As you approach your next ad campaign you may begin thinking about the things you can do to make your ad copy stand out from the competition. There are a number of approaches you can take but today I want to steer you away from one – humour.

I love a good laugh as much as the next guy but when it comes to writing ad copy humour is one thing you should absolutely avoid. Yes, humour will earn you some attention but, in reality, is it the right type of attention?

Let’s just say you write a really funny ad. It gets clipped from papers and hung on walls; people talk about it; and you might even get a few phone calls with inquiries. The problem with a humorous ad, however, is just that – it’s humorous.

People won’t take you seriously.

They’ll agree you’re a funny guy but deep in their subconscious minds they’ll be questioning whether or not you’re the right person to do business with. Will you treat their companies and concerns seriously – or turn them into jokes?

Humorous advertisements are likely to win awards for the guys who write them but often do nothing more. Avoid humor in your copy and stick towards enticing, concrete facts. You’ll be more successful in the long run.

All the best

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker – Sales Expert

SEO copywriting involves including specialized keyword phrases in your writing. These are phrases that web users are searching for on a regular basis and, when combined with your regular sales copy, should really grab the interest of your targeted niche readers.

But how do you increase the reach of your article? How do you get your readers to refer more readers back to your page? This is where linkbuilding and SEO copywriting go hand in hand. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Write for Social Media Networking

If you have an awesome headline you will attract more readers to your articles. They’ll love your content and click on the links to recommend your article in Stumble, Digg, or some other social media site. When others see your compelling headline they’ll want to read your article, too. Get it? It’s in the headline. Make sure you include easy one-click links at the end of your SEO articles so that your readers can easily reach their favourite social media sites.

Giving to Get

I know you want to get links back to your copywriting, especially if you’re writing sales pages, but one of the best ways to do so is to link out to other sites. You’ve got to give in order to receive. Link to websites and blogs relevant to your own website and sales page and you’re more likely to be noticed and receive a link in return.

Guest Blogging

One of the best ways to gain attention is to act as a guest contributor on other websites and blogs. This is, of course, easier if you have already built relationships with those other blogs. Simply propose a guest article that fits with the blog you’d like to contribute to. At the end of your article you can include some information about yourself and your proejects with a link back to your sales page.

Copywriting is about more than writing a simple sales page and letting it work for itself. Once the hard work is done you can have fun putting those copywriting and SEO skills to the test in order to promote yourself. Everything you write should be geared towards driving more traffic back to your main sales page.  Are you prepared to deal with all of the new visitors you’ll receive?

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert

The eloquent style of your writing may be engaging and captivating. Your readers may enjoy your copywriting efforts. But the real measure of your success is whether or not you’ve answered a handful of simple questions within your sales letter.

Do You Know Your Target Market?

Do you know your target market – aka the people you’re writing to? If so, it’ll show in your writing as you’ll be able to speak to them directly. If not, your reader will feal as though he’s simply reading a cold sales letter and you won’t get the results you desire.

What’s the Difference Between Your Product and Product X?

Everyone has competition. Chances are, your potential client has heard of or considered using the products or services created by your competition. What have you said in your sales letter that clearly outlines why your product is different and/or better than the one produced by your competitor?

What are Your Credentials?

Simply writing a letter about your product is all well and good, but why should the person reading your letter believe you have the authority to make claims or sell a product? How will you set yourself apart from the fraudulent salespersons that have approached them before? Back yourself up with statistics and facts.

Does Your Product Have Multiple Benefits?

Make sure you share all of the benefits of using your products, not just the ones you think are the best. If your product has 10 distinct benefits, why would you only list the three biggest? Chances are your potential client may really need a solution that one of the other benefits provides and he’ll never know about it. Always include a complete list of benefits.

You should, of course, review your sales copywriting to make sure you’ve answered any potential objects and have included a call to action, but those are issues we’ll cover at another point in time. In short, you need to make sure you are addressing your audience directly, not writing a letter for a magazine or newspaper. The more your readers feel as though you’ve personally connected, the better your chances of making a sale!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert

In other words: Copywriting 101

The first thing your readers, prospects, and customers will see when they get an email or piece of advertising material from you is your headline. If that headline doesn’t grab their attention you can pretty much forget making a sale because your audience isn’t likely to read the rest of the advertisement or post.

The trick to writing a wonderful headline is to remember that the headline is just as important as the body of the message. It actually needs to be able to stand alone as a message of its own. The headline alone needs to make your reader stop and say “You’re right, I do need to (buy that, read that, subscribe to that).”

There are several different types of headlines you can use in copywriting. Today I’m going to give you five to consider:

The Direct Headline

The direct headline tells your reader exactly what you have to offer up front. It’s not funny, it’s not silly, and it’s right to the point. Example: Free e-Book with Subscription to Sean McPheat.com.

The Indirect Headline

Indirect headlines are pretty clear in what they have to offer but don’t give all of the details up front. They’re a bit more subtle in the way they deliver their messages. Example: Why Copywriting Headlines are Essential to Success.

Asking a Question

Use your headline to ask a question your readers can relate to or would really be interested in seeing the answer to. Example: Are You Ready to take Your Business to the Next Level?

A List of Reasons

It’s really no secret, but lists are incredibly popular. Put together a list of reasons or ways for a person to do something and you’re sure to grab your audience’s attention. Example: 21 Ways to Increase Your Response Ratio.

Be Commanding

Simply tell your readers what you think they should be doing. Use strong verbage combined with a clear direction. Example: Subscribe to SeanMcPheat.com Today!

Be creative with your headlines and I can guarantee you’ll get a better response from your print advertisements, emails, and even blog posts. Give it a try and let me know how things turn out.

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat