I hear this often.
“Writing is boring”.
“I don’t like writing copy”.
Does this sound familiar?
If it does, then you may be over-looking arguably the most important element of your online marketing business.
If you’re serious about internet marketing, you should be serious about copy-writing, and here is why.
The words that you use to invoke emotions and sell are the most important part about your business.
It’s how you turn prospects into customers.
By communicating your core message through words you bridge the gap between your prospects fears and your solution.
If you don’t like writing or want to do it yourself, that’s fine, but you should at least have a basic understanding of the core elements of writing good copy.
And in case you’re wondering what they are, here you go:
It all starts with grabbing your prospects attention. This is when powerful headlines come into play and you can use certain words to incite curiosity (controversy usually works well)
Make it about them – Good copy should always use the “WIFT” (what’s in it for them) principle. So essentially you want put yourself in your ideal customers shoes and write from their perspective. Instead of writing about how great your features are focus instead on how those features can benefit your ideal customer.
Tell a story- Story telling is one of the most powerful components in all forms of marketing. It immediately engages the audience because from childhood we have been learning valuable lessons through stories, and so whenever we are about to hear one, we sit up and pay attention.
Educate- In the early parts of copy it’s all about getting their attention. Headlines, sub-headlines, etc. But once you have the attention you need to deliver on what you promised, and give them some value. So here you should educate them on whatever topic you specialize in.
The copy should flow (slippery slope method) and be a logical chain of events. Avoid any abrupt changes in direction, you want to keep it like a smooth flowing chain, where the reader can keep sliding down the words…until they get to the checkout button.
Of course there is a lot more to copy, but having a general idea of what decent copy is and the core elements behind it will give you a leg-up in your business.
You don’t have to write it yourself, but you should at least understand what good copy looks like, so you can hire the right guy or gal!