Copywriting

Copywriting for the Internet is very similar to direct response copywriting. In fact, it is a form of direct response copywriting. The most similar copywriting model to direct selling Internet copywriting is direct mail copywriting.

Copywriting is best learned through modeling. Studying the copywriting techniques of the great masters of today, and the past, is by far the best way to learn copywriting.

One of today's great copywriting masters is Brian Keith Voiles. He has mastered the art of direct response copywriting, as well as copywriting for the Internet. Clients pay up to $25,000 for his copywriting knowledge.

You can learn copywriting from Brian without paying his fees - by subscribing to his copywriting newsletter. Click the link below and sign up. We recommend it highly.

Enjoy one of Brian's articles below, found only here on copywriting-expert.com!

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From the Desk of Brian Kieth Voiles:

Dear Friend,

Copywriting Mistakes You Must Avoid In Your Every Marketing Document!

Copywriting is an art. An art that you can learn. You don't have to be great at writing copy to market your business well, but you must be a decent sales person. If you can sell well, then you're half way there to good copywriting, because copywriting is selling... with paper and ink.

In this section I'm going to cover the typical copywriting mistakes that 90% of the businesses in America make, if they're in business, and if they claim to have "sales literature." I'm not kidding. If you use this information you'll be head and shoulders above most of the businesses in America.

I'm not tooting my own horn here either! Hundreds of marketers have proven these copywriting techniques, they work. And they'll work for you if you use them.

Hundreds and thousands of businesses need this information, but you're the one that's reading it right now, you're the one with the potential to put these ideas to work in your marketing documents.

If you doubt that other businesses don't do such a bad job.... after you've studied this section and read it a few times, start to collect all of the marketing literature you can get your hands on. Get literature created by all kinds of businesses and you'll see what I mean. It will all make even more sense to you once you do this.

These copywriting ideas work, I use them daily. In crafting persuasive marketing documents you need to know these mistakes that are typically made, so that you won't make them. This section will guarantee your copywriting won't be full of the all-to-typical mistakes that are so evident everywhere you look.

There's nothing clever here folks, just strong common sense copywriting that works. Clever doesn't sell. Read on and you'll find what to do to ensure that you marketing documents do sell.

You will do well if you study this section inside and out. Mark it up. Study it time and time again, it will help bring you marketing success.

Once you've had some success in using these ideas, I welcome your success story. It excites me to discover that I may have helped someone else succeed to any degree. I love it! Success breeds success!

Now then, lets learn the copywriting mistakes that you must avoid in your every marketing document!

Do you remember those Infinity car commercials? What a waste of money! Terrible terrible! They could have used a lesson or two in effective marketing! There are several rules to follow and several mistakes that can be made in copywriting.... and I don't think that talking about a beautiful, snow covered mountain side is going to help you sell your product or service. That doesn't make much sense does it? Neither will your copy make sense if the "Infinity" approach is the way you go.

To make sure your copy does make sense then, here are some basic rules that you must use in order to have effective copy. Most people do the opposite, and that's a mistake.

1) Use A Headline To Hook The Reader

2) Talk Specifically To Your Prospect In A Conversational Tone

3) Open Up With Your Prospects Problems

4) Use Energetic, Exciting Action Words

5) Use Specific Numbers, Results, And Testimonials

6) Provide Your Prospect With A Compelling Reason To Pick Up The Phone And Respond NOW!

7) Don't Talk About Your Credentials, Talk About What You Can Do For The Prospect

1) Use A Headline To Hook The Reader

Your headlines must work. IF your headline doesn't pull your prospect into what you've written, he'll throw it away. It doesn't matter how powerful, how good, how appealing or how wonderful your copy is, if the headline doesn't stop your prospect... nothing will.

Give headlines more attention than you do your copywriting. Headlines are crucial to your documents overall success. The purpose of the headline is to snag your prospects interest. Give it the attention it deserves, because your prospects see anywhere from 2,500 to 7,500 such headlines a week in the form of radio ads, TV commercials, magazines, newspapers, direct "junk" mail..... yours had better be good.

Your good headlines will:

Talk directly to you prospect. They stop him in his tracks because they yell out, "HEY YOU! THIS IS FOR YOU! HERE'S INFORMATION YOU NEED!" Sound silly? It's true. If your headline doesn't do this, then it's missing the mark by a mile.

Promise a benefit. This benefit may be implicit or explicit, but it must be there, right in the headline in order to snag your prospects attention.

Let your prospect know that if he doesn't take action he'll lose something important to him.

Tell me, do your headlines currently face up to these criteria? I doubt it. If they don't, then you've got to change them -- even if you have to chuck that 4-color brochure in the garbage that you've spent $4,000 on.... you must. It's an ineffective waste of paper, and a needless waste of trees!

In the mail today I received another marketing document with another miserable headline on it. See if you don't agree. It's a beautiful, black linen "mini-book" with silver writing. Truly beautiful. And what is the message on the front... the main headline? "Writers' Conference at Santa Fe." That's it. Nothing that yells out to me, "Hey! You'd better read this so that you can get this benefit and this benefit and this benefit... and if you don't read it, you'll miss out on this, and this and this!"

It doesn't tell me what I'll get. It doesn't tell me what I'll lose. In short, it fails miserably as a headline.

Now you know that you must use effective headlines to hook your prospect and get him to read the rest!

2) Talk Specifically To Your Prospect In A Conversational Tone.

Too many companies use copywriting as if they were some sort of an untouchable god. This makes no sense to me whatsoever! Why would you want people to perceive you as being untouchable, inapproachable? You must be different.

The best marketing documents are written to a specific person with specific problems. Your copy must read as a conversation flows. It must use one word sentences, one sentence paragraphs. In other words, it must sound like conversation.

The type of conversational tone you have is determined by your market. For instance, you wouldn't write copy to a dentist in the same tone you would a pre-school director.

When you write the document you must exude a caring, problem-solving attitude and personality so that the person reading the document feels strongly that what he's reading was written especially for him, and nobody else.

Your copy must be written with the zeal of a well thought out love letter. This is the hardest language to write. This conversational tone is not easy, but you can do it. Here's a way:

First, turn on you tape recorder and act as if your prospect were in the room with you. Next, start talking to him as though he would die if he didn't use your services. Literally DIE on the spot, if he didn't sign you up right now. Go ahead. Do it. Sell him.

To make it a little better, let's pretend as though this person was your most loved person in the world, they meant more to you than anything or anyone. Now..... "sell" them on using you.

After you've done that, listen to the tape that you made. You'll hear what you're copywriting should sound like.

I've done this before.... and with great success. It will help you learn how to write to a specific person, which is what all of your copy must do if you want it to have impact.

3) Open Up With Your Prospects Problems

This is what is called the "anxiety" portion of your copywriting. Here we briefly build on the prospects anxieties and problems to get him to respond. We remind him that he's uncomfortable where he is, and that he'd like to change. Most marketing documents do no such thing.

They start off talking about themselves, where they're located, how great they are, they're phone and fax numbers, they're products and services.

The prospect doesn't care about any of that stuff... yet!

Your prospects want to know what you can do for them. Secondarily they do, yes, want to know about you. But you must start-out talking about THEM.

What's everybody's favorite subject? ME. Everybody looks out for number one. Therefore, start your marketing documents by talking about:

* your prospects problems.

* what will happen if they don't solve their problems NOW!

Don't be afraid that your prospects will be offended by such an approach. Tell me, are you offended when someone takes a sincere interest in your problems, and is willing to help you stop suffering from your problems? I doubt it. You are thankful to that person. Your prospect will be thankful.

Not only that, but your prospect will get an immediate inkling that you understand him, and that you know what his problems are.

Solving his problem or achieving his desire is exactly what the prospect is interested in. He doesn't want to know how many customers you have, how many products you have or how many colors you have.

Never start out talking about yourself!

Always lead with the prospects anxieties or aspirations. Of the two, anxieties pull stronger. The fear of loss is greater than the hope for gain.

So why don't you begin with the thing that the prospect finds of captivating interest and leave the rest for later, after he's really interested because you started off talking about his problems or hopes?

4) Use Energetic, Exciting Action Words

The "professionals" do it differently. They write marketing documents as if they were writing a term paper. Here in front of me is this brochure I mentioned earlier. On the front it says "Spirit & Vision." OK. Great. "So what!" is my response.

Yet I'm sure that they thought that this deal was brilliant. Don't fall into this image trap! It's boring.

If your copywriting is boring, your prospect will be bored. And do you think that a bored prospect will become an excited buyer? Absolutely not! If your copywriting is boring, dull and un-exciting your prospect will rightly determine that YOU are boring, dull and un-exciting!

Use short words. Use highlighting techniques that help draw the prospects attention to benefits that he needs to know about.

Use bold.

Use underlining.

Use one sentence paragraphs.

Use one word paragraphs! Make your copywriting dance! Make your copywriting sing! Break up the page with these short paragraphs and highlighting techniques.

Let your prospect know that you are concerned for their well being, that you are here to solve their problems and to save the day! Show your prospect that you're willing to help in any way that you can. This is what works.

This is action oriented copy.

This is copywriting that moves your prospect to action. The action that solves his problems, and gets you the check!

5) Use Specific Numbers, Results, And Testimonials

Generalities will never sell. Be as specific as possible about how you work and the benefits you can provide. If you sell trade show booths, talk about the "five ways to make your next trade show the most successful ever." Give specifics. Let the prospect know how many steps it takes to reach the desired outcome.

In short, let the prospect know that you know what you're talking about. This lets him know that you can work with him in a specific fashion to give him the result he wants.

Don't write copy that is vague and unspecific. It only shows that you don't know what you're doing and provides your prospect with precisely the reason he needs to stop reading your materials and chuck 'em.

You should be able to tell your prospect precisely what benefits he gets for buying your product or service. Let him know the specifics about the benefits. Why they are benefits and what he can expect from working with you.

The basic rule to remember is this:

* If your marketing copywriting is so general that it could apply to everyone, it cannot be of special interest to your prospect!

Never forget this. Use this rule for every sentence you write, and every word you use.

Using testimonials can reduce buyers fear as well. But not those vague testimonials you see most of the time like:

"You were great!" D.M. Kansas

YUK! This type of testimonial is unspecific and useless. As a matter of fact this type of testimonial is actually harmful to your marketing document. It causes your prospect to think consciously or subconsciously, "Well, if D.M. from Kansas was so impressed, then why didn't they give us their full name?"

It leads the prospect to believe that there never was such a person! This hurts your credibility, and you have lost the sell... I guarantee it.

People want to be reassured that they are making the right decision when they buy. Specific testimonials are a powerful tool to help reduce a prospects anxiety.

If someone was looking to hire a magician, that magician would like a specific testimonial that goes something like this:

"I was hesitant to get a magician, it worried me a little. After hiring Jo-Blow magician though, our entire event was ten zillion times better than last year! We had more people comment on your act than any other! Great work, and I'll be calling you again!" Jim Johnson, President, IBM.

Now that's a good testimonial. Its' specific. Strive for this from now on.

Later on in this report, we'll talk about testimonials some more.

6) Provide Your Prospect With A Compelling Reason To Pick Up The Phone And Respond NOW!

If your prospect, after reading your marketing document, picks up the phone or otherwise takes the next step towards buying from you, then your document has succeeded. If he's not motivated to act, then your marketing document fails. Pretty simple, eh?

This means that in every marketing document you create you must always give the prospect an invitation and a reason to ACT NOW!

Don't just tell the prospect to act though, tell them WHY to act.

For example:

"Pick up the phone now to solve (your prospects greatest problem)."

"Schedule an appointment to see our new widget now so you won't (lose what the prospect desires)."

You see, in order for your copywriting to succeed you must talk about your prospect continuously. That's what they're interested in. They want to hear about themselves, so do it! Talk about the problems that they want to solve. Talk about the aspirations that they have. Every thought, every word in your marketing document must clearly show that, above all else, you are thinking only of the prospect and their needs, and that you'll do what it takes to solve the prospect's problem, if only he contacted you NOW!

7) Don't Talk About Your Credentials, Talk About What You Can Do For The Prospect!

When you talk about yourself in your marketing documents, talk about yourself in terms of your prospect. Think about what the prospect cares to know. He wants to know that you'll give him the benefits you say you can deliver, and the benefits he wants you to deliver.

Your prospect continually wants to know, "What's in it for me?" Therefore, you must continually answer that question, even when you're talking about yourself.

He wants to know what you can do for him, not how many degrees you have, where you got them, and when you got them. No one cares until they know what's in it for them.

He wants to know that you understand his problems and have solved it for other people who are like him. People that will in fact "testify" that you have solved their problems. (Thus the need for testimonials.)

The prospect wants to know what you can do for him, what you have done for others like him (be specific!) and anything you can tell him so that his suspicions about what you say are laid to rest!

There you have them. If you'll follow these rules, you can rest assured that your marketing documents will be read. As I challenged you at the onset of this, begin collecting marketing documents of all sorts. Note what you like about them. Note what works. Test them against the guidelines in this section of the report to see why they work when they do.

It is your responsibility to learn the rules that are here. If you don't learn them and internalize them, then your prospects will not get the solution to their problems from you, and you won't get that big, fat check!

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