| Picture a website, it's got class "A" graphics, a beautiful | | | | the intangible features they have that we use to |
| flash menu, sound video and all the bells and whistles. | | | | decide whether or not we like them. |
| Now imagine this beautiful website without any words | | | | Even the best sales copy rarely converts more than |
| at all. How many sales do you think it would make? | | | | 2% of prospects to customers. So, don't worry about |
| Rudyard Kipling once said "words are, of course, the | | | | the 98% of people that you know will not be interested |
| most powerful drug used by mankind." Words make | | | | in your message. |
| us laugh, cry and fall in love. Words have started wars | | | | One of the biggest mistakes that people make when |
| and ended them. So it is with writing copy for your | | | | writing copy is that they fail to write to their ideal |
| web site. The words you use have the power to | | | | customer. Instead of writing to the millions of potential |
| positively explode your sales, or completely kill them. | | | | readers out there on the Internet, effective web copy |
| Great copywriters of the advertising age have given | | | | is written to one single individual. |
| us tested formulas for the mechanics of writing | | | | Imagine sitting in a bar or coffee shop, across the table |
| effective sales copy. Attention-getting headlines, body | | | | from someone whose company you truly enjoy; a |
| copy that appeals to your readers' emotions, and | | | | close friend, family member, or other loved one. Now, |
| benefit-laden bullets. You must answer the question | | | | imagine that this person has just asked you for your |
| "what's in it for me?" While you're at it, don't forget to | | | | advice or opinion about your favorite product. Write as |
| build credibility, ask for the sale, offer a bonus and finish | | | | if you were talking to them out loud. Speak from the |
| off with a P.S. that reiterates the call to action. | | | | heart and do it quickly. |
| But still something is missing. What they leave out is | | | | In case you missed it, that last little tip, "do it quickly," is |
| the importance of style and delivery. Great | | | | incredibly powerful. It came from John Caples, one of |
| copywriters, like great musicians, have practiced their | | | | the masters of modern direct response marketing. |
| delivery for years, honing their skills to razor sharpness. | | | | Once you have followed the steps above and put |
| Like a Stradivarius in the hands of a master violinist, an | | | | yourself in the right frame of mind, begin writing, and |
| accomplished copywriter's skilled delivery requires | | | | get the words out as quickly as you can. Caples said |
| more than just an intimate knowledge of the | | | | that writing quickly would focus all your energy on the |
| mechanical fundamentals. | | | | letter, which would give it a life of its own and make it |
| What about the rest of us? What if I need to make | | | | sizzle. |
| sales NOW? Here is a secret that will speed you on | | | | Once completed, it is much easier to pare down a |
| your way to writing effective copy every time: | | | | terrific piece of ad copy than it is to try and add life to |
| It's chemistry, that same "Je ne sais quoi" that makes | | | | lifeless, dry copy. Your copy will become exponentially |
| us attracted to one person over another. | | | | more effective when you write to one person than if |
| Our personality and individuality comes through in our | | | | you try and write to a crowd. |
| writing style. Just like meeting someone in a social | | | | That is the foundation of writing copy that sells. |
| setting, it's the combination of the words they say and | | | | |