Copywriting |
3 Keys to Better Online Copywriting
Doing the copywriting for your own website without the proper knowledge and tools is pretty much like flying blind in a snowstorm without piloting experience or instruments. It doesn't work too well. A very basic knowledge of copywriting and direct marketing principles will take you a long ways on the Web. Here are three simple keys to writing better online copy. Armed just with these, you'll have a jump on 90% of the folks out there doing the copywriting for their own sites. And you'll increase the pulling quality of your site's copy today -- even if you've never written a word of copy in your life. 1) Wake up your prospect In today's overkill ad world most people have become numb to standard sales messages. Television, newspapers, magazines, Internet, radio, etc. all blast us non-stop with advertising. After a while we just naturally tune most of it out. Copywriting great John Carlton says to imagine that your prospect is a giant blob sitting there on the couch or in a chair. Now what would you need to do to get that blob to take action to buy? Getting someone to stop... actually read your website copy... AND click through (or fill out a form) is serious heavy-duty action on the click-and-run Web. Your prospect has a million things on his or her mind. Reading your copy isn't exactly Priority One... So how do you wake your prospects up and get 'em to read your copy? The secret is right here in this headline: "ARE YOU TOO BUSY EARNING A LIVING TO MAKE ANY REAL MONEY?" This is from Joe Karbo's sales letter for his "The Lazy Man's Way to Riches" book. The letter was probably responsible for over a million dollars worth of sales for Joe. Joe's secret here, and one which you can use too, is based on a simple principle for getting a prospect's attention. You need to... 2) Enter the conversation going on in your prospect's mind You should know enough about your target market to know what keeps them awake at night. If you don't yet, then you'll need to find out right away. In the example above from Joe Karbo, it's about working like a dog and barely making enough to pay the bills. Marketers like Joe who target opportunity seekers understand that frustrations about money cause a lot of people pain. But what concerns does your target market have? What problem(s) do they need solved? What itch(es) do they need scratched? You can find the answers to these questions fairly easily. Lurk on the forums where your prospects hang out... Read the online and offline newsletters, magazines and journals they read... Or better yet, just ask them! Set up a survey page on your website or else survey them through your newsletter or blog. Or use a Web tool like AskDatabase. Once you know what your prospects are thinking about most of the time your copywriting job becomes a heckuva lot easier. You'll be on a more intimate basis with your market. Which is never a bad thing... Good copywriting is wooing your customers in print, after all. Just like you would woo a prospective mate. And the more you know about them the more you'll be able to say the right things! So now that you know what bothers your prospects you'll need to... 3) Make a compelling offer This is an area where most website copy really falls short. Ask yourself this question: What exactly is it that I want my prospects to do? You want them to buy! Right? Or at least opt-in to your newsletter... or get your free report... or sign up for your autoresponder series... In other words, you want them to take an action! You don't want them to browse around, look at your pretty graphics and then click out. The Web is just too too big. And your site is just one tiny place in that giant Web ocean. Once they leave, their chances of coming back are one in a billion. Or worse... So you need to use your copywriting skills to build an offer that forces them to make a clear decision. Make it irresistible. "Make them an offer they can't refuse," said the old godfather. He would've made a good marketer. By making your offer as seductive as possible, you force action. You force that clear decision. With pure lead generation sites this means they give you their contact info. With direct sales sites it means a sale. Or if it's a combination of the two they buy and/or give you their contact info so you can follow up. If your offer is good enough, then a good percentage of your prospects will be energized. Your copy will be like a jolt of electricity...Zap! That blob on the couch might actually get up and do something... So make your offer hot. Load it up with perceived value. Tell 'em how your product is going to make their life better. And give 'em a good deal! To summarize... Wake 'em up by entering the conversation already in their minds, and then make 'em an offer they can't refuse. If you do this, you'll instantly increase the power of your online copywriting. I guarantee it! © 2005 by Bruce Carlson Want to become a better online copywriter? Sign up for Bruce's The Dynamic Copywriter and see how easily you can improve your online copywriting skills and boost your sales!
MORE RESOURCES: 1 |
RELATED ARTICLES
7 Powerful Sales Copy Writing Techniques! Your sales letter is the most important component in your web site or marketing campaign. It will introduces your products or services to your visitors and how people react (buy, bookmark, leave) is 80% entirely depends on your sales letter. Who is Your Customer? When you want to sell something?anything? you need to first know who is going to buy it. Why? Because your ad copy has to be written to that person. Making Your Purpose Your Business Step #4 - Organizing & Developing Online Content If you have done your homework then you are ready to organize and develop what will be your online content. Your content is very important as it will be used for promoting you, your work, and your website. Write Benefits in Your Headlines to Deliver the Dream! When you create headlines, do you put benefits into your headlines to deliver the dream? Do you create headlines that draw your reader deeper into the rest of copy?Let me ask you a simple question. "Why do people read any printed material beyond the headline?"The answer, because there was something in the headline that attracted their attention, raised their interest and curiosity, or contained a perceived benefit for the reader. 3 Copywriting Tips - How To Edit For Mass Appeal! Web copy that's intended to sell or generate leads needs to quickly reach out and grab attention and build rapport with a target audience. You can connect with your audience more effectively if you understand something about how people process information, and how they think. "Super Adjectives" Boost the Power of Your Copy 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. How To Ethically Use A Swipe File For Your Ad Copy Did you ever wish you could afford to hire one of those professional copy writers who charge $5000 or more to write a simple sales letter? Or worse, have you laid down your hard-earned cash for a self-proclaimed "professional" writer, and gotten back something your 3rd grader could have written?If you spend countless hours staring at a blank page trying to come up with compelling ad copy for that "killer" sales letter (you know, the one that's going to make you rich beyond your wildest dreams?).. Some Important Tips On Proposals And Price Here's a critically important copywriting technique I use when writing sales letters and proposals for our own direct marketing services and for our clients.It's all about "price". Discover Your Creativity You have a choice. Do you want to be constructive and positive in a unique way? Or do you want to be destructive and negative in a unique way? History has proven the futility of the latter goal. Copywriter Rates, Getting The Facts Beforehand Have you ever had the experience of hiring a freelance copy writer only to find that the project takes longer than expected, or that the fees they offered are 'flexible' in the wrong way for you to benefit. There is no doubt that copywriter rates differ greatly from one to another. Advice for Copywriters: How to Win the Freelance Bidding War Are you a freelance copywriter working from home? If so, you've probably been on the project bidding war sites, like elance.com. 3 Tips For Writing Content That Will Make You Sales Content is king. Without content your website is an empty shell, a skeleton with no flesh, an empty vessel. Welcome Informed Criticism of Your Work When you come to 'know' something, there is a temptation to stop thinking about it. You put it in a box as 'known' and are happy to argue with anyone who disagrees. Knowing Copywriting Basics - How To Get Ahead In Your Copy Writing Business In order to get ahead in your copy writing business, you need to know copywriting basics. There are several things that all business owners need to know, and here, we will touch on just a few. Writing Copy for Voiceovers As with any of the performing arts, an effective voiceover begins with a well-crafted script. You don't have to have many years of writing experience to create copy that is both effective and a pleasure for the voice actor to perform. Copywriting Tricks: Nailing the Voice Professional copywriters are well-familiar with what's commonly referred to as "the voice." What is this exactly, and why do you need to master it in your writing?If writing is icecream, then "the voice" is the flavor in your scoop. 10 Things You Should Expect From Your IT Copywriter Anyone who's ever tried marketing IT products or services knows that it's a specialist field. Your customers in the IT industry have very unique and specific requirements, and that means you do too. How To Find Freelance Jobs - Writing About Food Did you know that jobs writing about food are available? These opportunities are available in a variety of areas. Employment in these fields is an exciting concept. Engage Your Customer - Write About Benefits Think quick. In 10 seconds, can you list the 5 key benefits you offer your customers?I bet you said "Yes". Want to Make More Money as a Freelance Writer? Here are 10 Reasons To Consider Copywriting Looking to chuck that full-time job for a life of full-time writing? Or maybe you've already dumped the day job but aren't quite as busy as you'd like to be. Why not take a closer look at copywriting?Copywriting, also known as business or promotional writing, can do more than put a few extra bucks in your wallet - it can also help you develop as a writer. |
home | site map |
© 2013 |