- How copywriting uses psychology to help your audience get excited about your product
- What is the key to good copywriting?
- How copywriting employs simple writing but complex psychology
- Must-do’s before hiring your first copywriter
You’ve probably noticed that sharing your message with the world requires a lot of writing.
It doesn’t have to be an earth-shattering message, btw.
It’s enough of a message that you have a good product or service and you’d like others to know about it.
The problem is most people don’t consider themselves writers. And to make matters worse, there’s a special kind of writing that we use to sell products and services called, “copywriting.”
Copywriting is a unique style of writing that uses psychology to help people get excited and spend money on something that––until a few minutes ago––they had no idea existed.
What the heck is a meat defrosting tray? I want one!
For example, last night I was on Facebook… when I should have been doing just about anything else… and I came across an ad for a special tray that defrosts meat. It’s very cool. I want it.
But why do I want it?
Until that exact moment, I’d never heard of such a tool. And I certainly wasn’t shopping for one.
I was just minding my business. Scrolling. Perfectly happy with my method of defrosting meat… putting it in a pan of cool water and waiting.
But now, I think I need it. I even shared the link with a friend. (And I’m share-resistant, so that’s saying something.)
And now… I’m writing to you about it.
I may even buy it.
How did it come to this?!
Let’s take a peek at the psychology behind it all…
The Key to Good Copy
Someone in the Facebook upper echelon decided I fit the demographic for someone who cooks.
Maybe I posted a pic of a meal I made. Or maybe I recently bought a cookbook. Based on that info, I’m considered worth advertising a defrosting tray too.
Then, someone in the defrosting tray marketing department wrote a simple ad that uses sophisticated buyer psychology.
That’s important…
The writing is simple, but the psychology is sophisticated.
This point is so important––and was so elegantly implemented by the copywriter––that I never bothered to turn on the sound of the ad.
I watched the demo.
I read the captions.
Suddenly.
Bam.
I’m liking, sharing, and writing about it.
Crazy but true how effective advertising can be, when done well.
But you can’t just write any old copy and expect it to bring in customers.
First of all, there are a zillion books out there on copywriting and most of them are awful. The ones that are pretty good, may or may not be relevant for the type of product/service you’re selling or the type of environment you’re selling in.
Selling on Facebook is very different from selling on email… is very different from selling on a cold-traffic webinar… is different from selling on YouTube, etc.
As my friend, Kevin Rogers, likes to say, “You need to be in the conversation.” And the most important first step is to know what conversation you’re in, because context is everything.
What to Do Before You Hire a Copywriter
What’s the solution? Well, you could hire a copywriter. But that shouldn’t be your first stop.
Hiring a copywriter is expensive and you still have to have a deep understanding of your product and the sales environment before you turn the project over to the writer.
I recommend you start with writing down what you like about the product or service. Pretend you’re telling a friend about it.
Tip: Don’t try to “sell” them on it. Most sales techniques are just as bad as the dusty copywriting techniques out there. (If you’ve ever seen a headline that starts with “Who else wants…,” then you know what I mean.)
So just write down a simple description. Make it seem like you’re writing a note to a friend.
- Tell her why you like the product.
- Tell her what you get in the “box.” (Literally, if you sell a product or figuratively, if you sell a service.)
- Tell her what it costs.
- Tell her if you offer anything that will make your thing better or more effective… maybe you could give this away as a bonus.
That way, you’ll have the basis for your non-sales sales message all written down. From there the choice is yours, you can share a version of those ideas on social media, or to your email list, or even boost a post on Facebook if you have an advertising budget.
How to be a Smart Consumer of Copywriting Services
I’ve seen many wonderful women build businesses online using these simple strategies, without sending a penny on a copywriter. And that’s why I recommend you learn the basics of copy, so when you’re ready to hire a copywriter, you are a smart consumer.
It’s like that time I hired a plumber… It’s good to know just enough about changing the bathroom faucet myself, so I don’t get swindled when it’s time to hire a guy to redo the entire kitchen.
Eventually, you’ll get to a point where hiring out the copy is a good use of your time and resources, so you can focus on other things. At that point you’ll be fully equipped to hire smart and put the new copy to its best use… bringing in customers.
What’s next: If you’d like to discover how a former 9th grade Algebra teacher/SAHM helps multi-million-dollar businesses increase sales with simple “teach for action” techniques, then go to www.9BuyerSystem.com
