When web surfers visit your sales page online, they can be in various stages of
emotion at their time of arrival. Advertising becomes more than just words on a page
when you see your website from your visitor’s perspective. If you consider a
purchase to be just a logical action by your visitors, you’ve missed the biggest
reason people buy.
No matter what mood your visitors are in when they visit you online, the most
effective web copy will develop something inside them the average web page would
not. You become, in a sense, an exciter as a copywriter.
The best copywriters in the world are able to bring out certain “planned” emotions in
their audience that would not normally occur by just looking at a regular sales letter
or sales page.
Your first step as a copywriter will be to figure out what emotional needs your
product satisfies. This cannot be determined with logical calculations; rather, it is a
discovery of feelings for you. If you were them, how would using your product make
them feel? What feelings would have to be developed in you just before pressing the
ORDER button to complete the sale?
The feeling your customers get when using your product cannot be left only to the
sales letter. This emotional attachment to your product must be so complete, they
almost feel as if they’re feeling something new just by using it.
This is not something you can completely control after the purchase is completed,
but you can ensure you guide them to the purchase with a certain handful of
emotions in tow. These emotions you bring out in them must be so strong, they last
a short while after the sale, as well. Customers often get buyer’s remorse shortly
after a sale, but you can overcome this by making sure they’ll walk away
possessing a feeling of doing the right thing. If not, chargebacks for you will be
monstrous.
These emotions will complete the sale for you and close the deal, almost as if
you’ve grabbed them by the hand on the way to your secure online shopping cart
and held onto their hand for the two weeks or so afterwards. One way you can
ensure this is to send them a couple of emails or letters, spaced apart, with copy in
them that makes the customer feel good about buying once again. Phone calls will
sometimes work, also. Keep that feeling of pride in owning your product for a little
while longer to make sure the product really sticks.
Stuart J. Agres references Puto & Wells by describing this phenomena in his book
“Emotion in Advertising: Theoretical and Practical Explorations”. Mr. Agres says, “A
transformational advertisement is defined as "one which associates the experience
of using (consuming/owning) the advertised brand with a unique set of psychological
characteristics, which would not typically be associated with the brand experience
to the same degree without exposure to the advertisement" ( Puto & Wells, 1984, p.
638).
It is essential therefore, that your advertising copy transforms your prospects. You
must be able to incite certain emotions in them they believe your product gives
them. They must be made to feel they would not feel these emotions if your product
was not in their possession.
Have you ever read sales copy that just swept you away? You look up from your
computer screen, not realizing you have been mesmerized for the last few minutes
or so, carried away by great copy. It is usually a great story of some kind, with
emotional curves in it, that sweeps you away from reality for awhile.
After reading this type of copy at least once in your life, you’d recognize good copy
anywhere. We’ve all seen it. Words are so powerful, they can make us feel hurt,
scared, happy, sad, or any other variety of emotions.
If you’ve ever read a Stephen King novel, you know what it’s like to be carried along
by a writer. The fear you feel is so real, you sometimes have to pull yourself out of
the book to turn on a light in the room to keep the monsters away!
The best copy I have ever read is a personal story that travels along very quickly,
telling a compelling tale that concludes with the happy ending of why the product
was necessary for happiness or security.
Decide what emotion you would like your product or service to fulfill. Tell your
prospects a wild tale filled with strong feelings. They’ll stick with you long after the
sale.
About the Author
Lynne Schlumpf is Editor of Seed Your Web http://www.seedyourweb.com and the
author of a new book "The Little Website That Could". The book's official site can be
surfed to here: http://www.littlewebsitethatcould.net |
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