Continued from page 1
Tell your potential customers about
benefits of your product or service, NOT features! Like founder of Kodak said, "We don't sell film, we sell memories." If you're selling a ladies hat, don't tell customers about wide rim and mesh material. Tell them how wide rim will reduce their chances of skin cancer, and how mesh will keep them cool on hottest day. Benefits sell-not features!
Here's how to find benefits of your products or services. First, list all features on one side of a piece of paper. If you're a web developer, for example, features you offer could be customized database design, Internet marketing services, and e-Commerce capable sites. Those aren't benefits. Benefits are what your customers will GET from those services.
On other side of paper, list what those features will do for your customer. For instance, what will a customized database design do if your customer uses one? Tell them! Tell them how they can collect registration data and analyze it to make informed business decisions. Tell them how your Internet marketing services will drive targeted customers to their site- and increase their sales. And, tell them how an e-Commerce capable site will increase sales by more than 50 percent because many people with credit cards prefer to pay online.
Other Things To Know
* Use bulleted lists to break up long copy. * It's easy to read, and draws eye down page. * See?
Try to keep your most important copy on first half of page. Many browsers won't scroll down, so if you have good stuff that you want them to see at bottom of page, they may miss it.
Write like you talk, and be conversational. If your web copy sounds like a legal tome or prudish stiff, only readers you'll have are legal eagles...and prudish stiffs!
Don't count on your spell checker two catch you're miss steaks. But don't let it rule your copy, either. My spell checker hates way I write so I ignore it...most of time. Spell check hates fragments. Like this. And this. But you know what? That's how people talk. And that's one of keys to creating clear, conversational, and professional web copy that draws your reader in and makes them feel like you're talking directly to them-one on one. It builds confidence. And that, in my opinion, is best way to cinch a sale.
Renae Gregoire is a professional freelance commercial writer and a Do-it-Yourself marketing pro. Do you need clear, concise and conversational copy to make your web site or other marketing materials shine? Enhance your image and increase your profits today by visiting Renae at http://www.ineedcopy.com.
