Does She…Or Doesn’t She?
Can men write copy that appeals to women?
Well, if you’re a man you will read this headline completely differently to a woman. Let me take you back to the 1950’s when there were three things a lady should not do.
- She should not smoke in public.
- She should not wear long pants,unless under an overcoat.
- She should not colour her hair.
It was into this environment that Clairol first introduced their revolutionary “Miss Clairol Hair Colour Bath”. Previously hair colouring was mainly restricted to prostitutes. It was also quite a complicated procedure taking a few hours to complete.
The aim of this product was not only to make hair colouring more mainstream. It also made it possible for women to easily colour their hair themselves… at home…in just 20 minutes!
So how should they market such a new concept?
This was almost too revolutionary to sell. Within 6 months of introduction the number of women visiting salons for hair colouring increased by more than 500%!
Women still didn’t believe this was possible to do themselves in their own home. In fact it took three years before “Good Housekeeping” magazine would accept ads for this amazing new product.
The person chosen to head the campaign was one Shirley Polykoff. She understood emotions and also understood that you can be very naughty…as long as you are first seen to be nice!
She chose to go with the naughty headline accompanied by a nice picture. Her first thoughts were, Does She…Or Doesn’t She? Only Her Mother Knows For Sure. She didn’t want to upset the salons too much so she changed “mother” to “hairdresser”.
Men automatically assumed the answer to the question to be sexual.
Life magazine were in fact reluctant to run the ad until a survey showed that women were not filling in the ellipsis the same way as men!
So successful was the Clairol campaign it skyrocketed sales by 413 percent in six years and influenced 50% of adult women to colour their hair. Very clever when you consider, once someone has coloured their hair they have to keep doing it…hair grows and roots show!
Would this campaign have been as successful if a man had been in charge?
Well without sounding sexist…I doubt it! Men just can’t think the same way as women.
So if your target market is female…you need a woman.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.
Ask For the Order
How do you measure the success of a sales letter?
Well the only thing that really counts is the number of sales it generates. You can read any number of books on copywriting. You can research your product and your target market. You can have the perfect headline and clearly defined all the benefits. But without that vital call to action all your efforts will be wasted.
If you feel uncomfortable closing the sale you’re not on your own. The close is probably the weakest element in all direct marketing. I’m sure you’ll agree however there’s not much point working hard on a fantastic sales presentation without closing the sale. So after you’ve done a fantastic job presenting the benefits of your product:
Ask For the Order.
The close has to be handled smoothly or sales will be lost. One big factor is you must have a product and offer that is of true value for the buyer. If you don’t truly believe this yourself it will show through your copy.
There is naturally a certain amount of inertia in all of us. In other words we might appreciate being led to an action that will benefit us but we need a bit of a push to make us act. You must provide a compelling reason as the “push” to take action.
A Reason to Act Now.
You must use a “hook” in every closing situation to make sure that your prospect acts now. A delayed sale is almost certainly a lost sale. Your “hook” must always be specific and definite.
Here are a few examples:
• Limited quantity. Only limited number available. Avoid disappointment. Order now. When xxx sets are gone this offer will expire.
• Price will rise. Orders will be honoured until xxx, after which the price will increase.
• Special combination offer. The special price for this combination will expire on xxx
• Early order discount. If your order is received by xxx you will receive 25% discount. Place your order now.
Free Bonuses.
We all love to get something free don’t we? Free is after all one of the most powerful words you can use. The bonus does have to be beneficial to your prospect. It has to be something your prospect would happily pay for. If the bonus is dull and uninteresting it won’t enhance your offer. Always make sure you tie in the offer of the free bonus for acting now, for example:
“The first xxx people who order will get this amazing xxx worth $xxx, absolutely free. So order now.”
Guarantees.
In this world of scepticism an unconditional money back guarantee is almost essential. If your product is of superior quality your returns should be minimal. Here is an example of the wording you could use:
If for any reason you are not delighted with your xxx, after you have examined it for xx days, you may return it for a prompt refund.
So don’t be shy Ask For the Order…chances are your prospect wants to buy, they just need a little push to take action.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.
Keeping It Simple
What is the best layout for your copy?
I know I may have mentioned this before but some copywriters get too hung up on being “creative” with fancy pictures and words. When really keeping it simple is what they should be doing.
When it comes to your layout…Simple… is best.
Readers always look first at the illustration then at the headline and then at the body copy. So give them these elements in that order. Illustration at the top followed by the headline then the body copy. This is the natural order of scanning from top to bottom. If you put the headline above the illustration you are not giving your reader what they are used to, (see article…The Eye Is A Creature Of Habit).
Headlines below illustrations are read on average by 10% more people. Which might not sound a lot but if you think there could be 10,000 readers, that’s an extra 1,000 reading your copy. Next time you’re flicking through a magazine just take note how many times the headline is put above the illustration. I think you’ll be surprised at how many are losing sales from this one simple thing.
If you are using an illustration there are a few guidelines to follow, but that’s a whole different article. Always use a caption under your illustration. Four times as many people read the caption than read the body copy.
When is an advert not an advert?
When it is set out like an editorial page. Most people don’t like adverts. If you set your ad out like an editorial page you will attract more readers.
Roughly six times as many people read the average article as read the average advertisement.
If you have a look through some of the successful news magazines with high readership you will notice similarities in their editorial layout.
• Every photograph will have a caption
• The copy is set in Serif type
• The columns of type, 35-45 characters wide
• The copy starts with drop-initials
• The type is set black on white
Now look at the adverts in the same magazines and see how many are like this:-
• Few of the photographs have captions – four times as many people read the caption than read the body copy
• The copy is set in Sans Serif – making it difficult to read
• The copy is set in one column of 120 characters or more – too wide to be easily readable
• There are very few drop-initials – drop initials increase readership
• Sometimes the copy is set in reverse, white on black – very difficult to read
So always think about the layout of your advertisement to give yourself the biggest advantage. Selling is hard enough without turning away readers before they’ve even looked at your work.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.
Effective Letter Writing
Have you ever written a letter?
I’m sure you have, I think everybody writes a letter at some point in their lives. Increasingly now they are sent via email…but they’re letters all the same. So what does a Copywriter do? Well a copywriter knows the secrets to writing effective letters.
I receive a lot of advertising mail for one thing and another, which I’m sure you do too. Some of them look very colourful with nice pictures and professionally put together, but how many of them do you actually read?
It seems to me that a lot of time and effort is being wasted on making this material look good…and not enough attention is being spent on the message. The words are the most important part of any sales letter whether that be direct mailing, website, email or anything else. The letter is the vital ingredient.
So as I said earlier a Copywriter knows how to write effective letters…so why is that so many of them don’t? Some like to think of themselves as being creative. Well the truth is they’re not, they’re salespeople. Some are more creative than others I’ll grant you…but they’re salespeople all the same.
Whereas certain ad’s and brochures maybe put together by a committee, a sales letter is the work of one person. It is a single coherent statement. That doesn’t mean repeating the same words over and over again. It mean’s thinking about what you are going to write and asking yourself “What am I trying to convince the reader to do?”
Force yourself to be specific because specifics out-pull generalisations every time. How do you know if your letter is successful? Well people might remember your letter but it’s only successful if the reader performs a positive act as the result of reading it. Specifics sell. Generalities don’t.
So you may win awards for your clever use of words…but awards don’t sell! Remember the purpose of your letter is to convince people to act…convince them to buy!
So as I said everybody writes letters, but how many write effective letters?
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.
A Few Easy Copywriting Rules…Maybe Not Rules More Guidelines
How do you write copy that people want to read?
Well that’s a bit of a leading question and the subject is so huge we could be here all day trying to answer it. There are however a few rules that can be applied to help you keep your readers interest.
Keep your first sentence short. Not always, but usually a good idea. If your reader starts to read your letter and the first sentence rambles on chances are he’ll get fed up and go on to something else. Compare these two opening sentences:-
“I have something you want!”
Or
“I have something that could interest you if you are looking for a new business opportunity”
This is easy to apply if you remember when you are writing that you are talking to your reader…what would you say?
Never have a paragraph longer than seven lines.
People have very short attention spans on the whole. If it’s hard to read…it won’t get read. If you have a longer paragraph read it through aloud, you will always be able to break it down to two or three paragraphs.
Even the spacing between sentences and paragraphs can make a difference. Think about it. If you have double spacing between every sentence a single page letter becomes two pages, two become four and so on. Suddenly your letter is a lot harder to read. So the rule is always single space between sentences, double space between paragraphs.
If your letter is longer than one page never end a paragraph at the end of the page. Always end mid sentence. This is a little trick known by anyone in the newspaper trade, you may have noticed “continued on page 5 column 3” at the end of a story on page one. It’s a great way to keep your reader interested because they have to know the ending.
Fire your big guns first…what I mean by that is never keep your reader guessing what it is you’re selling. Your best benefits should be up there at the top of the letter. If your reader has to get part way down the page before they even know what you’re talking about, you’ve lost them. In fact your target prospect probably won’t even start to read.
The way you start your sales letter can build instant rapport if you personalise it. Here are a few examples:-
“Dear Fellow Entrepreneur”
“Dear Golf Nut”
“Dear Collector”
Adding a word like “Fellow” is particularly powerful. Your reader will immediately feel that you are on the same wavelength.
Like I said copywriting is a huge subject and we could talk about it all day, but if you remember these easy guidelines it will help you to write copy that people actually enjoy reading.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.
Feeding The Mind
People buy because they want something…not because they need it.
What you have to do as a copywriter is to persuade them that they want what you’re selling so badly that they simply must have it. To do that you have to paint vivid pictures for them so they can actually see and experience it in their minds eye.
The human brain can picture something easily when you have experienced it with your five senses. For example if I say the word “water” you will immediately know what it’s like. You know how it looks, feels, tastes, smells and sounds. Your mind can go further than that. If the words are descriptive enough you can actually live the experience. When you are trying to sell something you have to help your reader to picture the situation.
Setting The Scene.
Imagine this for a moment. You are in a warmly lit room next to an open fire. You are sitting on a big sumptuous chair with your legs curled up underneath you. You know the sort of chair with big soft cushions that you really snuggle into. Outside it is dark and you can hear the rain beating on the windows and the wind blowing wildly through the trees. The curtains are drawn closed to block out the dreariness of the winter evening. You have cupped in your hands a big mug of the most deliciously rich hot chocolate that you are sipping through the creamy top. Every so often you have to lick the white cream from your lips. The log fire is roaring beside you and you can feel the glow of your cheeks as you sink further into your chair.
Not only can you feel the warmth of the fire and cosiness of the room against the wild weather outside. Chances are you can even taste the chocolate!
You have to tell stories and paint pictures for your readers to experience. It has been proven that when a reader has experienced something vividly they get emotionally involved with it. As we know people buy with emotions so this increases sales.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.
How to Write Irresistible Copy
How can you make your copywriting so persuasive that your target market simply can’t resist?
Well a lot of this is down to the research you have done first, so how do you do this research? One way is to hang out in the same places as they do, for example there are forums and groups online for just about anything you can think of. Read what they are talking about and just as important how they are saying it. It’s no good using highfalutin language if the people you’re trying to sell to can’t understand it. Use the same language they do. Your copy has to be conversational, imagine you are talking to a close friend.
Tick the right boxes.
You have to know how your reader thinks and how to tick the right boxes to keep him or her reading your copy. Copywriting has to be very self driven, people are only interested in themselves. That might sound a bit controversial but it’s true. You have to be able to appeal to their self interest. All the time they are reading they will be thinking WIIFM (what’s in it for me). Nobody really cares about your problems, dreams or goals. Only their own.
Make them want it.
So how do you appeal to their self interest?
Think what it is they want, not the actual physical object you are selling but what they will get from it. Don’t forget it’s the benefits that sell, not the features. A feature is simply a component of your product or service, a benefit is what the user of your product or service will get from that feature.
Think about the pleasure they will get when they finally have it. Don’t think about selling an object think about selling an image…a dream. Imagine the scene then paint pictures with your words. People don’t buy something because they need it, they buy it because they want it…must have it. People buy with their emotions. You have to appeal to those emotions whether they are greed, fear, flattery or guilt.
All you have to do is decide which emotion you need to appeal to, for example a weight loss programme aimed at women might be flattery. Because every woman wants to look and feel good. By describing the compliments she will receive on her figure, and helping her to picture how she will look, you can trigger an emotional response for something she will receive rather than something she currently has.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.
Where To Start Your Copywriting
How do you start copywriting?
What are the first things you must do…before putting pen to paper?
Have you ever heard people say that you should smile when speaking on the phone, as it comes across to the person at the other end of the call?
Well it’s a similar thing when you write. If you are not in the right frame of mind your reader will pick up on it. It makes sense when you think about it. If you’re feeling down because of a row you’ve just had, or stressed after a difficult day, how can you sit down and be enthusiastic about your subject?
Everyone has their own approach to this. Some people, like the highly acclaimed Ted Nicholas, like to do some light exercise before sitting down to write. I always have to make sure I’ve had a good nights sleep, and I think it’s essential to unplug your phone and make sure you won’t be disturbed.
Homework First.
So there you are, you’re wide awake, you’re in a great mood, your phone is unplugged and you’re raring to go.
So what now? Have you researched your product? Sorry, did I forget to mention that?
Before you even think about sitting down to write you have to research your product. You need to know all the benefits so you can answer all of your readers questions. The main question they will be asking is…
“What’s in it for me?”
There is no substitute for studying your product…tedious though this may be. Quite often you stumble across the best way to sell it hidden in the benefits. One such instance was when David Ogilvy wrote his most famous advert for Rolls-Royce. He spent three weeks reading about the car when he came across a statement that ‘at sixty miles an hour, the loudest noise comes from the electric clock’. This became the headline followed by 607 words of factual copy.
Talk the Same Language. As well as researching your product you need to know about the competition, what are they doing and what sets your product apart from the rest.
Of course all of the above are useless if you don’t know who will buy your product. You have to know your target market, who are they, how do they think, what sort of language do they use. I don’t mean do they speak English, I mean what sort of words do they use when talking about whatever it is you’re selling. You really need to get inside their head and understand what is important to them and what promise would make them buy your product.
When you have done all of this, and only then, you will almost be ready to start writing.
Anne Pearson
Compelling Copywriter
http://www.mapcopywriting.com
anne@mapcopywriting.com
Skype – mapcopywriting
Tel / Fax – 01772 468979
Please feel free to use this article. All I ask in return is that you include the above signature and URL.