Archive for September, 2009

Fresh Eyes

If the proofreading fairy hasn’t visited your office lately, you might be blissfully unaware of grammar gremlins or spelling slip-ups in your sales writing.  Not only do you risk confusing your audience … but you also risk your business reputation.

In short, poor grammar or spelling errors portray an unprofessional image. To avoid unnecessary copy blunders, open your eyes to the following.

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Flowery Language

For some business occasions, your power suit is appropriate wear.  At other times, it might look out of place.  And if you turn up in bling, resembling an extra in an Eminem video, you won’t be taken seriously anyway.

Copywriting is like this.  Sales writing can be dressed up or down depending on the audience.  However, if you overdo it, you run the risk of losing more than just your integrity – a potential sale.

In a previous blog post, I revealed what’s in a copywriter’s wardrobe and looked at the different ‘outfits’ a copywriter wears to write effective copy.  This post explores how your writing style must ‘fit’ with the target audience, as well as suit the purpose.

If sales writing wore clothes, some copywriting staples should be ‘worn’ every day.

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Thassos

By nature, humans are curious creatures.  If something intrigues us, we want to find out all the details – to satisfy our curiosity.

Positive anticipation plays a crucial role in this.  But, what is it and how can it help you write better sales copy?  ‘Anticipation’ is when you expect something good to happen.  It’s the payoff, the benefit, the perk!

Of course, the outcome might be different to your initial expectation. Nonetheless, you invest in something believing you’ll get a return on it.

This post explores key elements of sales copy such as benefits, headlines and slogans, focusing on how to create a sense of anticipation.

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