How to Make Your Copy Much More Persuasive
Marketing automation

So what are the hallmarks of great copy today?

You know it when you read it. Makes use of emotional triggers, images and anything else it can get its hands on to hit you where you live.

The sickening truth for marketers is that it is damn hard to write great copy. The days of throwing up (apt phrase) for what passed for good web content even a few years ago are long gone as we find ourselves competing for slices of people’s time that are getting ever smaller.

With that in mind, we wanted to look at ways you can make your web copy, whether it be sales copy, emails, web pages or blog posts; vibrant and uniquely suited to get the results you are seeking.

7 Ways to make your copy more compelling and effective

1- Plan on scanners, but write for readers! – In a seminal study by Jakob Nielsen, research showed that some 79 percent of web users scan the copy, digesting only headlines, and parts that catch their interest. A dismal 16 percent actually read word for word. That said, while it’s clear that much of your copy may not get read, making sure that what is read is compelling is your challenge today.

2- Copy success – Look at what moves you to make a buying decision. What is their language like? As they say, success leaves clues. Study salespages of successful products, and examine emails and newsletters of people you subscribe to. There is much here to learn!

3- Write memorable words – Using rich language and painting vivid word pictures is one thing that will engage and thrill your reader. If what you write is pedestrian, and forgotten moments after being clicked off of, you’ve essentially wasted your virtual ink!

4- Understand the conversion process– Using hypnotic words, along with overcoming objections and providing social proof will go a long way toward increasing your conversions.

5- Structure your copy from the top down – Since we know we have precious little time to waste, employ what’s known as the inverted pyramid. Put your most important point at the top of your copy, followed by less important ones.

6- Use emotional imagery – Paint word pictures, but also employ emotionally powerful images to illustrate and attest to your words. These can often help keep the visitor on the page longer, so they can read more of your outstanding prose!

7- You’re asking for it! – I hope you are, anyway. Asking for the sale, opt-in or any other call to action is an indispensable part of your web copy. You are there to persuade: to ask for an action is not only expected, but vitally important to your success!

How to Safely Ignore Metrics and Get a More Accurate Picture

The term “vanity metrics” has made its way into the marketing vocabulary lately, and for good reason. What a great many use to measure “results” can quite often be misleading and because of this, it’s worth examining some of the marketing metrics you can (and possibly should!) disregard.

Those you can safely ignore:

• Likes, Followers and Connections – The one with the most followers wins, right? If only it were that easy. In reality, more followers translate to a better bottom line only if you are actively engaging with them, and building a relationship leading to conversions. Merely developing a massive number of likes or followers who don’t make the transition to customers is relatively pointless.
• Comments – Again, with the objective being to increase conversion,  merely creating a blog post that titillates and produces a large number of comments, but generates no leads, is a waste of a blog post. Make the reason they comment have something related to leading them further along the path toward conversion, such as a topical question.
• Impressions – Mainly used in your advertising, the sheer number of ad impressions is relatively useless, as it will not indicate any measurable action. Simply having your ad display in front of a couple of million computer screens is no real measure of how it performs. Rather, take a look at click-thru rates and conversion rates.

A terrific piece about this is available at HubSpot.

Those you ought to keep an eye on:

• Shares – Having people share your content, emails and other media is a step in the right direction. This means that not only is your content making an impact, but it’s also being passed around.
• Social mentions, citations – Especially now that Google is including social signals (mentions) into the search algorithm, these can be most helpful. Not only will it help with search, but also authority as your content continually gets shared.
• Conversions – The endgame. You must make sure that your social media and sharable content is actually resulting in more conversions.

Read more about this at Mashable.

Convince Your Readers with Persuasive Copy

There may very well be no more fundamental task for a content provider than to be persuasive with your copy. Sounds easy, right? Right until you’ve tried it, perhaps. You will discover a reason top copywriters get paid the big bucks. Never fear yet. You needn’t break the budget to hire your own Shakespeare just yet. There are several basic components of copywriting with persuasion which will make a huge difference, and best of all, you can learn them!

4 Essential steps to persuasive copy

1. Be sure it’s scannable – We hear constantly how nobody reads on the internet anymore – they scan. It is sadly very true, and since these are the cards we’ve been dealt, here are a few ways to ensure that your copy is read by the scanning surfer set on leaving your page. Use plenty of white space, bullet points, sub-headlines, bolding and color, and compelling images to reel them in and hold their interest.
2. Write conversationally – Write as though you’re talking with a friend. Nobody wants a lecture. So no matter what the subject, and just how technical it could appear, be sure you write as you talk. It really helps in building the trust you are seeking to build with your reader, especially if you are hoping to induce them to buy anything in the near future.
3. Structure to your outcome – We all love to be told stories, and you can use this to your benefit almost every time. We process information most efficiently when the content is presented in a narrative stream, so don’t be shy about telling your story! Use a beginning, middle and end, lead inexorably to a climax, which would be to get the reader to take whatever action you’re requesting.
4. Ask for what you want! – It’s tough to imagine that we actually have to say this, but so often copy is lean on the asking side. It’s as if they don’t wish to come across as too pushy in actually requesting the sale. The truth is that if you don’t sell the ask with enthusiasm, you’re in fact disappointing and probably confusing the reader. It’s expected, so ask. Never write anything without having a strong call to action!