The Glengarry Glen Ross quote might go differently, but this version is more applicable.
Good copywriting is about engagement. This week, I began reading a book provided by Copyblogger about the basics of this skill.
Here are some of the basics that have stuck with me:
Get your first sentence read
Headlines have one purpose: to get people to read your first sentence. If the headline doesn’t interest your audience enough to even open your email or to stay on the page, your headline didn’t do its job.
Your headline should be something you absolutely obsess over and everything should consider how best to get your prospects to read the copy you spent so much time writing.
K.I.S.S.
“Keep it simple, stupid. Great advice but it hurts my feelings every time.”
Dwight Schrute, The Office
Never let your own verbosity confound your patrons.
Better said: “Don’t make your copy too complex.”
One quote that sticks with me from my reading: “No one will ever complain that you were too easy to understand.”
So keep it simple.
Make an offer
Why should a prospect decide to do business with you or your company?
Honest question. What sets you apart?
Maybe your numbers are better, your service is excellent, or your product is superior. But if no one takes the risk to use your product or service, they’ll never know it.
Risk is an inherent part of any economic interaction. Good marketing requires a call to action that sets your product apart from the crowd around you and justifies the risk of trying a new company: yours.
Don’t overpromise and underdeliver
If you make a pitch, guarantee, or offer to someone: you better be certain it follows through.
Your reputation as a business depends on the consistency of your marketing and your service.
Your confidence can only overcome the buyer’s risk for repeat business if your service actually measures up to the hype you generate for it.
Concluding Thoughts
Marketing is a phenomenal field that combines several of my areas of interest: psychology, prose, and persuasion.
The idea that adding or taking out one word could mean the difference between a successful campaign and a failure is both terrifying and inspiring.
I look forward to developing this skill more and applying what I learn directly to the work for my portfolio project.