Copywriting For The Web

Copywriting for the Web - Know Your Target Audience

by George Dodge

Regardless of what you're selling, marketing or promoting, you have to have a good understanding of your audience before you can create effective copywriting. Without knowing who you're writing for and what they hope to get from the copy you create, your copy might not achieve the desired effect. But if you're creating sales copy, isn't it simple? You tout the benefits of the product or service, and wait for the customers to flock on over, right?

There are many stages to effective copywriting, but knowing what your readers expect from the product is probably the first and most important step.

If you are selling a product, take a minute to consider what your audience expects to gain if they purchase your product. Money is one of the most common reasons for purchases, though there are other - equally compelling - reasons. Becoming more healthy, more attractive and being entertained are other common reasons for purchasing a particular product.

If you are aiming at providing the solution for a particular issue, declare that solution in loud, clear terms. Don't leave your reader wondering if this is actually going to work. You can appeal to a person's sense of the dramatic, but don't overstate. There is a point at which your claims will be discarded as ridiculous, but your copy should run right up to that point.

So does every product have to offer some benefit? Actually, yes, though the kind and extent of the benefit will vary greatly from one product to another. The key to producing effective copywriting is to clearly identify the benefit(s) of the product, then present those in a clear, appealing manner to your reader.

What are some potential benefits? Besides money, health, beauty and entertainment, you may have a product that will make life easier or save time. In today's rushed world, time is a valuable commodity.

Cleaning products are excellent examples of products that meet these criteria. But simply saying that "this product will make your life easier" isn't enough. Outline how the product works. If you describe a situation that everyone is familiar with - cleaning the bathroom - and then clearly describe how your product will make short work of this task, you're well on your way to effective copywriting.

Finally, appeal to your audience's sensibilities to complete the sale. For example, if you're offering up the cleaning products, point out how proud the buyer will be when people recognize the super-duper cleaning job.

There's no magic form letter for good copywriting, but following these simple pointers will put you on the right track to creating copywriting that works.

George Dodge is owner of Winning Website Sales Letters, the home of an award winning Web Copywriting Course where you will discover 757 explosive web copywriting techniques guaranteed to skyrocket your online sales and stuff more cash in your pocket - even if you haven’t written a thing since high school!
Provided By: Marketing and Advertising

Writing for the Web...it's not a piece of e-cake!

by Allison Nazarian

Writing for the Web...it's not a piece of e-cake!

So, you've elected to jump head first into the wonderful world of Web. After all, just about everyone has a site. You may as well join the craze. You hire a web developer and a graphic artist to design a professional site that promotes your business image.

The site looks great. But now what? Who is going to write the thing and put your ideas into words?

Making sure you wind up with the best possible web copy is as simple as following these guidelines:

Content is crucial If you've invested in design and left the content as an afterthought, you may as well just throw your money away. Powerful - and targeted - copy is what sells your product or service, not pictures or flashy introductions.

Keep in mind that most people simply scan websites, with the average visitor deciding in 15 seconds or less to stay or not. Clever headlines with stimulating text will grab your readers' interest. Tight, focused, clear and concise copy will keep them there. How tight is tight? Write only about half of what you would have used in a hard copy version. Don't confront readers with long continuous blocks (yawn!) of text. And use hypertext to split long information into multiple pages.

To make your text easy to scan: · Highlight keywords using typeface and color variations (hypertext links are another way of "highlighting"). · Use meaningful, easy-to-scan subheads · Use bulleted lists. · Stick to one idea per paragraph.

Use headlines And use them well. Your headlines should be powerful enough that your prospect wants to keep reading.

Talk up benefits - not product Describe benefits your potential customer can see, hear or feel if they use your product. Show that you understand their issues and how your product addresses those issues. Write your marketing copy from the buyer's perspective. Sorry to tell you this, but people don't care about you. They're on your site because they want solutions. If you provide a solution to a problem they have, you're more likely to make a sale.

Imitation is flattery Model your website after other successful sites. Visit other websites and take a close look at what they do well and what they do poorly. Then, compare your observations to your own site and make the appropriate changes.

Use testimonials and informational links People don't know you personally. You'll need to convince them you are who you say and you will do what you promise. Use accounts from happy customers to convince your readers that you can be trusted to deliver a top-notch product. Provide them with other resources and links to articles, product reviews or survey results to inform them regarding your product, so they have the facts they need to make an informed decision and compelling reasons to buy from you.

Make it easy to buy from you Many people like the luxury of using a credit card online, so offer that option. But some people simply won't buy online, usually because of fears about the security of their credit card information. So give them options and make checkout easy.

Learn the basics of search engine optimization Powerful web content includes keywords people use to search for your site. To get a high ranking, your web content must be loaded with keyword phrases and still remain engaging to read. Don't let your content get stale As with most marketing materials, it's easy for your message to run its course. Maybe you have new products, employees, clients and awards you'd like to publicize. A website is a constant work in progress. Build it and they will come doesn't apply here. It must be refined and added to on a regular basis to keep it fresh.

Pay attention to the red light If your website has been up more than a few months without sales, take another look at these guidelines and rebuild it.

Allison Nazarian is president and chief copywriter of Get It In Writing, a Florida-based company that helps businesses nationwide harness the power of words to sell, inform and publicize. Allison can be reached at 561.487.3917 or anazarian@getitinwriting.biz.

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