Remember back in high school when we all had to write persuasive speeches and essays? Great! Now, do me a favor: Forget everything you learned then (if you haven’t already). Today, I want to touch on what being persuasive in marketing copy means in 2017. Spoiler alert: It isn’t anything like what you learned in high school.
In today’s marketing world, it is necessary to discover the right balance between selling a product and selling an experience. No, the whole “selling the sizzle, not the steak” motif may not be exactly cutting edge. The implementation of that concept in a world of instant reactions, conversations, and online reviews, however, needs to be. It is the only way to ensure that you build and nurture a solid customer or client base continuously over time.
With that in mind, I want to share with you several persuasive writing techniques that will help you sell without actually selling. Those who have followed my blog for a while already know what I mean.
For those new to Beez (or to online marketing), pay close attention. I’m about to help you avoid one of the biggest pitfalls where your enthusiasm for your product or brand can steer you: the need to talk up the product instead of the experience. Major corporations like Apple already know this secret. Interested in making that kind of money? If so, I suggest you keep reading…
1. Invoke the Reader’s Imagination
I’ve talked at length about the power of pain points in ad copy in the past, so I’ll skip the “why” and go straight to the “how.” Pain points are a great springboard for imaginative language in your sales copy.
You should use language that is as immersive as possible. Speak directly to the reader with words like “you” and “your.” Avoid impersonal words like “it” or possessive words like “our.” It’s not “our custom-designed cabinets…” It’s, “your new custom dream kitchen.” The product doesn’t eliminate odors; it “gives you back the confidence that your home is clean and healthy.” Save the “hows” and technical information for your website. It doesn’t belong in sales copy.
Your job when presenting your product or service is to place the reader squarely in the spotlight. Make that person the subject that receives the action in every sentence and walk them through the problem directly into the only viable solution: the one you offer.
Doing this places readers in the center of any situation you wish to create, and if they have experienced anything remotely similar to what you are describing, they are very likely to embrace the entire scenario. They will start seeing themselves in whatever predicament lead to seeking out your product, and they will see their solution inyour product.
2. Use Sensory Words
If you are selling a tangible product, use language that gets the reader to imagine how it interacts with the senses. Describe in detail how it looks, feels, etc. If appropriate, you can even get into how it sounds or tastes. In many cases, though, touch is going to be the most powerful sensory descriptor.
Is the product lightweight? Is it ergonomic? Is it smooth and cool to the touch? Is the color subtle or striking? Will it turn heads or start conversations? In short, how does it feel to use this product? What are the benefits it presents to the senses?
If you aren’t offering a physical product, your visuals will probably have to do most of this part of the job for you, but you can still make some powerful emotional appeals through sensory language even if you don’t have something physical to describe. It can be about comfort, relaxation, or peace of mind. Anything that appeals to the reader on a sensory level will work, provided you don’t cross the line between descriptiveness and overstatement. That brings me to my next point…
3. Use Comparatives, Not Superlatives
It’s time to start gravitating away from claiming to have the best version of a given product or providing the most amazing experience possible. People don’t buy it and, as soon as they see it, they know they’re being sold. When that happens, they tend to shut down.
People do, however, like being given choices. Your job is not to convince them that yours is the best choice, just that it is the better one. Again don’t go into too much technical detail here. It’s not about even so much about who makes the better product as it is who is better at creating an atmosphere of trust around it.
If you choose to go this route, be specific. Avoid nebulous claims about “the competition.” Cite actual competitor products. Confidently assert that you do it better, and explain why. Back up your claims with links to verifiable data. Just seeing a link to click on will be enough for most people to take you at your word. Most will never even click on it.
4. Be a Storyteller
This one goes back to the concept of imagination. If imagination is the foundation, the story is the house. Build on the things you want your audience to visualize and create a world around your brand inside their heads.
This method is particularly useful in email marketing, sales pages, and long-form sales letters. Abandon your traditional five-day email drip in favor of a sequence that tells a progressive story, and your open rates will virtually explode.
Ever sit and watch a half-hour long video sales letter and wonder why you’re still watching after all that time? It’s because you’re hearing a good story and you want to know how it ends. In a perfect world, it ends with you being persuaded to buy something. Keep that in mind as you develop your own persuasive ad copy or work with your preferred custom writing service to produce it.
Final Takeaway
People today will not be persuaded by features and benefits. They need to feel immersed in the buying process. They need you to be their Sherpa along the path of their buyer’s journey, and they need to hear a good story along the way. Don’t focus on why you’re the best; focus instead on the things that matter most to the buyers: how it feels to interact with your brand and what problems doing so will ultimately solve for them.