Business Copy 101

admin | October 30, 2008 | 0 Comments

There have been mentions of copy in the previous articles, so it’s best to provide a simple framework for what sells in terms of copy. Most businesses outsource their copy, mainly because of the time constraints. Even if you outsource, how do you know a good copywriter from a bad one? It can be embarrassing to publish material on your creative business site that is full of typos. That doesn’t mean you have to take a class or study ten books on the subjects, because in a few minutes I divulge secrets to business copy, namely SEO website copy that sells.

Start with Emotions

The copy can’t be bland, formulaic talk of all the features the product is. Say you are selling used books, so you explain how you have 30 years experience in book selling. What does that mean? Instead, you should build upon the emotions of the buyer, making them think your product is the right fit for them. You can do this charismatically, for example, telling a personal story of how a book changed your life. Even if someone else is writing the copy, this emotional resonance makes you stand out from 90 percent of the competition.

They show no emotion, you do, and therefore you get desire. How do you indentify these emotions within the buyer? Ask. If you’ve been in business and have some customers, find out those basic desires for your products. It will appeal to readers more than a simple sell page with a few sentences of description.

Engage Desire

Explain all the reasons the buyer needs this product. This is a fine line: few products are “must haves” so you need to somehow say it will improve their life. Even entertainment products will pull on the desires of the reader. The trick is to get into his/her head, to find out why they are shopping. Yet again, we are engaging emotions. One trick is to offer the “sale,” the deal where you offer something to sweeten the package. You’ve seen it before, on just about every infomercial ever created in past years. The sellers offer not only a special price but an additional item. Not only do you get a new knife, which will sell out within hours, but you get a free set of knife sharpeners … This works online too. People like free stuff, plain and simple.

Pull Toward Action

In the copy, you’ve mentioned the benefits of the item before the features. You appealed to the emotions, and engaged desire. This is a good deal, and you might get some buyers. However, you still need to convert the sale. Let’s call this the infomercial again: the item only comes with free shipping if you order in 10 minutes. This is much like a very important PS to a letter, stating what is really going on. Converting the sale in an online creative business isn’t all about sales either; some buyers will simply be surfing the net. That’s where adspace and special email newsletters come in. Branch out with this creative business why appealing to the new wave of social media, where you can not only sell products but more and more adspace as your site grows, informs, and finds a niche.

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