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Eliminate Boring Web Site Copy in 5 Easy Steps |
By:
Michelle Howe |
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Imagine comic Robin Williams has written your Web site copy.
What would it be like?
Now imagine president George Bush wrote your Web site copy.
Which author would you prefer?
I would bet the copy written by Robin Williams would be much
more entertaining and fun to read than copy written by George
Bush. It's just got to be because there is no way Robin
Williams' personality would not show through in his writing.
Now take a look at the copy on your website. Is it more George
than Robin?
So what makes copy boring?
Probably the biggest mistake is to create copy that doesn't
create a vision. If I tell you that "XYZ dresses are for the
mature woman," you know we sell dresses, but you really can't
imagine the product. Now, what if I say, "XYZ dresses are only
for uninhibited women with luscious curves." Get a visual on
that one?
Use descriptive words that paint a picture for your audience.
You want to engage your reader with words that encourage them to
stay on your site and completely read your sales message.
Don't just describe your product, make the product appeal to
your reader. Communicate with emotion by telling a story. Let
your readers imagine themselves using your product or service.
Let them feel powerful, sexy, successful, clever or whatever
emotion it is that will sell your product or service.
People aren't so much interested in what a product does, but how
it will make their life better. You want them to have that
emotional connection by psychologically tying into their needs.
Why does someone pay $500 for a pair of shoes when a $50 pair
will do just fine? Because when they imagine themselves wearing
those $500 shoes, they are in a very happy place. They feel
admired, loved and so much better than other people.
So, how do you write good sales copy for your web site?
1) Start with boring copy.
The easiest way is to start with boring copy. Write out what you
want to say without trying to be clever. Just get your ideas
down first. Don't inhibit your thoughts by worrying about
whether it's good or not. At this point you don't need to care.
Concentrate on the benefits of your product or service, not the
features. How does your product benefit your target audience?
List all the ways your product can make their life better.
2) Organize your writing.
Now go through what you have written and make sure it has a
logical flow. Use examples to demonstrate your points.
3) Write in a conversational style.
Pretend you are talking to someone who is sitting across the
table from you. How would you describe your product or services?
Now look at what you have written and change the writing to be
more conversational. Get rid of the corporate speak and try for
a more natural approach.
4) Introduce emotion into your writing.
Now that you have a pretty good handle on what you wanted to
say, it is time to put some emotion into your writing. Use words
that create images in your mind. Examples of some of these words
are: tempting, mouth-watering, electrifying, rejuvenating and
ingenious.
Try to rewrite what you have by using words that sell. If you
are still stumped, go on to the Internet and look at other web
sites to see what others have done. Don't plagiarize the other
sites, but use them as a way to spark ideas for your site.
5) Proofread for errors.
The final sweep through your writing is to look for grammar
errors, spelling errors and context errors.
Read it out loud to yourself. How does it sound? Good writing
has a nice smooth rhythm and flow. If your writing is too choppy
you will notice the choppiness when you read the copy out loud.
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Article Source: http://www.powerdirectory.net/articles/article51930.html |
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