Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Effective Copywriting Turns Your Products From Museum Relics Into Sellers
Ever been to a museum? I mean the old, traditional museums where you walk past displays that are neatly labeled so you know what each one is. Ever seen anyone stop at that kind of labeled display and just have to take it home with them?
Nah, you don't see that. The items on display are usually interesting enough to get your attention briefly (at least if the subject matter is something we're interested in). But it never leaps into your heart or mind as something you just have to have.
A lot of business owners treat their products like museum displays. There sits the picture of the product. And next to it sits a nice label that explains, very factually, what the product is.
You can go through entire web stores that are set up like museums with products all lined up with dull, lifeless descriptions invoking about as much passion as...
... a walk through some old museum.
Your products are not relics. They are not meant to be set out for mere observation. You want them to fly into your visitors shopping carts and get packaged up for shipping to their homes.
So you don't want to merely label them like museum displays. You want to write copy that causes your visitor to feel a connection between them and your product.
Ask yourself a few questions before writing:
Think about how it solves the problem better than its competitors. Is it softer? Does it come in bigger rolls?
One toilet paper commercial lately proclaims their toilet paper to be more absorbent. They demonstrate its absorbency by pouring a spoonful of water into a sheet of the advertised toilet paper and a nearby sheet of a competitor. Someone then picks up both sheets showing a drawing of two hands beneath where the sheets had been.
The hand beneath the advertised brand is dry. The hand beneath the competitor is wet. I love the little pictures of the hands and what that image does. Without saying it, the advertiser has engraved a picture in the viewer's mind that says, "See, you can use our toilet paper, or you can use another brand and get your hand wet EVERY TIME you use it."
That "Ewww" factor is a strong emotional attractor that leads people to buy the advertised brand.
And that emotional attraction is what you want your copywriting to do. With the toilet paper, they looked beyond the surface and found a problem deeper than the obvious one of what you use toilet paper for.
They didn't just attach a generic label of "Toilet Paper" to it and expect that to be enough to attract sales. They found a way in which they could portray their toilet paper as a better solution. And they did that using only one of the questions I mentioned above.
But if you dig beneath the surface, you'll find that you actually can answer more than just the first question, even if what you're selling is toilet paper. For example, consider the question, "What self-image does my product let the buyer enjoy?"
There are actually several self-images that you can appeal to -- even for toilet paper. Does your target audience like to pamper themselves? Then focus on how luxurious your toilet paper is. Do they aspire to be cost-conscious? Then focus on how your toilet paper has the lowest cost.
Can you claim every possible advantage for your product? No. You'll need to determine which kinds of people your product is best suited to please and focus on selling to them.
"But what about the rest? Won't I lose a lot of potential customers by focusing on benefits that only certain personality types find attractive?"
Yes. You will. And you'll be better off for it. If the copywriting that accompanies your product focuses on benefits that don't appeal to some, they likely won't buy. But those for whom those benefits are critical...
Wow! You've got their alarm bells ringing double speed! You've moved them beyond the casual interest of a visitor to a museum into a full-fledged "Gotta have that!" reaction. In other words, you've got a likely buyer.
The visitors who don't really fit your product's appeal aren't going to buy whether you present them with a dull, dry label or with effective copywriting that basically tells them, "This product is designed for someone else." But you don't want those for whom your product is a perfect fit viewing your product as an untouchable museum relic.
That product was made for them! Let them know see how it fits them. Let them connect with it emotionally. And you can be sure they won't just walk on past.
Jeff
Ever been to a museum? I mean the old, traditional museums where you walk past displays that are neatly labeled so you know what each one is. Ever seen anyone stop at that kind of labeled display and just have to take it home with them?
Nah, you don't see that. The items on display are usually interesting enough to get your attention briefly (at least if the subject matter is something we're interested in). But it never leaps into your heart or mind as something you just have to have.
A lot of business owners treat their products like museum displays. There sits the picture of the product. And next to it sits a nice label that explains, very factually, what the product is.
You can go through entire web stores that are set up like museums with products all lined up with dull, lifeless descriptions invoking about as much passion as...
... a walk through some old museum.
Your products are not relics. They are not meant to be set out for mere observation. You want them to fly into your visitors shopping carts and get packaged up for shipping to their homes.
So you don't want to merely label them like museum displays. You want to write copy that causes your visitor to feel a connection between them and your product.
Ask yourself a few questions before writing:
- What problem does this product solve for my visitors?
- What dreams does it let them live?
- What self-image does it let them enjoy?
Think about how it solves the problem better than its competitors. Is it softer? Does it come in bigger rolls?
One toilet paper commercial lately proclaims their toilet paper to be more absorbent. They demonstrate its absorbency by pouring a spoonful of water into a sheet of the advertised toilet paper and a nearby sheet of a competitor. Someone then picks up both sheets showing a drawing of two hands beneath where the sheets had been.
The hand beneath the advertised brand is dry. The hand beneath the competitor is wet. I love the little pictures of the hands and what that image does. Without saying it, the advertiser has engraved a picture in the viewer's mind that says, "See, you can use our toilet paper, or you can use another brand and get your hand wet EVERY TIME you use it."
That "Ewww" factor is a strong emotional attractor that leads people to buy the advertised brand.
And that emotional attraction is what you want your copywriting to do. With the toilet paper, they looked beyond the surface and found a problem deeper than the obvious one of what you use toilet paper for.
They didn't just attach a generic label of "Toilet Paper" to it and expect that to be enough to attract sales. They found a way in which they could portray their toilet paper as a better solution. And they did that using only one of the questions I mentioned above.
But if you dig beneath the surface, you'll find that you actually can answer more than just the first question, even if what you're selling is toilet paper. For example, consider the question, "What self-image does my product let the buyer enjoy?"
There are actually several self-images that you can appeal to -- even for toilet paper. Does your target audience like to pamper themselves? Then focus on how luxurious your toilet paper is. Do they aspire to be cost-conscious? Then focus on how your toilet paper has the lowest cost.
Can you claim every possible advantage for your product? No. You'll need to determine which kinds of people your product is best suited to please and focus on selling to them.
"But what about the rest? Won't I lose a lot of potential customers by focusing on benefits that only certain personality types find attractive?"
Yes. You will. And you'll be better off for it. If the copywriting that accompanies your product focuses on benefits that don't appeal to some, they likely won't buy. But those for whom those benefits are critical...
Wow! You've got their alarm bells ringing double speed! You've moved them beyond the casual interest of a visitor to a museum into a full-fledged "Gotta have that!" reaction. In other words, you've got a likely buyer.
The visitors who don't really fit your product's appeal aren't going to buy whether you present them with a dull, dry label or with effective copywriting that basically tells them, "This product is designed for someone else." But you don't want those for whom your product is a perfect fit viewing your product as an untouchable museum relic.
That product was made for them! Let them know see how it fits them. Let them connect with it emotionally. And you can be sure they won't just walk on past.
Jeff
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