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  Home Page » Art & Culture » Writing & Editing
   
 

The Biggest Mistake Copywriters Make

   

Author: Michel Fortin
< P > M o s t o f t h e s a l e s p i e c e s p e o p l e a s k m e t o r e w r i t e s e e m t o o f f e r g r e a t p r o d u c t s a n d s e r v i c e s . I n f a c t , s o m e o f t h e i r o f f e r s a r e s o g o o d , p r o s p e c t s w o u l d b e c r a z y t o t u r n t h e m d o w n . B u t t h e y d o . A n d t h e s e s a l e s p i e c e s e n d u p f a l l i n g i n m y l a p b e c a u s e t h e y ' r e d e s p e r a t e l y u n p r o d u c t i v e . < / P > < P > O n e o f t h e b i g g e s t p r o b l e m s I s e e i n t h e s e p i e c e s i s t h e f a c t t h a t t h e c o p y i s s t a l e , l i m p a n d a n e m i c . C o p y w r i t i n g i s " S a l e s m a n s h i p i n P r i n t " < / P > < P > T h i s i s n o t h i n g n e w . I t c o m e s f r o m t h e a g e l e s s t e a c h i n g s o f t h e m a s t e r s , l i k e H o p k i n s , B a r t o n , C o l l i e r , e t a l , w h i c h s t i l l r i n g t r u e t o d a y . < / P > < P > W r i t i n g c o p y i s l i k e f a c e - t o - f a c e s e l l i n g . A n d w h e n w r i t i n g c o p y , t h e l a c k o f h u m a n i n t e r a c t i o n t a k e s a w a y t h e e m o t i o n a l e l e m e n t i n t h e s e l l i n g p r o c e s s . A s a l e s m e s s a g e m u s t t h e r e f o r e c o m m u n i c a t e t h a t e m o t i o n t h a t s o e m p o w e r s p e o p l e t o b u y . < / P > < P > O f t e n , t h e c h a l l e n g e i s n o t w i t h t h e o f f e r i t s e l f b u t w i t h t h e l a n g u a g e , t h e t o n e a n d t h e " v o i c e " o f t h e c o p y . < / P > < P > Y o u m a y h a v e a g r e a t p r o d u c t , b u t y o u r c o p y m u s t b e e f f e c t i v e e n o u g h t o m a k e i t s c a s e a n d p r e s e n t i t s o f f e r i n a n i r r e s i s t i b l y c o m p e l l i n g w a y . < / P > < P > P r o b l e m i s , s o m e s a l e s m e s s a g e s g e t s o e n g r o s s e d i n d e s c r i b i n g t h e c o m p a n i e s , t h e p r o d u c t s a n d t h e f e a t u r e s o f t h e i r p r o d u c t s t h a t t h e y f a i l t o a p p e a l t o t h e r e a d e r s p e c i f i c a l l y . < / P > < P > I t ' s u n d e r s t a n d a b l e . B u s i n e s s p e o p l e a r e o f t e n s o t i e d t o t h e i r b u s i n e s s e s o r p r o d u c t s t h a t t h e y g e t t u n n e l v i s i o n a n d f a i l t o l o o k a t t h e i r c o p y f r o m t h e i r r e a d e r s ' p e r s p e c t i v e . < / P > < P > U n d e r s t a n d a b l e , y e s . B u t n o t e x c u s a b l e . < / P > < P > M y a d v i c e ? B e b e n e f i t - r i c h , o f c o u r s e . B u t m o r e i m p o r t a n t , b e e g o - d r i v e n w h e n d e s c r i b i n g t h o s e b e n e f i t s . A p p e a l t o T h e i r E g o < / P > < P > P e o p l e b u y o n e m o t i o n . E v e n w h e n s e l l i n g t o o t h e r b u s i n e s s e s , p e o p l e a r e s t i l l t h e o n e s o k a y i n g t h e d e a l , w h i p p i n g o u t t h e i r c r e d i t c a r d s o r s i g n i n g t h e c h e c k s . A n d p e o p l e a l w a y s b u y f o r p e r s o n a l , s e l f i s h r e a s o n s . < / P > < P > C o p y u s i n g c o n v o l u t e d , c o m p l e x , h i g h f a l u t i n l a n g u a g e d o e s n ' t s e l l p r o d u c t . I ' m t a l k i n g a b o u t t h i r d p e r s o n , i m p e r s o n a l , h i g h h o r s e , " h o l i e r t h a n t h o u , " e g o - s t r o k i n g c o r p o r a t e - s p e a k . ( I n h e r e , I ' m r e f e r r i n g t o t h e s e l l e r ' s e g o , n o t t h e b u y e r ' s . ) < / P > < P > T h e f a c t r e m a i n s t h a t c o m p a n i e s a n d w e b s i t e s a n d c o m m i t t e e s a n d C - L e v e l t i t l e s a r e N O T t h e o n e s t h a t f o r k o u t t h e m o n e y , i s s u e t h e p u r c h a s e o r d e r s o r s i g n t h e c h e c k s . < / P > < P > P e o p l e d o . < / P > < P > D o n ' t b e s h y o r a f r a i d i n b e i n g p e r s o n a l , c o n v e r s a t i o n a l a n d e m o t i o n a l w i t h y o u r c o p y . O f c o u r s e , I ' m n o t t a l k i n g a b o u t b e i n g s o l a c k a d a i s i c a l w i t h y o u r g r a m m a r a n d y o u r s p e l l i n g t o t h e p o i n t t h a t E n g l i s h m a j o r s w a n t t o b u r n y o u a t t h e s t a k e f o r h e r e s y . < / P > < P > ( A l t h o u g h , y o u r c o p y m i g h t i n f u r i a t e s o m e p u r i s t g r a m m a r i a n s . U n l e s s y o u t a r g e t s c r i b e s a n d g r a m m a r i a n s s p e c i f i c a l l y , t h e s e p e o p l e a r e n o t , a n d n e v e r w i l l b e , y o u r c l i e n t s . C l i e n t s a r e t h e o n e s t h a t m a t t e r . ) < / P > < P > A n d I ' m n o t t a l k i n g a b o u t b e i n g c r u d e , u t t e r i n g p r o f a n i t i e s o r u s i n g a s t y l e t h a t ' s s o l a i d b a c k , y o u a p p e a r a s i f y o u a r e o n a n t i - d e p r e s s a n t s . < / P > < P > I m e a n c o p y t h a t g o e s " f o r t h e j u g u l a r , " i s d o w n t o e a r t h a n d i s s t r a i g h t t o t h e p o i n t . C o p y t h a t r e l a t e s t o y o u r a u d i e n c e a t a n i n t i m a t e l e v e l - - n o t a n e d u c a t i o n a l o r s o c i o - e c o n o m i c l e v e l , b u t a l e v e l p e o p l e c a n e a s i l y u n d e r s t a n d , a p p r e c i a t e a n d i d e n t i f y t h e m s e l v e s w i t h . < / P > < P > A l e v e l t h a t a p p e a r s a s i f y o u w e r e a c o n c e r n e d , g e n u i n e l y i n t e r e s t e d a n d e m p a t h e t i c s a l e s p e r s o n m a k i n g a f a c e - t o - f a c e p i t c h w i t h y o u r p r o s p e c t . < / P > < P > S o , h e r e a r e s o m e t i p s . F o l l o w t h e " 3 C ' s " R u l e < / P > < P > E x p r e s s y o u r o f f e r a s C l e a r l y , a s C o n v i n c i n g l y a n d a s C o m p e l l i n g l y a s p o s s i b l e . < / P > < P > B e e n t h u s i a s t i c . B e e n e r g e t i c . B e e x c i t e d a b o u t y o u r o f f e r i n g , b e c a u s e y o u r j o b i s t o t r a n s f e r t h a t e x c i t e m e n t i n t o t h e m i n d s o f y o u r r e a d e r s . < / P > < P > U s e w o r d s , p h r a s e s a n d i m a g e r y t h a t h e l p p a i n t v i v i d m e n t a l p i c t u r e s . W h e n p e o p l e c a n v i s u a l i z e t h e p r o c e s s o f d o i n g w h a t y o u w a n t t h e m t o d o , i n c l u d i n g t h e e n j o y m e n t o f t h e b e n e f i t s o f y o u r o f f e r , y o u d r i v e t h e i r a c t i o n s a l m o s t i n s t i n c t i v e l y . < / P > < P > Y o u n e e d t o d e n o m i n a t e , a s s p e c i f i c a l l y a s p o s s i b l e , t h e v a l u e y o u b r i n g t o t h e t a b l e . A n d h o w w h a t y o u b r i n g t o t h e t a b l e w i l l m e e t a n d s e r v e t h e n e e d s o f y o u r p r o s p e c t s p e c i f i c a l l y . < / P > < P > I n o t h e r w o r d s , y o u n e e d t o m a k e t h e m f e e l i m p o r t a n t . W r i t e a s i f y o u w e r e s p e a k i n g W I T H y o u r p r o s p e c t , r i g h t i n f r o n t o f t h e m , i n a c o m f o r t a b l e , c o n v e r s a t i o n a l m a n n e r . < / P > < P > W h e n y o u d o , y o u r c o p y w i l l i m p l y t h a t y o u u n d e r s t a n d t h e m , y o u f e e l f o r t h e m a n d t h e i r " s u f f e r i n g " ( f o r w h i c h y o u h a v e a s o l u t i o n ) , a n d y o u ' r e r e a d y t o n u r t u r e a n d t a k e c a r e o f t h e m . < / P > < P > F o r g e t t h i n g s l i k e " b e s t , " " f a s t e s t , " " c h e a p e s t " a n d o t h e r , b r o a d c l a i m s . B e c a u s e t h e w o r s t t h i n g y o u c a n d o , s e c o n d t o m a k i n g b r o a d c l a i m s , i s t o e x p r e s s t h o s e c l a i m s b r o a d l y . < / P > < P > B e s p e c i f i c . B u t a l s o . . . < B R > B e E m o t i o n a l ! < / P > < P > I f y o u w a n t t o t e l l p e o p l e h o w b e t t e r o r d i f f e r e n t o r s u p e r i o r o r u n i q u e y o u r o f f e r i n g i s , m a k e s u r e y o u e x p r e s s t h o s e c l a i m s i n y o u r s a l e s m e s s a g e i n a w a y t h a t d i r e c t l y b e n e f i t s y o u r b u y e r a n d a p p e a l s t o h e r e g o . < / P > < P > B e i n g d i f f e r e n t i s i m p o r t a n t . B u t d o n ' t f o c u s o n h o w b e t t e r o r u n i q u e y o u a r e . F o c u s o n h o w t h a t u n i q u e n e s s d i r e c t l y b e n e f i t s o t h e r s , e v e n t o t h e p o i n t t h e y c a n a l m o s t t a s t e i t . < / P > < P > A g a i n , p e o p l e b u y o n e m o t i o n . T h e y a l w a y s h a v e a n d a l w a y s w i l l . T h e y o n l y j u s t i f y t h e i r d e c i s i o n w i t h l o g i c , a n d r a t i o n a l i z e t h e i r f e e l i n g s a b o u t y o u r o f f e r i n g w i t h l o g i c . < / P > < P > O n c e y o u a c c e p t a n d i n t e r n a l i z e t h a t f a c t , y o u ' l l c l e a r l y h a v e t h e f i r s t r u l e o f c o p y w r i t i n g ( o r s e l l i n g , f o r t h a t m a t t e r ) d o w n p a t . ( P l u s , y o u ' l l a l s o g a i n a n e d g e o v e r 9 8 % o f a l l o t h e r b u s i n e s s e s a n d c o p y w r i t e r s o u t t h e r e . ) < / P > < P > E v e n w h e n s e l l i n g t o m u l t i n a t i o n a l , F o r t u n e 5 0 0 c o r p o r a t i o n s , t h e b u y e r s a r e p e o p l e , n o t c o m p a n i e s . P u r c h a s i n g a g e n t s a r e p e o p l e . D e c i s i o n - m a k i n g c o m m i t t e e s a r e m a d e u p o f p e o p l e . E v e n C - l e v e l e x e c u t i v e s w i t h 6 - o r 7 - f i g u r e i n c o m e s a r e p e o p l e . T h e y a r e H u m a n B e i n g s < / P > < P > A n d p e o p l e a l w a y s b u y f o r p e r s o n a l d e s i r e s , s e l f i s h r e a s o n s a n d s e l f - i n t e r e s t e d m o t i v e s . W h y ? B e c a u s e p e o p l e a r e p e o p l e . P e r i o d . I t ' s b e e n t h a t w a y f o r m i l l i o n s o f y e a r s . < / P > < P > A n d n o t h i n g ' s c h a n g e d . < / P > < P > S o d o n ' t t r y t o s e l l t o s o m e i n a n i m a t e o b j e c t c a l l e d a " b u s i n e s s " o r e v e n a " p r o s p e c t . " A b u s i n e s s i s j u s t b r i c k a n d m o r t a r - - o r a b u n c h o f c o m p u t e r c h i p s , i n t h e c a s e o f o n l i n e b u s i n e s s e s . A n d a p r o s p e c t i s n o t s o m e n a m e a n d a d d r e s s o n a m a i l i n g l i s t , o r a " h i t " o n y o u r w e b s i t e . < / P > < P > R e m e m b e r t h a t i t ' s n o t b u s i n e s s e s o r p r o s p e c t s t h a t f o r k o u t t h e m o n e y o r s i g n t h e c h e c k s . I t ' s p e o p l e . < / P > < P > Y o u r j o b i s t o e x p r e s s y o u r o f f e r i n t e r m s t h a t t r i g g e r t h e i r e m o t i o n s , p r e s s t h e i r h o t b u t t o n s , j e r k t h e i r t e a r s , t u g a t t h e i r h e a r t s t r i n g s a n d n u d g e t h e m i n t o t a k i n g a c t i o n . < / P > < P > I f n o t , y o u ' r e o n l y t e l l i n g . N o t s e l l i n g . < / P >
Author Bio:
Michel Fortin is a popular columnist. Michel likes to pen down articles about this area.
You can also reach this article by using: editing service, editing services, resume writing service, writing services, editing services online
 
 
 

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