Writing Copy

What you say is the next most important thing – next to who you say it to. The copy has one purpose: to motivate a specific person, to do a specific, now. Does your client have a product to sell? Then close the sale. Do they have a product/service that requires more information or contact in order to close the sale? Then motivate their customers to start the process with a request for more information, a free quote or consultation. You should understand what it will take to make a sale, and then move them toward that process.

 

It’s all about The Offer, The Benefit, The Close and the Call to Action!

 

You must communicate the urgent need of a product or service. You want to make an emotional appeal to the one person who needs what is being sold. (Even though it may be a mass mailing, you are communicating with just one person, not the masses.)

 

Determine the unique benefits that this product or service provides. Avoid product features that don’t communicate benefits.

 

Features justify price. Benefits make up value. Value justifies a purchase.

 

Once you’ve identified the major benefit, use it to repeat the offer. As you close, tell them what you want them to do. What will happen if they don’t act right now? If you’re selling, ask for the sale. Tell them again, with benefits, why they should act now. Sweeten the deal with a FREE offer and alleviate their worry with an unconditional money-back guarantee. Finally, call them to action, now!

 

Be sure and give customers several ways to contact the advertiser – toll free phone number, website, e-mail, fax, mail etc. If there’s an offer, make sure there’s an expiration date so customers have to act quickly.

 

Headline:

 

Avoid cute, funny, meaningless gibberish with your headline. It’s too important not to spend time on it. Consider composing your headline by:

1.    Identify a problem

2.    Provide a solution in the form of a benefit

3.    Provide additional incentives to use your product or service right now.

An example might be a dry cleaner who has determined that delivery and same-day service were two big hot-buttons for prospective customers. A good headline might read:

 

Still Waiting for your Dry Cleaning?

ABC Cleaners Will Deliver Your Dry Cleaning Tonight –

Or It’s FREE!

 

Did you know: 90% of advertising contains no headline, even though studies prove headlines can improve response rates up to 2,100%. Source: Guerrilla Marketing Excellence

Action Words Amazing Approved Attractive Authentic Bargain Best Better Big Call Complete Confidential Delivered Desired Direct Discount Easy, easiest Endorsed Enormous Excellent Exciting Exclusive Expert Famous Fascinating Fortune Free Genuine Gigantic Greatest Guaranteed Helpful Highest Huge Immediately Informative Instructive Interesting Largest Latest Lifestyle Lifetime Limited Love Low, Lowest Now Outstanding Painless Popular Potential	Powerful Professional Profitable Profits Profusely Proven Quality Quickly Rare Reduced Refundable Reliable Remarkable Revealing Revolutionary Safe, safest Sale Save Scarce Secrets Security Selected Simplified Sizeable Special Strange Strong Sturdy Successful Superior Surprise Terrific Tested Tremendous Unconditional Unique Unlimited Unparalleled Unsurpassed Useful Valuable Want Wealth Win, winner You Zero %	Power Phrases – these phrases are hard-wired in the purchasing brain Limited Time Offer Supplies Limited Buy One, Get One Free Money-Back Guarantee Custom-Made Next Day Air Poison Words                              Bad Buy Contract Cost Dead Deal Death Fail Hard Liability Loss Order Pay Sell Wrong

---