The AIDA formula: The rule of copywriting that has kept me going for the last 30 years is something that I learned in college. Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. This is what we all learned in class. The good news is that this rule continues to apply.
The best news for a copywriter is that there is plenty of work out there. The Internet has given anyone with a keyboard connected to the Web the chance to promote themselves or promote others. The number of people choosing to do this is growing; unfortunately the marketplace is filled with people who don’t understand marketing or copywriting.
Here is a brief primer for people to who are new to copywriting and marketing to assist them in creating a powerful message for their target market.
Get Their Attention
The core principles of copywriting call for developing a relationship with your audience. That means first getting yourself noticed by those you wish to have see you. You also want to be sure that they see you in a positive light.
Gain Their Interest
Once you get their attention, you have to keep their attention and move their attention through a series of steps that lead to the conclusion you want them to have.
Feed Their Desire
You can move them if you know what your reader wants. That takes initial study and research prior to copywriting. You need to have an understanding of the wants, needs and problems facing your target market.
You Must Get Them To Take Action
Take the reader through the emotional staged like a great speech or blockbuster movie. Bring them through the process and tell them what to do. This is called the close in sales. People want to be directed after they have shared an experience with you. State the action clearly and lay out the beneficial results of the action.
Keep your copy conversational but direct
A practical approach to the issue of copywriting is to keep your copy loose and personal. Use regular language that is peppered with keywords but not so much that you lose the message or the narrative you want to establish.
Features VS benefits
The people who push features have been losing to the people who focus on benefits over the last 15 years. Sure, you can get a many benefits into your copy but tie the benefits into the features. Use the benefits as the reason for the accompanying features. The whole point of the sales presentation is to show them the features that make you different from your competitor. You are letting them know what your features will do for them.
A call to action
The close of the sale is the call to action. This is the area of the sales letter that tells the reader what they need to do next. This is where the rubber meets the road. If you have successfully guided the reader to the appropriate conclusion, they will take the action you suggest. Now is the time to justify the benefit or your earlier statements and lead them to the right choice.
So that is the basic structure for copywriting and setting up a sales page for online success. Remember that your letter is still a sales call. You will be required to hit all the points and bring it home at the end. The goal is still to make the sale at some point in the process.
