The trouble with sales copy…
is that it’s easy to come up with something on your own. It’s not like design, where you at least need to purchase software and surmount the learning curve before it’s even technically possible to get your bad ideas on paper and out to the public, oh no. Anyone can write sales copy.
The question becomes: What is that “sales” copy really saying?
If you’re like most who try, it becomes the same faceless drivel that we read and hear in local outlets; wanting for personality and lacking any real punch. Name–>Product–>Price–>Location–>Phone Number–>”Buy Now” Push–>Repeat Contact Details for Good Measure
We hear from you how great you think your product or service is (imagine that!), but we get no reason why we should be coming to you for it . . . no sense that your business exists to serve people like me. Why? Because people are too worried about the “shotgun blast” style of marketing–set your eyes on as big a section of the population as possible and take your shot.
The problem with this, of course, is that in targeting everyone, we’re not reaching anyone! It’s what makes goose hunting challenging–even when flocks of 1000+ are flying overhead. It’s why feeder fish travel in those mind-numbing schools that confound would-be predators. If you can’t target, you can’t connect.
So back to sales copy: what can you do? Write as if you’re having a casual conversation with your best customer–as if he/she will be the only person to read. Surprise!–if he’s the type to buy your product, you want to reach more people just like him (same socio-economic background, same hobbies, same level of understanding of your industry (and comfort with its jargon). You’re not trying to convert people who don’t care about your offering into buyers, you’re trying to reach out to particular individuals who are predisposed to want what you’ve got, and give them a nudge in your direction. Once the momentum shifts toward you, it’s going to be easier to attract and accommodate the buyers you couldn’t have touched before.
Aim small, miss small.
