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Does Your Copy Look "Fake" To the Search Engines?
by Karon Thackston © 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword From the early days of search engine optimization, keywords and content have always been vital to achieving your goals. Starting back in the days when we used to shove every...
Proof Reading-The in "Audible" Art Form
If you are a writer of an ebook you definitely get others to proof-read your work, right? Is proof-reading one of those tasks that if you had the option you would rather take the garbage out to the bottom of the driveway and tolerate the stench then...
Review: Words That Sell
by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com/wordswork.html It's the Golden Rule of copywriting. "Know your target audience." It is impossible to persuade someone you know nothing about to take any type of action. But the question...
The Power of Your Ego in Writing Online Copy
I obey one main rule when writing copy for the online world: Get out of my ego and into my reader's ego. It's a basic marketing truth that shouldn't be violated anywhere. Yet it's violated every day online. Let me explain. One day I received the...
Winning The Customer Through Weakness
There is a saying in my country that goes something like this: "A fisherman never says that his fish is bad!" But should he if he wants to make more sales? "Hype" has become a word that many online marketers are shying away from. Yet each person...
 
Attention Deficit Sales Letter Disorder

For any marketer, attention is a precious commodity. With consumers bombarded with thousands of advertising messages each day the question of how to make your message stand out of the crowd becomes even more critical.

Any successful sales letter must accomplish two things:

1. It must sell the prospect on reading the sales message all the way through

2. It must lead the prospect to the most desired action, whether it's to make a purchase or subscribe to your newsletter.

If the copywriter fails at Step 1, then Step 2 becomes an impossibility. In other words, it's unfeasible to make a sale if the sales message is not read. Many copywriters overlook Step 1 and therefore even though they have a great offer and close, the message is not "attractive" to read. The bottom line is that the sales letter suffers from Attention Deficit Sales Letter Disorder - ADSLD!

Direct marketers know that half the battle is won if they can just get their letters opened. Much thought and testing go into determining the size, design, color, message and layout of the mailing envelope. These marketers know that if that envelop is not opened, then the letter is not read and the sale is not made. Simple.

For the online marketer, there are no envelopes to be opened even though some webmasters create a Flash introductory page that can act like an envelope. When a prospect comes to a website the message is there to be read. But how can this prospect be enticed into reading the sales letter all the way through?

Here are a number of ways that I remedy ADSLD for my copywriting clients:

1. Several tests have shown that a RED headline gets attention over any other font color choice. Red is often associated with danger but it also says, "This is important, read me!"

2. Remove anything from the page that doesn't support the sales message or distracts from the sales message. This includes most animated graphics and bright colors for the page background that competes with the foreground text. Nothing beats just plain black font against a white background. If you can keep the number of colors used to three or less, this will also help readability.

3. Keep the text table width under 700 px. If the text is set too wide then it becomes tedious to read from one line to the next because too much head and eye movement is involved.

4. The headline must engage the reader to read the rest of the message immediately. Headlines that work best are those that promise a BIG benefit for READING the letter, induce some curiosity and written in large bold type. It should also have some 'newsy' element to it as well.

5. The format and layout of the sales letter should be inviting to read. 12 pt. Arial font works well online, paragraphs kept under five lines and appropriate highlighting, bolding and subheads all make the letter appear easy to read.

6. The


lead in, or the hook for the sales letter must arrest the attention of the reader and seduce them into wanting to read the entire letter. This can be best done by making a bold promise for reading the letter itself. Great hooks include stories, factual statements of a surprising kind and a strong testimonial from a user of the product. Whatever method is used the lead in has to break into the conversation that is already taking place in the readers head. Using popular news items you know that will be familiar to your target audience is another effective strategy.

7. There should be prompts all along the letter that encourages the reader to keep reading. This could be as simple as writing: "Keep reading ..." One of the best strategies is to begin a thought process and break it with another subject and return to complete the thought later. This can be done simply by writing, for example, "I'll tell you how I lost 38 lbs in just 3 weeks, but before I do so let me tell you ... [other parenthetical idea or story goes here]" You've planted an initial idea that requires resolution and the reader must continue reading to gain it.

8. Be UNIQUE. If all of the sales letters in your industry looks and reads the same then why should a prospect read yours? You should try to go for a unique look and feel for your website. This may mean using a mascot, a humorous twist in your message or what can be more unique that your picture or story? The fact is that you want to stand out from the crowd and don't be afraid to push the envelope sometimes. One of the cardinal sins of copywriting is to be boring.

9. Focus your message on the reader not on your company or product. This is a major downfall of big corporation who think that everyone should just know how great their companies are. But your prospect is basically motivated by selfish desires. The questions you must be answering all through the sales letter is "What's in it for your reader?"

Often there is a debate about just how long a sales letter should be. Keep in mind that any person will read a 1,000 page book if it's all about them. About your company? ... that's another story altogether.

With thousands of marketers coming online you'll need to fight more and more for the ATTENTION of your prospects. I've been able to use these same tips I'm sharing with you to win attention and increased profits for my copywriting clients. You can do the same for your marketing message as well.

About the author:

Ray L. Edwards is a master copywriter, published author and Internet Marketing Consultant. His copywriting clients have claimed up to 1,600% increase in their comversion rates just from using his services. He is an expert in writing sales copy for the web. He has studied extensively the relationship between website structure and design as a factor in internet sales success. You may get more tips at: http://www.webcopy-writing.com

 

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  • 10 must haves for your best selling ebook

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  • advertising copywriting the top ten cliches and why you should avoid them

  • ad copywriting building brand equity one word at a time

  • an seo copywriting makeover turning not into hot part 1 of 2

  • an seo copywriting makeover turning not into hot part 2 of 2

  • are creative stereotypes holding you back

  • are keywords destroying the flow of your seo copy

  • are these internet marketing ebooks hogwash

  • are you asking the right questions in your copy

  • are you content with your e book content five improvements that will hook your readers

  • are you content with your headlines 5 ways to beef up your article title for maximum clickability

  • are you content with your web articles 5 ways to dominate your niche with copy that rocks

  • article marketing what is it and how can i use it to grow my business

  • article writing dos and donts

  • attention deficit sales letter disorder

  • avoid the big advertising mistakes

  • a copywriter never mumbles and other principles of effective ad copy

  • a copywriter speaks hey give me back my pen

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  • a day in the life of a freelance copywriter

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  • a lesson from the apprentice that can make you a master

  • a lesson in advertising from the eighteenth century

  • a quick and easy way of getting more customers from every single ad you write guaranteed

  • back to the copywriting basics

  • become a ghostwriter

  • becoming a ghostwriter

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  • business writing when not to be professional

  • calls to action making them fit makes all the difference

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  • copywriting is not one size fits all

  • copywriting makeover its not about you its about them

  • copywriting makeover know where your customers are in the buying process part 1 of 2

  • copywriting makeover know where your customers are in the buying process part 2 of 2

  • copywriting makeover making an emotional connection part 1 of 2

  • copywriting makeover making an emotional connection part 2 of 2

  • copywriting makeover search engine friendly can also mean visitor friendly

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  • fond of autoresponders write em right

  • freelance copywriting advice 1 take the scary jobs

  • freelance copywriting how to negotiate rates

  • freelance writers how to partner with your competition

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  • getting looked over without getting overlooked

  • getting people to part with their money the old fashioned way

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  • hello niche marketing enthusiasts

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  • how to find freelance jobs writing about food

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  • how to succeed as a writer

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  • how to write to mars and venus

  • how using a drop capital increased my ebook sales by 40

  • image and name recognition can provide a constant stream of referrals

  • increasing conversions through action oriented copywriting

  • index

  • interactive sales letter skyrockets conversions with 2 simple questions

  • is it time for a copy facelift

  • is it worth hiring a professional copywriter

  • is it worth paying for professional copywriting

  • is re centralization the new seo and effective copy must have for cms

  • is your copy upside down

  • its a dog eat dog world in the freelance work marketplace

  • its time to start that swipe file

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  • knowing copywriting basics how to get ahead in your copy writing business

  • knowing your market the key to good sales copy

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  • limited time only shh its a secret

  • live brainstorming session

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  • long copy vs short copy if youre still debating this youre missing the point

  • long sales letters vs short sales letters

  • lower cost increase conversion of your adwords ads

  • make your sales copy believable

  • making a career of sharing

  • master headline creation in 3 easy steps

  • maximizing the effect of your freelancers bio

  • maximizing the effect of your freelancer s bio

  • my favorite errors to correct dont make these mistakes and your writing will rise above most other writing part 1

  • my favorite errors to correct dont make these mistakes and your writing will rise above most other writing part 2

  • my favorite expert advice on writing the stories of our lives gleaned from my favorite books on the subject

  • need a great idea feed your brain

  • need a new idea try changing your perspective

  • new years resolutions for writers

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  • published but not paid part i start right to avoid problems

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  • q a for writers editors and publishers thoughts from your peers on life and work part two

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