Date: 4 Jun 2003 05:14:23 -0000 From: Ken Evoy <support@sitesell.net> To: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Netwriting Masters 202 Message-ID: <20030604051423.10851.qmail@success.e-corp.net>
next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Netwriting Masters... an intensive 5-Day e-mail course on how to write sales-clinching copy on the Net. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you have a friend who would benefit from taking this course, please pass this on. Or tell that person to receive the 5-day course by sending a blank e-mail to... proventwms@sitesell.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Refer to this course over and over again as you refine your NETwriting skills and become an effective e-persuader. Print each e-mail out, pour yourself a beverage of choice, bring along a pen to jot down some ideas, and take it all to your favorite sofa. This is serious -- your online words must SELL. Go for best learning results -- get comfortable. :-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wed Jun 04 01:14:23 2003 Netwriting Masters 202 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nice to have you back again! Got your MWR firmly planted in your brain? Great! But wait! Don't put your shovel away just yet! Have you made notes about the MYWS! site regarding MWR, Opening Headline, Opening Paragraph, Sub-headings, Link to Order Page, and Body Copy? What do you mean, "The dog ate it?" If you have not yet done so, review the MYWS! site. Read it with the following in mind... "How are these WORDS affecting me? What are these words trying to do?" In other words, try to see into MY mind as I try to get inside my customer's MINDSET. You'll learn a lot more from the remaining four days that we have left together, if you do this. http://proven.sitesell.com/myws/ ----- Today we work on the foundation for a successful e-business (any commercial venture, to be precise). Surprised? Are you thinking to yourself?... "Where's the keyboard action?" or... "What about formatting?" or... "No headline creation?" Well, just like most things in life, you can't skip to the front of the line, without some unpleasant consequences. Great sales copy is no different. Pro Netwriters recognize this and follow a methodical approach in their work. They know that each action determines the strength of the one before and after it. Every word-headline-sentence-paragraph has a persuasive role to play. And when each one is in sync, the whole sales package becomes seamless,focused... Powerfully persuasive. That's why you still need your shovel. A firm foundation is critical for whatever actions you take from now on. So let's go back to ground level. -- Your business, whether it is... o big or small, o pioneer or mature, o high-tech or labor-intensive, o top-end or bargain-basement, ... depends on the perceived value of your product (or service) by your customers. If they do not see a benefit or "what's in it for them," then their relationship with you will go no further. Your prospective customers will look elsewhere. And your competitors are always willing and waiting to greet them. -- How do you prevent this? *Know your target or ideal customer.* He or she represents the majority of people who would be specifically interested in your product or service. No tire-kickers... no curious cruisers... ... just prospects with a specific interest in your specific business. You have to understand their thoughts and feelings, figure out their personality type, sense what makes them tick... Basically, you have to get inside their heads. Once you know your customers, you can anticipate their wants, appeal to the right emotions and show them how your product/service will benefit them. We both know what happens then. Value always outweighs financial cost in a shopper's mind. You make the sale! And a satisfied customer is a lifetime customer. -- On the Net, you don't have the luxury of face-to-face contact or a slow pace to get to know your customers. That's why it's critical to develop a thumbnail sketch of your target or "ideal" customer before you begin to write any sales copy on your Web site. Remember your words are like a virtual salesperson, behind the counter or stationed in the aisle. Your sales copy has to make your "ideal customer" feel that you are talking to her, one-on-one, welcoming her, providing attentive service and fulfilling her wants. You cannot write successfully unless you know her mindset. -----SIDEBAR----- Bingo! This is one of several key points that sets MYWS! apart from other Netwriting books. Actually, the biggest difference about MYWS! is that it is the ONLY copywriting book written from the ground up, purely *FOR* the Net... and written *BY* two authors who have been there, done that and sold the t-shirt on the Net like no one else has. Some books focus only on the mechanics of copywriting -- for example, the type of words to use or the structure of the sales message. Other manuals rely on analyzing examples of someone else's work. Neither approach takes into consideration the critical factor of the customer's mindset when writing sales copy. How can you be an effective persuader if you don't know who you are talking to? In MYWS!, the customer is always front and center. Her mindset is a constant thread throughout the book. MYWS! shows you how to get "inside" your ideal customer, right down to personality type. Four dominant types are outlined in MYWS! -- and it explains how to write for each type. http://proven.sitesell.com/myws/ As a bonus, you get to know *YOUR OWN* type at the same time. Why is this so important? Because some types clash. If you write copy to please yourself, you'll sell yourself. But you won't make money that way. ;-) Remember, *you* (and therefore your personality type) are not necessarily your own best customer. -- Oh, by the way... when we talk about a customer, we'll use the feminine pronouns ("she, her"). Why? Two reasons... 1) To jar your thinking -- we are all so used to reading "he" and "his." Reading the female pronouns will remind you to think that *PEOPLE*, males and females, will be reading your words. 2) To drive home the fact that women account for 80% of purchases on the Net. "Normal" use of the male pronouns would keep you "thinking male." http://proven.sitesell.com/myws/ -----SIDEBAR---- A thumbnail sketch of your ideal customer paints a picture in your mind of who you are dealing with... ... and more importantly, who you are writing for. Success will not come if you write for yourself. You don't need to be persuaded. *YOU* already know and love your product. Write for your target customer -- her needs, wants, worries, interests. -----SIDEBAR----- Boil your target down to a single, ideal customer. Picture her. Now write for her. Thinking of a single person automatically helps your copy feel "one-to-one" as you write. If you think of thousands of people as you write, your copy will take on an impersonal, "broadcast" tone. -----SIDEBAR----- Got that thumbnail sketch of your ideal customer yet? Only *THEN* can you figure out what gain you can offer, or what pain you can cure. Simply put, the benefits. So dig around and find those details that describe your target customer. For example... o Baby boomer? Senior citizen? Techie? Collector? Freelancer? o Family? Single? Partners? o Money concerns? Stressed for time? Unhappy at work? o Risk-taker? Energetic? Self-starter? o Net savvy? Newbie? o Cautious? Relationship-builder? Committed? Make your sketch as comprehensive as you can. If your product has more than one kind of consumer, do a profile for each major type. Don't forget to check out where your traffic to your Web site is coming from. Is it through a Search engine, or through the promotion of your URL in an ad or newsletter? This information will give you another clue as to your visitors' mindsets when they arrive to read your sales copy. Why? Because "ad traffic" is tougher to persuade than customers who arrive via Search Engines. -----SIDEBAR----- Why? Why is ad traffic tougher? Geez, you ask "Why?" a lot! ;-) Because if people find you via an ad, they know they've been "pitched." And they know another pitch is coming. So they feel that *YOU* are using *THEIR* time. But if they find you via Search Engines, ah-h-h-h... :-) *THEY* were looking for *YOU*! They found you via a keyword search, so they are targeted. And they feel smart for finding you. You are already half way home, because *THEY* were looking for, and found, *YOU*! As the Net gets more and more congested, you need a strong, effective, and cost-efficient way to build traffic via the Search Engines (SEs). The future for Search Engines is vector-based analysis. Don't worry about the techie-term... it means that they'll focus more and more on good theme-based content. Here's how to deliver what the engines are looking for, AND what your customers are looking for... Site Build It! http://buildit.sitesell.com/ -----SIDEBAR----- Back to your ideal customer's mindset... Is she feeling cynical and impatient? Or enthusiastic and information-seeking? Ready to be persuaded? You have to write the right words to get her to stay. -----SIDEBAR----- The Keywords your visitors enter in the Search Engines give you a strong indication of their level of interest, as well as the kinds of benefits they are looking for. Make Your Site Sell! 2002 (MYSS! 2002) discusses in detail how to generate keywords and how to create SE-optimized pages. MYSS! 2002 will strengthen your ability to attract targeted visitors with an open-to-buy attitude. It's full of nitty-gritty "how-to" information to drive traffic to your Web site, both online and off. Not a single time-waster in the lot. For more information, visit the MYSS! 2002 site... http://proven.sitesell.com/myss/ -- And the free 5-day Affiliate Masters Course also shows you how to develop traffic and sales through the proper use of keywords. Even if you're not an affiliate, you'll find this information useful for selling your own products... proventwms@sitesell.net -----SIDEBAR----- Take your time as you build your foundation/thumbnail sketch(es). The effort you put in now is going to hold up your Web site and... ... your business. Remember the next Web site for your visitor is only a mouse-click away. And realistically, that next site probably belongs to a competitor. Your words are always competing with a ticking clock. A rather sobering thought, isn't it? Life on the Net is fast, but you can handle the speed if you are prepared. See you tomorrow. -Ken P.S. Almost forgot your homework. Please write out, point by point, a detailed thumbnail sketch of your ideal customers. Oh, by the way... It might be easier to jot your ideas down with a pen or pencil rather than with that shovel. You can put the shovel back where it belongs. You're finished building the foundation. ;-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TO UNSUBSCRIBE To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to... unsubscribetwms@sitesell.net NOTE: You must send it from the same e-mail address that is subscribed to this 5-day course. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact info: E-mail us at support@sitesell.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Written by Ken Evoy, M.D. President, SiteSell.com (c) copyright 2003 SiteSell.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Make Your Words Sell!" TM SiteSell.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Filtering software may prevent you from receiving important SiteSell communication. To ensure that you never miss an e-mail from us, follow these tips... http://www.sitesell.com/whitelisting.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20030604051423.10851.qmail>