Copy Writing

 

Selective Cutting in a Forest of Words

by Phil Hanson

Successful business owners understand the importance of effective advertising copy and they rely upon copywriters to provide the text for various kinds of advertising materials—everything from product descriptions to press releases—using well-chosen words and carefully crafted sentences that have the power to evoke emotional responses from their readers.

Because advertising is a sales tool more than an education tool, copywriters construct advertising copy so that it addresses a need, creates a desire, promises a benefit and, finally, compels one to follow a specific course of action to satisfy the desire and derive the benefit. When it's done right, the result is a spike in sales.

Don't be fooled into thinking that advertising is an exact science, however. It's not. Many factors outside the control of advertising copywriters can influence the buying public's mood. When negative economic factors are prevalent, no amount of enticement will induce someone to buy.

Ads should be targeted to specific markets and continuously tested, monitored and evaluated. What works in one market may not work in another. For instance, an ad targeting readers of Dirt Bike magazine probably won't find an audience in Family Circle magazine.

The rules for Web page advertisements are the same as those for traditional print media. Know your audience, then tailor your ads to appeal to that audience.

Credibility is also a key to advertising success. If your Web page copy contains numerous errors, you'll have little credibility and, therefore, your Web site will generate few sales.

Copy writing for Web pages goes a step beyond copy writing for traditional print media. Web page copy must not only appeal to a targeted audience, but it must also appeal to those search engines that rank page relevancy and keyword density. Copy writing for Web pages is a complex task, further complicated by the fact that the human audience and the search engine audience rarely agree on what is important.

Successful advertising is an ongoing process that requires constant attention. As saturation sets in, so does buyer apathy. When that happens, you know it's time to run a new ad. If you fall short in your advertising efforts, you'll fall short on your bottom line, as well.

Copyright 2003–2008 by Phil Hanson
All rights reserved.

 

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