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When you are writing marketing copy--the text for your brochure, website, ad or
newsletter--you want your audience to really absorb what you're telling them. You've
got to reach the emotional level where people make decisions.
But how do you do that?
Words of Worth connected with a typical brain in your marketing audience, who
(grudgingly) shared the following tips:
Don't make me work: I'm doing you a favor by reading what you wrote--so you'd
better make it easy, maybe even fun. Be clear and direct. Jargon makes me feel dumb;
half the time a jargon-filled sentence doesn't actually mean anything, but I still feel I
should get it. And who keeps reading something that makes them feel dumb?
Treat me like a human being: Show me that you know something about me. I don't
want to be one of the crowd. Do you have a clue about what keeps me awake at
night? Use comfortable language. Too much formality pushes me away. Give me a
reason to connect with you.
Talk to my lizard brain: Well, actually, you've got to talk to all of me, but it's poor
lizzy that tends to get neglected. My neo-cortex looks for facts and features, and most
marketing writing has more than enough of those. My lizard brain deals with the
fundamentals--safety, food, shelter, approval, sex. Big concerns need to be addressed
by big picture benefits. Make sure your copy has them, and you'll really reach me.
Show me the evidence: Don't tell me how good you are. If you want me to believe
you, let me hear how your customers feel, or what results you got for your last client,
or who gave you an award. It's worth the extra work to show me what you've got--this
is your credibility we're talking about!