There's
a great number of myths about writing for web pages.
Like
"no-one reads long copy."
Like
"people won't scroll down long pages"
Like
"Soft-sell works better than Hard-sell".
... ad
nauseam (that's Latin for 'more theory')
Don't you
believe it!
We will
read long copy - if it's interesting.
We will
scroll long pages - if we need the information.
Soft-sell
works and Hard-sell works - depending on the offer.
In short -
Copywriting techniques that sell off-line, sell on-line!
With suitable adjustments.
The 'experts'
who spread those myths should take a long hard look at the
Copy Ken Evoy and I have written for Make
Your Words Sell - MYWS. Then ask themselves how a
Website which breaks all those 'rules' is proving so
successful.
Yes I agree
it's a brilliant book. I'm bound to - I wrote it! And I
believe it's the best Internet Copywritingting book on the
Web. If you haven't got one yet - get it! (Even better, sign
up as an Affiliate.) But the best Internet Copywriting
book on the Web still has to be sold. Yet the
Sales Copy has ...
Very long
copy, and ...
Long
scrolling page
Just like a good 'old
fashioned' print ad or sales letter.
"So
why does long copy sell?"
Because we will
read long copy if we think the contents will benefit
us. If we are really interested in what the writer has to
offer we DEMAND information - bundles of it.
Would you
buy a car if all you had seen was a photograph and a few
lines of text? Of course you wouldn't.
You go to the
showroom and drink in its looks, its color, its lines. You
sit in it, you drive it, you touch it. You ask questions on
price, engine size, servicing costs, fuel consumption,
after-sales service, guarantee. You see yourself driving it,
and imagine the benefits it will bring you. Questions,
questions, questions. Information is what you need. Lots
of it!
And if the
salesman seems trustworthy - you buy it.
So why do so
many people think we don't need the same amount of
information from a Website? Why don't they realize that
because we can't see, feel, touch and experience their
product or service, the provision of information is even more
important. It takes more courage for us to buy
from a web page than it does from a store or showroom.
And
information - good benefit-filled information - gives us the
confidence and courage to put our money down.
"A
monitor screen is as long as you make it"
Because of the
restraints of the monitor screen, far too many companies fall
into the trap of skimping on content. This is a fatal
mistake. And there are many successful entrepreneurs on the
web who agree with me (or should that be the other way
round?)
You must
give a detailed and blow-by-blow description of the benefits
of your product - no matter how much copy it takes. It's
also important to realize that lots of detailed benefits and
description gives a HIGHER PERCEIVED VALUE to the product.
Your prospect
needs as much detailed information as possible to re-assure
her that she is making the right decision. In fact she
DEMANDS information - facts, figures and anything else you
can give to help her find the courage to spend her money. And
it's courage she needs-not just reassurance.
Your pages
need a DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF EVERY BENEFIT AND FEATURE
your product has to offer, no matter how far your prospect
has to scroll down. If she is interested in what you have
to offer she will stay as long as it takes to get the facts. Wouldn't
you?
And if she has
absolutely no interest in your offer she won't even read the
first paragraph! She'll be long gone!
"Who says
scrolling is hard work?"
Because they
are very detailed, the tutorials on this site need long
pages. Judging by the design of many Websites I see, most
people would split the content into 2 or 3 short pages. Is
it such hard work to scroll down a page? And which is better,
scrolling down a long page, or interrupting the concentration
of the reader by forcing him to click through to another
page?
Any good
salesman will do everything possible to hold his prospect's
attention. Because any tiny distraction - an incoming phone
call, interruption by another prospect - can kill the sale.
It gives the prospect time to 'cool off' and make an excuse
to wander away. And it's exactly the same on the web!
Every
click-thru your reader is forced to make is another
opportunity to lose him altogether.
"Long
copy in action"
If you
seriously want to learn the art of good Copywriting, do
yourself a big favor. Read the MYWS! Sales Copy now. And
examine the way it is constructed, as well as the way it is
written. I promise you will learn a great deal - strong
headline, sub-headings and lots, lots, and lots of detailed
features and benefits.
Using what I
hope you have learned so far from my tutorials, examine the
copy in detail. Print it out and write it out by hand! Yes,
write it out word by word and phrase by phrase. This way
you will actually feel the way it is structured and
presented. You'll get a terrific insight into how really
persuasive Sales Copy should be written.
In short,
many Copy techniques that work off-line, work on-line!
Read the Copy here,
and study it carefully. Then sign yourself up as an
Affiliate!
Finally, let's
look at tips and tricks the pro's use. Go...
