Your 5-Step Action Plan for Better Sales Copy
Do you want to improve the quality of your copy and get the right results?Then you need this five-step action plan.
It'll help sales soar, as well as build your business' long-term success.
Ready to learn the action plan? Let's get started.
1.
Put yourself in your prospects' shoes This is crucial.
There's no way you can write effective copy if you know little to nothing about your target audience.
It's not just a matter of knowing their age, gender or location or even past buying habits.
You need to put yourself in their position - it's a bit like being a method actor.
What are their fears, desires and frustrations?What problems keep them awake at night? If you were in their shoes, how would you feel? What would you do? It's important to ask a lot of questions about the product or service you are writing about.
Ask your clients for testimonials from previous customers, look at their social media accounts and read comments by buyers.
What made them purchase and are there any complaints or praise?Check online forums that are dedicated to the problem your client's product aims to solve.
What are the contributors saying and how can their comments help you empathize more with your prospect? Your opening sentences in your copy should enter a conversation your prospect is already having in their heads.
Your words must resonate with their current problem and also their desires for a solution - a solution you can offer.
It's a good idea to keep a case study of notes to refer to again and again when you write future copy for a similar product or service, or a similar prospect group.
2.
Know what sort of copy is required This sounds obvious, but it's often overlooked by some clients - especially those who aren't familiar with copywriting or marketing.
You might need to help them by asking some pertinent questions.
How will prospects find the sales letter?Will it be online or in print?Is it aimed at first-time buyers ("front end") or established customers ("back end")? Will they have to click on a link or can they access it via a video or opt-in page?And you need to also consider what copy should follow the letter.
Will it require a follow up email or a thank you letter and so on?Is it a one-off product or an ongoing subscription? This information will greatly help you work out how to approach your copy.
3.
Devise an outline All sales letters need an outline, just like stories need a beginning, middle and end.
But that white, blank page can induce dread in even the most seasoned copywriters.
The best way to get past that is to devise an outline of your letter, a very rough first draft.
In the outline, you should list the benefits of the product, what it solves etc.
Put down everything you can think of.
Write lists and jot down ideas as and when they come to you.
List the offers, guarantee, promotions, discounts, proof, credentials and so on.
Don't forget to think of the "Big Idea" in your copy.
This is the concept behind the promotion, the idea that makes this product different from others.
It's what makes the product stand out as unique from the plethora of competition.
It will also help you write that all-important headline.
Use the outline to write down all your ideas for headlines, subheads and order form information.
Don't dismiss any ideas off-hand; simply get them all down in case you forget a real gem.
Once you've got the bare bones of your copy in place, you can start to flesh them out in the next step.
4.
Get your facts straight Whatever product or service you write about, you need to back up your claims with proof and credibility.
That means getting your facts straight and from credible sources.
Facts, statistics and quotes from trustworthy sources all build credibility.
Consumers are savvier than ever before.
If you don't back up your claims with correct facts and numbers, they won't believe a word you write.
People want concrete facts, not wishy-washy estimations.
For example, writing "53 per cent of people suffer from shyness" is much stronger than "Over 50 per cent of people suffer from shyness".
The former is viewed as definite proof whereas the latter is considered just a claim and, therefore, not trustworthy.
Facts can also help you write a great story in your copy - which leads us to the final step in the action plan...
5.
Be a story teller Good copywriters tell stories and all good pieces of copy should contain a story.
If we go back to our statistics about shyness, we can weave a story out of the specific facts.
This could be through past testimonials or information from your client: "Jeff used to be one of the 53 per cent of the population plagued by shyness.
"By adding a human touch to statistics, it makes it easier for the reader to relate.
You can then go on to describe how Jeff overcame his shyness - and how your reader can do the same too.
We all love reading about other people and their struggles and triumphs, even more so if they are the same as our own struggles.
So, back up your benefits and claims with facts, but don't forget to add a human touch to the statistics.
It'll help sales soar, as well as build your business' long-term success.
Ready to learn the action plan? Let's get started.
1.
Put yourself in your prospects' shoes This is crucial.
There's no way you can write effective copy if you know little to nothing about your target audience.
It's not just a matter of knowing their age, gender or location or even past buying habits.
You need to put yourself in their position - it's a bit like being a method actor.
What are their fears, desires and frustrations?What problems keep them awake at night? If you were in their shoes, how would you feel? What would you do? It's important to ask a lot of questions about the product or service you are writing about.
Ask your clients for testimonials from previous customers, look at their social media accounts and read comments by buyers.
What made them purchase and are there any complaints or praise?Check online forums that are dedicated to the problem your client's product aims to solve.
What are the contributors saying and how can their comments help you empathize more with your prospect? Your opening sentences in your copy should enter a conversation your prospect is already having in their heads.
Your words must resonate with their current problem and also their desires for a solution - a solution you can offer.
It's a good idea to keep a case study of notes to refer to again and again when you write future copy for a similar product or service, or a similar prospect group.
2.
Know what sort of copy is required This sounds obvious, but it's often overlooked by some clients - especially those who aren't familiar with copywriting or marketing.
You might need to help them by asking some pertinent questions.
How will prospects find the sales letter?Will it be online or in print?Is it aimed at first-time buyers ("front end") or established customers ("back end")? Will they have to click on a link or can they access it via a video or opt-in page?And you need to also consider what copy should follow the letter.
Will it require a follow up email or a thank you letter and so on?Is it a one-off product or an ongoing subscription? This information will greatly help you work out how to approach your copy.
3.
Devise an outline All sales letters need an outline, just like stories need a beginning, middle and end.
But that white, blank page can induce dread in even the most seasoned copywriters.
The best way to get past that is to devise an outline of your letter, a very rough first draft.
In the outline, you should list the benefits of the product, what it solves etc.
Put down everything you can think of.
Write lists and jot down ideas as and when they come to you.
List the offers, guarantee, promotions, discounts, proof, credentials and so on.
Don't forget to think of the "Big Idea" in your copy.
This is the concept behind the promotion, the idea that makes this product different from others.
It's what makes the product stand out as unique from the plethora of competition.
It will also help you write that all-important headline.
Use the outline to write down all your ideas for headlines, subheads and order form information.
Don't dismiss any ideas off-hand; simply get them all down in case you forget a real gem.
Once you've got the bare bones of your copy in place, you can start to flesh them out in the next step.
4.
Get your facts straight Whatever product or service you write about, you need to back up your claims with proof and credibility.
That means getting your facts straight and from credible sources.
Facts, statistics and quotes from trustworthy sources all build credibility.
Consumers are savvier than ever before.
If you don't back up your claims with correct facts and numbers, they won't believe a word you write.
People want concrete facts, not wishy-washy estimations.
For example, writing "53 per cent of people suffer from shyness" is much stronger than "Over 50 per cent of people suffer from shyness".
The former is viewed as definite proof whereas the latter is considered just a claim and, therefore, not trustworthy.
Facts can also help you write a great story in your copy - which leads us to the final step in the action plan...
5.
Be a story teller Good copywriters tell stories and all good pieces of copy should contain a story.
If we go back to our statistics about shyness, we can weave a story out of the specific facts.
This could be through past testimonials or information from your client: "Jeff used to be one of the 53 per cent of the population plagued by shyness.
"By adding a human touch to statistics, it makes it easier for the reader to relate.
You can then go on to describe how Jeff overcame his shyness - and how your reader can do the same too.
We all love reading about other people and their struggles and triumphs, even more so if they are the same as our own struggles.
So, back up your benefits and claims with facts, but don't forget to add a human touch to the statistics.
Source...