by: Travis Greenlee, Master Business Design and
Development Consultant
President, Today's Leadership
Coaching
travis@yourpracticemadeperfect.com
So, you
have a hot product or service to offer, yet you just can't
seem to figure out why your s@les suck.
Chances are that you are making many - if not all - of
these 5 copywriting mistakes.
I call them "deadly" because if you are making them, then
they are most certianly killing your profits.
Let me make you a bold promise: if you'll examine your own
website copy and eliminate these copywriting mistakes, I
guar@ntee that you will see inst@nt improvements in your
s@les.
Let's get started with Deadly
Mistake #1: Being Focused On You, Instead Of On Your
Prospect.
This is the easiest mistake to make, and the most common.
Most ad copy is focused on the advertiser, not on the
consumer. Big mistake.
When you see copy that reads, "We're the best in the
industry - we've been in business over 20 years, we have the
most well-trained associates - and our facility has won many
industry awards." what's your typical reaction?
Most likely, your reaction is, "So what? What does that
mean to me and my life?"
If you're using copy that says "we", "us", and "our" a lot
- find a way to change that copy so that it says "you", and
"yours". Speak about the things that really matter to your
customer.
Here's a hint: those things are probably not what you think
they are. Why not ask your customers? They know the answer,
and they'll be glad to share it with you if you're wise enough
to listen.
I'd suggest surveying your audience. Send them a
quick email asking for their feedback, you might be surprised
with the results.
Deadly Mistake #2: Using a Weak, Wimpy, or Just
Bad Headlines
In the beginning, you only have one chance to grab the
reader's attention, in fact statistics show that 90% of
your prospects will spend less than 30 seconds looking over
your site, never to return. With this in mind... it's
essential that you grab their attention as quickly and
powerfully as possible.
Having a strong headline is the key. Make sure your
headline is clear, concise, aggressive (without being pushy),
and compelling.
Think of your headline as the pitch to get the prospect to
read the whole ad. It has to be compelling enough that the
reader thinks, "Hey, if this is true, I need to know about
it."
In connecting with your reader, You've get one shot. You
just can't afford to blow it!
Let me give you an example:
A poor headline for a
coaching practice: "Our Experienced Staff Can Tend to Your
Every Need, we have years of experience and are a member of
the international bar association."
boring...
Here's a much better headline for the same client:
"You
too can enjoy a life filled with ease, simplicity, security
and passion."
Can you hear the difference? The first headline will put
the prospect to sleep, whereas the second headline is benefit
oriented and will produce much better results.
Deadly Mistake #3: Not Using Enough
Bullets
Bullets break up your copy into short, readable bursts.
Especially on the web, people tend to scan copy before they
read it.
Breaking your benefits into bullets increases the
chances your copy will "catch the eye" and thus get
read.
So in short, the benefits of bullets are:
- They break up copy into short pieces.
- They make the copy easier to scan.
- They make it easier to pick out key words and
phrases.
- They get more of your copy read.
- They make you more s@les.
Bottom line, in most cases, The more bullets the
better.
Deadly Mistake #4: Using big words
and jargon.
Copy should read like conversation; it should flow
naturally and be easy to process, as if you are sitting across
the desk from your prospect simply having a nice
conversation.
Using big words and jargon might sound impressive, and feel
good to your ego, however it won't attract clients and earn
you revenue.
So the question is... Which would you prefer?
Use strong, punchy and emotional words. Write simply and
clearly.
bottom line, avoid jargon at all costs.
Deadly Mistake #5: Using Weak
Sub-Heads
You should use subheads every 3-4 paragraphs in your
copy.
Make subheads strong and compelling; think of them as
headlines for each section of your copy.
If read in sequence, your subheads should sound like an
abbreviated version of your pitch (which is what they
are). Sub-heads done correctly are a way to "stop the eye",
catch the reader's interest, and get them to slow down just
long enough to actually read your copy.
So that's it... simple! and who said copywriting was
difficult?
Now for your action steps...
To take everything that you've learned to the next step:
Simply grab your own s@les copy, this list of copy
mistakes, your favorite beverage, and go through your copy
line-by-line.
Analyze these mistakes and eliminate them from your
copy.
Do it now, and don't put it off.
You'll be glad you did.
oh yeah, if writing is "not your thing" - hire a
professional. Having great copy is the single most important
tool for conveying your message to attract new clients and
sell more your products or services.
