Writing copy for any marketing materials requires one thing over all others – if you want people to read, you have to lead.

There are two types of copywriting out there. There’s the typical “laundry list” style of copy writing where you tell people what you have and what is special about it. Great way to guarantee no one ever contacts you about your product or service.

Then there’s the other style of copywriting. This style of copywriting is written the way all great sales people speak to potential customers. Great sales people never start out telling people what they are selling. They start out by trying to identify what the customer is buying.

The thing to remember is that no business owner or purchasing agent or executive gives a hoot about your company, product or service. What they care about is that their sales are dropping or their costs are going up or that they are spending a fortune on maintenance, or whatever their problem is.

You have to start out by letting them know that you understand the issues they are dealing with. You know why they are reading this web page or brochure or flyer. Then, unless you’re a brand new business, you let them know how you’ve solved similar problems for other businesses dealing with the same issues. (Not by telling them all about the latest innovations in the new WhatSit 9000, but by actually telling them what you did. Like you would do in a case study.)

Then tell them to contact you so you can solve their problems just like you solved these other companies problems.

One great way to get this style of copywriting done is to record your best sales person every time they go on a call. Every time they pick up the phone. Then sit down with all this accumulated information and look for the common threads and use them to write your sales copy.

Results count. And this is the best way to get it. Grab your reader by the nose right from the start, lead them where you want them to go, and then tell them if they want the same results you got for other companies, pick up the phone and call.

Bob McClain or WordsmithBob, has been a website copywriter in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, since 2000. He has focused on developing new, more effective approaches to web writing, web content, web copywriting and Search Engine Optimization. Starting with a BA in Technical Communication and a minor in Creative Writing from Metro State University in St. Paul, McClain has worked diligently to end the use of "corp-speak" and "technospeak" online. His approach is to “humanize” the Web, using real information to guide people to buy rather than turning websites into advertisements that people can easily ignore. McClain is also the creator of Cheap SEO Website Marketing, a website devoted to helping people with the best solutions to DIY SEO at an affordable cost with tips and software reviews. More at Cheap SEO Website Marketing

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Originally posted 2008-10-20 09:51:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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