COPYblog

One of my pet peeves is white text on a black background. It’s hard to read. As I get older, it gets harder to read. This week’s anonymous website review loves white on black. It’s a site for a cooking school in Northeastern US. And it works, even with that crazy text.

This cooking school has a very busy sight. Lots going on…live chat, rotating photos, tour option, action video, “Meet the Chef”, etc. It’s a lot to take in, but it’s also clear that the school is targeting under-25’s, which helps explain the frenetic feel. There’s a TON of information, for me an overwhelming amount, and it made me realize something.

This site ranks highly in Google. Part of that’s a function of the school’s renown, but this website does a lot right. My biggest problem with it is I have trouble reading it because of the white text and the abundance of data. For me it’s too much.

But I’m not the market. This site is geared toward potential students, and does a good job of laying out the features of the school. This is what you get, and this is what your experience will be like. All your questions answered.

But am I the market? This is an expensive school, one which parents will likely need to pay for. If I’m paying for my kids to go to school, I’d like to be able to access the information easily. But I can barely read the text!

Actually, I’m just a sub-market for this school – the checkwriter in this instance. It’s an important role, though, and there are a few elements I’d like to see emphasized if I were sending my child off. For example, after spending 150k, what kind of JOB can my kid get?

BOTTOM LINE: When you’re writing your website content, be very careful to identify and write for your market and any sub-markets. For example, fishing knives are men’s toys. But who do you think the primary buyer is? Their wives!

Audacious, in your face headlines get attention. You rarely see them in mainstream publications because they’re usually offensive. Today’s headline fits that bill. It was part of a direct-mail piece targeted to a niche of stock market investors.

I like it because it conveys urgency, doom, and promise…all in 5 words!

“Read This or Go Broke!”

Huh?!?!

Some prospects would read on because of the conspiratorial tone, and some would just read on for the fun of it. And they wouldn’t be disappointed, because the subhead goes on…

“You’re being fattened up for the kill…”

Sometimes this level of POW works. For everyone turned off, there will be dozens who will follow the yellow brick trail.

Is it saley? Yep.

Hypey? You betcha.

Effective? Absolutely.

There are many cynics who will call it some form of unprofessional, inappropriate, not suitable to their pristinely honorable industry…but I can’t think of one business where the POW factor would be absolutely verboten.

It’s silly to take your work and yourself too seriously. The POW factor in a headline can get attention, differentiate your XYZ from all other XYZ’s, and show that you have a sense of humor about it all.

When Michael Masterson – best-selling author, business consultant, and entrepreneur – gives copywriting advice, I listen.

At a recent AWAI conference, Michael outlined 7 core direct marketing techniques that should be used in every package. I would suggest these be used for web pages as well:

1 – BIG IDEA – a timely and relevant idea that drives the page. Your pages should have one clear message, and not try to say everything to everyone.

2 – RECIPROCATION – Every communication you have with a prospect should contain something of value to them. A bit of trivia, a relevant fact, or an interesting statistic can establish that you’re worthy of their time. Stories are valuable too; even your About Page can include a “lesson” story about something you learned in your journey that can help others.

3 – STORIES – Stories ignite emotions. They don’t need to be long-winded to get the point across. Don’t elaborate, don’t comment…just tell the story and let your reader interpret for themselves.

4 – BENEFITS – I see a lot of sites that have lists of “Services” or “Skills” without corresponding benefits. Sure, most prospects will have a general idea of how “Fast Turnaround” can help, but make it bigger: “Fast Turnaround…so you won’t have to worry about meeting deadlines.” Every page of your site will have facts about you and what you do. Benefits help readers how all of that helps them.

5 – CONSISTENCY – Robert Cialdini describes this far more eloquently in his book The Psychology of Persuasion, but the key is that people tend to stand by their decisions, so that once they’ve agreed to accept / buy / buy into something, they’ll fight to justify it so as to remain consistent with their rationale. If you can get “buy in” from your prospect early on, by immediately nailing their problem or communicating their needs, they’ll stick it out with you.

6 – PROOF – Back up every claim you make. Use testimonials, case studies, data, authority, a rating system, even, when all else fails, logic.

7 – SCARCITY – Of time (“For 2 days only!”), product (“We only have 12 left…”), or savings (“Price goes up at midnight.”) Always give a reason for limiting availability, and stay consistent with your deadlines.

You can use these in website copy, DM, brochures, emails, even cold calls.

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When I research a business or industry, I look at competing websites, rankings and keywords to see what’s working and not working in basic SEO. Sometimes I’m surprised, to my annoyance.

I can lay out the top 3 – 5- 10 -X things “To Do” and “Not To Do” and then get foiled by search rankings.

For example, I was researching event planning sites in Ohio. I found a beautiful site that had some of my favorites:

• Current Blog
• Compelling Copy
• Clear Offer
• Relevant Keywords

Unfortunately it was on page ten.

On the other hand, one of the top 5 sites listed for “Event planners Ohio” had the following:

• Out of date blog
• No meta-tag keywords
• Cookie-cutter content
• Hard to read copy
• An annoying contact page that had no contact info, just a form for the visitor to fill out. No thanks.

So what was different?

The one significant difference I could find in a cursory look was that Company #2 had been in business for over ten years, whereas #1 was less than two years old.

There are a lot of factors that go into rankings, some not under your control, and you could go nuts trying to outwit the search engines. I enjoy playing the SEO game, and happily do it for my clients. But it’s not for the faint of heart.

Bottom Line: Focus on creating interesting relevant content repeatedly, and in time you’ll see results. Nothing happens overnight.

If you’ve ever watched a classic infomercial, you’ve heard the line “But wait, there’s more!” This is called a “false close”, and the purpose is to seal the deal by piling on more benefits at the peak of the prospect’s interest, or in the moment of decision. If the “more” is exciting enough, it will squash the little voice of caution.

I used this technique when I was demonstrating kitchen products. I’d make my pitch, get the audience smiling and nodding, lay out all the stuff they were getting, then state the offer.

Then pause for 2 seconds.

Then smile broadly: “But here’s what I’m going to do…for the first five people who lay out a $20 bill – I can only do this until noon – I’ll add a second GizmoDelight!”

So how can you apply good closing copy to your website copy? And not sound to “salesy”?

One of my favorite ways it to break up your services into component parts, imply great value for each service, and then state the benefit.

Service = Dog Grooming:

“Our dog groomers use the FancyFrancoise Method ™to trim all our poodles, so you know your poodle is getting expert care.
We only use all-natural hypo-allergenic “Golden Locks” shampoo, to ensure a lustrous shiny coat.
For your dog’s comfort, we play soothing Baroque music, and offer professional massage treatments prior to grooming.
Of course, each poodle gets an organic vitamin-packed “CoCoCookie” when they’re finished, for a joyful finish.”

See how that works? Valuable service + “invaluable” benefit. 

Throughout your copy you’ve talked about your pet salon, used testimonials, case studies, pictures. But now you’re hammering home the offer. The key is to equate the product with the desired benefits, just as the prospect is deciding if you’re the right service. Don’t give away the store at the beginning – entice and lead through the copy until you hit the right moment to open the curtain and lay it all out.

Next time we’ll talk about laying out an irresistible offer…