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Title: Knowing Your Market - The Key to Good Sales Copy
Written By: Linda Offenheiser
Web Site: http://www.Stress-FreeCopy.com
© 2007 Linda Offenheiser, Stress-FreeCopy.com
One of the most important facets of good copywriting is knowing the market you're writing for. You must know what this market is looking for and what problems it needs to solve. Once you know the answers to those two questions you can write effective, persuasive copy that will bring you results.
Writing generic ads that aren't directed to a specific target group won't work no matter how well crafted the ads are. So, the first thing you need to do is learn everything you can about your market.
There are several ways you can do this:
- Surveys - You can simply ask what your prospective customers are looking for.
- Canvass Your Customers - Ask your present customers what they like about your product or service. Ask them what specific thing makes them keep coming back to you.
- Forums and Message Boards - Visit as many as you can every week. You'll be able to tell from the discussions what problems your market is confronting and how you can best offer solutions.
- Ezines and Newsletters - Read everything you can find that reflects the thoughts and feelings of your market. The more you can learn the stronger you can make your sales copy.
Once you know what your prospective customers are looking for, you can write sales copy that targets their problems and offers them solutions. No matter how wonderful your product or service may be, if your sales copy doesn't offer solutions it won't be effective.
You've heard it a million times and are about to hear it once more ~ because it's that important ~ your target market is only interested in what your product/service can do for them. That's what your copy must stress if you want a response.
Push Those Emotional Buttons . . .
When you know what problems your product can solve, show your prospective customers how they're going to feel once they have that solution. That's where so-called "hot buttons" come into play. Since most purchases are made on an emotional level, that's where you must appeal to your market.
In other words, if you're selling a diet program tell your reader how she'll feel once she's lost 20 pounds. If your words can make her feel she'll be more attractive, full of energy, more confident, ready to take on the world with her new body and attitude, chances are you'll gain a new customer.
Writing effective ad copy comes down to knowing what problem your prospect has, providing a solution and describing that solution in terms that appeal to her emotions.
When you apply this formula to your copywriting you'll find your response will increase many times over.
About the Author
Linda Offenheiser is the owner of Stress-Free Copy, a copywriting and editing service designed for small home businesses. You'll find the write words at the right prices. She also publishes a weekly free ezine, All the Write Stuff!, that's informative, friendly and fun! You can visit her at http://www.stress-freecopy.com
Or subscribe at http://www.stress-freecopy.com/subscribe.htm
Today's article was originally received for publication in October 2004. The author has given full permission to publish it electronically or in print, free of charge in your ezines, newsletters or on your websites, as long as the article content remains unchanged as is published here today and that the authors copyright with resource box is included.
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