its competition, when all the products are apparently identical?

Well, they are only identical if you can’t find a unique selling point. And finding a unique selling point is your job as a copywriter.

First and foremost you need research. Research the product. List ALL its benefits. Research the competition. Spot a benefit that hasn’t been focused on.

A famous copywriter called Claude Hopkins was asked to do an ad for Schlitz beer, which at the time was the no.7 seller. While researching he was taken through the plant, and was shown a steam room where they steam-cleaned the bottles and got rid of the bacteria.

“This is fascinating!” he said. “Why don’t you feature this in your ads?”

“But all beer manufacturers do this,” they said.

He said “Well, they may do, but I didn’t know about it!”

So he built an ad campaign round the steam room, and Schlitz shot to the No.1 seller.

What kind of thing can a USP be?

A USP can be anything. It can be price. Volkswagen once had a series of TV commercials in UK for their Golf and Polo cars, focusing on price and nothing else - and it was very successful.

Target was able to build a store right next to Wal-mart because Wal-mart focuses on price and appeals to one sector of the population, while Target build a nicer store, sell nicer stuff and appeal to a different sector. So your USP can be your target consumers.

Colgate Toothpaste some years ago had an ad campaign centred on its effectiveness in getting rid of bad breath. ALL toothpastes do that. But Colgate was the only one to focus on it in its ad campaign, and this made it a top seller.

You have to find a key benefit that is unique to the market and make sure you hammer it home. And make sure your customers or visitors see it IMMEDIATELY.

This is just one of the secrets of writing compelling copy which you will find on our Bizwrite site! Visit us for plenty more!

Writing Compelling Copy - What's In It For Me?

2010-06-12T04:26:00.000-07:00

Benefits, NOT Features!

Most people consider this the absolute first rule in copywriting, advertising or marketing. Yet, astonishingly, more than 90 percent of businesses don’t seem to have grasped it. If you can really get hold of this and make it part of your work, believe me you will be well ahead of the field.

When YOU are looking at an ad or sales letter, what is always the first thing in your mind?

“What’s in it for ME?”

OK it sounds selfish. But it’s a fact of life. If it has nothing to offer YOU, your eyes move on to the next thing. And a very brief and cursory glance will answer the question – yes or no.

And today’s lesson is: Features do NOT answer the question “What’s in it for ME?” Only BENEFITS do that.

Of course, you MUST be aware of the features of whatever product you are selling. But once you have identified the features, you must turn them into BENEFITS.

Most people will not be immediately interested in your “…Kenwood’s 2-way speakers, featuring a 6½” pearl-mica injection-molded poly woofer, PEI balanced dome tweeter and a range of 2 to 40 watts RMS, and a 160-watt peak power handling. Plus they come with mounting tabs, so the speakers can be mounted in a 6¾” opening.” Describe the speakers' powerful SOUND, how they will make me FEEL – what they will do for my enjoyment of music. And of course, how they will make my friends envious!

There are so many aspects to writing compelling copy ! Look on the site to find out about our services, and keep coming back for more tips and advice.

Writing Compelling Copy: Make it Personal!

2010-06-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

Make it PERSONAL!

My copywriting teacher called this the first rule of copywriting. He quoted an actual piece of copy from a brochure about vinyl flooring, with the company name changed.

“It is continuous product development which keeps K-M products at the forefront of domestic flooring. A commitment to creating and introducing brand new ranges alongside existing top sellers maintains K-M at no1 in the vinyl flooring and carpet tiles markets. Known and respected by consumers everywhere, it is the quality name that always comes to mind when flooring is being sought and purchased. It is the winning combination of all these factors that keeps K-M ahead of the field.”

This was quoted as an example of how NOT to write copy. Apart from being dull and pedestrian, the worst crime is that it speaks to NOBODY. You must direct yourself at the market. Make it clear that you are a person and talking (yes, talking rather than writing) to a person. You must speak to “YOU” (and make sure it’s “you” SINGULAR).

To do this, you first have to build a picture in your mind of your customer. If you don't know who your customer is, you shouldn't be marketing in the first place! What is your customer's age? gender? income? social class? occupation? And of course, what are their hopes, dreams, interests, ambitions, aspirations? Once you have built up this picture, then you can speak TO that person. And the customer will think: YES! This is for ME!

If you think you might need some help with this, come and see us at http://www.bizwrite.co.uk/ for help and inspiration - and ideas!

Writing Compelling Copy: The Driving Emotion

2010-06-10T03:16:00.000-07:00

The last post was about the importance of arousing powerful emotions, when writing compelling copy.

But what do you think the most powerful emotion is?

Would it surprise you to know that people are driven more by the fear of loss, than by the hope of gain? Research has shown this clearly.

In a recent experiment, a company selling home insulation sent out two different mailing letters. One focussed on how much per month the customer would save on heating bills by installing the home insulation. The other explained exactly how much per month the customers would LOSE if they didn't purchase the product.

You've guessed it - the response to the second letter was huge. It outpulled the first letter by thousands.

In my experience, you can make your copy really powerful by making the customer afraid to say 'No'! What do you think? Is this your experience too?

Come to the Bizwrite site for plenty more tips and tricks on writing compelling copy or to find out how we can help you.

Writing Compelling Copy: Speak to the Heart!

2010-06-09T04:10:00.000-07:00

We said last time that knowing your customer, and speaking to your customer's needs, is important in writing compelling copy.

But, of course, people buy what they WANT, not what they need! So customers have to WANT your product so badly, that they convince themselves that they NEED it - that their need and their want are the same thing.

If your copy is going to do this, it has to speak to the heart, not the head. Setting out all the logical reasons for buying your product won't cut it, even if they are excellent reasons. Think about the last time you responded to a promotional message, whether it was on a web site, a TV ad, or in a catalogue or brochure. You almost certainly thought "I've simply got to have that!" Maybe it was a gorgeous item of clothing. Even if you couldn't afford it, or had plenty more, you fell in love with it and convinced yourself that you needed it.

That's what writing compelling copy is about. It's easy if you can show a picture, but copywriting is about painting pictures with words. If you can use words to speak to your customers' hearts, to make them fall in love with your product, you've learned the big secret of copywriting.

Does this all seem too difficult? Visit http://www.bizwrite.co.uk/ to find out how we can help you - either to do it for you, or learn to do it yourself!

Copywriting and Marketing - Knowing Your Customer's Needs

2010-06-08T02:57:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's post we talked about the importance of copywriting in marketing. In fact, we said that copywriting is the most essential marketing tool! Maybe you don't agree with that - but if you are a marketer, try an experiment and see how long you can manage without doing any copywriting! (Or having copywriting done for you...) Whether you agree or not, do let me know your views!

Another aspect of knowing your customer, which we discussed in the previous post, is knowing your customer's needs. Every marketer - in fact any rookie marketing student - knows that it's no good creating a product or service first, and then trying to find or create a market for it. You have to find a need that already exists. If you come across a crowd of people who haven't eaten for three days, and set up a hot dog stall, you won't need much persuasion to get them to buy! Whereas if you try to convince them that they need cellphones, they might take more persuading!

However, it is a fact that sometimes potential customers don't realize they need something until you point it out! If they have a deep-down, subconscious need or desire, and your copy taps into this desire and speaks right to it, then it is really powerful, compelling copy. The customer will suddenly realize - Yes! That's what I want!

If you want know more of the secrets of writing compelling copy, or to find out how get it done for you, visit http://www.bizwrite.co.uk/