by: Travis Greenlee,
Master Business Design and Development
Consultant
President, Today's Leadership Coaching
travis@yourpracticemadeperfect.com
So, you have a hot product or service to offer, yet
you just can't seem to figure out why your s@les
suck.
Chances are that you are making many - if not
all - of these 5 copywriting mistakes.
I call them "deadly" because if you are making
them, then they are most certianly killing your
profits.
Let me make you a bold promise: if you'll examine
your own website copy and eliminate these
copywriting mistakes, I guar@ntee that you will see
inst@nt improvements in your s@les.
Let's get started with Deadly Mistake #1:
Being Focused On You, Instead Of On Your
Prospect.
This is the easiest mistake to make, and the
most common. Most ad copy is focused on the
advertiser, not on the consumer. Big
mistake.
When you see copy that reads, "We're the best
in the industry - we've been in business over 20
years, we have the most well-trained associates -
and our facility has won many industry awards."
what's your typical reaction?
Most likely, your reaction is, "So what? What
does that mean to me and my life?"
If you're using copy that says "we", "us",
and "our" a lot - find a way to change that copy so
that it says "you", and "yours". Speak about the
things that really matter to your customer.
Here's a hint: those things are probably not what
you think they are. Why not ask your customers?
They know the answer, and they'll be glad to share it
with you if you're wise enough to listen.
I'd suggest surveying
your audience. Send them a quick email asking
for their feedback, you might be surprised with the
results.
Deadly Mistake #2: Using
a Weak, Wimpy, or Just Bad
Headlines
In the beginning, you only have one chance to
grab the reader's attention, in fact statistics show
that 90% of your prospects will spend less than
30 seconds looking over your site, never to
return. With this in mind... it's essential that you
grab their attention as quickly and powerfully as
possible.
Having a strong headline is the key.
Make sure your headline is clear, concise, aggressive
(without being pushy), and compelling.
Think of your headline as the pitch to get
the prospect to read the whole ad. It has to be
compelling enough that the reader thinks, "Hey, if
this is true, I need to know about it."
In connecting with your reader, You've get one
shot. You just can't afford to blow it!
Let me give you an example:
A poor headline for a coaching practice: "Our
Experienced Staff Can Tend to Your Every Need, we
have years of experience and are a member of the
international bar association."
boring...
Here's a much better headline for the same
client:
"You too can enjoy a life
filled with ease, simplicity, security and passion."
Can you hear the difference? The first headline
will put the prospect to sleep, whereas the second
headline is benefit oriented and will produce much
better results.
