Copy Tip 2: Know Your Prospect
Tip two: really understand who you are targeting.
Get to know them.
Get answers by asking these questions:
What are their main fears, frustrations, goals, dreams? What worries them? What do they watch, read and listen to? What magazines do they read? What ads run continuously in those magazines?
Ask your customers, survey them, find out more about them… so you know where to look to find more of them.
Get online and find relevant forums, blogs and discussion groups (for example, Facebook groups, Google groups, newsgroups). I’ve discovered a lot of answers just by viewing forums (without even participating). It helps tell me what their day is like, what they are frustrated about, what they want.
Talk to your prospects. Find out what would stop them from buying (objections you need to raise and answer). Find out what interests them. Keep in mind they may be just being polite though, and telling you what they think you want to hear. So even better — ask buyers!
You can also even use your website stats or analytics software (like the free Google Analytics) to see if people are looking up your list of Frequently Asked Questions, or if you have a live chat box, you can monitor what they’re asking.
The more you know the answers to these questions, the more effective and targeted your copy can be … the more effective your response.
Copy Tip 1: Perspective
Here’s the first tip: write your copy from the perspective of your PROSPECT.
It’s all about THEM, not about you. As you might have heard in the past, be tuned in to WIIFM — “What’s In It For Me”.
Here’s an example in news release writing: you’re writing a release to a newspaper editor about your business.
From their perspective, they want NEWS that is RELEVANT to their readers.
So make sure it is written with that in mind. Find a newsworthy angle. Make sure it relates to the readers of the publication (answer why it is news to the readers).
When you do this, you’ll be more effective.
101 Copy Tips in 101 Days
Over the next 101 days I’m going to add a new copywriting tip each day to my blog … 101 ways to get more effective response from the copywriting you do!
Ultimate Entrepreneur Bootcamp wrap
What an enjoyable couple of days I spent at The Ultimate Entrepreneur Bootcamp here in Melbourne this past weekend, organised by Aaron Parsons of the Business Commandos (and his lovely wife Michelle, and friendly crew Brett, Paul Goddin on video and the marvellous Pamela).
It was exciting to speak on Saturday and share some “killer copywriting” tips and techniques, and plenty of the “insider secrets” on the green slides. That was the opening (along with my very own MOOVE marketing formula) — followed by the “weapons of mass persuasion” discussing news releases, tear sheets, prospect business cards, newsletters and testimonials.
In fact it was so much fun I was on my feet for a while more than planned, although that was okay as unfortunately one of the planned speakers was in hospital and unable to get to the event.
First I want to say a big THANKS to everyone attending who came up afterwards and gave me great feedback on the content I shared. It seems very much the effective copywriting techniques were gladly received, given I reckon about 60 percent of the audience said thanks! Thanks too for letting me know the things you loved best about what I presented. If we did meet, I hope we can keep in touch and explore the possibilities in assisting with your copywriting and marketing projects.
Secondly a huge THANKS to Aaron, Michelle, Pamela, Brett and Paul — what a great team behind the scenes making sure the event was a big hit. I know it’s the start of bigger and better things from Aaron and I’m wrapt to be part of it.
I certainly learned a lot from the other speakers at the event and the audience, and of course found ways to improve my presentation for future sessions. Rashid Kotwal and Barbara Sauter did a fantastic presentation about getting fame online (and got plenty of attention), and Aaron certainly did a marvellous job in all of his own presentations — along with the enormous amount of work getting the event to its big day and selecting a good line-up as well (I say that most humbly of course!).
If you haven’t done so already, check out The Business Commandos and keep in touch with Aaron’s news and upcoming events.
A new copywriting forum
In the past, one of the big copywriting forums was run by Michel Fortin — one I was a member of for the past couple of years. Pete Godfrey jokingly refers to my time on the boards as “lurking” — although I posted much more than I lurked! It was a great resource to learn from and share, and meet some nice copy folk from around the world.
However, it did have some rather hot debates at times about politics and religion, which I usually kept well away from. Those debates, and some other discussions, really caused the board to become a hassle to Michel — and for many reasons, he’s put the board on ice.
In many ways, running a resource like that brings benefits to the board owner. A targeted list of members to communicate with via email (to bring traffic to your other sites); advertising on the board to help cover costs and “eyeballs” that can bring traffic to your other sites are benefits to the board owner and to active participants. So for many reasons it was sad to see Michel’s forum go by the wayside: hopefully that will work out well for Michel — I know I’ll still be keeping up with his great blog.
I only found out while at a Platinum meeting in Perth last week, when a friend (and excellent copywriter) Bill Dimitrovski told me at the bar that the board had shut down. Buried in Platinum for several days, I had no idea!
However, after jumping onto the copywriting forums at Digital Point and Warriors Forum, I found that one of the long time members of Michel’s board — Bruce Wedding — has started up a new forum: the Copywriting Board.
Hopefully the active members of Michel’s forum, along with new members, will get the new board up and going quickly — it already appears to be happening, with plenty of activity in the first few days of the Copywriting Board.
I was pretty chuffed too when Bruce gave me 10 karma for creating the new board’s favicon image!
Anyway — it’s a great place for all levels of copywriting discussion, from rookie to advanced, whether on marketing, copywriting and even related design, and of course for critiques. I think this new “hangout” will grow quickly into a great resource, not unlike Michel’s forum but hopefully without the heated debates (different rules should help fix that!).
The forums are a great place to exchange ideas, meet other copywriters, get some input into your work, have a bit of fun and keep on learning. Whilst there are forums on copywriting within the Warriors Forum, at Digital Point forums and via Clayton Makepeace’s Total Package, there is certainly room for the Copywriting Board.
Long may it stay active!