Copywriting - Is Your Web Copy Plain Talk?

Is Your Web Copy Plain Talk?

It's true, we were all taught in school to express ourselves differently on paper, than the way we speak. To follow rules of grammar, and inject an artificial air of formality.

Forgetting about this training when you write web copy is one of the best thing you can possibly do, unless you're selling to the academic community. And forgetting about it may not be as easy as you think.

Do you write like you're speaking to a friend across the table?

Maybe even use a little slang, now & then?

Or do you worry about your high school English teacher committing suicide, if he or she were to ever stumble across your stuff?

If so, do yourself a favor. Get over it.

Marketing Communications should never be about trying to impress. Prospects should never have to think about what the heck you're trying to say.

So keep your sentences short.

Avoid big words.

Keep plenty of free space around your copy, so it looks easy.

The mind can only really think of one thing at a time. If you want your prospect to concentrate on something, make sure your points don't require more than a split second to understand.

Look at the below example, taken from an ad for a special day care course for kids. It's put on by a government agency that promotes apple agriculture in their region.

The point of the text is this. "Bring your kids here, because we'll teach them something, instead of just baby-sitting them".

Read the example, and then the revision in plain talk.

--------------------------------------------------------------

EXAMPLE

This program encourages students to conduct simple investigations of apples. Students experiment, observe, and keep records as they become 'immersed" in a multi-sensory study of apples. Students will make notes in learning logs as they investigate and discuss the activities. In the learning logs the students simply record what happened during the activities and their reactions to what happened.

Students may later use their notes as the basis for language arts activities, such as writing poems. Writing first serves as a tool for learning and later becomes one of the possible end-products of the lessons.

PLAIN TALK REVISION

Hey Mom and Dad, kids love to learn about apples. They're naturally curious, and learn best by tasting, smelling, squeezing, rolling, & tossing.

It's so much fun.

They love sharing the experience with their classmates, and can't wait to write home about what happened. And the feelings they express in the special diaries we give them are priceless.

You'll be giving your kids a head start at putting their thoughts down on paper. One of life's most important skills.

And what better way to get them out of your hair for a while?

-------------------------------------------------------------

Can you dig the difference?

I do a lot of work in the computer networking field, and often need to read product specs & documentation. And it drives me nuts!

Why is this stuff so full of techno babble, hyperbole, and long-winded bafflegab? Is all of the rocket science talk supposed to impress me into wanting to do something with their gadgetry?

Almost every product or service imaginable has a technical side, and you can never over educate. But it shouldn't feel like school.

Maybe you think you're selling a commodity, and there's not much to the customer's decision, but price. Think again. There is always a technical differentiator.

One of the greatest skills you can acquire is to be able to boil the froth off complex concepts, so that they become easy to understand.

Customers crave facts, and proof, even logic in order to feel comfortable with their decisions, once you've stirred up their emotional desire.

Inject them painlessly with web copy that comes across as "plain talk"!

Daniel Levis is a top marketing consultant & direct response copywriter based in Toronto Canada. Recently, Daniel & world-renowned publicist & copywriter Joe Vitale teamed up to co author "Million Dollar Online Advertising Strategies ? From The Greatest Letter Writer Of The 20th Century!", a tribute to the late, great Robert Collier. Let the legendary Robert Collier show you how to write words that sell...Visit the below site & get 3 FREE Chapters!http://www.Advertising-Online-Strategies.com/ad-strategies.html

Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites

Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE Newsletter

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

Designing For A Non-english Audience
Having worked as a digital publishing specialist at a large corporation at my previous job, I did not think being in charge of foreign language typesetting would be too difficult. After all, the layout and the images are already prepared ...(related: Copywriting)

Three Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy
The difference between good copy and great copy is the number of actions it generates. The more actions the copy drives, the greater the copy is.My friend John Reese, a master at simplifying what we often tend to unnecessarily complicate, says it best. He says the only metric you should ever really count on is this: "Yes" or "No."That's it.Now, what makes great copy nudge people into action requires a variety of different things -- things I often find missing with most of the copy I critique.<...(related: Copywriting)

12 Copywriting Tips To Make Your Advertising More Profitable
Year after year people make the same mistakes in direct-response copy and advertising. You can avoidthe most common and costly blunders by following these profit-enhancing tips...1. WRITE IN DIRECT RESPONSE LANGUAGE:* Use short paragraphs and short words. This articlehas 68% short words-five letters or less. Strive forat least 65%-75%. Never go under 50% unless you arewriting to Ph.D's.* Make your sentences and paragraphs flow like a breeze.* Ignore good grammar when you have a good reason.* Keep the bucket brigade going: Start paragraphs withAnd, But..., ...(related: Copywriting)

Is Your Web Copy Plain Talk?
It's true, we were all taught in school to express ourselves differently on paper, than the way we speak. To follow rules of grammar, and inject an artificial air of formality.Forgetting about this training when you write web copy is one of the best thing you can pos...(related: Copywriting)

Advice For Copywriters: How To Win The Freelance Bidding War
Are you a freelance copywriter working from home? If so, you've probably been on the project bidding war sites, like elance.com. You've probably seen ads like this:"Need 50 Articles Ghostwritten. 500-800 Words. Budget: $250-$500. Timeframe: one month.""How insulting!" you think to yourself, and yet sheer curiosity lures you to the bidding area. What do you see? Lowbrow bidders losing their minds... chomping at the bit for this embarrassing offer: "Bid: $500." "Bid: $300."All of this is doing a number on your head. You start second-guessing your own worth. "Damn....(related: Copywriting)

Its Not What You Say But How You Say It
Copy is all about words. Or is it?Copy is about using words to describe the benefits of your offer. About using words to paint vivid mental imagery. About using words to stir the senses, press all the "hot buttons" and push the reader to take some kind of action.But is it really ALL about words? I mean, just words? No.Some copywriters claim that graphics, formatting and photographs should NOT be added to a salesletter because they distract. They can take the reader's focus away ...(related: Copywriting)

Art Of Writing Profitable Classified Ads
The art of writing profitable classified adsEverybody wants to make money. In fact most people would like to hit upon something that makes them instantly rich! And seemingly, one of the easiest to the fulfillment of these dreams of wealth is mail order or within the profession of the business, direct mail selling.Hardly anyone gives much real though to the basic gui...(related: Copywriting)

Four Things Every Web Site Headline Must Do

As you know, I'm constantly making the point that the text on web sites is not given enough attention. Which is unfortunate, because the headlines on site pages make huge demands on the skills of any writer.

If you're writing a headline or heading for a site page, here are four things you need to keep in mind, four elements that demand your attention, four separate 'audiences' you need to satisfy.

1. Make the reader feel he or she is in the right place

Every time someone clicks on a link and a new page b...(related: Copywriting)

Its The Headline, Stupid! - Writing Powerful Headlines
"It's the headline, stupid," is the sign that hangs over my computer screen. It reminds me that to write effective articles, press releases, sales letters--whatever I want people to read--I need a powerful, grabber headline or title.You are competing with a lot of others to get the attention of potential readers and customers, and you have only a few seconds to grab them. By using the tips and techniques here, you can stand out from the crowd ...(related: Copywriting)

Five Keys To Leaner And Meaner Copywriting
Grab 'em and don't lose 'em. Every marketer knows that one. Human beings have very short attention spans, so you can't afford to waste your prospect's time - give them the good stuff and then let them go as soon as you can. Writing effective marketing material is all about writing crisply with just a handful of words.Clean writing isn't an accident, but is instead the result of the careful application of certain principles and tools. Try these five techniques for crafting leaner, meaner, more effective business copy:Avoid modifiers. Modifiers change the meaning of other words; the most common of these are adverbs and adjectives (words that describe verbs and nouns, respectively). They're used when the writer feels that the noun or verb needs a litt...(related: Copywriting)

5 Critical Mistakes Most Freelance Copywriters Make
Think you have what it takes to be a freelance copywriter? I wasn't so sure I knew when I first started in 1999. All I knew was I desperately wanted to work from home to raise my two sons after my divorce. It took a lot of trial and error to get to the stabile and profit...(related: Copywriting)