The Right Words Can Make You Wealthy
Imagine you're in a darkened movie theatre watching a suspense
thriller, and the scene you are engrossed in shows a beautiful
woman walking alone on a dimly lit, shadowy street. The only
sound is the rhythmic noise of her shoes against the pavement.
The camera moves in for a closeup of her feet, revealing black
fishnet stockings that disappear into stylish, expensive, red
shoes. Then, slowly, the camera zooms out, retreating along the
street from where she just came. The sound of her footsteps
fades as she recedes into the distance.
A scrap of paper comes into view, tumbling over itself. It
continues its lazy somersault through the air encouraged by a
gentle breeze, then slides along the street until it is abruptly
halted, trapped between the pavement and a man's muddy boot.
Immediately you realize the woman is being stalked.
Suddenly, from the back of the theatre a loud, authoritative
voice shouts: "Fire! Get out!"
What would you do? Would you shrug your shoulders and wait for
the movie scene to play out, or would you respond to your
survival instinct and get out of there as fast as you could?
The answer is obvious. Those three little words would move you
to vacate the theatre immediately because they connected with
your natural impulse to avoid danger.
That's the kind of response great copywriting evokes. It uses
the right words to reach the audience on an emotional level,
then gets them to behave according to the wishes of the writer.
Copywriting is as much technique as it is art, and is perhaps
the single most important contributor to a profitable online
business.
- It is what separates your Web site's promotional copy from
the competition's.
- It is the riveting subject line that gets your e-mail opened
and read.
- It is the classified and banner advertisement that people
click.
- It is the clever business slogan or tag line that everyone
associates with you.
Words are powerful tools and can be arranged to impact the
reader however you wish. They can be forceful, compelling,
subtle, persuasive, instructive or hypnotic. They can lead your
reader to a buying decision or turn them away.
When developing promotional copy for your Web site, it helps to
include snappy action words, paint pictures, create images and
tell stories. Explain how easily your product can solve a user's
problem, or save time, or make the job easier. Highlight your
product's benefits.
Any writing style can work. Your approach can be serious, funny,
whimsical or introspective. And you don't have to be bashful
about showing aspects of your personality in your writing. That
could help your readers relate to you.
Also, it is always important to write with your reader in mind.
Let the nature of your product and the audience you are
targeting, guide you on which writing style to use.
If, for example, you were promoting a software application
designed to help highly educated college professors manage the
dissertations of their doctorate candidates, you could probably
elevate your writing style and language to match their academic
and intellectual level.
They may find it a turn-on and be more receptive to your
message.
On the other hand, if you were trying to interest teenagers in
your latest interactive game, your copywriting style should be
much more relaxed, informal, and sprinkled with the vocabulary
and expressions gamesters use.
Words form the basis of our communication and the way we use
them never fails to leave an impression on the reader or
listener. That places copywriting high on the list of effective
marketing tools currently available.
In today's bustling Internet marketplace, amidst a world of
imitators and look-alikes, all it takes for you and your
business to stand out in the alphabetic soup of marketing
methods, is a little imagination, courage and the right words.
With them, you could literally write your way to wealth.