Etips is a publication of:
Your Guide to Professional Web
Site Design and Development
Hello,
Welcome to this week's edition of Etips!
First of all, I'd like to apologize to those who received double copies of
last week's edition and to those who received their copy very late. I have
been having some major problems with my mailing list script since Web-Source.net
was transferred to the new server. This has been an absolute nightmare; however,
I believe the problem has finally been solved.
In today's edition of Etips, I will be featuring part two of the two-part
copywriting series entitled, 7 Steps to Killer Ad Copy.
If you missed part one, you can find it in the Etips
archive.
I hope you'll enjoy this week's edition of Etips.
To Your Success!
7 Steps to Killer Ad Copy Part 2
Proven Techniques for Writing Ads
that Magnetize Your Audience & Pave the Way for Towering Profits!
by Bryan Guentner
A Step-by-Step Guide to the 7 Essential
Elements You Need to Know in Order to Launch an Effective Online Ad
Campaign
If You Don't Know the Difference Between Weak & Strong Headlines, Your
Copy Will Never Get Results
Sometimes, online entrepreneurs forget the importance of their marketing
message because it's not what they've become accustomed to throughout life
- which is print and visual media influences.
Headlines are often the deciding factor on whether or not your message is
ever going to be read by the public. It's bold. It's positioned at the top.
But if it doesn't carry with it some amount of persuasive intrigue, people
will skip right over it and find another passage that piques their
interest.
The amazing thing is that almost every headline has been done before - someone
just found a new angle to present to the public and they bought it! It stands
to reason, then, that you should start paying attention to the pros - the
very headline writers who've caught your attention.
Emulating another person's writing style does not mean that you're committing
plagiary. In fact, watching what the success stories have done with their
headline formulas is almost essential if you want to thrive in the online
marketplace.
In journalism, writers and editors alike create what they term a "swipe file."
By swipe, they don't mean they'll be copying the headlines (or articles)
verbatim, but simply use them as a resource to formulate their own headlines
and story ideas.
Every time you see a headline that draws your attention, copy it down into
your virtual swipe file, so that you can refer to it once you set out to
create your own marketing campaign.
While most cyberpreneurs simply find successful headlines and try to copy
their approach, the smartest thing to do is learn what techniques do not
work well, so you'll also know what to avoid when honing your own copywriting
skills.
Never keep 'em guessing. for too long.
Clarity is key when it comes to snagging the interest of an online consumer.
They don't want to waste their time going to a site that isn't at all what
they were looking for. Therefore, your headline must present at least some
idea of what your product or site is all about.
"I'm going to let you in on a little secret."
Well, that's great, but is it about online money-making opportunities, how
to cook like a professional chef, or how to find the most affordable adult
entertainment website? It could be about any of these possibilities, and
you may not want to click on their link to find out.
"Dear Friend, do you have a minute?"
Many Internet marketers try hard to acquaint themselves with prospective
customers before they've ever had a chance to form a relationship with them.
Don't pose as a friend, especially in any email headline correspondence,
because the recipient could be highly offended at the trickery.
Online sales copy is not like offline copy. Offline direct mail pieces generally
act like a friendly letter, with a traditional salutation starting the message.
Online, however, headlines, not introductions, are the mainstay of your preface
to your prospects.
Forming a Good First Impression Will Last a Lifetime
Striking consumers with a blatant advertising gimmick can sometimes leave
a sour taste in their mouths. If you market to them ethically, and with their
best interest at heart, they're going to be more open to receiving communications
from you in the future.
You should always begin your headline with the customer in mind. What benefits
is your product going to offer them? Appeal to their selfish nature and try,
in 50 words or less, to convince them that your message is worth reading
in full.
A headline such as, "I made 6 figures last year," isn't as effective to a
consumer as, "Want to Learn How to Make 6 Figures in Less Than 6 Months?"
Now you're talking!
Integrate them into the headline for better results. Immediately, they're
envisioning themselves earning 6 figures, not bored with what you're doing
with your own money.
Nine times out of ten, an Internet consumer is seeking a fast track to a
higher income. They've heard about overnight millionaires and dot com dynamics,
and they want a piece of it, too.
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5 Techniques for a Terrific
Headline
There are 5 basic ways you can craft a powerful headline, and you can choose
one to work with, or combine a variety of them to pack and even more potent
punch! First, it's the attention-grabbing headline.
An attention-grabber makes the reader do a double take because what they've
just read seems highly incredulous to them. Instead of using a sentence such
as, "You Can Earn a Living With Your Hobby," try something bold and dynamic
like, "Turn Your Hobby Into a 6-Figure Career in Just 30 Days!" Or, be more
specific and focus on a particular niche market, such as, "Turn Your Golfing
Skills Into a Treasure of EBook Gold!"
The second system for headline creation is to tell the reader why you're
better than the competition. Remember, there are hundreds of competitors
online, on a global scale, so you have to prove your worth early on if you
want to retain a portion of the profit margin in your industry.
In your competition headlines, you don't have to single out the top seller
who beats your sales, or name names at all. What you do have to do is let
the reader know that your product is going to be unlike anything ever sold
on the 'net.
"Learn Why the Top Internet Marketers Are Steering You in the Wrong Direction!"
This topic is almost shocking - as if all this time, the gurus of Internet
Marketing have been making a living by scamming unwitting consumers.
Instead of using phrases such as, "Top Ten Secrets of Internet Marketers,"
try spicing it up a bit with, "Everything Internet Marketing Gurus Don't
Want You to Know But We'll Tell You!" You're not only promising an enlightening
read, but you're also positioning yourself as someone who is performing a
good deed - a service to the online community.
Thirdly, your headlines can immediately state the hard facts about an industry
or problem. They shouldn't be mediocre facts, but something shocking that
will make the reader take a vested interest in the solution.
Don't simply tell them in your headline with something along the lines of,
"You Could Be Making More Money." Instead, offer them a firm statistic about
the problem, such as, "35% of Your Traffic Is Being Redirected Right Under
Your Nose!"
The fourth method of headline prowess is to use a testimonial in your headline
campaigns. Do you have an existing customer who would allow you to use their
name (possibly in exchange for a link to their own site)?
Being a source of respect and reliability online is a hard reputation to
gain, especially when there is so much competition and people have learned
not to believe everything they read on the 'net.
However, you can use a real testimonial in your headline to attract the traffic
you want so that they can see for themselves whether or not your offer is
real. Don't say, "I Helped a Man Earn $20,000 Last Month."
The average Internet consumer's response to that headline? "Says you!" They
won't believe it because it's coming from your mouth. Instead, offer a
testimonial directly within your headline, such as, "Tom Merrick's Internet
Marketing EBook Took Me From Pink Slip Panic to Profit Soaring Entrepreneur
in Only 30 Days!"
Lastly, your headlines can originate from a purely motivational standpoint.
"Don't Let Search Engines Stand In Your Way - Fight Back and Earn the Traffic
You Deserve!" This works better than a tutorial-sounding headline like, "We
Can Help You Decipher Search Engine Optimization."
When crafting your headlines, you have to keep in mind that people don't
really want to read an ad - even when they know that's what they're getting.
They prefer, if they're going to put time into reading a sales pitch, for
it to sound less like a commercial and more like a chat between friends.
Your headlines need to be inclusive of your audience, so that they immediately
feel as if you're talking to just them - out of all the people on the Internet.
You can go about it in a positive or negative way, as long as it makes them
think about how your offer is going to impact their own lives.
For example a negative headline, which is still effective, would be, "Don't
Suffer a Backlash of Spam Complaints - Learn How to Generate Qualified Leads
in Only 3 Simple Steps!" It starts off with a negative connotation - consumers
reporting you to your ISP for spamming their email - ouch!
Turn it into a positive, if you prefer, by writing the headline this way:
"Generate More Qualified Leads and Eliminate Your Spam Complaints in Just
3 Simple Steps - Guaranteed!"
The headlines created for the Internet don't have to be a short phrase, as
they are in print media. Instead, you can work one or two sentences into
your headline safely - but keep it short enough so that people don't hesitate
to read it.
Online, your headlines can be any color, size, or font that you want it to
be. You can even incorporate movement into your headline with a scrolling
ticker, as long as you make sure the slow-modem customers won't have too
long of a download time to see your web page.
Now that you know what to look for (and what to avoid) in your headline swipe
file, we're going to teach you about several formulas you can use to generate
your own captivating headlines.
About the Author:
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When creating an unordered
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items is the disc. If you would like to display your list items preceded
by a circle or square, add type="circle or square" within your UL tag. Example:
<UL type="circle">
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