Texts selling or how words can trade?
I was instructed to write about selling texts. To tell you the truth, I am not in favor of endowing mythical properties with material objects. Therefore, the term “selling texts” established in the marketing environment seems to me to be not entirely correct. You must admit that the texts themselves cannot sell anything. Stand behind the counter, put on an apron and scream: "Hot, fresh pies, boiled corn, sugar tubes, chechekhela ...". Therefore, before telling you about a few secrets of writing effective texts aimed at stimulating direct sales, I suggest to understand the terms.
Things by their own names
So, selling texts. This is an allegorical definition of quality information and promotional materials, the main task of which is to encourage the reader to take some action: the desire to learn more about the product or service, immediately take advantage of the discount, take part in the competition, call the company, get a free consultation and so on.
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“What do your texts lack to sell more ?!”, “How to breathe life into the selling text?”, “The selling texts sell themselves!” - let's forget these calls of the beginning copywriters for a while. Let us try to use examples to sort out typical mistakes in the work on the creation of an effective text, and we will try to derive a certain uniform formula of what professional information materials should be.
Sewn white thread
In most cases, selling texts are the basis of good commercial offers, mailings, promotional printed products (leaflets, booklets, flyers and special offers), and to a lesser extent, sites. At the same time, the “selling” texts are not only printed, it may well be a speech at a core conference, a call through a loudspeaker connection in a shopping center, and a dialogue during a telephone conversation.
The term "selling texts" came to us from the west. The well-established expression “Sales letters,” or selling letters, was liked by Russian specialists. One of the first to use this method was the owner of the legendary factory for the sale of sewing machines, Isaac Merrit Singer. The unofficial ideologue of American marketing in the 1850s printed advertisements for Singer sewing machines on the back of sheets with church hymns and theater performances. The intuitive desire to solve the problem with the sales of sewing machines prompted the businessman to make non-standard decisions. Singer had no doubt, the main thing is to convince housewives of the need to purchase a modern and convenient sewing machine and refuse to hand sewing with a needle and thread. And so they persuade their husbands to fork out for outlandish goods for the time. Later, the technology was named “Direct-marketing” or “One-to-one marketing” - direct response marketing and “Direct-response”, when the consumer is invited to participate in a special event, get a discount, call the studio, send three labels, guess the rebus . There is an opinion that these technologies were widely used in Europe during the Renaissance. With the advent of the first printing machine, merchants published catalogs, where they announced prices for inexpensive books by talented authors. But hardly in the 15th century, traders saw print advertising as an effective method of selling goods in the future.
Fly with greetings
Not a single universal recipe has yet been invented on how to make the text “selling”. In this regard, I often ask the question: Have you ever read a text at least once in your life that would convince an hour to buy a product? Most respondents respond positively, provided that this product was extremely necessary for them, and they purposefully went in search of him. In all other cases, no text is able to independently sell a product or service. The task of the text is to interest the buyer and puzzle him to learn more about the object being advertised. Therefore, let us leave the rhetorical question: “Is the text able to convince to acquire what you do not need?” And try to figure out how to write a text that is able to convince and position the reader to yourself. Here are three fundamental theoretical principles, following which you can take a few steps closer to creating a truly high-quality text. You probably know them:
The first. The text can be effective if it meets the needs of the target audience, is addressed through a properly chosen channel for a message, contains basically interesting factual information about the object being advertised. In addition, the text should be written briefly and not contain unnecessary information, which can confuse, give rise to doubt or be misleading.
The second. Thinking through the basis of the "selling" text, remember the terrible truth, nobody wants to read your text. Therefore, you will have to write an informational message that could interest any third-party person completely within 7-10 seconds.
Third. As you begin to write the text, think about what would be interesting and important for your potential customer to hear. To do this, it is enough to determine the range of problems associated with the object being advertised, which may confuse the client in your unique selling proposition, what difficulties you can solve with the help of a service or product.
Fourth. Follow the main rules for constructing text. The text is read from the title - this is one of the most important parts of communication. The title, with rare exceptions, should not be too long, preferably up to 80 characters with spaces. An interesting lead picks up the baton, up to 300 characters with spaces. The lead reveals the main advantage of your offer to the client, intrigues the reader, encourages him to run over the text further. The introduction picks up the main part of the text, within the framework of which you need to try in 3-6 sentences to reveal the essence of the sentence. If you succeed in presenting the main message in an original way and do not move away from the topic, the chances of reading the text to the end increase. Completes an informational message call to action. If you managed to achieve the desired, and the person read the text, consider it as your word-driven, the client should be gently pushed into action. This is a very common mistake - the text does not end with anything and does not invite the reader to perform any action. The client needs to clarify what he can do to find out more or to participate and what he will be for it. Compulsory completion of communication should be contact information.
The fifth. The text should be decorated beautifully. The graphic design of the “selling” text is no less important than the plot of the message. The design of the text should be moderately businesslike, modest, without the use of deliberately screaming colors and signs. If this is a commercial offer of the company, the company logo must be present. A “clean” and neatly designed sentence increases the chances of reading it.
Art of persuasion by word
How to write an effective commercial offer? How to give the correct argument? How to identify consumer groups and interest in the offer? In order to answer these questions, it is enough to know what mistakes should not be made in the work on the texts.
It is completely unimportant to the addressee of advertising communication in what year and under what circumstances your company was formed. No need to talk about the company and its mission. If you are interested in your offer, the client will independently read the information about the company on the website and find reviews in the search engine.
Tell the client what you are offering, and what actions he should take to try and take advantage of your offer.
Do not write a lot of letters. Brevity - a friend of the seller.
Do not promise customers gold mountains, even if you can arrange them. The client still will not believe.
Motivate the client, tell us about the most important benefits that he will receive by interacting with you.
The offer may open a new way for the client to solve a familiar task, be an additional tool in the decision process, or act as a more convenient and comfortable service to accomplish this task. For example, you can offer a client to use a mobile phone instead of shouting over the connection of a megaphone. This is a new way to solve the problem for successful communication. You can offer a person a favorable tariff for communication, which will significantly save his money on negotiations. This is an additional tool. And, finally, to talk about hands free, to make it easier for the client to talk on the phone while driving.
Client tags
In order to formulate a targeted commercial proposal, it will be necessary to select all possible groups of consumers who may be interested in your service or product. For example, the task is to promote an innovative program to the market, which allows to increase the conversion of the site and increase direct sales directly on the corporate resource. Before formulating a proposal, we will describe who could potentially be interested in a program for increasing sales through the site.
Entrepreneurs, owners of medium and large businesses who are directly interested in increasing sales through Internet channels. This part of the target group invests significant amounts in the promotion of the corporate website and seeks to improve the efficiency of investments due to the increase in the conversion of visitors into buyers.
Heads of advertising and PR, responsible for advertising, PR, corporate site development. They are interested in increasing the effectiveness of advertising, because their position in the company, career and material growth directly depend on it.
Owners of advertising agencies, SEO-companies. Interested in services from the sale of which they can receive stable interest.
Independent consultants, freelancers involved in the development of corporate sites. They are directly interested in the growth of their own income through the sale of additional services to customers.
Even such a general description of the consumer market for an it-product will help in the compilation of a text that works to increase the sales program. Or another example.
Suppose we need to develop a text to announce the affiliate program of the building online exchange. The site brings together specialists in the repair of apartments, offices, cottages and foreman-customers. Through the site, the contractor can find a job, and employers - specialists at the site. We need to interest the owners of construction sites, information and corporate sites on construction and repair to connect to the affiliate program of this freelance exchange and interested to go to the site. Text takes no more than 1 word page. The main focus on the benefits of the program.
The text is based on actual simple calculations that announce a real benefit for the participant. The title does not shine with creativity and originality. Here it is enough to say what and for whom we offer: “Affiliate program for building sites”. Next comes the lead: “The annual turnover of the market for finishing works in Russia is 400-500 million dollars. This is a huge segment of the construction business, some of which may become available to you. Construction Name "NAME" offers owners of sites about the construction and repair of profitable affiliate program ". Further, in one sentence we describe the purpose of the affiliate program, tezisno, point by point advantages, benefits for the participant in numbers and brief instructions on how to become a partner: “To become a partner, follow the instructions on the website partner.www.ru . We are always ready to help new partners start making money on our program. For any questions you can contact the support service, which will respond promptly within 2 hours. ”
Editor's Confession:
Once a letter came to work mail with an interesting topic: “5 reasons why it is beneficial for you to hire me as a copywriter”. The original summary was performed ideally in terms of adherence to the technology of information submission, argumentation and emphasis. It is evident that the person was trained in courses on marketing and selling texts. However, the text did not cause me anything but a smile. Still, in order to write good texts you need not only to master the technology, but also to be able to think intelligently, beautifully and clearly. To teach this is very difficult.
Olga Koptseva, journalist, general director of the copywriting PR agency Webkontent.ru
Things by their own names
So, selling texts. This is an allegorical definition of quality information and promotional materials, the main task of which is to encourage the reader to take some action: the desire to learn more about the product or service, immediately take advantage of the discount, take part in the competition, call the company, get a free consultation and so on.
')
“What do your texts lack to sell more ?!”, “How to breathe life into the selling text?”, “The selling texts sell themselves!” - let's forget these calls of the beginning copywriters for a while. Let us try to use examples to sort out typical mistakes in the work on the creation of an effective text, and we will try to derive a certain uniform formula of what professional information materials should be.
Sewn white thread
In most cases, selling texts are the basis of good commercial offers, mailings, promotional printed products (leaflets, booklets, flyers and special offers), and to a lesser extent, sites. At the same time, the “selling” texts are not only printed, it may well be a speech at a core conference, a call through a loudspeaker connection in a shopping center, and a dialogue during a telephone conversation.
The term "selling texts" came to us from the west. The well-established expression “Sales letters,” or selling letters, was liked by Russian specialists. One of the first to use this method was the owner of the legendary factory for the sale of sewing machines, Isaac Merrit Singer. The unofficial ideologue of American marketing in the 1850s printed advertisements for Singer sewing machines on the back of sheets with church hymns and theater performances. The intuitive desire to solve the problem with the sales of sewing machines prompted the businessman to make non-standard decisions. Singer had no doubt, the main thing is to convince housewives of the need to purchase a modern and convenient sewing machine and refuse to hand sewing with a needle and thread. And so they persuade their husbands to fork out for outlandish goods for the time. Later, the technology was named “Direct-marketing” or “One-to-one marketing” - direct response marketing and “Direct-response”, when the consumer is invited to participate in a special event, get a discount, call the studio, send three labels, guess the rebus . There is an opinion that these technologies were widely used in Europe during the Renaissance. With the advent of the first printing machine, merchants published catalogs, where they announced prices for inexpensive books by talented authors. But hardly in the 15th century, traders saw print advertising as an effective method of selling goods in the future.
Fly with greetings
Not a single universal recipe has yet been invented on how to make the text “selling”. In this regard, I often ask the question: Have you ever read a text at least once in your life that would convince an hour to buy a product? Most respondents respond positively, provided that this product was extremely necessary for them, and they purposefully went in search of him. In all other cases, no text is able to independently sell a product or service. The task of the text is to interest the buyer and puzzle him to learn more about the object being advertised. Therefore, let us leave the rhetorical question: “Is the text able to convince to acquire what you do not need?” And try to figure out how to write a text that is able to convince and position the reader to yourself. Here are three fundamental theoretical principles, following which you can take a few steps closer to creating a truly high-quality text. You probably know them:
The first. The text can be effective if it meets the needs of the target audience, is addressed through a properly chosen channel for a message, contains basically interesting factual information about the object being advertised. In addition, the text should be written briefly and not contain unnecessary information, which can confuse, give rise to doubt or be misleading.
The second. Thinking through the basis of the "selling" text, remember the terrible truth, nobody wants to read your text. Therefore, you will have to write an informational message that could interest any third-party person completely within 7-10 seconds.
Third. As you begin to write the text, think about what would be interesting and important for your potential customer to hear. To do this, it is enough to determine the range of problems associated with the object being advertised, which may confuse the client in your unique selling proposition, what difficulties you can solve with the help of a service or product.
Fourth. Follow the main rules for constructing text. The text is read from the title - this is one of the most important parts of communication. The title, with rare exceptions, should not be too long, preferably up to 80 characters with spaces. An interesting lead picks up the baton, up to 300 characters with spaces. The lead reveals the main advantage of your offer to the client, intrigues the reader, encourages him to run over the text further. The introduction picks up the main part of the text, within the framework of which you need to try in 3-6 sentences to reveal the essence of the sentence. If you succeed in presenting the main message in an original way and do not move away from the topic, the chances of reading the text to the end increase. Completes an informational message call to action. If you managed to achieve the desired, and the person read the text, consider it as your word-driven, the client should be gently pushed into action. This is a very common mistake - the text does not end with anything and does not invite the reader to perform any action. The client needs to clarify what he can do to find out more or to participate and what he will be for it. Compulsory completion of communication should be contact information.
The fifth. The text should be decorated beautifully. The graphic design of the “selling” text is no less important than the plot of the message. The design of the text should be moderately businesslike, modest, without the use of deliberately screaming colors and signs. If this is a commercial offer of the company, the company logo must be present. A “clean” and neatly designed sentence increases the chances of reading it.
Art of persuasion by word
How to write an effective commercial offer? How to give the correct argument? How to identify consumer groups and interest in the offer? In order to answer these questions, it is enough to know what mistakes should not be made in the work on the texts.
It is completely unimportant to the addressee of advertising communication in what year and under what circumstances your company was formed. No need to talk about the company and its mission. If you are interested in your offer, the client will independently read the information about the company on the website and find reviews in the search engine.
Tell the client what you are offering, and what actions he should take to try and take advantage of your offer.
Do not write a lot of letters. Brevity - a friend of the seller.
Do not promise customers gold mountains, even if you can arrange them. The client still will not believe.
Motivate the client, tell us about the most important benefits that he will receive by interacting with you.
The offer may open a new way for the client to solve a familiar task, be an additional tool in the decision process, or act as a more convenient and comfortable service to accomplish this task. For example, you can offer a client to use a mobile phone instead of shouting over the connection of a megaphone. This is a new way to solve the problem for successful communication. You can offer a person a favorable tariff for communication, which will significantly save his money on negotiations. This is an additional tool. And, finally, to talk about hands free, to make it easier for the client to talk on the phone while driving.
Client tags
In order to formulate a targeted commercial proposal, it will be necessary to select all possible groups of consumers who may be interested in your service or product. For example, the task is to promote an innovative program to the market, which allows to increase the conversion of the site and increase direct sales directly on the corporate resource. Before formulating a proposal, we will describe who could potentially be interested in a program for increasing sales through the site.
Entrepreneurs, owners of medium and large businesses who are directly interested in increasing sales through Internet channels. This part of the target group invests significant amounts in the promotion of the corporate website and seeks to improve the efficiency of investments due to the increase in the conversion of visitors into buyers.
Heads of advertising and PR, responsible for advertising, PR, corporate site development. They are interested in increasing the effectiveness of advertising, because their position in the company, career and material growth directly depend on it.
Owners of advertising agencies, SEO-companies. Interested in services from the sale of which they can receive stable interest.
Independent consultants, freelancers involved in the development of corporate sites. They are directly interested in the growth of their own income through the sale of additional services to customers.
Even such a general description of the consumer market for an it-product will help in the compilation of a text that works to increase the sales program. Or another example.
Suppose we need to develop a text to announce the affiliate program of the building online exchange. The site brings together specialists in the repair of apartments, offices, cottages and foreman-customers. Through the site, the contractor can find a job, and employers - specialists at the site. We need to interest the owners of construction sites, information and corporate sites on construction and repair to connect to the affiliate program of this freelance exchange and interested to go to the site. Text takes no more than 1 word page. The main focus on the benefits of the program.
The text is based on actual simple calculations that announce a real benefit for the participant. The title does not shine with creativity and originality. Here it is enough to say what and for whom we offer: “Affiliate program for building sites”. Next comes the lead: “The annual turnover of the market for finishing works in Russia is 400-500 million dollars. This is a huge segment of the construction business, some of which may become available to you. Construction Name "NAME" offers owners of sites about the construction and repair of profitable affiliate program ". Further, in one sentence we describe the purpose of the affiliate program, tezisno, point by point advantages, benefits for the participant in numbers and brief instructions on how to become a partner: “To become a partner, follow the instructions on the website partner.www.ru . We are always ready to help new partners start making money on our program. For any questions you can contact the support service, which will respond promptly within 2 hours. ”
Editor's Confession:
Once a letter came to work mail with an interesting topic: “5 reasons why it is beneficial for you to hire me as a copywriter”. The original summary was performed ideally in terms of adherence to the technology of information submission, argumentation and emphasis. It is evident that the person was trained in courses on marketing and selling texts. However, the text did not cause me anything but a smile. Still, in order to write good texts you need not only to master the technology, but also to be able to think intelligently, beautifully and clearly. To teach this is very difficult.
Olga Koptseva, journalist, general director of the copywriting PR agency Webkontent.ru
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/87135/
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