It’s good to be guided in every thing you do especially if you are new to it. The truth for any copywriter is that on any given day, at any given time, your reader is far likelier to be focusing on something he is more about than your sales messages.
My point is being a good copywriter means knowing your product's inside out and being able to write convincingly about it. Being a great copywriter means knowing your reader the same way- his motivations, foibles, innermost fears and desires. Before you put your finger to a keyboard, you need to build a psychological profile of your readers. You need to ask and answer the following questions about your readers:
1) What is their sex?
2) How old are they?
3) What do they want more of( and less of) in their lives?
4) Where will they rather be now?
5) What do they want more than anything else in this life?
6) What are their values?
7) How do they see themselves?
8) How does others see them?
9) Are they head or heart people?
10) Are more likely to be tempted by promise of riches or removal of worry?.
These questions must be answered because at every given moment your reader(s) will rather be thinking about something else. The more insights you can get into the reader’s preferences, state of mind, and general outlook of life, the easier you will find to write copy that speaks directly to him or her in a way he or she will find hard to ignore.
THREE THINGS COPYWRITERS IMAGINE CUSTOMERS ARE INTERESTED IN.
People may feel otherwise but here are three things that many copywriters imagine their prospective customers find interesting. I assume they do because so many sales letters, ads, and emails begin like this:
i) The writer’s state of mind . For example “ I am delighted to tell you…” or “we are pleased to announce…”
ii) Statements about customer’s job, industry or hobby. For example “ As a busy finance director, you need to know about…” or “ Recent years have witnessed an explosion of interest in building Cathedrals out of used matchsticks.”
iii) Narratives explaining the copy writer’s company’s development ( usually from humble roots). Example. “We began publishing in 1975. Since then… or ( and very common nowadays) “ We have totally redesign our website …”
LIST OF THINGS PEOPLE LIKE READING ABOUT.
1) Themselves.
Now of course I don’t mean you as a copywriter should tell people about themselves. No I mean write about your product or service from the customer's perspective. Don’t tell them what it is: tell them how your product or service make their life easier, better or more rewarding. If you don’t know, find out or make something up. In other words, talk benefits.
As a copywriter, love the sinner then sell to him or her. If you don’t feel like wearing the psychologist's hat, then how about dusting down your theologian's gown?
Peel away the business suits, the carefully constructed personae, the intellectual body amour with which most people protect themselves from the truth and you are left with humanity in the raw. And it turns out we are all sinners. So why not exploit the worst in human nature to achieve your goals? Below are seven deadly sins you might use to write great copy:
1) PRIDE .(also known as vanity).
A simple way to make your reader believe you is to flatter him or her. Tell him how important he is, acknowledge his huge knowledge and experience. He won’t gain say of it. Then suggest ,someone with their obvious talent for making the right decision really ought to be subscribing or buying or going along with your suggestion.
2) ENVY . Make them aware that other people already have the thing you are selling and benefiting hugely as a result. Nobody likes to miss out and if they feel that the people with whom they identify are all having a great time enjoying product X, they will want to join the party.
3) GLUTTONY. Why do people eat more food or drink more wine than they need? Maybe they like the taste or sensation. Maybe they are in need of comfort or solace. Unless you’re selling food or promoting a restaurant, this sin wouldn’t have much relevance for you. But if your product makes people happy and contented when they consume it, you have real selling point.
4) LUST. A little harder, this one. But if you can suggest that becoming a customer of yours will satisfy this particular craving, you are onto a winner.
5) ANGER. People get angry about all sorts of things. I had a problem with my phone a couple of years ago that made my teeth grind like pepper mill. Give people an exit route from this unpleasant emotion and they will thank you. If you think that your main competitor is making their customers angry( through failings such as poor service or product quality and excessive price rises), you have some great leverage to capture market share.
6) GREED. This is a major motivator for sales people throughout the ages. People sometimes want stuff they don’t need. People often want more of what they already got. Especially profits, pay, respect, office space, bottles of wine, pens, calculators, holidays, cars clothes. Promise your customers MORE and you will have their ear.
7) SLOTH. People are lazy. So show them how your product or service can save them energy. Perhaps they can sit at their desk and have stuff emailed to them straight to their desktops. Maybe you will deliver something direct to their door instead of having to walk to the shops. Help them avoid work and they will open their wallets.
So remember, whether you are selling to customers or people at work, ignore the baser human emotions at your peril. Yes, people will want to rationalize their decisions, so make sure you provide plenty of objective reasons why buying your product is a sensible thing to do.
But people buy on emotional grounds first. So make sure you hit one of the deadly sins buttons in your sales pitch. By the way only a beginner will tell their clients or readers that they are lazy, lustful, or greedy. Be subtle
Applying the above ideas in your copy will attract and sustain the interest of your readers in your copy.
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