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“Out of Focus” Ads Can Cost You Customers
by KaronThackston © 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com As I was riding down the road last week, I noticed a billboard. As I sat waiting on a stoplight I kept staring at it. I couldn’t help wondering what those people were thinking when they...
The Art of Reading Your Buyer's Mind
Wouldn't it be fantastic if you had a crystal ball and you could read your prospects' minds you knew what they were thinking when you were making your sales presentation. You knew why there were considering the product in the first place. You knew...
Top 3 Rules for Writing Effective Copy
One thing all successful Internet marketers have in common is that they're good copywriters. If you want to have a profitable online business, you need to know how to write a copy that motivates people to buy your product... a copy that sells! In...
What Is Your Trail of Bread Crumbs?
A few years ago I was asked to teach a class on marketing strategies for a group of unemployed job seekers. As I thought of how I could best help this group of highly qualified, but very depressed executive level people, I came up with...
Writing To Overpower Your Competition
by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.learn-copywriting.com "We don't have any competition. We're a truly a one-of-a-kind company." I've heard that line from clients for years. I wish it were true, but it's simply not. In fact, it wouldn’t matter...
 
How To Enhance the Personal Appeal Of Your Sales Letter

Probably the most effective form of advertising is word of mouth.
And there is a reason for this. You will more readily take a
friend's advice about a product she has used than trust an
advertiser's blurb.

One of the lofty goals of a great copywriter then is to be
transformed into a trusted friend of the reader. Instead of
writing as to a crowd you can write as to one person sitting on a
park bench next to you --- a friend. This proven strategy will
explain the format of the sales letter used in direct marketing
and fast becoming quite popular in online selling.

Letters written in this personal style reduce the buyer's
resistance and ushers you into their circle of confidence and
advice. The more cold and formal style of writing common to the
corporate world leaves the reader feeling small and 'talked down
to'-emotionally unmoved.

It's a tenet of effective copywriting that your letter must be
emotionally appealing because people buy based on emotions and
then justify their purchase with logic. Being guided by our
emotions is not just relegated to small purchase but to ANY
purchase we make.

In a recent TIME magazine article discussing the skyrocketing
house prices, it was interesting to read the author's suggested
reasons for this recent real estate craze:

"The boom is as much an emotional story as an economic
one. It's about the excitement of potential wealth, the fear of
missing out and the envy toward the guy next door who bought for
a third of what you paid. … and the embarrassment of feeling
too poor for your neighborhood as houses around you are torn
down …" --America's House Party - June 13, 2005

Unless your sales message resonates emotionally with your
prospects then you'll lose potential sales.

Here are a number of ways to increase the personal appeal of your
sales letter:

1. Write as to one person. Imagine that person sitting right
across from you and write as you would speak to them. When a
prospect reads your sales copy you want him to feel singled out
of the crowd and not as a part of some wider audience.

2. Tell a personal story. If you created the product to solve
a personal problem then tell this story. The reader will more
readily feel akin to you since they are struggling with the same
issues.

3. Use your picture within the sales letter if possible. Adding
a face to the letter can greatly enhance the emotional appeal of
the letter. You must be cautious, however, if your appearance
will in anyway offend your market segment. If you are a 'skin
head' with bright tattoos and are trying to reach mothers of
young children omit the picture and depend on the words.

4. Include your signature at the end of the letter. Even if
you are cautious about using your actual signature you can use a
handwritten style font as a substitute.
5. Admit to common human weaknesses. This doesn't mean that
you have to start a prayer meeting confession session but


you can
admit to not being perfect. The American public especially
likes to know that you are "real", which
means that you have a few black spots. People shy away from
'know-it-alls' and 'goody goody' personalities. You don't want
to portray this in your copy.

6. Use as many testimonials as possible. If you have customer
emails or letters you can ask their permission to use these as
testimonials in your sales letter. Again you are sharing a
customer's story with your audience. People are interested in
people, period.

7. Write in a conversational style by using contractions (I'm,
can't, you'll, who'd, etc) and ellipsis (…) to show pauses.
This helps to give the letter a less written feel and a more
spoken feel. You can also use words that will build a
conversational atmosphere such as "Listen up"
, "Pay attention here" "I want to
talk to you". All these catch phrases make your
writing seem more audible than written. Keep in mind that we
read by listening to our own voices in our heads. So all
writings go through this translation process.

8. Build rhythm and cadence by using punctuations to emphasize
important words. For example, consider the following sentence:

"Our research indicated that it takes anywhere from
three to five months of REGULAR activity to measure significant
changes in health and fitness, so you can expect to see real
improvements in six months … IF you stick with a well-planned
program of physical activity."

If you read the sentence without the CAPITLISED words "
REGUALR" and "IF", then the
emphasis of the message changes even though the words didn't.
You can do the same to mimic raising your voice, thus giving your
writing 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 of
course must 'know' the people you are writing for. Are they
afraid? Do they have pains? Are they new parents? What are
their common values? Are they patriotic? Being able to answer
these questions will help you to tell your story in a way they
can identify with. If your situation is totally foreign to your
target audience then your job becomes more difficult.

The more personality you give to your sales letter the more
persons you'll convince to buy your product or service. Soon
you'll benefit from word of mouth advertising as your customers
continue 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 Internet
Marketing Consultant. He can bring any dead website to life again by
writing engaging hard-working copy for you. You may find more
hard-hitting articles and more about his copywriting services by
visiting his website at
http://www.webcopy-writing.com

 

Copywriting . Net
Copywriting . Net. The Internet's copywriting service center for Web and print marketing communications.
www.copywriting.net
 
Copywriting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As search-engine algorithms get smarter every day, this Search engine optimization (SEO) copywriting is more and more about writing for human visitors as ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
Copywriting - SEO Copywriting - Learn copywriting
Copywriting .com has just changed hands and will open its doors again in a few weeks. If you'd like to be notified when we launch, please send an email to: ...
www.copywriting.com
 
Copywriting 101 | Copyblogger
Copywriting 101 Tutorial Copywriting is one of the most essential ... Subscribe to Copyblogger to learn more about copywriting and online marketing. ...
www.copyblogger.com
 
The Copywriting Site - Free information, tips, and tricks on ...
The Copywriting Site: Here you get free information tips and tricks on copywriting that sells. - Marketing Writing.
noriainternational.com
 
Copywriting courses. Become a copywriter.
Copywriting courses for copywriters; plus tips on buying copy and hiring a copywriter.
www.inst.org
 
Advertising & Online Copywriting, Search Engine Copywriting ...
Advertising copywriting and search engine copywriting that impresses your visitors and the engines.
www.marketingwords.com
 
Free tutorials on copywriting, web content, advertising, internet ...
How to dramatically improve response from your Advertising, Internet marketing, Direct Mail and Web pages with powerful copywriting.
www.adcopywriting.com
 
Copywriting: See what people are saying right now on Technorati
See all blog posts tagged with copywriting on Technorati.
www.technorati.com
 
Advertising Copywriter, Website Copywriter, SEO Copywriter ...
Need a copywriter who can really grasp your business? Copywriting for websites, SEO, ads, brochures, articles... Elegant, no-fuss copywriting that really ...
www.divinewrite.com
 
Copywriting
Every advertising medium is different. And so is copywriting for each element. Business owners can find out what to look for when hiring a copywriter.
advertising.about.com
 
Copywriting Secrets - Master Copywriter - Killer Copy Writing
FREE E-Course Reveals The Latest Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets You've Gotta Know! ... "Now You Can Grab The Latest No-BS Advanced Copywriting Secrets That ...
www.websiteconversionexpert.com
 
Text Wizard® Copywriting - UK freelance copywriter, scriptwriter ...
Plain English with fizz: copywriting that stays on brand and on your mind. UK copywriter.
www.textwizard.com
 
Getting Real: Copywriting is interface design - Signal vs. Noise ...
Copywriting isn’t something to be left to the guy on your team who writes long ... So, I’m considering adding copywriting to my list of responsibilities, ...
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Amazon.com: Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words ...
Amazon.com: Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank: Books: Bryan Eisenberg,Jeffrey Eisenberg,Lisa T. Davis by Bryan Eisenberg ...
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Michele PW
Watch your business soar when you put the power of great copywriting, results-driven marketing solutions and amazing creativity to work for your business.
www.writingusa.com
 
Pages tagged with "copywriting" on del.icio.us
Good Copywriting: A blog about copywriting on the web ... Copywriting tips for online marketing success from Copyblogger · save this. copywriting blog ...
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Online Copywriting: Subscribe to the Excess Voice Newsletter
Online Copywriting: Nick Usborne's Excess Voice newsletter includes dozens of articles and a comprehensive list of resources and reviews for writers of ...
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Linda Westphal, Freelance Advertising Copywriter
Experienced copywriter for direct marketing articles, and advertising tips. Citrus Heights, California.
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Copywriting: Projects on Elance
Copywriting, Between $250 and $500, 7, 11/29/2006 1:45 AM ... Copywriting, Prefer not to disclose, 0, 12/1/2006 2:41 PM, 6 d, 22 h+, Authentication Status ...
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  • a quick and easy way of getting more customers from every single ad you write guaranteed

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  • become a ghostwriter

  • becoming a ghostwriter

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  • copywriting faqs

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  • 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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  • distribute your self published book part 2

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  • freelance copywriting advice 1 take the scary jobs

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  • hello niche marketing enthusiasts

  • heres a little known secret to writing copy for serious copywriters only

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  • hitching a ride on current events

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  • 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

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