Wednesday, April 19, 2006
How to Super-Size Your Copywriting (and its results)
Want to build your credibility with your readers and improve your results? Then look for places in your copy where you can Super-Size the credentials of your product and your company.
No, I'm not talking about bloating your copy with unnecessary blather. I want you increase your credibility by associating your product or your company with something bigger than you're claiming right now—and do it in ways that are totally honest.
I call it Super-Sizing. It relies on the basic principle that people's resistance to paying decreases when they feel they're getting more than they're giving in exchange.
McDonalds added billions to their profits with this strategy, offering customers a chance to add what seemed like a lot more to their meal for less than a dollar extra.
The real difference was insignificant—a few ounces of drink and a slightly larger pack of fries, both of which cost McDonalds almost nothing. But in the customers' eyes, the larger appearance made the increase in value seem huge. So millions of people gladly spent more to get what felt to them like a much better deal.
But what if you don't sell a food product that you can Super-Size? How can you put this same principle to work generating bigger sales for you?
Look for ways to associate your product or your company with something bigger. Wherever you can do so honestly, Super-Size your claims.
Look for more impressive terms to use
Have you been in business for 8 years? Point out that you've been satisfying customers for nearly a decade. Psychologically, a decade sounds bigger and more impressive than 8 years. Two decades sounds more impressive than 20 years. A quarter century sounds more impressive than 25 years. And so on.
Look for connections to respected people or companies
Does your product deal with a problem that has been discussed on a prominent media outlet? Make that connection to your product. Hey, if Oprah has discussed getting rid of age wrinkles on her show and your product does a great job of doing that, there's no reason you can't make the connection.
Granted, you don't want to claim that Oprah recommended your product if she didn't. But if she considered the problem important enough to discuss on her show, there's no reason you can't point that out before you describe why your product does a superior job of that. And the same thing goes for the Wall Street Journal, or Better Homes and Gardens, or any other respected
media outlet.
Ever heard of the business "As Seen On TV!"? They've built their whole business around selling products whose dubious claim to credibility is that someone, somewhere paid for at least one TV commercial for them. But the business plays off of people's respect for TV by using that respect as a selling point for their products.
As long as you don't claim more than you can back up, you can use the same strategy.
Look for ways to associate your product with something that has greater perceived value
One final example of Super-Sizing your product in potential customer's minds. Have you ever seen sales copy that said something like this: "This isn't just an ebook; this is a complete system for increasing your wealth"?
That's Super-Sizing, too. Have you tried to make your product a great value for your customer by making it more than just the run-of-the-mill whatever that your competitors sell? Then point out that extra value by associating your product with something a step up the ladder of respect.
By doing so, you instigate the following comparison in their minds: "Hey, a [next step up] is worth a lot more than a [typical, ordinary product]. But they're only charging what I would pay for a [typical, ordinary product]. This is a great deal!"
And that is exactly the way you want them thinking. Just like with McDonald's Super-Sizing, they start to see your product as a bargain and their sales resistance decreases.
Jeff
Want to build your credibility with your readers and improve your results? Then look for places in your copy where you can Super-Size the credentials of your product and your company.
No, I'm not talking about bloating your copy with unnecessary blather. I want you increase your credibility by associating your product or your company with something bigger than you're claiming right now—and do it in ways that are totally honest.
I call it Super-Sizing. It relies on the basic principle that people's resistance to paying decreases when they feel they're getting more than they're giving in exchange.
McDonalds added billions to their profits with this strategy, offering customers a chance to add what seemed like a lot more to their meal for less than a dollar extra.
The real difference was insignificant—a few ounces of drink and a slightly larger pack of fries, both of which cost McDonalds almost nothing. But in the customers' eyes, the larger appearance made the increase in value seem huge. So millions of people gladly spent more to get what felt to them like a much better deal.
But what if you don't sell a food product that you can Super-Size? How can you put this same principle to work generating bigger sales for you?
Look for ways to associate your product or your company with something bigger. Wherever you can do so honestly, Super-Size your claims.
Look for more impressive terms to use
Have you been in business for 8 years? Point out that you've been satisfying customers for nearly a decade. Psychologically, a decade sounds bigger and more impressive than 8 years. Two decades sounds more impressive than 20 years. A quarter century sounds more impressive than 25 years. And so on.
Look for connections to respected people or companies
Does your product deal with a problem that has been discussed on a prominent media outlet? Make that connection to your product. Hey, if Oprah has discussed getting rid of age wrinkles on her show and your product does a great job of doing that, there's no reason you can't make the connection.
Granted, you don't want to claim that Oprah recommended your product if she didn't. But if she considered the problem important enough to discuss on her show, there's no reason you can't point that out before you describe why your product does a superior job of that. And the same thing goes for the Wall Street Journal, or Better Homes and Gardens, or any other respected
media outlet.
Ever heard of the business "As Seen On TV!"? They've built their whole business around selling products whose dubious claim to credibility is that someone, somewhere paid for at least one TV commercial for them. But the business plays off of people's respect for TV by using that respect as a selling point for their products.
As long as you don't claim more than you can back up, you can use the same strategy.
Look for ways to associate your product with something that has greater perceived value
One final example of Super-Sizing your product in potential customer's minds. Have you ever seen sales copy that said something like this: "This isn't just an ebook; this is a complete system for increasing your wealth"?
That's Super-Sizing, too. Have you tried to make your product a great value for your customer by making it more than just the run-of-the-mill whatever that your competitors sell? Then point out that extra value by associating your product with something a step up the ladder of respect.
By doing so, you instigate the following comparison in their minds: "Hey, a [next step up] is worth a lot more than a [typical, ordinary product]. But they're only charging what I would pay for a [typical, ordinary product]. This is a great deal!"
And that is exactly the way you want them thinking. Just like with McDonald's Super-Sizing, they start to see your product as a bargain and their sales resistance decreases.
Jeff
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