There are more than eight of course. But these will do for starters. I’ll be covering these copywriting elements over the next few days. Whether you’re launching a new product or promoting an existing one your sales copy determines your success. So why is there so much bad marketing copy out there? Copy that’s supposed to sell, yet talks endlessly about the product and ignores the reader. And “me too” copy, that reads something like this:
“Hi, here we are. We are such and such company. We do this, and that and we make the best widgets and they are the solution to everything. Our mission and philosophy is to be businesslike , cutting edge, leading edge, and (fill in the blank). So, are you going to buy our totally cool widgets?”
You might have totally cool widgets, but chances are you’re totally boring your prospect.
Whether you are writing a letter, a brochure, a web page or a landing page – forget about trying to appear “businesslike” and “corporate.” Focus your energy on your prospect, and write as it you’re talking one-to-one with a very good friend.
Let’s get cooking with the first two best practice tips.
1. Use an attention getting headline
Your headline accounts for 80% of your sales copy success. It determines whether or not the rest of your copy gets read so spend time on making it effective. Your headline needs to stop readers in their tracks. A benefit-oriented headline does this well. Consider the following examples:
- Highlighting a problem: “Will You Survive a PC disaster?” Easy, Automatic, Online back-up at One Flat rate.”
- Providing helpful advice: “Three Proven Ways to Prevent the Onset of Heartburn…”
- Make an invitation: “You’re invited to spend the evening with the most dynamic women in the industry today.”
2. Focus on the customer, not your product
Perhaps the biggest mistake most people make is focusing all their attention on their product and none on the customer. But when you just focus on how great your product is you leave unanswered the one question on your prospect’s mind, and that’s
“What’s in it for me?”
Prospects want to know how your product is going to solve their problem, help them achieve their goals, remove their fears, make their life easier. Your target audience must take center stage – it’s not about your product. You need to understand their needs and desires before you write your sales copy, and then match the benefits of your product to their needs.
Otherwise, all you do is give your prospect a new problem they should never have… trying to figure out if you can help them or not. Most won’t wait around to find out.
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