Tips For Entrepreneurs: Simple lessons in copywriting

Most businesses fail to understand just how important well-written copy is.

JULY 7, 2014 23:27

hand writing 370 (photo credit: REUTERS) — hand writing 370

(photo credit: REUTERS)

Copywriting is like printing money. The big difference? Unless you are doing so on behalf of the government, printing money is probably not a good idea.

But when you think about it, copywriting is a pretty close, legal second. When you write persuasive copy, you are performing a sales function. You are bringing a potential buyer ever closer to opening his/her billfold or pocketbook to give you money in exchange for what it is you are offering.

Essentially, it’s a highly leveraged form of selling, because once you write the text, you can make use of it time and time again, where it does the magic of closing the sale without taking any of your time to close each and every sale over time. Once it’s written and out there, it’s a workhorse, bringing in client after client.

Most businesses fail to understand just how important well-written copy is.

While they may spend money on a flashy (oops, “sophisticated”) advertisement, do they really understand what is motivating their potential client to take action and buy from you, instead of simple inaction, which is so much simpler and costs less as well? Here are six simple tweaks to improve your copy:

1. Clone your clients

Remember Dolly the sheep? While you may not be able to clone your clients just that way, it’s important to remember that most of your clients share certain similarities.

This means that they share the same issues, are probably of similar upbringing or employed in a similar line of work. And writing with that client “sample” in mind will mirror all the others who share those pain points and who are looking for the solution to a similar problem.

2. Decipher the TRWN

There are three main hesitations that stop your potential customer, donor, supplier, or whomever else, cold turkey, is throwing up barriers while dealing with you.

What are the TRWN – the three reasons why not – that account for the majority of reasons people don’t buy from you? Getting those answers clear and attacking those objections before they even arise will enable you to close so much more business.

3. Write the way you speak

This column is written that way as well. It’s as if I’m speaking to you directly, with a smooth flow, and not edited in the way that may look better in writing but that tells the brain “you are now reading something in print.”

This style is written, but besides using your eyes, you can actually hear the words. It means you are engaging the prospective clients who become motivated because more of their senses are involved – which means a higher comfort level about working with you and your business.

4. Give them ownership, now

Ever wonder why car dealers sometimes offer to let you “take the car home for the night?” Well, it’s because it gives you a sense of ownership of the new car, which means you begin to see it as your own. Humans have a fear of loss, which has more meaning to us then potential gain. Once you feel it is yours, it becomes much harder to “give it up.”

5. Building within the copy

Building within the copy a story where the prospects see themselves already using your product or service, and shows them how by doing so they are better off, makes it that much more difficult for them to “part” with your product or service – even if they haven’t seen it yet!

6. Testimonials

While I’ve covered testimonials before, it’s something that I simply can’t stress enough. This is such an incredibly powerful tool, that it’s amazing just how often it falls by the wayside for lack of space or lack of elegance.

Testimonials are a secret path directly under the barbed wire that we surround our brains with so to avoid sales messages and the ever increasing barrage of advertising we see all around us, proven time and time again.

Testimonials are incredible social proof that mean much more to the customer than anything we can ever say. Why? For that very reason. Because the person saying so isn’t affiliated or profiting from this transaction, just like the man at the next restaurant table who tells you his dish is delicious! Don’t you think he’s more trustworthy to ascertain if the dish is good than the waiter who tells you what today’s special is? Clip this column and use it as a checklist of sorts the next time you send out any piece of marketing material. Just a small change and a greater awareness can lead to a much stronger response. Give it a try. Here’s to your success!

issamar@issamar.com

Issamar Ginzberg is a business adviser, marketer, professional speaker and rabbi.