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Digg it UP - How To Really Connect With Your Customer In Your Copywriting
The effective and successful small business owner works to a well thought through small business plan. This plan outlines and documents the key business objectives, benchmarks and performance measures that must be met.A good small business plan is the result of having first conducted a thorough Strategy Formulation exercise. The ability to think strategically is one of the qualities of good leadership that all successful business owners and entrepreneurs should possess as part of their repertoire.Strategy Formulation is a fundamental process that identifies the critical areas to be addressed and sets the priorities for the business across an agreed strategy period.By focusing on the key areas that are identified as part of this process, the effective manager and business owner ensures la
Informal style means breaking a ton of grammar rules. Which is what you do when you talk, anyway, at least in conversational speech. Use contractions (like can’t and won’t and I’ll…). And fragment sentences. And you can start sentences with “and”. Or with “or”.
And you can tail off sentences with ellipsis markers (those three dots)… Which is also a good way to show hesitation when writing, by the way, since you can’t use the hesitation sounds you normally use in speech.<
If a person is facing a lot of financial hardships and is unable to meet the basic monthly installments, it is advisable to resort to free debt consolidation help. There are a number of lending companies prepared to offer solace to such people. This is provided in the form of debt consolidation loans and advice for managing their finance.Debt consolidation helps the individual from having to pay multiple installments. Once the debt is consolidated then the installment can be made, in a single payment against the consolidated amount.Debt consolidation counseling is also important as it helps the client to bepsychologically prepared for talks on debt consolidation and management program.There is lot of competition in the market of debt consolidation loans. Some loans are offered with
Personality, upbringing, environment, education, audience, purpose…all these and more go into forming your voice, no matter what kind of writing you’re doing.
In this article, I’d like to try to tackle the subject of voice in copywriting. I’ve identified a couple of areas that I believe are the most important when it comes to making your voice more credible when writing copy -- style and tone. By improving these two areas, you'll connect with your customer in a much more genuine way.
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In my conversations with successful copywriters and marketers, I find that practically every one of them has an uncanny ability to communicate on a gut level with their customer or prospect. And that is one of the main keys to their success.
How do they do this?
By removing internal editors, and writing as if they were speaking to a friend.
When you sit down to write, you need to make a psychological leap and forget everything you ever learned about writing in school.
Yes, I know that you’ve got those “ghosts of English teachers past” sitting on your shoulder and whispering in your ear about how you should write. But those internal editors need to be tossed out.
Instead, you need to write like you talk. This is much easier said than done, and requires some practice and work. If you have a hard time doing this, one possibility is to record yourself speaking your sales message first, and then to transcribe it afterwards. That way you’ll get the spoken spirit of the language.
You’ll still need to edit it though, to get rid of “hesitation markers” like ummmm, uhhhhh, etc. You don’t want those sounds in your copy…
But more than anything, writing like you talk means being informal. One thing I see with novice copywriters is that, even though they might start to get the idea of writing like they talk, they’ll still “speak” formally, as if they were giving a (dull) public speech.
It’s true that ad copy from 50 years ago, especially direct mail sales letters, may have been a bit stiff and formal. And there may still be times when a certain level of formality is needed, depending upon your target market. But with Web sales copy, and especially with email copy, informal is the right way to go.
Informal style means breaking a ton of grammar rules. Which is what you do when you talk, anyway, at least in conversational speech. Use contractions (like can’t and won’t and I’ll…). And fragment sentences. And you can start sentences with “and”. Or with “or”.
And you can tail off sentences with ellipsis markers (those
three dots)… Which is also a good way to show hesitation when
writing, by the way, since you can’t use the hesitation sounds
you normally use in speech. Year End Tax Saving Tips
The clock is running, but have no fear. There is still time to make plans, as the tax filing season nears. How clever, yet another poem from the host of the most complete business program on radio, “Better Business”. What can be done to reduce income tax exposure for 2006? Read on if dare, read on if you care.Outside salesmen should take note. Get reimbursed for your business expenses, please. The life of the salesman is one where meals & entertainment and use of a personal auto create income tax deductions that are not terribly beneficial. They are recorded on form 2106 and lead to miscellaneous itemized deductions that are subject to a 2% adjusted gross income (AGI) floor. Besides this limitation, it is entirely possible that our client, the outside salesman, is subject to the dreaded alternative mini
****************
In my conversations with successful copywriters and marketers, I find that practically every one of them has an uncanny ability to communicate on a gut level with their customer or prospect. And that is one of the main keys to their success.
How do they do this?
By removing internal editors, and writing as if they were speaking to a friend.
When you sit down to write, you need to make a psychological leap and forget everything you ever learned about writing in school.
Yes, I know that you’ve got those “ghosts of English teachers past” sitting on your shoulder and whispering in your ear about how you should write. But those internal editors need to be tossed out.
Instead, you need to write like you talk. This is much easier said than done, and requires some practice and work. If you have a hard time doing this, one possibility is to record yourself speaking your sales message first, and then to transcribe it afterwards. That way you’ll get the spoken spirit of the language.
You’ll still need to edit it though, to get rid of “hesitation markers” like ummmm, uhhhhh, etc. You don’t want those sounds in your copy…
But more than anything, writing like you talk means being informal. One thing I see with novice copywriters is that, even though they might start to get the idea of writing like they talk, they’ll still “speak” formally, as if they were giving a (dull) public speech.
It’s true that ad copy from 50 years ago, especially direct mail sales letters, may have been a bit stiff and formal. And there may still be times when a certain level of formality is needed, depending upon your target market. But with Web sales copy, and especially with email copy, informal is the right way to go.
Informal style means breaking a ton of grammar rules. Which is what you do when you talk, anyway, at least in conversational speech. Use contractions (like can’t and won’t and I’ll…). And fragment sentences. And you can start sentences with “and”. Or with “or”.
And you can tail off sentences with ellipsis markers (those three dots)… Which is also a good way to show hesitation when writing, by the way, since you can’t use the hesitation sounds you normally use in speech.<
In order to decide you need to know what the difference between these two types of interest is and what are the benefits and disadvantages of each one.Fixed Interest RateIf you choose a fixed rate mortgage you’ll be paying the same interest rate for the whole period of the loan and the debt will be paid in identical monthly installments. The main benefit you’ll get from this type of loan is that you won’t need to worry about an increase on the monthly payments. Even if the rates charged for home loans vary in the market, you’ll be paying the same amount every month.This are specially designed for those of a conservative nature that are not willing to control rates every month and those who have a fixed income and prefer to be safe by knowing the amount of money they’ll be paying for the ho
Yes, I know that you’ve got those “ghosts of English teachers past” sitting on your shoulder and whispering in your ear about how you should write. But those internal editors need to be tossed out.
Instead, you need to write like you talk. This is much easier said than done, and requires some practice and work. If you have a hard time doing this, one possibility is to record yourself speaking your sales message first, and then to transcribe it afterwards. That way you’ll get the spoken spirit of the language.
You’ll still need to edit it though, to get rid of “hesitation markers” like ummmm, uhhhhh, etc. You don’t want those sounds in your copy…
But more than anything, writing like you talk means being informal. One thing I see with novice copywriters is that, even though they might start to get the idea of writing like they talk, they’ll still “speak” formally, as if they were giving a (dull) public speech.
It’s true that ad copy from 50 years ago, especially direct mail sales letters, may have been a bit stiff and formal. And there may still be times when a certain level of formality is needed, depending upon your target market. But with Web sales copy, and especially with email copy, informal is the right way to go.
Informal style means breaking a ton of grammar rules. Which is what you do when you talk, anyway, at least in conversational speech. Use contractions (like can’t and won’t and I’ll…). And fragment sentences. And you can start sentences with “and”. Or with “or”.
And you can tail off sentences with ellipsis markers (those three dots)… Which is also a good way to show hesitation when writing, by the way, since you can’t use the hesitation sounds you normally use in speech.<
Lynn slumped down into the cushiony chair. She had been holed up in today’s profit building business meeting for two hours already. She gazed down at her watch, took a deep breathe and pulled herself upright. This meeting was one of the many that Lynn spaced out and heard nothing that her supervisor said.She often spaced out at work. She thought about all sorts of things. She thought of asking for a raise, but knew her company would counter with, “We are being conservative right now because of the economy. Perhaps you could work more hours if you need additional income?”Lynn certainly did not want to work more hours., but she knew that she deserved more money and a better quality of life. She also knew that her present employer was not going to give out raises. In fact, they have been lay
But more than anything, writing like you talk means being informal. One thing I see with novice copywriters is that, even though they might start to get the idea of writing like they talk, they’ll still “speak” formally, as if they were giving a (dull) public speech.
It’s true that ad copy from 50 years ago, especially direct mail sales letters, may have been a bit stiff and formal. And there may still be times when a certain level of formality is needed, depending upon your target market. But with Web sales copy, and especially with email copy, informal is the right way to go.
Informal style means breaking a ton of grammar rules. Which is what you do when you talk, anyway, at least in conversational speech. Use contractions (like can’t and won’t and I’ll…). And fragment sentences. And you can start sentences with “and”. Or with “or”.
And you can tail off sentences with ellipsis markers (those three dots)… Which is also a good way to show hesitation when writing, by the way, since you can’t use the hesitation sounds you normally use in speech.<
Many eBay sellers consider it wrong to make money by overcharging on delivery fees. The rule is, you must either give or offer to give exact information to potential bidders about postage and packing fees before they place their bid. It's best to charge the exact cost of materials and postage or slightly more to cover time, staff assistance, travel to the post office. Buyers expect that.But fail to provide delivery costs in your listing and, if the buyer also fails to ask costs in advance, then someone's going to get very cross indeed if you slap ?6 for delivery on an item that arrives next day with a first class stamp.Like many PowerSellers I don’t believe in making money on postage costs. But based on the theory that 'A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned' there’s nothing wrong in seeking ways t
Informal style means breaking a ton of grammar rules. Which is what you do when you talk, anyway, at least in conversational speech. Use contractions (like can’t and won’t and I’ll…). And fragment sentences. And you can start sentences with “and”. Or with “or”.
And you can tail off sentences with ellipsis markers (those three dots)… Which is also a good way to show hesitation when writing, by the way, since you can’t use the hesitation sounds you normally use in speech.
And you can have sentences that have only one or two words. Like this!
And you can use really short paragraphs to express a quick thought. Or a bit longer paragraphs to express a longer thought.
There are also things you can do with language. Like using special terms or jargon used exclusively within a specific marketing niche. Customers know immediately if you're "one of them." Jargon and specialized knowledge help give them the clue for that.
There’s an awful lot you can do. And you’re really only limited by that internal editor/critic. So the sooner you throw that critic out the door, the better.
Also, when writing like you talk, you need to be able to keep a warm tone. One way it’s put by sales professionals is to imagine that you’re making “a referral to a friend” rather than making “a sales pitch to a customer.” The examples you’ll usually hear copywriting educators use for this are the kitchen table conversation or the barstool conversation.
The best way to develop this warm tone is through identification.
Getting to really know your target market (or “tarket”, as Lorrie Morgen-Ferrero calls it) allows you to identify first-hand with their hopes, dreams, wants, and needs. This comes from study and research, although a certain amount of intuition comes in handy too.
You really do need to be able to put yourself into your customer’s shoes in order to be a good salesperson, whether in print or face-to-face. As the old saying goes, “Become your customer.” They need to become real in your mind -- as real as that person sitting across the kitchen table.
There are plenty of ways to identify with your customer or prospect. Reading the trade journals or magazines they read is a good place to start.
But what this skill really amounts to is empathy. Identification and empathy are two peas in the pod.
In business, you develop empathy simply by putting your customer first. By actually caring about your customer and making it your avowed goal to help them. By going the extra mile to find out what it is that keeps them awake at night. By becoming obsessed (in a good way) with bringing them a product that will solve a problem and make their life easier.
And by listening.
How do you listen to your customer when they're not there? The same way you would if they were there. By asking a question. And then listening for the answer. From inside
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