| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Turning The Casual Scanner Into A Buyer
The world is full of scanners. Most people simply scan the page to see if anything piques their interest, rather than reading the ads, sales letters, or web copy. That's why you should ensure that your copy is scanner friendly. That means placing headlines, subheads, and other devices throughout your copy that's compelling enough to sell your customers on your business.
How can you turn the casual scanner into an active reader? More importantly, how can we turn a scanner into a buyer? First, ensure that your headlines can stand alone, without the support of other sentences. For most, that means getting rid of those one-word headlines. Headlines should include the benefit of your offering, evoke curiosity, or compel the scanner to read the main copy.
Don't forget the subheads. They also should be compelling, preferably complementing the headline, giving enough power to nudge your reader from scanning to reading mode. Keep in mind good subheads support the main promise of your copy. If your headline, for example, promises to help your customers lose weight, your subheads could briefly explain that your product is clinically proven or has a secret ingredient. Subheads are also a great place to introduce your offers.
Another way to be a scanner's friend is to use short paragraphs. Rule of thumb: Keep paragraphs between 3 to 5 sentences. If you must use a long sentence, place a short snappy paragraph after it.
The most popular way to generate interest: Use underlines, boldface, highlights, and italics throughout your copy, carefully. Too much can leave your customers overwhelmed and likely to stop scanning and move on. When using these tools remember, the purpose is to emphasize certain points.
Some ideas on what you should highlight in your copy: * Call-to-actions phrases, like buy now, subscribe here, or receive your special offer today. * Contact information, including toll-free numbers, emails, and web-sites. * Major benefits supporting the promise of your copy * Your rates and fees and how they compete * Your business or product's name.
Adding a second color to your copy boosts retention and readability. Especially, when using a medium that's typically black and white like newspapers. What colors are best? Typically, the most used and most effective colors are red and blue. Try placing offers or premiums in different colors to emphasize and pull your customers in.
P.S. Don't forget the P.S. An important aspect, most readers read the end, first. It's a great spot to recap your offer and restate your benefits. This may also be a good spot to add a bonus, premium, or guarantee Vanessa Selene Williams is an independent writer who writes for businesses. To learn more about her and her services visit her online at http://corp.vswilliams.com or email her at info@vswilliams.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Tackle a Newsletter and Come Out On Top Unlike any other marketing vehicle, newsletters give you the opportunity to contact your audience and convey your expertise in a way that offers value and information. Newsletters provide a reason -- and a structure -- to maintain ongoing contact. Take It To The Customer In the past, purchasing ad space was the solution to every entrepreneur's marketing challenge. Then it was direct mail, followed by telemarketing. 25 Ways To Make Your Next Direct Mail Campaign Work This list contains 25 powerful strategies to improve your direct mail results. It would be wise to use this as a checklist to ensure you've included as many as possible in your advertising. 11 Powerful Marketing Tips Each of these 11 marketing tips is based on a marketing strategy or tactic proven to boost sales. How many are you using?Tip 1: Your customers buy your product or service to feel a certain way after their purchase. Database Marketing: Secrets To Skyrocket Your Online Profits Using Database Marketing What is database marketing?Database Marketing is the gathering and storing of specific information about your prospects or customers.This information is usually stored in a database program on your computer. Renting Your Mailing Lists to Others RESOLVING THE "PROPRIETARY" DILEMMA.. Write Better Web Content If you're reading this article, chances are that you, like most professionals these days, understand the value of the Internet. It may be where you go to buy movie or concert tickets, browse restaurant menus, or plan your vacations. How to Get a 100% Return on Your Marketing Investment Guaranteed! One of the most effective ways to market your products/services is to create strategic alliances. Strategic alliances are partnerships with companies who sell to a client base similar to yours but they sell different products/services. Business Leads Anyone who runs their own business can tell you how challenging it is to generate business leads on a consistent basis. Finding good leads and generating more sales is vital to the long term growth of any business. How to Give Your Biz a Boost with a Summer Marketing Makeover Are you on track for hitting all your business goals for the year? A quick check-up of your promotional efforts can reveal "week spots" and help identify what needs tweaking to give your business a healthy boost in the next few months. Here are five key areas to focus on with your mid-year marketing makeover. Non-Aggressive Marketing Ideas for Enterpreneurs Do you cringe at the thought of trying to promote your business ? Does it feel like "selling yourself" or egotism? Many individuals are not comfortable with marketing dimension of running a business.This leads to an inner frustation for many and inner conflicts. Clever Headlines Usually Flop! Are You Being Too Clever For Your Own Good? Copywriters that try to be clever, humorous, abstract, or use double entendre with their headlines and ads will normally find that they flop and are thus a waste of both time and money. Many of the Super Bowl ads fall in this category. Help! What Happened? Let's be honest, when you're writing sales material for a product, there are a frightening number of things that can go wrong, aren't there?Remember Murphy's Law: what can go wrong will, and at the worst possible moment. Well, we're going to try to gain some control over events and the best way to gain control is to know what makes things tick . Like Brushing Your Teeth What do the following things have in common: brushing your teeth, regular exercise, eating a balanced diet, paying your bills on time, cleaning your gutters, spending quality time with your spouse and kids??They're all forms of regular "self-care" that, if you neglect them for a period of time or take the wrong approach, there will be costly negative consequences.The same goes for marketing. Heres A Robust, Turnkey, Interactive. Best of Breed, Mission-Critical Solution to Kill Buzzwords Fellow Publicity Insiders, what does this phrase mean? "We envision a center of excellence where our accelerated changeagents can maximize their core competencies." Huh? - or - "The company is a global leader in pressure-sensitivetechnology and innovative self-adhesive solutions for consumerproducts and label materials. Ten Reasons Why Most Yellow Page Ads Fail -And Yours Does Not Have to Grant Directory users are ready to buy Yellow Pages have a major advantage over all other forms of advertising. It's used precisely when people have decided to buy. Making Networking Work Several years ago, "networking" was the hot buzzword. Everyone was talking about building their network, because this was the secret to becoming incredibly successful. Creative Marketing: Just Your Style You've enlisted some of the traditional marketing methods to sell your services: you received some publicity in your local paper; your website is up and running; and you're listed in the Yellow Pages. So why isn't the phone ringing off the hook? Maybe you're marketing strategies need to get more creative!Creative marketing will allow you to attract new clients, as well as remind past clients that you're still around. 50 Unbelievable Benefits Of Joint Venture Marketing What Is A Joint Venture?A joint venture is an agreement in which two or more businesses work on a project for a set period of time. Joint ventures can be long-term, like promoting a product together, or some can be short-term, like bartering (trading) products and services. Marketing is More Than Advertising Marketing is a business process about which much is written, however is often not completely understood. Many think that "marketing" and "advertising" are interchange-able words.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2000 |