"Copywriting is Bigger Than You Think"
By Jim Daniels

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Until you've actually experienced the rush of sales a well-crafted letter can bring, it's hard to understand the importance of sales copy. In fact, if I had to rank the importance of sales literature copywriting, it would probably come out ahead of every other web business component. It's that important.

So how does one craft an effective sales letter? After all, learning copywriting sounds like a tedious and boring task.

Of course you could hire a professional copywriter if your budget allows. But I'll assume that is not the case, and share some of the more important aspects of writing sales literature with you right now.

And yes, I agree it sounds boring. But after reading the rest of this article, I believe you'll see it in a new light -- a challenge more than a task.

The first thing you need to understand is that even a great sales letter web page might only close a sale or two out of every 50 or even 100 website visitors. A 2% conversion is average for a good sales letter, but 3% to 8% is achievable with great copy and highly targeted prospects.

If you think that 2% conversion rate is low, that's understandable. It's sounds low, but a business can do very well at that rate, especially if you're using low-cost and no-cost traffic strategies.

Unfortunately, most sales letters get 0% to 1/2%.

Remember, there are tons of people who almost never buy anything. They only want free information. And that's OK. Because there are plenty of people who will invest their money in you or your product, if you can convince them that you can help them save time, save money or make more money.

Let's say you get 1/2% conversion. For every 200 visitors you get you make a sale. Now imagine improving to 2% conversion. That's four times as many sales. You'd quadruple your earnings! That's how important copywriting is.

So lets take a look at the best way to write sales copy for the web...

First, get used to writing like you speak.

You know, just like I am doing right here. People are more comfortable when they read something and get the feeling that you are chatting with them. This means your grammar and sentence formation may not always be proper. But who cares! If you can make them feel comfortable you've cleared a major hurdle.

Next, learn to appeal to your prospects' emotions.

Emotions are what make people act. A few of the most common emotions you can appeal to are frustration, the desire for money, the need to be accepted, the need to feel beautiful, and well, you get the idea. Every good product or service solves a problem for the potential customer, and that problem can be tied to an emotion.

Rather than tell them what your product or service is, tell them what it will do for them. For example, if you are selling information about how to grow perfect roses, your sales literature should not read... how to grow beautiful, healthy roses. It should read... when your neighbors see your huge, perfect, silky red roses they'll be begging you to share exactly how you do it. That's the difference between telling about a product and appealing to emotions.

In fact, the emotional factor is so important I want to spend the rest of this issue on it. I'll share some copy examples as well as a web sales letter to examine, right after this quick message...

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OK, so what does emotional copy look like and how do you write it?

Below is an example taken from my friend Miguel Alvarez' book, called Aim for the Heart. Aim for the Heart is perhaps one of the best free books on copywriting for the web and this example from the book shows you the difference between Copy and Emotional Copy.

Regular copy:

Here is a nice excerpt from a retirement community website:

As Silicon Valley’s newest retirement community, ABC Retirement Community has everything you need to enjoy each day to its fullest. Our beautiful 37-acre campus features a brand new Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center that sets the standard for exceptional care.

Our Residential-Style Living and Assisted Living Apartments, offer a variety of floor plans to choose from, a host of amenities to enjoy, and a broad range of services. Our unique assisted living program offers five levels of care personalized to individual needs, as well as specialized care for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other memory-impairing illnesses.

Technically speaking, there is nothing "wrong" with this copy. It provides solid information about what the retirement community offers. You may even think it's perfectly acceptable.

However, does it get you excited? If you were looking for a retirement community for your mom or dad, would you jump up from your computer and rush right over to sign them up? Probably not. And that's because it has no emotion.

Now, let's rewrite it keeping some emotional points in mind. Remember that in this case, it would most likely be the children looking at retirement residences (especially assisted living). Also remember that they have some concerns about their parents. Think about what questions you would have if you were in the position to search for a suitable assisted living home for your mom and dad. with this in mind, let's transform the text above into copywriting that has a little emotional fire.

Emotional Copy:

When it comes time to consider assisted living arrangements for your loved ones, the decision itself can be heartbreaking. It isn't that you don't want to take care of your family, but in many cases you simply can't. You'll be comforted to know that we help others work through this difficult decision everyday.

Once you've decided, you now face the monumental task of choosing the best community... one that is up-to-date, safe, friendly, and that (as much as possible) feels like home. We can help in that area, too. Our Residential-Style Living and Assisted Living Apartments offer a variety of floor plans to choose from one is just the right size for your loved one.

There are activities each and everyday that encourage fellowship so you need not worry about boredom or loneliness. And our unique Assisted Living Program offers five levels of care personalized to individual needs, as well as specialized care for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other memory-impairing illnesses.

See the difference?

The original copy simply lists facts in a nice way. The rewritten 'emotional' copy gets your heart pumping. You feel as though this retirement community fully understands what you're going through, and how very difficult the decision you're facing is. What's more, the rewritten copy answers some objections along the way. It heads off the questions of boredom and loneliness.

Once you learn how to write emotional copy, you'll be on your way to writing your own checks online.

Of course the first thing you need to do is identify the exact problems and desires that your prospects in your niche have. If you don't know that you won't be able to appeal to their emotions.

Contrary to what many people think, you can do this in virtually ANY niche. To prove my point, I want you to look at this site...

www.grandmotherscookbook.com

See ya in a few weeks...
Jim Daniels
JDD Publishing Co.

P.S. Can You Really Make a Living Online?

My Updated 5-page Guide Will Help You Determine That. No opt-in necessary, read it right in your browser for free...

http://www.make-a-living-online.com