© 2004-2011 All rights reserved. New Paradigm Marketing Group   •   707.236.8048  •  Sebastopol, CA 95472

Why Most Marketing Copy Fails

 

Letting an untrained person write your marketing copy is like asking a first-day medical student to perform advanced surgery.

 

And yet people do it everyday… simply because they don't understand the important distinctions behind effective copywriting. The impact is substantial, costing the typical business untold thousands of dollars in prospective sales every year.

 

Because we use words to communicate, we naturally assume that all it takes is words to generate leads from our marketing.

The 5 Myths: Which Do You Believe?

 

Following are five of the most common-myths people hold that doom your marketing copy.  

 

1. People want to hear about your business. They could care less. Think about it. When people shop, they are looking for a solution to their problem. THAT'S what they want to hear about. They only care about what you offer once they see that you might offer them a solution. So, don't start right off talking about your business. Talk about what's important to them. THEN move into how your product or service relates to that.

The 5 Myths that Doom Marketing Copy,

and How to Supercharge Yours so it Sells

 

Client Comments

 

“I needed a powerful message to put us on the radar screen, and your brilliant work did that! Thank you, Tim, for writing a press release and accompanying feature story that gained IMMEDIATE attention of four major news stations! We literally had what they call in the media world "a clean sweep!” Vans were lined up outside, patiently waiting to interview me. It was amazing! –Anne Batte, Director, Operation Restoration

 

“Tim was a great asset, driving a start-up from concept to completion. He was responsible for all copy writing and editing, web building, collateral creation and marketing strategy. His highly creative mind led us to our target market and got the job done. He's a patient, loving man, and a lot of fun to work with.” –Robin Stuart, Principal, Robin Stuart Consultancy

 

"I want to thank you for an outstanding job. You really grasped the essence of our program and wrote an exciting piece that is already receiving the response we could only hope for. Your creativity and knowledge of marketing is putting us ahead of the herd." –Sam Sanders, Director, Envision Your Future

 

 

 

 

 

2. Keep your copy short and simple (KISS), or else people won't read it. This conventional 'wisdom' couldn't be more wrong! Yet everyone repeats it mindlessly like it's a universal truth. It's based on the fact that most people write copy that isn't engaging or compelling. Then they conclude it should be as short as possible since people aren't reading it.

 

Let's bust this myth. When you want to make an important buying decision, you want MORE INFORMATION–not less. Assuming you're targeting a prospective buyer, it's the quality of information and how it's presented that determines the level of interest–not the length. Give them what they need to make a good decision, and they'll read it.

 

3. What’s most important is clever, creative copy. Nope! What's most important is the brain of your prospect. It's a proven, scientific fact that the brain filters information based on what it perceives to be important. But how effective can marketing copy be when the writer has never studied how the brain perceives, filters and processes information?

 

In brief, you must first get the brain's attention (the reticulum), then engage it to keep its attention. You must also provide the left (rational) brain with details it needs to justify taking action.

 

4. Platitudes and generalities make persuasive copy. If you want your copy to read like everybody else's, fill it with phrases like "the most professional," "largest selection," "excellent service," "price, quality and value," blah, blah, blah… Claims like this may be true, but they're not PERCEIVED as true. Why? Because everyone uses them, including the most mediocre, lousy and even dishonest providers.

 

In short, generalities and platitudes don't differentiate because buyers have unconsciously learned to disregard or disbelieve this kind of copy. Buyers want specific details to make the best buying decision. This is your chance to differentiate. Besides, no one else is doing it!

 

5. You should use the same copy in all your marketing. True, elements of your Core Message should be consistent throughout your marketing. But messaging should vary depending on the application, the audience (market segment), the buyer’s stage of readiness, the environment in which the message is consumed (e.g. mobile ads vs. standard website copy), whether the message appears in a highly competitive environment, etc.

 

Rules We Follow to Create Powerful Copy

 

There are hundreds of books on how to create powerful marketing copy. We have condensed the most important rules in the following outline of the general rules we follow to write more compelling marketing copy for everything from websites to brochures to sales letters.

 

  1. Know your prospect. Learn to stand in his/her shoes. They won’t come to your world until you’ve been to theirs.
  2. Start with a clear objective for your project and follow it. Remember the purpose of your writing at all times.
  3. Push your prospect's hot buttons. Talk about what's important to him/her.
  4. Use a personal tone-write like you talk. Avoid formal, stiff language and feel free to use conjunctions.
  5. Speak directly to your prospect, using the word "you" frequently.
  6. Write about benefits, not just features.
  7. Avoid long 'walls' of text. Break up information using subheads, bullets, etc.
  8. Engage prospects on emotional points but provide rational information.
  9. Follow the "Magic Marketing Equation" when writing lead-generating copy. It prescribes the necessary steps in the correct sequence to get get attention and move prospects toward the desired action.

 

Request a proposal for your next promotional copy project. Call us at 707.236-8048 or send us an email.  

 

Principal’s Writing Qualifications

 

 

Read our principal’s bio