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A Copywriter Never Mumbles – and Other Principles of Effective Ad Copy
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Sales Letter Writing - Using AIDA
Writing a sales letter that really moves the product it's
promoting isn't something everybody can do, but there are those
who could well be great marketing copy writers, but who still
have to learn the basics of direct mail copywriting, be it for
the web or for print.
One of the most successful formulas for any copywriter is what's
commonly known as AIDA, an acronym for Attention, Interest,
Desire, and Action.
If you've had any previous interest in copywriting, you'll
probably have heard of AIDA already, but knowing what it stands
for isn't synonymous with knowing how to put it into use. Just
how do you grab the reader's attention? What's needed in order
to get them interested in the product? How do you stimulate the
desire to own the product? And finally, what action's needed and
how do you get the reader to do as you ask?
Attention
The average website visitor will spend just seven seconds
scanning a page before deciding whether or not it contains the
information he's looking for. Unless he feels that your page is
the right place for him to be, he'll be out of there quicker
than the proverbial bat in a hot place!
As sales letters are notoriously long (there's a lot of
information to be given, after all), it's important you use:
* Bullet points
* Headings
* Coloured text
* Tables
* Graphics
All of the above will draw attention to important points within
the letter. Use them to draw the reader to those points you
believe he needs to notice during his initial scan, as well as
points you feel ought to be highlighted whilst he's reading -
after all, few people read everything that's included in a sales
letter.
Interest
Now that you've got the reader's attention, you need to keep
them interested.
The first paragraph of your sales letter is very important here,
as it needs to arouse curiosity. The best way to do this is
generally through a question.
* Do you know how many people are paying too much for the
electricity?
* Isn't it about time the government improved our schools?
* What do you imagine's the best way to earn money on the
Internet?
* How often have you been made a promise that wasn't delivered?
A question will immediately engage the reader, rousing interest.
However, it's important that the question is relevant to the
product you're selling. There's no point in asking about the
price of electricity if you're selling a cocktail shaker!
Questions also need an answer. Make your answer interesting.
~~ According to a recent survey carried out by "Surveys Inc", 36
percent of Americans are paying well over the odds for their
electricity supply - and most don't even know there's a cheaper
alternative! ~~
~~ 36 percent of Americans pay too much for their electricity
and have no idea they could get it cheaper. ~~
Which do you think works better? I'd say the first example
because it tells you where the data comes from, uses
conversational language and has a mild "shock" element to it.
Use humour where suitable and keep the tone light. Give the
reader facts but don't drown him in dry statistics and lists of
numbers. Ask yourself whether you'd find what you've written
interesting or not.
Desire
Hopefully, you'll have hooked your reader and have him
interested enough to want to know the benefits of the product
you're offering. It's now up to you to convince him that
he MUST
have this product.
Every possible benefit should be mentioned. Let's say you're
selling a year's subscription to a men's fitness magazine. What
benefits might the book have? There are obvious benefits such as
learning how to improve your overall health and fitness, reading
about celebs and how they work-out, and reading about the latest
trends, but they're really not enough to base the sale of a
year's subscription on. You have to give the customer something
that he won't get by going to shop and buying the magazine in
individual editions.
* 12 editions for the price of 10 - let him know how much a
subscription will save him
* A free pulse meter with ever subscription - let him know how
much this is worth and what it can do to help him improve his
fitness levels
* The magazine delivered right to your doorstep 3 days before it
hits the shops - make it clear how much easier it is to NOT have
to go out in rain and wind in order to buy the magazine, only to
discover that it's sold out!
* Receive special gifts available only to subscribers - give
examples of the kind of gifts subscribers can expect and what
their value is likely to be.
The above are all incentives that are designed to create desire
in the customer. People like to get as much as possible for
their money and, quite often, they'll buy the subscription to
save money and receive free gifts, even though they'd no
intention of buying the magazine to start with!
Give them reasons to want what you're offering!
Action
Now comes the crucial part - you need to get the reader to do
what you ask of him.
* Order the product
* Donate money
* Sign up for your service
Whatever it is you need him to do, it's vital that you don't
lose him at this point.
Offer clear links to your payment/donation/sign-up page and
reiterate not only what he'll be getting by acting now, but any
possible consequences of not ordering/donating etc.
* "Order the 'thingamyjig' now to save yourself from the
backbreaking task of digging the vegetable beds"
* "Click the link to be one of the lucky first 100 customers who
will no longer need to worry about frozen pipes during winter"
Both of the above examples point out the benefits of acting now,
but also make it perfectly obvious that not doing so will have
consequences. Who wants to dig the veggie bed if they don't have
to? And would you want to deal with frozen pipes unnecessarily?
Conclusion
Hopefully you'll now be better equipped to use the AIDA method
when writing your sales letters.
There's absolutely no doubt that when used properly, AIDA can
greatly improve the number of sales your copy will generate so
it's worthwhile investing some time in getting it right.
Although everybody doesn't have the ability to write marketing
copy, there are plenty who can but because they haven't
understood how it should be done, their copy simply hasn't given
them the results they need. By using AIDA, that will change
dramatically!
Good luck.
~~+~~+~~
About the author:
Sharon Jacobsen is a full-time freelance writer based in South
Cheshire, England. For a competitive fee she'll happily write
dynamic sales copy promoting your product or service.
To contact Sharon, or to learn more about her work, please visit
www.sharon-jacobsen.co.uk
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