Sure-Fire Copywriting Tips
By Angela Wu
Posted Friday, January 7, 2005
As you know, good sales copy is critical to your success online. Although it's not something that you can learn overnight, here are a few pointers to increase your response rates ...
__1. Focus on benefits, not on features.
For example, the specialty pet bed you're selling might have a durable polar fleece lining. That's a feature. The benefit is that it will keep your pet warm, snuggly, and happy on cold nights. Another benefit would be that it saves you money because it can withstand considerable wear & tear from your bouncy pet.
__2. Focus on your customer - not yourself.[/b
Who can resist a conversation about themselves? ;-) Prospective customers want to hear about how your product is going to help or benefit them personally.
__3. Use emotionally-charged action verbs where appropriate.
Strong words that evoke images and emotions are great at getting a prospect to respond to your ad. Words like "smash" are examples of action verbs.
__4. Be ruthless - edit out all unnecessary text.
You want a tightly-focused sales letter that leads your prospect to complete one action. That could be signing up for your newsletter, filling out a form, or ordering a product. Don't try to sell everything within your sales letter; concentrate on getting your prospect to do just *one* thing.
__5. Forget the hype; don't mislead or misrepresent.
Be honest about what your product can offer. Misleading claims will only result in dissatisfied customers and an increase in refund requests. Not to mention the damage that can be done by word-of-mouth ...!
__6. Go easy on the CAPS and exclamation marks.
You have probably seen too many ads that look like,
!!! MAKE $10000 A MONTH WORKING FROM HOME IN YOUR UNDERWEAR!!! EASY JOB, NO SELLING! I MADE $400 YESTERDAY WITH ONLY 3 MINUTES OF WORK! REPLY NOW TO GET THIS LIFE- CHANGING INFORMATION!
It looks unprofessional, even downright scammy. Use CAPS or the occasional single exclamation mark for emphasis. Just don't overdo it!
__7. Use fresh, original ads.
Yup, that means you have to write 'em! Seeing the same tired old ad, day in and day out, decreases its response rate dramatically.
__8. Include a "call to action".
Never assume that your prospect knows what to do next. Tell them what you want them to do - how to order, email you, visit your website, whatever it is you want them to do.
[b]About the Author
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, an exclusive newsletter for eBusiness beginners. She offers a 'no hype, no bull' approach to building a profitable Internet business. Every issue is packed with helpful tips and useful tools, specially selected to fit a beginner's shoestring budget. Visit her online today at (http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/begin.html)
