When I tell people I’m a direct response copywriter who writes sales copy, it’s not unusual to get a few oooohs and ahhhs. (not as many as I’d like but…)
Little do they realize, they’re a lot closer to writing copy that sells than they might think.
Here’s why:
In 1905, John E. Kennedy, then a relatively unknown copywriter, described advertising as ‘salesmanship in print’. This description can be applied to all copy where the intent is to move a prospect to take action.
Many of my clients and prospects are very competent at converting people interested in their products and services into customers and clients in a personal face-to-face selling situation. Otherwise, they would not be running successful businesses.
For some reason, many think that when it comes to writing compelling sales web or email copy, they have to take a different approach.
Answer: Nope.
You simply have to ensure that your sales copy incorporates the same elements you employed in your personal one-on-one selling situation.
That’s what we’re going to look at in this post.
Copy that compels prospects to buy, download a report or call up to find out more information has one thing in common.
It’s based on good salesmanship.
To write effective sales copy, you need the same characteristics and qualities a good salesperson has. You need to understand basic psychology. Be curious. Compassionate. Knowledgeable.
And, have an unwavering laser-like focus on your prospect’s needs, not yours.
You also need to know how to anticipate and address objections.
Then, you simply blend those elements into your copy and follow this straight-forward formula:
- Tell your selling story in a human voice so you can connect with your reader.
- Let your prospect know that YOU understand what she wants by speaking to her needs.
- Use emotion in your copy. Stir up the passion. Be enthusiastic.
- Back your offer up with logic. People primarily buy based on emotion but you need to make sure you equip them with facts they can use to validate their buying decision.
- Anticipate and overcome objections. The same ones you hear face-to-face. Don’t ignore them.
- Make sure you follow through by providing other information, links, and contact information that would be useful to the customer.
A good way to get going down the path to more persuasive sales copy is to focus on the following:
- What do you want your copy to accomplish? What action do you want your prospect to take?
- Who is going to read what you wrote? What is she interested in?
Understanding your intention and knowing who your audience is will help you write copy that sells.
Although you become an expert copywriter overnight, following the formula above will put you light years ahead of your competitors.
Not as big a deal as you thought, huh?
