|
Writing Effective Sales Copy |
|
Whether you run a home-based business or Microsoft, one thing is always
true: products do not sell themselves. So what makes customers buy?
Words.
Marketing gurus learned long ago that it's the words salespeople speak
and ads present which are critical to the decision to buy or not to
buy. So how can you be sure that they copy on your site, in your sales
material, and in your promotions is effective?
You have two choices:
1) Hire a professional copywriter
2) Do It Yourself
In order to keep expenses low, most home-based businesses prefer the
second option. If you do as well, you should follow these simple
guidelines:
1) AIDA
AIDA is an acronym which stands for Attention, Internet, Desire, and
Action. This is essentially an outline for how to effectively write
your sales copy. First, you must grab your audience's attention by
using exciting headlines, shocking statistics, or surprising facts,
such as in the examples below:
"Learn the Secrets of Becoming a Millionaire"
"In less than 5 seconds, your audience has developed its first impression of you."
"Seventy-five percent of people would quit their jobs and work from home if the right opportunity arose."
Next, you need to make them interested in your product. Personal
stories of success and lists of benefits can all help you do this. Near
the end, you should begin working on building their desire for your
product by stressing what specifically your product can do for them.
Finally, you should end all of your copy with a call to action. What
this means is that you tell the reader what they need to to do next in
order to get your product: click here to order, visit our web site
today, call now, etc.
When you apply AIDA, you are carefully luring your audience in and guiding them towards the action you want.
2) Audience Appeals
All sales and marketing writing is meant to be persuasive and to change
the minds of potential buyers. Most advertisers today understand this;
therefore, they employ Aristotle's three audience appeals.
Aristotle, one of ancient Greece's greatest minds, identified these
appeals which were being used by speakers of his time. These three
appeals are ethos, logos, and pathos.
Ethos appeals are based on ethics and reputation. For example, using
celebrity endorsements, building your credibility, or citing expert
testimony.
Logos appeals are based on logic. These types of appeals use facts, statistics, and evidence to persuade audiences.
Pathos appeals are based on emotion. These type of appeals include the
faces of starving children, the promise of success, or the lure of
acceptance. Any part of your copy designed to make readers feel anger,
pity, love, hope, etc. is an example of pathos.
Using one or all of these appeals in your content can boost its persuasive abilities considerably.
3) KISS
This acronym stands for Keep it Short and Simple. Basically, it means
that your writing should be concise and to the point not a rambling
bunch of metaphors and big words. You want your copy to appeal to as
many people as possible so following this guideline is always a good
idea.
Whether you decide to write your own copy or hire a professional, these
tips will help you develop successful and effective copy every time you
need it.
Vishal P. Rao is the owner of Home Based Business Opportunities - One of Internet's leading website dedicated to starting, managing and marketing a home based business.
|
