|
Probably the most effective form of advertising is word of mouth.And there is a reason for this. You will more readily take afriend's advice about a product she has used than trust anadvertiser's blurb.
One of the lofty goals of a great copywriter then is to betransformed into a trusted friend of the reader. Instead ofwriting as to a crowd you can write as to one person sitting on apark bench next to you --- a friend. This proven strategy willexplain the format of the sales letter used in direct marketingand fast becoming quite popular in online selling.
Letters written in this personal style reduce the buyer'sresistance and ushers you into their circle of confidence andadvice. The more cold and formal style of writing common to thecorporate world leaves the reader feeling small and 'talked downto'-emotionally unmoved.
It's a tenet of effective copywriting that your letter must beemotionally appealing because people buy based on emotions andthen justify their purchase with logic. Being guided by ouremotions is not just relegated to small purchase but to ANYpurchase we make.
In a recent TIME magazine article discussing the skyrocketinghouse prices, it was interesting to read the author's suggestedreasons for this recent real estate craze:
"The boom is as much an emotional story as an economicone. It's about the excitement of potential wealth, the fear ofmissing out and the envy toward the guy next door who bought fora third of what you paid. бн and the embarrassment of feelingtoo poor for your neighborhood as houses around you are torndown бн" --America's House Party - June 13, 2005
Unless your sales message resonates emotionally with yourprospects then you'll lose potential sales.
Here are a number of ways to increase the personal appeal of yoursales letter:
1. Write as to one person. Imagine that person sitting rightacross from you and write as you would speak to them. When aprospect reads your sales copy you want him to feel singled outof the crowd and not as a part of some wider audience.
2. Tell a personal story. If you created the product to solvea personal problem then tell this story. The reader will morereadily feel akin to you since they are struggling with the sameissues.
3. Use your picture within the sales letter if possible. Addinga face to the letter can greatly enhance the emotional appeal ofthe letter. You must be cautious, however, if your appearancewill in anyway offend your market segment. If you are a 'skinhead' with bright tattoos and are trying to reach mothers ofyoung children omit the picture and depend on the words.
4. Include your signature at the end of the letter. Even ifyou are cautious about using your actual signature you can use ahandwritten style font as a substitute.5. Admit to common human weaknesses. This doesn't mean thatyou have to start a prayer meeting confession session but you canadmit to not being perfect. The American public especiallylikes to know that you are "real", whichmeans that you have a few black spots. People shy away from'know-it-alls' and 'goody goody' personalities. You don't wantto portray this in your copy.
6. Use as many testimonials as possible. If you have customeremails or letters you can ask their permission to use these astestimonials in your sales letter. Again you are sharing acustomer's story with your audience. People are interested inpeople, period.
7. Write in a conversational style by using contractions (I'm,can't, you'll, who'd, etc) and ellipsis (бн) to show pauses.This helps to give the letter a less written feel and a morespoken feel. You can also use words that will build aconversational atmosphere such as "Listen up", "Pay attention here" "I want totalk to you". All these catch phrases make yourwriting seem more audible than written. Keep in mind that weread by listening to our own voices in our heads. So allwritings go through this translation process.
8. Build rhythm and cadence by using punctuations to emphasizeimportant words. For example, consider the following sentence:
"Our research indicated that it takes anywhere fromthree to five months of REGULAR activity to measure significantchanges in health and fitness, so you can expect to see realimprovements in six months бн IF you stick with a well-plannedprogram of physical activity."
If you read the sentence without the CAPITLISED words "REGUALR" and "IF", then theemphasis of the message changes even though the words didn't.You can do the same to mimic raising your voice, thus giving yourwriting some spoken quality.
In the same way long sentences and paragraphs show slow,contemplative movement and take some time to digest properly.Short sentences do the opposite.
9. Identify with your audience as much as possible. You ofcourse must 'know' the people you are writing for. Are theyafraid? Do they have pains? Are they new parents? What aretheir common values? Are they patriotic? Being able to answerthese questions will help you to tell your story in a way theycan identify with. If your situation is totally foreign to yourtarget audience then your job becomes more difficult.
The more personality you give to your sales letter the morepersons you'll convince to buy your product or service. Soonyou'll benefit from word of mouth advertising as your customerscontinue to tell your story; which is what you really want.
And you can't get anymore personal than that.
About the Author Ray Edwards is a master copywriter, published author and InternetMarketing Consultant. He can bring any dead website to life again bywriting engaging hard-working copy for you. You may find morehard-hitting articles and more about his copywriting services by visiting his website athttp://www.webcopy-writing.com
|
|
