By Kevin Gault
Put yourself in your prospect’s shoes. Day after day he’s bombarded with so many marketing messages that he simply stops listening. But a best-selling author says there’s a secret to writing copy that breaks through the clutter and makes a connection.
Barry Feig, author of Hot Button Marketing, says that for copy to make a prospect want to buy, it must do more than brag about features and benefits-it must trigger the reader’s emotions.
“People don’t buy products and services, they buy the satisfaction of unmet needs,” Feig explains. “When you write to sell, you’ve got to figure out what the reader wants from your piece-in the business world, people usually want to make more money,” Feig says. “Find out what your prospect wants and write your piece to meet that need. Give them what they want.”
Your readers want a specific solution to their problems. Identifying what type of solution they’re looking for will help you connect with their emotions.
“Do some market research to find out what your reader wants,” adds Feig. “Who are they? What’s their job? What challenges and problems do they face? What products and services will help solve their business problems? You’ve got to know who your readers are if you’re going to press their emotional hot buttons. If you don’t make this connection, they’re not going to read your piece.”
Getting a handle on industry trends will help you write copy that will connect. Everyone in business wants to be riding the current wave and they’re afraid of the bad things that will happen if they miss it. Analyst reports and trade publications will give you the lowdown on what’s hot and what’s not.
“Trends matter because people in business buy the products and brands that others in their peer groups buy,” says Feig. “Write copy that shows them that by buying your product, they’ll be following the current trend.”
It’s also important to use techniques for creating tight, readable copy that will keep your prospects engaged, such as:
- Short sentences and paragraphs
- Bullet points and subsections to present information clearly
- Lots of white space to make your text easy on the eye
“Use every technique you can to make your piece hit a hot button and make the reader feel, ‘I want this product because it solves my problems and will make me more successful,’” Feig concludes. “You know that your customers want to feel smart. They want to feel that they belong to their peer group. And they want to make more money. So write your copy to show them why your product or service will give them those things.”
To make your next marketing piece break through the clutter, find out exactly what your reader wants and connect with their emotions. In these days of marketing message overload, your words must not only make your prospects think, they must make them feel as well.
