(Let’s Talks About Being Relational)
Copywriting is like asking someone out on a date for the first time. You have to know exactly the right words to use so that special person will say yes. Shouting 50, 60, 70 percent off might work on the people who are only looking for a free dinner. However, what you really want is a relationship. So you need to start using the right words to build that long-lasting, loving relationship.
What we need to understand is that people are entirely driven by emotions. We are driven by emotions when we buy products, often triggered by the copy we read. It is best to think of copywriting as a relationship. Write like you are writing to build a long-lasting bond.
Here are 5 ideas and tips for writing relational copy.
Know your targeted readers. Write like you are writing to your best friend. Don’t just shout your offer and tell them that they better hurry in before everything is gone. Now don’t get me wrong. There is a time and place for that type of copy, and 80 percent of the time that copy works for a short, high-impact sale.
However, you need to make the decision whether you want a one-time customer who buys a product just because of a 75 percent off sale, or if you want to transform that customer into a friend and build a customer relationship that will last a lifetime.
Do what a salesman would do. Think about how you would sell the product to someone. Tell them how your product can help make their life easier. Make this decision the easiest decision they will ever make! The best copy often has a kind of speech-type, “you-and-me-talking” quality about it.
Stay within the comfort zone. Don’t use words you don’t comprehend. If you are using words you don’t understand, most likely your reader won’t understand them either. Be real! Stay in your comfort zone and talk to your customers as if they are your friends and not just another person who walks into your store to buy something. They aren’t looking for just one date. They are looking for someone who cares about them. Use comfort phrases that make them feel good. Make them drawn to truly listen to or read what you’re trying to get across.
Focus on your market. Know your market (aka your relationship). No person likes to be lied to or cheated on. So why would you do that through your copy? If you’re trying to show/explain the power of stain remover you better be writing copy that relates to the person who would want to buy the product. If you aren’t trying to sell stain remover you better be using objective and realistic terms to describe your work and products. Know and understand the relationship you’re trying to build, and that relationship will give back what you give!
Use simple words that everyone understands. Good copy is often criticized for having a childlike quality. This is deliberate; if a simple person can understand it, everyone can understand it. Selling products is not rocket science–marketing it should not be either. If you talk down to your customer then she will not buy it from you. You talk to your customer and you can help move your product because you are offering something she needs—not offering what you need to give.
State the facts and focus on the benefits the customer will get when they buy the product. Do not use small talk. Small talk is for when you have nothing of value to share. Relationships and your copy should share meaning and truth. Every word needs to be earning its place in your copy and relationship. Do not be worried by the length of your copy. (However, this isn’t true for some marketing materials.) Tests shows that long copy sells more than short, and long headlines sell more than short. Your copy should be as long or as short as it needs to be to sell the product and build that relationship.
