Writing Web Copy That SELLS - How It Compares With Offline Copy
Whoever said "long copy" doesn't work on the web obviously
doesn't know how to sell online. In fact, online marketers are
making an absolute fortune with web pages spanning 1200 or more
words used to sell their software and manual products.
There's an internet marketing expert in the States who went from
zip to millionaire just by promoting a book on car secrets via a
very wordy online sales letter. He is now recognised as perhaps
the world leading expert in internet marketing. His name is
Corey Rudl.
The copy on our product pages is equally as long ... and it
works, delivering us many thousands of dollars in product sales
without any offline promotion.
"How to Create a Sales Explosion With Every Ad and Letter You
Write" ... http://www.synergie.com.au/explosion.htm "Marketing
Manager's Toolkit" -
http://www.synergie.com.au/marketing-forms-product.htm "Tenders
that Sell" - http://www.synergie.com.au endersthatsell.htm
The key is to get to the point early ... you can have long copy
on your website BUT (and I stress BUT) make sure the beginning
of your message gets to the point quickly. That's where you can
lose people. It's vitally important that you hook them quickly
by offering strong "hit them in the face" benefits.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` The difference between
writing direct mail and writing web copy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will often start a letter by relating to the main frustrations
or problems that a reader faces. Sometimes I will spend two or
three paragraphs getting what I call the "nod factor" happening.
(This is when they are nodding their head in agreement with what
you have written).
With web copy, you simply can't start your sales letter with
three paragraphs of copy setting the scene.
Chop, then chop then chop again!
Even though I said writing long copy is definitely acceptable,
what won't work is FLUFF. Remove all those fluffy, round-about
ways of saying things and replace them with short, sharp and to
the point words. You can go into great length to describe
something as long as it is ABSOLUTELY critical to the sales
message.
Here's a tip to help you write like a miser:
When writing online copy I avoid using a word processor. I
actually go into my email program and write it in the email
message window. It's a mind-set thing. Makes sense doesn't it!
We all write emails in a quick, friendly, to the point way -
much more economically than we do when writing snail mail. When
you've written your draft THEN cut and paste it into your word
processing program.
So, how do you make your words SELL online?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Follow the recipe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Remember, in other articles we talk about the AIDCA formula.
Make sure you follow it in your offline and your online copy.
A - Attention - grab their attention with a powerful headline
that absolutely shouts out the benefits of visiting the site
I - Gain their interest by relating to their needs or
frustrations
D - Create desire by spelling out the benefits and painting a
picture of how better off their lives will be by investing in
your product or service.
C - Gain their conviction. Convince them that they must purchase
your product. Summarise your benefits in a powerful way. Include
a powerful offer that convinces them to purchase now. Implement
risk reversal techniques such as a FREE trial or a money back
guarantee.
A - Incite action. Put a limited time frame on your offer and
tell them how to order. Make it as easy as you can to purchase.
Give them a number of options.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Copywriting, whether it's offline or online is still all about
YOU (or the client, that is). Write in a direct "me to you" way.
Use twice as many "you's" as you do "we's". This forces you to
step into the readers' shoes and by doing that you're helping
them relate (really relate) to what you're saying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Break it up!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
There's nothing that will make people click away faster than
long, tedious paragraphs and long sentences. Break up those
sentences. Break up those paragraphs into one or two sentences
(at the very most).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Put those HOT words in
lights! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Every time you move on to a new point include a subheading. This
breaks up the copy and makes it much easier to read. It also
enables people to scan your piece. With a good web piece you
should be able to scan just the subheads and be able to pick out
the major selling arguments in order so you can get a good gist
of what the piece is about.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Use strategically placed
links to expand on points ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
In situations where some readers may need to find out more about
a certain point, instead of including a description in the main
body of your online sales letter, include a link to an
explanatory paragraph. This enables you to include all the copy
you need to sell something WITHOUT watering down the power of
your main piece.
It might be simply a description of the meaning of a certain
term.
It might be links to additional research which proves that your
product delivers results.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` Weave testimonials
throughout your copy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Testimonials SELL. Gather as many testimonials as you can from
clients and feature them in a variety of different ways. Have a
testimonials or "what clients say" section. Feature these
testimonials as case studies AND use them as part of the copy
when making a particular point.
Eg. Your car will be so shiny it will look brand new AND be
worth $000's more.
Margaret Smith of Smith and Co. Balmain agrees:
"I wanted to sell my 1995 Ford and to be honest it had been a
little neglected over the years. I was given an initial trade in
price from a dealer and after being rather disappointed with the
price I thought I'd arrange for your detailing services. My
gosh. What a result! I hardly recognised it. It looked like a
brand new car. I then took it in to another dealer and they
offered me $5,000 more. Thank you so much!"
This is a brief overview of how to write powerful web copy.
There are a number of other key copywriting principles to
consider. You can find more copywriting browsing our site.
Just remember - no matter what sales vehicle you're using, the
recipe for copywriting success is the same. It's just the tone
and the length that changes.