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"Ad Copy...You Forgot Step One!"
By Terry Dean
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Writing winning sales letters for the web really isn't as hard
as
it is made out to be. The reason most people have so much
trouble
writing web pages which sell to their customers is they have
forgotten rule number one of copywriting...
Research is at least 75% of the process.
Most of the rules you have been taught about copywriting apply to
the refinement of it or the "finishing" of it.
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Yes, you must
show the benefits the customers receive, not just the features
of the product. |
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Yes, you need to
read winning headlines from the past and model them for your
projects. . |
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Yes, you should
always offer a risk free guarantee to your customers. |
BUT. ..step
one is to research your product, your competitors, and your
customers. Then, you can apply all of the winning
copywriting formulas for best results.
Good copywriters (on the web or off it) are not usually the most
imaginative people you can find. They don't just instantly dream
up winning headlines out of thin air.
They research their product, market, and competition until
the
majority of what needs to be written becomes obvious!
Most of the things we come to think of as great inspired talents
or skills are really the result of hard work.
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Thomas Edison said, "Genius
is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration." |
Good copywriting is no exception.
Research is the key to copywriting success...and the success
of
your web site.
What are you going to be researching?
Research Your Customers
What do they want out of life? What are their hot buttons?
What
motivates them to buy?
Here are three ways to research your future customers:
1. -- Ask For Feedback
Visit discussion groups. Watch the posts taking place and study
them. What kinds of concerns keep coming up about products? Ask
them what needs or wants they would have in the perfect product.
Use
http://www.forumone.com to find discussions in your market.
2. -- Take a Survey
If you already have a web site, then take a survey of your
visitors about their needs and wants. Zoomerang allows you to do
it for free:
http://zoomerang.com/
3. -- Contact Customers
If you already sell products to the same group of customers, then
simply ask your current customers. Email them or give them a
call.Ask them why they bought from you in the first place and how
you
could offer even more value to their purchase.
"Research Your Product"
Some of the best copywriters are the owners of their own
businesses. They know their product like the back of their hand.
When hiring a good outside copywriter, they will need to know
everything there is to know about your product or service to
write effective copy.
In other words, you need to be an expert on the subject to
write
really effective copy about it. Read about the product. Study
it. Take notes on it.
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When writing ads for a book, for
example, you will often write a full bulleted list of
benefits readers will get out of the book straight from
the book pages themselves. |
You will often say, "Learn how to lower your golf score by 10
strokes through five easy steps...page 27" Then, on and on with
other benefits taken right of the pages of the book.
No matter what you are selling, you will build the list of
benefits for the product out of the features already in the
product.
"Research Your
Competitors"
The Internet is the most competitive marketplace ever. Not
only
can you sell to a world marketplace, but you also have a world of
competitors competing with you.
You have to study your competitors and see where their
strong and
weak points are. What is unique about your product from all
of
your competitors?
You will especially need to do this if you have large well funded
competitors. Find out which areas of the market they may be
ignoring or desires they're not fulfilling.
As a small business, you may find the best way to present your
product will be to tighten your customer focus to a smaller
niche. You don't need a million customers to earn a profit. You
may only need a thousand. How can you best fulfill the needs of
those thousand people?
"Take A Break"
Doing the research was a lot of hard work.
The next step is almost as important. Take a break. That's
right.
Put down your laptop. Go for a walk. See a movie. Work on your
hobby.
Your mind needs a break and it needs to "think" about the
project
in the background. You will be surprised at just how intelligent
you appear to be when you fill your head with all of the
research...and then forgot about it for awhile.
Inspiration just seems to come to you...
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Article by Terry Dean, who Wants
to Take You By The Hand and Show
You The Exact Results of All the Internet Marketing Techniques
He
Tests and Uses Every Single Month
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Get More Information Here
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