Good copywriting speaks not just to the mind of our future customer but to their heart.

When our writing stirs up emotions and feelings in our reader this is a good thing.

The only way to do that is to speak from the heart in our writing.  From our heart to theirs.

It sounds a bit odd doesn’t it – speaking from your heart to the heart of some unknown reader?  But marketing and copywriting is all about building relationships with people we will probably never meet.

It’s a strange idea isn’t it?

I’m talking to you right now, dear reader, yet I’ve no idea who you are.

So what does speaking from the heart mean?

I find that we can understand things better through what we see.

So the best way to describe speaking or writing from the heart might be to describe its opposite.

Think of a fashion show.  Look at the long white catwalk and watch the giraffe of a girl, a truly beautiful creature strutting towards the camera.

You are looking through the lens of the camera.

That look she gives you.  You know the one?  I don’t need to describe it.

That is the opposite of speaking from the heart.

It’s something we all learn to do over time, particularly while alone within a crowd of strangers.  It is the mask we wear.

Speaking, writing from the heart is the complete opposite.

It’s more like the communication from pre-school children.

If we learn to remove our masks as we communicate our copywriting (and life) will improve effortlessly.

Rachel Goodall
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It’s been a while.

Sometimes the flow just stops and when it does it’s best not to fret.    Relax and it’ll come back.

Business, or should that be busy-ness is usually the culprit, either that or exciting new things to learn and do.

Copywriting is all about the right state of mind.  Not just your customer’s – YOURS!

Yes, your own state of mind plays a major role in copywriting.

Excited enthusiam is the emotion you need to be able to slip into at will.

Can you do that?

It’s one of the tricks to master, once you’ve studied and practised the nuts and bolts of good copywriting.

I’m going to begin a music collection and label it according to the emotion is brings about.

Plus an array of aromas.

Along with a headful of memories.

The older you are, the more life experience you have to tap into for achieving certain mind sets, ready to write.

You have a whole bank of ready-made experiences to use at will.  What an opportunity!

Right now my neighbour seems to have a house full of toddlers.  Strong, loud, urgent emotions pouring from their little bodies through the wall into my hearing range.

Easy to tap into these sounds ready to bring up the right emotion to begin copywriting.  Particularly useful if you’re selling childcare services.

Or those birds singing their hearts out to be heard over the traffic.

Sweet and pure as a peaceful contrast to young raw human sounds.

You can use anything you like to begin the creative process.

You want to sell an oven cleaner?  Just glance over at your filthy glass oven door and listen to the thoughts and feelings that come up inside your own mind.

Shame?  Laziness?  Anxiety about judgement? Frustration over lack of time?  Annoyance at having to use precious life time for mundane tasks?  Self-rightiousness?  Snobbery?  Does it make you feel slovenly? How about regret (about not wiping it down after every use, just like you vowed to when you first bought it?)

Those are the negatives.

How about the positives?

Anticipation of a spring clean?  Sense of satisfaction about a decision made to clean it?  No more acrid smell every time you bake?  Triumphant about overcoming your natural tendency to leave unpleasant tasks until tomorrow?

Never forget that you have a lifetime of ready-made feelings and emotions to tap into at will in your copywriting.

Stay alert.  Remain connected.  Use your senses.

Rachel Goodall

So you have finished your latest course and you are ready to take action.

The problem is you don’t know where to begin….

At your finger tips the power to change your life forever…You’ve invested in your education and have the power to make the change you need.

So what’s stopping you?
Is it fear, or uncertainty?

So may people never take action for fear of failure or disapproval from their peers. Don’t be an education statistic… Take Action!

If you live by these 7 simple steps, you are sure to be a part of the elite group of copywriters who are truly great…

1. Know what you want. Who do you want as clients? Go after them, a little bit of ambition is the perfect fuel. However do not be so obviously ambitious that you alienate all your colleagues.

2. Be the Expert. In any project that you take on be the most informed person on a particular project.

• Take the time to read; text books, trade journals, research reports, and marketing plans on the subject.
• Know more than anyone else in your firm or in the market place.
• Be your clients best friend.
• Spend time physically researching the product.

• Use it yourself, talk to customers about their thoughts on the product.

• Visit your clients competitors, study their advertising campaign.

3. Work twice as hard as other copywriters. Hard work will pay off in the long run…Roman wasn’t built in a day!

4. Make yourself a specialist in a niche market. Start writing copy for a market that you are familiar with, one that you know the in’s and out’s of.

5. Make great presentations to potential clients – use the wow factor… Sell the plans and campaigns to your potential clients. Sell you.. after all they are buying your expertise’s.

6. Don’t discuss your clients business. Keep their secret papers under lock & key… Ensure that you are the only person who knows the intimate workings of their campaign.

7. Write one good article every year and place it in the Harvard Business Review.

Most of all always remember to love what you do… When you write with passion and excitement your readers will feel your passion.

When you communicate with your clients show them the passion you have for their products.. Love them as much as they do.

Rachel Wadsworth

You have done all your homework you understand your target market, yet you are not sure how to go about writing your copy…

Your copy needs to reach your clients on a personal level, it has to be something that makes them want to get of the couch and take action.

So how can you achieve this?

To get you started use the following guidelines;
1. Use Present Tense, Second Person – It is important to talk to the person directly as if you were having a conversation with them. By communicating in the second person, “you would love, or “you would enjoy’ rather than “A man would enjoy”. Remember you need your clients to think of you as their friend.

2. Use Subheads – practically all mail order advertisers use three or more subheads in every full-page advertisement. Why? Subheads tell the story in a brief form to gain the attention of glancers who don’t have the time to read the entire advertisement; they also ensure that the copy is read when it may not be read.

3. Put Captions Under Illustrations – Captions add to the interest of the illustrations and help explain their meaning.

4. Use A Simple Style Of Writing – reduce to a minimum the time it takes the reader to figure out what you are trying to say.

5. Choose Simple Words – Use short simple words to express your meaning.

6. Give Free Information – to arouse interest give free information as well as sales talk in your copy.

7. Selling Copy Versus Style Copy – style copy is based on assumption that customers are swayed by flowery language and elaborate adjectives, and unsupported claims, whereas selling copy supports its claims with proof.

8. Arouse Curiosity – Curiosity is a powerful selling tool when properly used by the copywriter. On the other hand, the copywriter who satisfies the reader’s curiosity, instead of arousing it, is apt to lose customers.

9. Make Your Copy Specific – It is important to be specific in your copy, actual figures speak louder than an average.

10. Write More Copy Than Is Necessary To Fill The Space – A great strategy is to write more copy than you need, you can always edit later, which will generally ensure that you get the best copy.

With these 10 simple tips you will be well on the way to writing great copy.

For more ideas on writing great copy visit www.iwantgreatcopy.com, not only will you find a wealth of information but you will also have to tools to really evaluate you business like you never have before.

The answer to great copy is finding the right market, the right approach, and a get campaign.

Rachel Wadsworth

To be truthful there is really not perfect formula for writing body copy… The secret is actually in how you write to the individual…

It is all about how you actually sell your product to your client.

The begining is a great headline, to draw the client into the article… But as with getting a client in the door of your store you also need to engage the reader in the article.

So how do you apply the same principles you use in a traditional business to write engaging copy for the internet…

It is as simple applying the follwing seven steps;

1. Be enthuastic about the product you are selling, if you don’t love the product your readers will see straight through the copy you write.

2. Be truthful about the promise you are making… You have to be able to deliver on the promises that you make.

3. Avoid generalities… Be a little unique in your copy it is no point begin the same as everyone else

4. Get straight to the point… Your potential customer will lose interest very quickly if you don’t keep the message on target.

5. Be fascinating… Provide the reading with important factual information that they can learn from, and will draw them into the article.

6. Include action graphics…. use a variety of graphics to draw the readers attention to relevant points you want the client to focus on.

7. Build the offer… As the your potential client reads through the article you need to build trust and confidence with them… as well as working towards the action you want them to take at the end of the copy.

The final point is really the most important one…

The more you tell the more you sell.. Give the reader the most information you can about the product…. this will build the customer confidence in not only the product but also you and your reliability.

It is tough for businesses right now, so you need to be ahead of the pack…. You need to consider how you can apply these seven simple steps in your next advertising campaign to truly make a difference to your business.

It is absolutely imperative that you understand your clients on an intimate level, in order to be able to target effectively using these seven guidelines.

Rachel Wadsworth

All week the papers have been constantly talking about the economic downturn and the recession..

Jobs have been lost in a large range of industries and they predict more to come..

Are you tired of hearing about how bad things are?

This morning I was driving my girls to Childcare and listening to the radio about how bad the world is and how much trouble we have to come..

By the time I got back to my desk I was completely deflated… I was unsure about everything and I wondered which direction I should be going.. What should I focus on first….

It wasn’t until the end of the day when I was trying to figure out why life seemed so hard that I realised that all the negative comments I had listened to during the morning had really put me in a bad, depressed mood..

So I made a decision…

I decided to stop and focus on the glass half full, rather than the glass half empty!

Instead of worrying about where the world was financially…

I decided that I should focus on how I could weather the storm, or should I say how I could not only survive the recession, but to actually get ahead…

Do you want to know the secret?

Advertise your business…

That’s right.. It’s not rocket science..

If you bury your head in the sand and cut all your advertising budgets, what is going to happen to your business.

Will anyone see you? You will be like everyone else who is doing the same thing!

So stand out from the crowd and be unique.

You have nothing to loose but to profit from a smart advertising campaign that makes people want your product more than ever…

The key is to think about what is important right now to your clients… Perhaps have a restaurant and you have noticed a decline in your business lunch cliental.

What can you offer them that is going to make them eat out every day next week?

• Two meals for the price of one, then upsell on the wine and dessert?
• 25% off the total bill…
• A weekly lunch package for after your third lunch your fourth is on the house.

The point is more than ever you need to give your loyal clients something back. Give them a reason to choose you over your competition.

More than ever you can profit from advertising and rewarding your clients, each and every time they have a business transaction with you.

So tomorrow instead of working on how you can save costs, start working on how you can give something back. You will be rewarded beyond your wildest imagination.

Rachel Wadsworth

Can’t figure out why your headlines are not working for you?

1. Are your headlines all about you, instead of appealing to the readers self interest?
2. Do you constantly run the same headlines over and over and never stop to tell your loyal clients what is new and happening?
3. Have advertisements that merely provoke curiosity?
4. Haven’t use images in your advertisements?
5. Never try to spark the readers self interest?
6. Use headlines that paint a gloomy and negative picture.

1. If a headline can combine curiosity and self-interest with the ability to suggest that your product will make changes in a hurry, then you have a winning start to writing a great headline..‘How A Fool Stunt Made Me A Star Salesman’
2. An image can say a thousand words; you can use images with an effective headline to draw the reader into the copy..‘What’s Wrong With This Picture?’
3. Headlines purely written to address the readers self interest…‘How To Improve Your Memory In One Evening’
4. Making an announcement with your headline…‘A New Course And Service For Men And Women Who Want To Be Independent In The Next Five Years’

• Self- Interest
• News
• Curiosity
• Quick, easy way

Rachel Wadsworth

1. Measure your retail sales the day after an advertisement has been run,
2. Run an advertisement on a specific regional area or a controlled group; compare these against another similar controlled group using your regular advertisement.
3. Use a key number sequences on your coupons, for example A-41G. The letter “A” is the code for the publication in which the advertisement ran. The “44″ designates the specific ad and that ad only, and the “G” represents any revisions of the advertisement.

Here’s an exercise to try.

You are just about to go shopping for gift for somebody – let’s say your brother.

You have no idea what he wants but you do know your brother.

You know him well enough to imagine how he thinks.

Let’s say your brother is a family man with a regular job and leads the sort of life to be expected in UK society today.

In otherwords, he’s not a new age thinker, he’s not questioning his purpose on earth, he’s simply existing.

So, a gift.

What are his interests?  What does he read?  What does he talk about?  What excites him?

gadgets, wine, beer, curry, his car, football, video games, films

You have a very small budget and as you browse the shops your eye catches a beautiful beer glass made by a famous traditional glassmaker.

Instinctively you know that your brother would appreciate this gift.

Why?

Because he will open the gift and think “ah yes, my sister knows me.  She has thought about what I like and has chosen well.”  You know that he will think that as he unwraps his present.

The best bit, as a gift giver, is receiving the acknowledgement that indeed you have taken the time to step into the receiver’s shoes to choose the perfect gift.

As a gift giver, you are also a receiver.  You may even be receiving more than the gift you have offered.

But that’s a whole different subject.

What was it you were really offering your brother?  A glass?  Not really.

You were offering an array of feelings.

1. The feeling of being loved
2. The feeling of being understood
3. The feeling of anticipation
4. The feeling of surprise
5. The feeling of holding a hand crafted object
6. The feeling of knowing you have that object in your cupboard to be chosen on the perfect occasion
7. The feeling of appreciation as you pour the beer into the recipient
8. The feeling of admiration of the colour of the liquid so beautifully displayed
9. The feeling of transforming an every day occurrence into a ritual
10. The feeling of spoiling yourself with a golden liquid reward

It’s not just a glass.

As a marketer you have to go deeper.

What is the feeling you want to bring about in your customer as he purchases your product or service?  That’s one trick.

Want to know the next trick?

Get into that feeling, that emotion, before you begin to write your copy.

Be in the emotion you invite your client to join you in.

He is, after all, only ever buying an emotion, whether he knows it or not.

Rachel Goodall

You’re hooked already, right?

Stories are comforting, transporting us back to childhood, firstly snuggled on a loved one’s knee and later, the closeness of the bedtime story.  Sharing, caring, and communicating on various levels with another human being.  No wonder a story presses all our buttons.

And so it continues through life.  Playground gossip, seemingly unending teenage telephone calls and, dragging myself into the 21st Century, MSMing  (forgive me on that one, I’m sure it must be a word!).  Then we graduate to adulthood where it’s the coffee morning or a quick 5-minute snippet between tasks in the workplace.

Remember the catchphrase of Max Bygraves?  “I wanna tell you a story!”  Do you think that was accidental or a very clever piece of marketing which ensured we all remembered him?  Those readers of a tender age will find him on Google.

[Note to self:  Investigate benefits of vitamin supplementation to combat effects of unseemly passage of time!]

Oh Yes, You Men, I’m Talking To You, Too!

Those of the male persuasion reading this needn’t look so smug, either!  Some of the most prolific gossips I know are male.  OK, you haven’t mastered the 2-hour telephone call, preferring to grunt instructions and hang up but I’ve spent many a happy hour – no, not ‘happy hour’ in the cheap drinks sense – watching men and youths deep in conversation over a glass of tongue-relaxant.  And don’t they go for it?  Gesticulations, actions, sometimes at full throttle to ensure their target audience is fully appreciative of the finer points of the story.

How about translating all that on to paper?  WOW, what a fantastic piece of sales copy would be created – probably a world beater!

But ask many people to write down what they said with the same flavour and seasoning and we’d be in a resuscitation situation!  Why is that?  I’ve experienced the terrors of the blank page but why do we find converting a stirring story on to paper so terrifying?  It’s only a chat between tasks, after all.  Is it because there’s no personal contact or instant feedback?  No body language triggers to encourage you to go on, or indicate a change of direction?  Perhaps the way we’re taught at school curtails effective communication?  And yet, in so many ways, success in both the business and personal arenas can depend upon the written word.

But WHY Are Stories So Important And Powerful In Marketing?

Before the written word was king, story telling was the natural means of communication and linked in to how our brains think.  They conjure up pictures, action and emotion.

Then came the Egyptians with their own ‘written’ language in the form of Hieroglyphics.  I was fortunate enough to visit many ancient ruins in Egypt in the company of a local Egyptologist.  Fascinating stuff.  With his expert knowledge, the story held within those pictures for thousands of years caught me in a vice-like grip.  A story again.  Meaningful, emotive and informative.  I was THERE living temple life and experiencing the emotions of war, victory, defeat, love, jealousy and harmony; and all brought to me courtesy of a story told in pictures, expertly interpreted.  And so it is with copywriting.  Taking the client to a place of emotional recognition and then to an exciting, peaceful or encouraging end point, depending upon the intention behind the piece.

The talented copywriter will tell a story so engaging it resonates with their customer at an emotional level, echoing their pain, offering a solution and then, showing the now pain-free new customer how blissful life will be when they have bought/used Product X.  Tapping into the prospect’s mood set :

• Really pulls them into the story
• Helps them draw their own conclusions
• Encourages the prospect to feel it was their idea in the first place

Again, as with children’s stories, we respond to the moral or main point which can be conveyed in a very non-threatening way through this medium.  Word of warning here, though; ensure the story is tailored to your target audience, i.e. talk about sheep to shepherds and not fishermen!

Does Length Matter?

Length does matter because…

• the piece should continue until the story is told regardless of length
• it can be as long or short as the need dictates; and
• consideration must be given to the purpose behind the copy – is it for a link, email teaser or sales letter, etc?

In Conclusion . . .

ALWAYS read your story or copy out loud to find the “bumps” which stop the brain’s thought process in its tracks.  The prospect will find it difficult to re-start and may well just click away – how tragic to lose a sale because the story was never vocalised!  Read aloud to yourself by all means but the best feedback comes from reading aloud to someone else and gauging their level of interest and emotional interaction.

The postings within this forum are, of necessity, short in nature and this is just a taster of the full article which you can read at www.swiftcopywriting.com.  Discover more tips and tricks to convert prospects into customers – Ka-Ching!  See you over there.

Janet Swift