“Can’t believe I did that…”
It’s painful to admit…
…but sometimes I do make what are, in hindsight, fairly elementary blunders in a piece of copy work.
In any piece of direct response copywriting, the principal objective is to get the reader to take a specific action.
That can be to make a purchase from you or a step towards making that purchase.
To achieve that objective, it’s essential that the copy should clearly communicate your message.
It needs to be crystal-clear what the message is all about, how your prospect will benefit and exactly what they need to do to get that benefit.
That’s why instructions on ordering should be spelled out in what might seem like painful detail.
It’s also why there will usually be a degree of repetition of key points in the copy.
This might be as simple as using the “PS”s to restate key points…
…or a more elaborate recap section.
For example, a technique I often use is to simply say something like “We’ve covered a lot of ground so let’s recap”…
…and then list out a set of reasons to buy.
Now, generally I go to great pains to make sure that the sales message and how to respond are very clear.
At times it might seem that I go to too much trouble…
…and the repetition and the clear step-by-step directions are a little over the top.
Well, I’ve discovered that it is worth going the extra few steps…
…because what might seem clear to you and me often isn’t as clear to the reader.
So you can image how mortified I felt when a client passed on an email from a prospect.
It was in reply to a reminder email about a webinar training and simply said…
“What is it about again?”
Oh. Ouch.
Reading the (short) reminder email once again…
…and putting myself in the shoes of the prospect…
…I could understand their question.
In this particular case, the title for the webinar was, how can I put this, not very descriptive of the content and the key benefits.
It wasn’t a terrible title, but it failed to get over the key message in a concise fashion.
Unlike, these examples…
“How To Be Noticed, Be Valued And Be Hired By The Clients You Want Most”
…or…
“Cracking The Million Dollar Online Business Code”.
Key points I took from this episode…
1. Firstly, for any webinar, presentation or other training it’s important to have a good title that clearly communicates what the event is all about and the benefit from attending
2. In any marketing communication, make sure your message is clear and stands on its own. Don’t assume that the prospect has remembered a critical part of your message from somewhere else. If you’re promoting an event or a training of some sort, make sure you clearly state the key benefits…even if you might be tired of repeating yourself!
So, just in case I haven’t been clear 😕 it’s always worth erring on the side of clarity even at the risk of seeming to labour the point. After all, if the reader “gets it” they’ll simply move on.