2 “Must Know” Copywriting Secrets that Guarantee Success!
Copywriters often disagree on whether a short sales piece with lots of white space is better or whether long and detailed is the way to go. The long and short of the debate is this… what type of buyer are you targeting?
There are basically 2 kinds of buyers.
1. The Impulsive Buyer
This is the kind of guy with “places to go and people to see” and not a whole lot of time to do it in. Typically, he’ll skim the headlines and subtopics, glance at the photos and captions, and make a snap decision.
2. The Analytical Buyer
This group of buyers believes that the proof is in the details. They’ll read everything… including the fine print.
It stands to reason that successful copy will address the needs of both buyers… regardless of length. Let’s look at what you need to do to reach both buyers.
How to reach….
The Impulsive Buyer
1. Use attention getting headlines and sub headlines.
2. Capitalize of graphics that enhance your message…
Photos
Captions
Varying fonts and font sizes
Shading
Use Bold Headlines
Highlight with shaded areas or bullets
The Analytic Buyer
1. Use the headlines, sub headlines, and graphics for the impulsive buyer as guides. Add the detailed information the analytic buyer needs under the proper heading, and you’ve got a winning marketing piece that is guaranteed to be successful
Inside knowledge of how your potential buyers react is the key to getting their attention… and extra income. The fact that the needs of the impulsive buyer and the analytical buyer overlaps is a bonus for you, the copywriter!
A Copywriting Lesson from Dr. Seuss
Looking for inspiration for your next marketing communication? Try the children’s bookshelf.
Dr. Seuss has entertained young (and old) audiences for nearly 50 years with titles such as The Cat in the Hat, Hop on Pop and Green Eggs and Ham.
The reason why his books remain so popular says something about what makes for good writing (and reading), no matter who or where the audience is.
Nouns and Verbs
Nothing keeps readers moving like strong noun-verb combinations. If the sentence were a train, nouns and verbs would be the engine. Adjectives, adverbs and the other parts of speech make the train longer and slower. Dr. Seuss’ sentences have strong engines pulling light loads to keep readers moving down the tracks.
Lots of Periods
A byproduct of eliminating the extraneous words is shorter sentence length. Lots of periods. Paradoxically, more sentences of shorter length increase reading speed and comprehension. Dr. Seuss, as are many children’s authors, is a champion of the short sentence.
Imagination
Albert Einstein said, “The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.” Were it not for imagination, there would be no Cat in the Hat and no Dr. Seuss. Imagination is the beginning of copywriting because first there must be an idea or concept.
Fun
Dr. Seuss’ books are fun to read. They’re funny, too, but that’s not the same thing. Fun to read is material that’s entertaining and effortless for readers, an excellent standard for all writing.
Lyrical
Dr. Seuss’ books are written in verse. Of course they’re lyrical. However, this goes beyond silly rhymes. There are a sound and rhythm to the words that, like a favorite tune, you don’t mind hearing over and over. Good writing of all varieties is pleasing to the eye and ear.
Economical
Children have short attention spans. Dr. Seuss knows how to tell a story without unnecessary detours. Every word counts. That’s good advice for all who write copy because children aren’t the only ones with short attention spans.
Memorable
This is the litmus test for all writing. Did readers take something away? Was their time well invested? The Cat in the Hat is a story about having fun, even on a rainy day. Now that’s worthwhile reading.
Basic Web Copywriting Checklist
Copywriting is one of the most important parts of internet marketing. Once you get visitors to your site, you must depend largely on your sales copy to convert the visitors into customers.
Sadly, many webmasters neglect the art of web copywriting. Copywriting truly is an art, but have a checklist of important points is also helpful. Here are some of the major components of good web copywriting.
1 – Your Headline
Does your headline grab the readers’ attention and compel them to read further? It is essential that your headline do that. Web surfers generally move about on the internet very quickly. Research says that you have a matter of seconds to catch your website readers’ attention, or they will move on. That is why your headline is so important.
2 – Your Introductory Copy
Do the first few paragraphs of your sales copy reinforce the headline, and convince readers to continue reading?
3 – Benefits
Does your sales copy sell the features or the benefits of your product or service? For example, does your site try to convince your readers that your vitamin C product is the best, or does your site try to convince your readers that your vitamin C product will give them the most health benefits?
4 – Call To Action
Does your sales copy clearly and compellingly tell your customer what action they should take after reading your website? (usually the desired action will be to buy your product)
5 – Assurances
Your prospects will only buy if they feel comfortable doing so. There are several things you can do to make them feel more comfortable buying from you, such as:
A: Displaying your picture
B: Displaying your contact data
C: A membership with the Better Business Bureau, etc
D: A Guarantee
E: A secure server logo
These 5 points are only a few of the most important parts of web copywriting. If you want to convert as many of your visitors as possible, study the art of copywriting and learn how to become a master copywriter!
Choosing a Great Copywriter
No two copywriters are the same. So how do you know you’re getting the best writer for the job? Unless you know what to look for, choosing your copywriter can be a bit of a lottery.
The truth is, copywriters range from the great to the not-so-great. Just like any other profession, there are high flyers, under-achievers, rogue traders and young pretenders. And even if you bag a top banana for your project, who’s to say they’ll gel with you? Or your product? Your style? Your chosen media?
The answer, of course, is research. Knowing what you want and sniffing it out is wiser than saying yes to the first person with a ready typing finger. But remember, a copywriter is someone who can – and should – do more than write. Their greatest asset is curiosity.
Copywriters want to know the ins and outs of every little thing. They’re fascinated by human nature, knowing how to capitalize on motivations and get inside the consumer’s head.
A good copywriter will research your market inside out, then look at you critically through your customer’s eyes. It’s their curiosity – not their way with words – that finally helps them see your business in a whole new light.
Whatever your project, this is the first quality to look for in your copywriter. Curiosity is the key to persuasion. And persuasion is the only reason copywriters exist in the first place!
So, your copywriter needs a way with words – fairly obvious! And they have to tick the curiosity box. But you still need to whittle down the field and find the one you can spark off.
Try asking yourself a few of these questions when you’re weighing up a candidate:
Who’s doing the talking? Are they listening to you or talking about themselves?
How quickly have they grasped your business? Not just your products, but also your marketplace?
Can they write passionately? About anything? Even the dullest product? If they get you excited about sprocket valves, hire them on the spot!
Have they worked in your industry and chosen media? If not, does their other work show they have a grip on your marketplace?
When you’ve chosen a suitable copywriter, you’ll know you’ve made the right choice when you start offering feedback. Professional copywriters thrive on constructive criticism – it’s a surefire way of knowing they’re heading in the right direction.
That doesn’t mean they’ll roll over and accept any changes you make, but they will keep an open mind and listen to every point of view.
When you offer feedback, however, you should see it as a two-way street. You may have to let go of some of your preconceptions. Great copywriters can realise why your current marketing isn’t working, and won’t shirk from telling you. They’ll be cruel to be kind.
But for now, these small measures should protect you against hiring the wrong person. Of course there’s no guarantee – creativity by its very nature demands that element of uncertainty.
But if hiring a copywriter really is a lottery, you should be pretty close to scooping five numbers plus the bonus ball…
Does Your Copywriting Trigger What Makes Your Visitors Buy?
You study your website stats and see the amount of traffic coming through. Nice numbers. But when you compare your traffic against your sales, what do you get? A small fraction of 1%? Wouldn’t you love to see those conversions grow? But how can you get them to buy?
The secret isn’t some magic trick or tool. But your Internet marketing is just shooting into the dark if you don’t know the needs that lead people to buy and how to focus your copywriting to tap those needs.
Two main needs drive all people no matter what the demographic: 1) a desire to expand their world and become more than what they are, and 2) a desire for safety.
These needs conflict: the desire to grow leads us to head out into the unknown; self-protection leads us to circle the wagons and dig in against unknown dangers.
Each person strikes their own balance between these two contradictory needs. Understanding the way that different personality types balance these needs is the key to effective copywriting for them.
Methodical Personality Type
The methodical personality type balances strongly toward safety. They need facts, lots of details, to assure themselves that they are making the safest, most logical choice.
Make no mistake, methodical personality types decide to buy based on their emotions like everyone else, but they feel a need to back up their desire to buy with sound intellectual arguments.
To get them to buy, your copywriting needs to help them narrow their choices. Avoid giving them too many options. They easily get lost trying to find the best option among a series of equals.
One option to offer, though, is between your plain product at a cheaper price or a more expensive price with lots of additional features. Methodical thinkers are much more likely to choose the more expensive version because it reinforces their image of being a wise shopper.
And it changes their decision from deciding between buying or not buying into deciding between buying a more valuable deal or a less expensive offer. But either way, their decision gives you a sale.
Give them solid reasons to buy and buy now. Lead them through your sales process in an easy and non-threatening way. Give them the details they need to make themselves feel that they made a rational decision.
They want their purchases to be well-reasoned and risk-free, and want to see themselves as smart shoppers.
Competitive Personality Type
The competitive personality type is less averse to risk, but still needs to feel that their purchase reaffirms the way they see themselves.
They, too, consider facts in making their purchase, but rely more on gut feelings of how well the purchase puts them ahead of where they were.
The key to copywriting for this personality type is to recognize their need to see the way they define themselves reflected in what they buy.
Recognize what types of self-images your product reflects and sprinkle your sales copy with words and phrases that help your competitive types see your product reinforce their self-image.
Cast a wide enough net in fitting your product’s image to theirs, but don’t try to cover every possible self image or you’ll get too generic to appeal to any of them.
Gregarious Personality Type
The gregarious personality type seeks to feel connected to those around them. They are more willing to trust, more willing to venture into the unknown, but are hesitant to assume the full risk until others have proven that the path is safe.
They respond especially well to copywriting that shows how your product has benefited others.
Catch their attention by talking about positive results that others have experienced.
Testimonials of satisfied customers or pictures that show happy people enjoying your product also are important.
Make sure your copywriting provides them with evidence that others have found your product worthwhile. They’ll feel more comfortable taking their own risk with it.
Spontaneous Personality Type
The spontaneous personality type is the most open to exploration. They are the trend-setters, the early adopters, who blaze the trail for everyone else.
They will take risks. But not unless you offer to fill the chief need for something better, something that will let them to grow beyond what they are.
Surprise them. Intrigue them with the unexpected and they’ll make that leap of faith with you. Present them with the boring old status quo approach and they’ll move on to something more intriguing.
Understanding what drives these four different types of customers is essential to copywriting effectively for them. In copywriting, as in clothing, one size most definitely does not fit all.
Earn Huge Money Thru Copywriting – How To Become A Great Copywriter
There is generally a better way to make a copywriting material, but a lot of people are turning their backs on it due to reasons I beg not to discuss.
Potentially powerful copywriting materials are those, which are able to convey the message to your prospective clients.
There are good writers in terms of putting their ideas into the copywriting material but are unable to convey and relay the real message to the targeted clients.
The purpose of writing an article is to primarily educate the people who read your material. If as a writer you are not able to do that, then you are not complete as a skilled and effective writer.
I have given below some few tips on you can make a greatly impacting copywriting material.
When one talks about marketing strategies, copywriting for the web is one of the most commendable tools from the marketers point of view.
Below are some of the tips on how you can earn more money with copywriting:
– When a business owner asks you to do copywriting for them, the aim of that is to advertise and promote their products. In which case, when you do copywriting jobs, you have to make sure that you sell and sell. On your copywriting material, you have to make sure that you get to move your targeted clients to an action either to visit the site or make a purchase. These actions would mean money and more money for the business.
– You have to develop a copywriting material that is full of interest and should promote enthusiasm and immediacy. This will give your prospective clients the drive to do an action about what you are trying to promote and advertise. Overall, a copywriting material that tries to build excitement is more like to sell.
– With copywriting, businesses are not only expecting to generate sales but traffic and list, too. This means that the copywriting material should be able to capture also potential clients thru the e-mail address that you may solicit from them when they get to open and read your copywriting material. Make sure that you give these people enough reasons for them to leave their personal information, say, give away gifts or some freebies like e-book or discounts.
-Choose the topic that you have better knowledge about. Choosing a topic for your targeted clients should be anchored on two things: what interests you and what interests your targeted readers. As a copywriter, you must be able to make these two elements meet at a certain point. Otherwise, if one of these turns out to be not considered during the creation of the copywriting material, a potentially problematic copywriting material is in the making.
– Upon weighing altogether the topic that will best benefit your targeted readers and your own interest, it is now time to come up with the outline of your copywriting material. This is an important aspect of your entire copywriting material because it shall allow for a better and well-crafted copywriting material.
-Always check your copywriting material for any possible grammatical flaws. Maintain a copywriting material that is free from any flaw as this manifests carelessness and distrust from the perspective of the readers. To avoid this, you will need to be proactively checking your works at the end of the completion.
