Web Site Ad or Sales Copy – Do I Need It?
If you have been surfing around the net, you will eventually come to sites that start looking similar. By this I mean, they:
1. Have something big and bold right at the top
2. Have words highlighted in different colors or that are emphasized
3. Have very few pages on the site
4. Generally talk about one product
Well, you’ve just been hit with a “niche” site and what you are reading is perhaps what is generally called as Sales Copy or Ad (short for Advertisement) copy.
Niche sites are the “in” thing today. In one of my other articles I will explain what are niche sites and why are they so popular these days. For today let’s talk about sales copy.
The best way to explain this is to relate it to a real-life situation. Let’s suppose you want to buy a watch and go to a store that markets different watches. As soon as you enter, a sales person greets you and asks you what you are looking for? Perhaps you were looking for leather jackets and are in the wrong store? If you are in the right store, the sales person will gently enquire on what your exact needs are? Once that is determined, the sales person will start showing you samples of different watches and will compare them by feature or by price. S/he will also let you know on other benefits/conditions like warranty, guarantee, return policy, and delivery. All this to make you feel at ease. In my mind, they are subconsciously taking you through the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) process. Ultimately, they want you to buy (Action) the watch. If the product fits your needs, you will buy the watch.
Now think of the same store selling the same watches in an online mall. Probably the biggest difference here is that there is no sales person to greet you and take you through the sales process. Which is why you need good sales copy.
The sales copy that you see on a lot of the web sites take you through a similar process. They start by immediately identifying a problem statement that their product attempts to solve. If the statement is not what you identify your problem with, chances are you will hit the “back” button. But if it is and it the statement grabs your attention, you will stay. Now, that the store has your attention, they will try and generate interest and desire.
This is done by carefully researching what problem statements people are looking to solve within that product domain. In order to build credibility, the copy will also speak about how other people with similar problems have used their product and how it has helped them. These are generally called testimonials and help a lot in establishing credibility.
Ad or Sales copy is one of the most popular means of marketing on the Internet. People who write good sales copy command a lot of $$ and are (frequently) booked months in advance. There is constant debate about whether you should use long sales copy or short sales copy. In one of my other articles, I will try and go a little bit into detail.
That’s it for now,
Elvin
1. Have something big and bold right at the top
2. Have words highlighted in different colors or that are emphasized
3. Have very few pages on the site
4. Generally talk about one product
Well, you’ve just been hit with a “niche” site and what you are reading is perhaps what is generally called as Sales Copy or Ad (short for Advertisement) copy.
Niche sites are the “in” thing today. In one of my other articles I will explain what are niche sites and why are they so popular these days. For today let’s talk about sales copy.
The best way to explain this is to relate it to a real-life situation. Let’s suppose you want to buy a watch and go to a store that markets different watches. As soon as you enter, a sales person greets you and asks you what you are looking for? Perhaps you were looking for leather jackets and are in the wrong store? If you are in the right store, the sales person will gently enquire on what your exact needs are? Once that is determined, the sales person will start showing you samples of different watches and will compare them by feature or by price. S/he will also let you know on other benefits/conditions like warranty, guarantee, return policy, and delivery. All this to make you feel at ease. In my mind, they are subconsciously taking you through the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) process. Ultimately, they want you to buy (Action) the watch. If the product fits your needs, you will buy the watch.
Now think of the same store selling the same watches in an online mall. Probably the biggest difference here is that there is no sales person to greet you and take you through the sales process. Which is why you need good sales copy.
The sales copy that you see on a lot of the web sites take you through a similar process. They start by immediately identifying a problem statement that their product attempts to solve. If the statement is not what you identify your problem with, chances are you will hit the “back” button. But if it is and it the statement grabs your attention, you will stay. Now, that the store has your attention, they will try and generate interest and desire.
This is done by carefully researching what problem statements people are looking to solve within that product domain. In order to build credibility, the copy will also speak about how other people with similar problems have used their product and how it has helped them. These are generally called testimonials and help a lot in establishing credibility.
Ad or Sales copy is one of the most popular means of marketing on the Internet. People who write good sales copy command a lot of $$ and are (frequently) booked months in advance. There is constant debate about whether you should use long sales copy or short sales copy. In one of my other articles, I will try and go a little bit into detail.
That’s it for now,
Elvin
<< Home