What SEO Copywriting Is? and Isn’t

What that means - generally speaking - is you are still writing promotional copy designed to cause a *person* to take a specific action. Your target audience (your site visitors) should come first. The elements designed to help the copy rank well absolutely come last.

What good is all the traffic in the world if your site copy doesn’t convert visitors into buyers? Not much. That’s why - when writing SEO copy - the human visitor comes first.

Unfortunately, SEO copywriting is getting a bad name because so much of what is being cranked out is repetitious babble. Most of these pages would never have made it on to a site, except for the fact that the site owner wanted to rank highly for certain key terms.

So, in the interest of salvaging the good name of search engine copywriting, before it’s too late, let me offer some guidelines.

SEO Copy Is:

· first and foremost - written for the visitor.
· unique and purposeful.
· natural-sounding - it flows.

SEO Copy Is Not:

· written exclusively with the engines in mind.
· mirrored, adjusted or altered to create new pages by simply
changing keyphrases.
· stiff, forced or overly repetitive.

The Dos of SEO Copywriting

When writing SEO copy, you’ll want to:

· understand who you are writing to.
· choose what the focus of the page will be.
· create a plan outlining the message you want to convey.
· decide how best to communicate that message to your particular
target customers.
· choose which keyphrases will be incorporated into the copy.
· make sure those keyphrases work well with the page and the
planned copy.
· incorporate keyphrases as you write (not after you write), so
they flow naturally with the planned message.

The Don’ts of SEO Copywriting

When writing SEO copy, you should never:

· create a plan based solely on how to rank high.
· replace *every* instance of a generic term (car) with a
keyphrase (red, convertible car).
· add pages of copy simply to appease the search engines.
· rely on useless keyword density ratios and formulas.
· shove keyphrases in everywhere possible. (No, it won’t get you
banned, but it will sound completely ridiculous!)

SEO copywriting is not the process of writing exclusively for the search engines. It is the process of writing copy to appeal to your visitors, while including elements to help the search engines and your visitors understand what the page is all about.

If you remember who truly makes or breaks your site’s success (your customers!) and focus on them, you’re sure to create SEO copy that rings true.

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What SEO Copywriting Is… and Isn’t

by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.marketingwords.com

I’ve been frustrated lately. It seems people just don’t get it. There’s lots of talk about SEO copywriting these days, but hardly any of it is on target. The majority of the conversations, posts and articles I’ve seen deal with topics like keyword density, allowable limits, over optimization and such. These people are making search engine copywriting all about the search engines. They are forgetting the fact that SEO copywriting is still copywriting.

What that means - generally speaking - is you are still writing promotional copy designed to cause a *person* to take a specific action. Your target audience (your site visitors) should come first. The elements designed to help the copy rank well absolutely come last.

What good is all the traffic in the world if your site copy doesn’t convert visitors into buyers? Not much. That’s why - when writing SEO copy - the human visitor comes first.

Unfortunately, SEO copywriting is getting a bad name because so much of what is being cranked out is repetitious babble. Most of these pages would never have made it on to a site, except for the fact that the site owner wanted to rank highly for certain key terms.

So, in the interest of salvaging the good name of search engine copywriting, before it’s too late, let me offer some guidelines.

SEO Copy Is:

first and foremost - written for the visitor.

unique and purposeful.

natural-sounding - it flows.

SEO Copy Is Not:

written exclusively with the engines in mind.

mirrored, adjusted or altered to create new pages by simply changing keyphrases.

stiff, forced or overly repetitive.

The Dos of SEO Copywriting

When writing SEO copy, you’ll want to:

understand who you are writing to.

choose what the focus of the page will be.

create a plan outlining the message you want to convey.

decide how best to communicate that message to your particular target customers.

choose which keyphrases will be incorporated into the copy.

make sure those keyphrases work well with the page and the planned copy.

incorporate keyphrases as you write (not after you write), so they flow naturally with the planned message.

The Don’ts of SEO Copywriting

When writing SEO copy, you should never:

create a plan based solely on how to rank high.

replace *every* instance of a generic term (car) with a keyphrase (red, convertible car).

add pages of copy simply to appease the search engines.

rely on useless keyword density ratios and formulas.

shove keyphrases in everywhere possible. (No, it won’t get you banned, but it will sound completely ridiculous!)

SEO copywriting is not the process of writing exclusively for the search engines. It is the process of writing copy to appeal to your visitors, while including elements to help the search engines and your visitors understand what the page is all about.

If you remember who truly makes or breaks your site’s success (your customers!) and focus on them, you’re sure to create SEO copy that rings true.

Karon Thackston is author of “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy).” Discover the secrets to creating SEO copy with a perfect balance between keywords and natural language. http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword

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How To Write Persuasive Subject Lines

by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.learn-copywriting.com

Three seconds and 40 characters. That’s all you usually have to work with when trying to get and hold the attention of someone reading email. And, with user behavior changing so much in response to overwhelming amounts of spam, the attention spans of email readers are getting shorter. Needless to say, it’s vital to make the most of your introduction via the email subject line.

Email marketing powerhouse DoubleClick.com conducts annual surveys with regard to user behavior when it comes to email. A couple of the statistics from their latest findings are interesting. The second biggest motivator in opening email is the subject line. (The first is the “from” line.)

Because subject lines are often truncated at around 40 characters — and because email readers usually have their index fingers poised over the delete button — we’re left with about three seconds and approximately six words to make an impression. So what works? Which types of subject lines have proven to be successful? Here are my top three.

Make An Offer

It’s an old sales cliché that still holds true in the fast-paced world of cyberspace: Lead with your best offer. Whether a product, a service or a proposal, you want to tell people up front about your deepest discounts, your fastest delivery or your grandest idea. Get their attention right off the bat, and you’ll likely have your message read. (It’s even better if your offer happens to be time sensitive.) Examples include:

Half Off Leather Boots Until March 1st

Top 10 Reasons to Attend [Whatever]

Your Link on High Ranking Web Pages

State A Benefit

Since the majority of consumer and B2B customers live in the “what’s in it for me” world, benefits always make powerful subject lines. Telling the readers what the end results of their actions will be helps them visualize the need for your product or service. Here are a few examples based on the subject lines above:

Wear Fall’s Hottest Trends for 50% Off

Learn [Whatever] in Only Two Days

Build Link Popularity & Traffic for Your Site

Evoke Curiosity

We’re all nosey to a point. Our curiosity gets the best of us, and we want to know more. That’s not only true when it comes to watching movie previews on TV. It’s also true for email as well. Some of the best subject lines hook readers by piquing their curiosity, and then reel them in to read the entire message.

Are You Still Wearing These Fashion “Don’ts”?

The Secrets to [Whatever] Never Before Revealed

Link Popularity Scams You Should Avoid

Of course, the key to writing the best subject lines is knowing your target customers, making the topic relevant and testing, testing, testing.

I mentioned a “couple” interesting facts from the DoubleClick email survey. The second is that relevancy is a major player. Over 55% of respondents said they deleted email that wasn’t relevant because they considered it spam. DoubleClick also reported that the average open rate was 27.5% (for text or HTML messages). That gives you a baseline to gauge your success.

Not every type of subject line will work for every campaign. Testing is vital. And it’s easy enough to do. One of my favorite ways is to set up a Google AdWords campaign and judge the clickthrough rates. This quickly (and cheaply) tells you which subject lines will work and which won’t. You can also test your subject lines by sending your emails to a smaller test list before broadcasting it to the entire group.

Whichever styles of subject lines you choose, make sure you know your target audience so you can develop relevant subject lines. Then test and test again until you’ve created subjects that are highly persuasive and deliver record-breaking open rates.

Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to also check out Karon’s latest e-report on search engine copywriting: “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.

Back to Web Copywriting Index Three seconds and 40 characters. That’s all you usually have to work with when trying to get and hold the attention of someone reading email.

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SEO Copywriting Makeover: Finding the Right Trigger

by Karon Thackston © 2005
http://www.copywritingcourse.com

You’ve got a great product or service. Now, how do you make buyers sit up and take notice? How do you get them excited about what you’re offering? You have to pull the trigger.

There is at least one trigger for every product or service on the market today. Finding it is the hard part. Once you determine what will set your customers in motion, you’ve won half the battle. This was the case with ForecastWatch.com.

With a new site, the owner of ForecastWatch.com (Jeff) was unsure of what to do with the copy in order to connect with his site visitors and cause them to take the action he wanted them to take. Not to mention, Jeff wanted to rank highly with the engines as well, so search engine optimization (SEO) had to be taken into consideration, along with the selling aspects of the copy.

The Problem

The only real problem was finding the right trigger. The original site had little to no usable copy. That’s not an insult; it’s the truth. You can see the original home page here: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/forecastwatch-original.pdf.
Jeff knew he needed help from a professional copywriter, so he spent little time on the site content.

The Solution

To determine the most powerful trigger, I took a look at all the segments of ForecastWatch.com’s audience. It was broken down into three distinct types of customers. They were all interested in the most reliable weather forecasts possible, but for three very different reasons.

One group was made up of meteorologists. Their obvious interest was in being able to provide the most accurate forecasts to their viewers and listeners. A second group was compiled of weather risk managers. It is the job of these professionals to accurately assess weather for industries such as the stock exchange, construction, transportation, national defense and more. The last group needed weather forecast accuracy for personal reasons, usually as a hobby or for sports reasons (coaches, etc.).

While the last group was primarily interested in the weather as amateurs, the first two segments (meteorologists and weather-risk managers) have a lot on the line when it comes to weather forecast accuracy. Their reputations and their jobs are on the line.

And that’s the trigger! I put it right up front in the headline, which read:

ForecastWatch.com
Because Your Reputation Depends on
Being Right About the Weather

The headline hit the nail on the head. It got the attention of weather professionals, was of great interest to hobbyists and included part of one of Jeff’s keyphrases. The last word in the headline (weather) tied into the first sentence of the copy and, thus, created a keyphrase.

Keep in mind that engines don’t read spaces or line breaks or punctuation within the copy, so having one word of a keyphrase in the headline and the remainder of the keyphrase in the first sentence of the copy is an excellent way to make the copy flow and keep in line with SEO protocol.

Now, the task would be to keep that same emotional twist and energy throughout the copy. With the old copy, Jeff had no rankings with the engines for his chosen keyphrases, so the optimization of the copy needed to give him a presence.

The Rewrite

In the opening paragraph, I touted the praises of weather professionals, letting them know their expertise was recognized and appreciated. I also used one keyphrase twice and the second keyphrase once. In addition, I used the individual word “weather” and substituted “specialist” for “risk manager” in some instances to add to the flow and give a well-rounded environment for the spiders and bots.

Next, I provided a good overview of what ForecastWatch.com offered. Again, a keyphrase was used in the headline (because it worked for both the visitors and the engines, not strictly for SEO purposes), and a keyphrase was used in the paragraph.

Finally, the copy was broken out into segments that targeted specific individuals. This gave them precise information on what benefits ForecastWatch.com offered them. Boxes for meteorologists, weather risk managers and weather enthusiasts were created. Within the copy for each block and again in the anchor text for links to internal pages, keyphrases were used where appropriate. These boxes lead each visitor to information that was most relevant to him/her.

You can see the new copy here: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/forecastwatch-rewrite.pdf.

The Results

I always like to let the customer take over in this section. Here’s what Jeff had to say about the rewrite of his home-page copy.

In addition, rankings continue to rise with current positioning in the top five for one of his keyphrases.

Take the time to do a little research. Put yourself in your customers’ place. Uncover what’s most important to them, and you’ll be rewarded with greater conversions in the long run.

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Common Mistakes That Can Kill Your Web Copy

by Karon Thackston © 2005
http://www.copywritingcourse.com

Sometimes learning what not to do is as important as learning what to do. Copywriting is no exception. I oftentimes see copy that is well written, but obviously created by an amateur. How do I know? One or more of the following five mistakes was made and that killed the copy. dead.

Once you understand why these mistakes are, in fact, mistakes, you can easily avoid them. It isn’t like they are complicated concepts. It just takes someone to bring them to your attention so you can guard against them.

Pull up your site in a browser and follow along. See if you’ve made any of these mistakes on your site.

#1 - Writing Without Knowing Your Target Audience

This is, without a doubt, the biggest mistake of copywriting and the #1 killer of conversions. Why? I’ll answer with a question.

When you write a letter (or email), do you just start writing and decide afterwards who you’re going to send the letter to? Of course not! So why, then, do so many people just jump in and start writing website copy without having a clue about who they are writing to? It makes no sense to me.

How can people possibly communicate with their site visitors if they have no idea who they are, what they are looking for, their preferred communication style, what problems they face, how they hope to use the product/service to solve those problems and countless other information? Truth is, you can’t.

Take knowing your target customers to the extreme. Find out everything you can about them. Then combine all that info to create an imaginary person (or imaginary people) who fit the profile of your target audience members. You can even name them if you want to. Then - with every sentence - write to that person (or persons).

#2 - Writing Without Knowing the Product/Service

Like it or not, you’re a salesperson. That means you have to know all the details of the product or service you’re writing about. How else can you convincingly convey the information to prospects who visit the site?

Ask your client for samples of products, use of the services or access to member areas of a site. Using or taking part in what your client is offering to his/her visitors will make a huge difference in the quality and persuasiveness of your copy. Nothing comes across as well as copywriting that has been created from experience.

#3 - Writing About the Company Instead of To the Site Visitor

They don’t care. Who? Your site visitors. They don’t care about your company. Rather than hear about how long you’ve been in business and that you’re the specialists in this, that or the other thing, they’d rather find out how your product/service can benefit them.

If your home page starts with something like this, you’re in trouble: “ABC Company is the specialist in [insert industry here] with over 20 years experience. We provide [fill in the blank] with our extensive knowledge and helpful service. Dedicated to providing the highest quality, we guarantee our work with a 100% money-back promise.”

You’re we-ing all over yourself! The customer has the money. Don’t you think the copy should at least acknowledge him/her at some point? Rather than using we, us and our so much, turn it around.

Talk to your site visitors instead of about the company. Let them know you understand their needs and have answers to their problems. Don’t ignore them by talking only about yourself.

#4 - Outlining Features Instead of Benefits or End Results

Features are nice, but benefits and end results make the sale because they clearly explain why the customer will be better off after buying your product or using your service. One of the biggest selling factors in copywriting is the ability to tell the customer what he/she can do with a product or service.

Take a tip from the infomercials. They don’t simply tell you that a rotisserie cooker rotates as it cooks a chicken. No! They tell you that this rotisserie cooker can bake a whole, marinated, Italian herb chicken that’s juicy, moist and succulent. That the seasonings slowly seep into the meat so you get bite after tender bite of flavorful chicken so good you’ll beg for more. Who cares that the thing has a pointed, metal prong that rotates a chicken while it cooks? You’re buying it because it can deliver that wonderful whole, marinated, Italian herb chicken!

#5 - Neglecting the Medium

Does it make a difference as to where your copy appears online? Isn’t all Web copy the same? The answers are “Yes” and “No.” Landing pages are not the same as home pages, which are not the same as catalog pages, which are not the same as sales letters, and so on and so on. Don’t neglect to find out the differences between these and the other types of Web copy. They all have special considerations that should be studied before you begin writing.

Now you can add these five “don’ts” to your favorite copywriting checklist. Avoiding these mistakes will give you a better shot at reaching your visitors on their level and converting them into repeat customers.

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Limited Time Only (Shh! It’s A Secret)

by Karon Thackston © 2005, All Rights Reserved
http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword

Under normal circumstances, you’d shout it from the rooftops.

After all, when you have something urgent to say, you want others to know about it, right? But when it comes to “limited time only” offers, lately I’ve noticed a disturbing trend.

Copywriters seem to actually be hiding the phrase! Let me give you some examples.

I received a fabulous email from a ladies clothing site at which I like to shop. It was for 50% off my entire purchase of anything on their site (clearance items or regular price).

Wahoo! What woman wouldn’t love that? Trouble is, I almost missed the deal due to procrastination.

Like most busy women, I was going to go to the site and shop. later. However, I happened to notice, way down at the bottom of the email in tiny, little type, that the sale ended in two days.

Why would they think the phrase “Limited time only - sale ends Friday, July 15, 2005 at midnight” was insignificant?

When I saw that phrase, I immediately zipped over to the site and began bargain hunting. (Found some fantastic deals, too!)

Here’s another example.

As I was sitting at a fast food restaurant eating lunch, I was fiddling with the paper “tent” ads on the table. One was for a new salad (nope, not in a healthy mood) and one was for strawberry cheesecake. That sounded good, but I was almost finished with my sandwich and fries so I really didn’t have room.

I wasn’t going home so I couldn’t take it to go. I thought I’d just pick up a slice the next time I ate at this place until I saw - at the very bottom of the ad in teeny, tiny type - the “limited time only” phrase.

I know this restaurant. They bring new, test items in and out all the time. If they said, “Limited time only,” I knew they meant it. Chances are (since I didn’t get to eat at this restaurant often) I wouldn’t get to try their cheesecake. If I had known it was a limited time offer, I would have ordered a slice before I got full.

Don’t Play Games With Limited Time Offers

Make a point to let customers know they have to act fast, or they’ll miss out. The fear of being left out or left behind is a basic human motivator that can be triggered pretty easily. The trick is to actually let your customers know an offer is limited in some way. Here’s how to create a powerful limited time offer.

Things go on sale all the time, so if you’re selling clothing or food or office supplies, you might have limited time offers that end simply because the sale date has past. However, if there is a reason your offer is limited (limited supply of items, testing a new item, etc.), tell the customer. This can actually increase the sense of urgency.

Make your offer credible. How do you do that? By sticking to your word. If you say an offer will end on a certain date, end it or give a darn good reason for extending the offer. If customers see that you continually tout “limited time offer,” but keep the discount running past the deadline, you’ll lose credibility and sales.

Give a reasonable deadline. Customers need time to act. Car manufacturers run incentive offers for a month or longer in part because of the high cost of vehicles and the need for arranging financing. The online clothing site I mentioned earlier set its deadline at two days (customers could easily click over to their site and shop immediately). Depending on the item, the purchasing medium and whether there is a need for financing or such, you can adjust your deadline to whatever works best for you.

When your customers understand you’re making an offer that will expire shortly, they are motivated to act now, rather than later.

If you give them a good enough reason not to procrastinate, you can see a major surge in sales. Urgency is never something you want to hide in your copy.

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Your Site Map: Spider Food or Just A Light Snack?

by Karon Thackston © 2005
http://www.copywritingcourse.com

Mechanical spiders have to eat. In fact, they usually have bigger appetites than the real-life spiders you squish under your shoe. What spiders am I talking about? The automated programs sent out by search engines to review and index websites. These “spiders” (sometimes called “bots”) are looking for a reason to list your site within the database of their particular search engine. It’s hard work roaming around the ‘Net non-stop, and these little guys need some nourishment from time-to-time. In fact, when spiders find some hearty “spider food” (a.k.a. a site map with some meat to it), they sit down to stay a while. That’s a good thing!

You’ve probably seen many site maps. The standard ones look like the example below with each phrase being linked to the page of the same (or similar) name.

Site maps are deemed “spider food” because they can be the perfect place for search engine spiders and bots to crawl your site. Because a site map has links to every page of your site (and those link names or page descriptions often include keywords), it is extremely easy for the search engine spider to access each publicly accessible area with no obstacles and relate it to a given subject matter. (For example, a page labeled “microwave ovens” is most likely about microwave ovens.)

Some site owners think that’s enough. They think a page with keyword-rich titles and links is plenty for a hungry little spider to munch on. Not hardly! That’s not a meal. it’s just a light snack.

Give Spiders A Tasty Treat

If you really want to fill the spiders’ bellies, you’ll want to take your site map page to the max with a descriptive site map (as I like to call them). Descriptive site maps go beyond the simple list of links to pages. These special versions of the traditional maps also include a short, keyword-rich description of each page. The text only needs to be a sentence or two in length. An example is below. This is certainly not the only way to layout or design your site map. Get creative and use columns, bullets or other formatting to make it look the way you like. (The links would remain the same as in the previous example.)

Descriptive site maps work well in attracting and satisfying spiders because they include naturally occurring keywords. They also place keywords in the vicinity of a link that points to the associated page. Add these advantages to those that already exist, including:

• having links in the body copy of the page
• overcoming complex navigation such as DHTML or Java
• lending quick access to pages located several layers deep within the site
• assisting with usability for visitors (especially disabled visitors)
• and others

and you have prepared a huge feast for the search engine spiders that is almost guaranteed to entice those hungry little critters to crawl through every available page of your site.

Does every site need a site map? It certainly wouldn’t hurt. Sites with less than 20 pages or sites where most or all the pages have links directly from the home page generally don’t “need” a site map, per se. However, practically every site of every size can reap benefits from including a map on their site.

If you’re creating a site map for your site, don’t stop with the basics. With just a little added effort, you’ll have a four-course meal to serve the spiders that will keep them happy and satisfied and that will help get you exceptional rankings.

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Enough With the Upsells Already!

by Karon Thackston © 2005
http://www.learn-copywriting.com

It happened twice during the same week. All I wanted to do was make a purchase, and they were making every effort to keep me from it (or so it seemed). Why would a business who wanted me to buy from them so badly put enough roadblocks in my path to make me want to click off the site and go someplace else?

The roadblocks that almost kept me from purchasing were repeated upsells. You know the kind. You go to a site and add something to your cart or speak with a person on the phone and tell him/her you want to buy. Then it starts. The upsells.

But Wait. There’s More

“As a special offer - only for people who buy today - you can also get.” I’m a copywriter so I understand the power of upsells, and one, maybe even two, is a good thing. Lots and lots of people will add more to their carts (or agree via telephone to buy more) when given the chance to upgrade or buy exclusive offers at the same time. But there is such a thing as overdoing it.

The robot-like sales clerk just about blew the order! I called to buy a book I’d seen advertised. As soon as the salesperson said, “I’ve got you down for one copy of the book, but - just for people who call today.” I knew I was in trouble. One upsell offer came. Then another. “We have a special bonus for you, too” followed by “Because you’re a health-conscious person, we’d like to give you this special surprise for 30 days absolutely free.” I am not exaggerating when I say there were 10 upsells in a row.

Stop It Right Now or I’m Leaving

I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I interrupted and told the clerk that I wanted the book and only the book. If he was able to stop reading from his script and process the order for my book, I’d still like to buy it. If he was not able to do that, I would hang up the phone.

He couldn’t do it! He floundered around, flipping through the pages, trying to think of what came at the end of all the upsells. I guess he’d never gotten that far before. The sale was stopped. I didn’t order the book after all. I was so frustrated and aggravated by the time I hung up the phone I could have screamed!

A few days later, it happened again. I was at a website, transferring a few domain names. After I added the transfer service to my cart, the upsells started. Page after page came for hosting; domain parking; useless, mass search engine optimization; anonymous WhoIs registration - you name it! Did I buy any of the offers? No. After reading the first one or two, I scrolled - without reading a word - through FOUR more pages of upsells before reaching the final order page.

Don’t Abuse Upsells

What happened here? Like so many other good things, the upsell is being badly abused. What started out as a wonderful marketing tool has ended up on what seems to be a drug-induced rage. Do upsells still work? Yes. If they are handled properly.

When someone adds something to their shopping basket or calls to place an order, by all means offer them special deals to increase sales. This strategy has worked to bring in additional revenue for decades. Don’t, however, bombard the customer with upsell after upsell. Not only will the effect be completely lost after three or four attempts to make additional sales, but customers will also quickly become irritated. They may even hang up or click away to another site.

Use common sense when adding upsells to your marketing mix. If you, personally, wouldn’t want to sit through an additional 20 minutes of sales pitches on the phone, don’t make your customers. If you wouldn’t want to scroll through page after page of bonuses and specials, your customers won’t want to either.

The greed involved with hounding people to buy additional items or services can very often have the reverse effect. Instead of adding more to their shopping carts, your customers may decide to avoid the aggravation altogether and leave. Keep your upsells focused and to a minimum for the best results.

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Are You Asking the Right Questions in Your Copy?

By Karon Thackston © 2005
http://www.marketingwords.com

It’s a common approach to writing copy. You begin by asking questions. Why? To evoke thoughts in your readers’ minds, to stir up emotions, and to get customers thinking in the way you want them to think. But have you ever thought about how you phrase your questions? Are you doing it in a way that will have the greatest impact on your readers or are you just throwing questions on a page?

Behaviorally speaking, not everybody responds in the same way to the same questions. Those with different communications styles will relate in a variety of ways depending on how you phrase your sentence.

Using the DISC Behavioral Profile, let me explain what I mean and show you how you can start asking the right questions in the right way to suit your customers.

D = Dominance

Those who fall in the Dominance category of the DISC profile are described as: in control, powerful, confident, visionaries, and risk takers. These people can be managers, CEOs, high-ranking military personnel, entrepreneurs, and the like.

Those who are considered high in Dominance want to stick to business. They expect the facts to be presented logically. They want presentations to be clear, specific, and to the point.

This group of people will respond better to specific “what” questions. For example, let’s say we’re developing a headline for an ultra-fast printer. You wouldn’t want to write a headline that asks, “How Do You Cure a Need for Speed?” That question is vague; it’s not specific, and it begins with the word “how.”

CEOs, upper management, and others in this category aren’t the least bit interested in “how” you do anything. They are visionaries. They look at the big picture, not the little details. Details are somebody else’s job!

Instead, try rewriting that headline to include the word “what” and to be specific, like this: “What Cures a Need for Speed?”

You can see a similar relation in other behavioral styles (I, S, and C) and the types of questions people in each prefer.

I = Influence

Those high in Influence are generally found in the sales field or other fields that require a lot of people/social interaction. They move fast and want to focus on people-oriented tasks. They love to give their opinions and to be asked for their thoughts on a matter. They love to be the center of attention.

This group responds well to “feeling” questions. Not just about themselves, but also about others. For example: “Remember the excitement you felt when _____?” or “How would your child feel if _____?”

S = Steadiness

Those in the Steadiness group want to be seen as people - not a number. They appreciate logic, a touch of personal interaction, and they are detail-oriented. They are generally slow decision-makers and are not wild about taking unqualified risks. Those who fall into the Steadiness category make up 40% of the general population and come from all walks of life.

People high in steadiness would be likely to respond better to questions beginning with “how.” Possibilities include “How many times have you wished ____?” or “How often do you ____?” They also respond well to questions that make them think, like “Is your copy getting results?” They’ll likely want to know what you can do about it if the answer is “no.”

C = Compliance

When describing someone who falls into the Compliance category, these phrases come to mind: critical thinker, prepared, quality-oriented, incredibly detailed, specific, and slow decision-maker. You’ll generally find these types working as engineers, bankers, accountants, scientists, and the like.

Those high in Compliance will respond best to questions including statistics and questions that force them to look at all sides of an issue/problem. For example, “68% of All Drivers Pay Too Much for Auto Insurance. Are You?” Another idea is “Widget or Thingee… Which Makes the Most Sense?”

Phrasing your questions in a way that allows your target customers to relate only makes sense. When you hit a nerve - people will respond. Asking the right questions… in the right way… within your copy will get you one step closer to closing the sale.

Karon Thackston is owner of Marketing Words, Inc., a full-service copywriting agency. She is also author of the highly acclaimed Step-by-Step Copywriting Course, now in its third edition. You can find Karon online at http://www.marketingwords.com or http://www.copywritingcourse.com.

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Subtle Emotion - The Key To Copy That Works

By Karon Thackston © 2005
http://www.marketingwords.com

Say the word “emotion” to a man, and he’ll immediately jump out of his seat and run from the room! Utter the word “emotion” to a woman, and she begins to conjure up thoughts of romantic, long talks centered around feelings. However, speak the word “emotion” to a copywriter and s/he should see dollar signs. Why? Because a good command of subtle emotion is the key to copy that works.

The Difference Between Subtle and Obvious Emotion

Confusing obvious and subtle emotion is a common mistake among copywriters. Let’s say your copywriting client tells you his product should make the end user feel classy and sophisticated. He wants the copy you write to convey that message. What happens when writing with obvious emotion is this:

Our silverware patterns will make you feel classy and sophisticated. They will decorate your table in an upscale manner so you and your guests will think you’re in a fine-dining restaurant.

Obvious emotion tells readers what they will think, see or feel. This approach is clumsy and awkward and rarely has the result the client is looking for. On the other hand, subtle emotion has a much greater appeal. Why? Because it deals with imagery. When you show people, rather than tell them, how they’ll feel or what will happen after they buy your product or service, you evoke core emotions rather than shallow feelings. Here are several examples of subtle emotion at work:

Graceful and elegant, these silverware patterns are sure to bring compliments from your guests. With an exceptional display of taste and style, you can adorn your table with distinctive stainless or sterling silverware that highlights every element of your table setting.

As peaceful and charming as a Sunday afternoon on grandma’s front porch, these metal gliders are recreations of the WWI originals. Rock the afternoon away with a big glass of lemonade and a little nostalgia wafting through the air like a gentle summer breeze.

Spend lazy days and restful nights in this poster bed dreaming about romantic interludes. Finished with Gabon mahogany veneers, your bed has reed posts, a removable canopy frame and a louvered headboard reminiscent of a shuttered window.

Do you see what’s happening in the copy examples above? No one came right out and said, “Your table’s gonna look real classy if you use our silverware,” but the notion is there. From the description given, you pick up on the fact that this silver will do more than make your table look good. It will make you look good in front of your guests and give you a little boost of confidence due to all the compliments you’ll receive.

The metal glider chair copy never said your blood pressure would be reduced as you sat on your porch de-stressing from a long, hard workweek, but that’s the distinct impression you get from the copy, isn’t it?

And the poster bed? Just the mention of the materials (Gabon mahogany, reed posts) and romantic interludes gives a feeling that this bed is something special, although the copy never actually says so.

By using subtle emotion, by painting a picture of what the customer will get from these products, by incorporating them into the customer’s everyday life, you - as a copywriter - are able to pique interest and increase sales. Ah! The power of words!

Karon Thackston is owner of Marketing Words, Inc., a full-service copywriting agency. She is also author of the highly acclaimed Step-by-Step Copywriting Course, now in its third edition. You can find Karon online at http://www.marketingwords.com or http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Confusing obvious and subtle emotion is a common mistake among copywriters. Let’s say your copywriting client tells you his product should make the end user feel classy and sophisticated. He wants the copy you write to convey that message.

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