Are You Making These 10 Deadly Copywriting Mistakes?

by Ray Edwards
Copywriter / Marketing Consultant
http://www.ray-edwards-copywriting.com

================================================================
Collect The "Windfall Profits" Hidden
In Your Business or Website.
================================================================

There is money hidden in your business. Money that you could be
using. Money that, unless you do something about it, will slip
through your fingers and vanish without a trace.

Where is this money? It's hidden inside your underperforming
sales copy (copy that isn't selling as many units/contracts/
memberships as it potentially could be).

If you want to make more sales without spending single dime in
additional ad costs, this might be the most important document
you read this year. Here's why: Underperforming sales copy is
the most potentially profitable of all forms of "upside
leverage".

Please read that sentence again, because it's too easy to let
the profound meaning it contains slip past you:

Underperforming sales copy is the most potentially profitable of
all forms of "upside leverage".

================================================================
What Is "Upside Leverage"?
================================================================

"Upside Leverage" is a concept I learned from marketing genius
Jay Abraham. Think of it this way: any ad or promotion costs the
same whether it performs well or not, right?

If you spend $100 on an ad, and you get $500 in business as a
result, you made a 5-1 return on your investment.

But... what if you could take that same ad, and change it in some
way that made it 10 times more effective?

What if now it returned $5,000?

You spent the same $100 for the ad... but you got back $5,000.
Instead of a 5-1 return, now you're getting 50-1! That, my
marketing friend, is "upside leverage"!

================================================================
Change Your Copy, Change Your Income
================================================================

There is so much bad copy on the web, it's almost laughably easy
to be better than most of your competitors. Yet some mistakes
seem to be made almost universally.

Are you making any of these 10 mistakes? If you are, this is
your cue to fix them.

Take advantage of the potential "upside leverage" that exists in
every ad or promotion.

Don't put it off - do it right now. Otherwise, you're throwing
money away that rightfully belongs to you. When I say these
mistakes are "deadly", I mean they're killing your profit
margin!

Read, learn, and internalize this list of the 10 Deadly
Copywriting Mistakes, and you'll be ahead of the game.

================================================================
Deadly Mistake #1: Being Focused On You,
Instead Of On Your Market
================================================================

This is the easiest mistake to make, and the most common. Most
ad copy is focused on the advertiser, not on the consumer. Big
mistake.

When you read copy that says things like, "We're the best in the
industry... we've been in business since 1979... we have the most
well-trained associates... our facility has won many industry
awards..." what is your reaction?

Most likely, your reaction is, "So what? What does that mean to
me and my life?" If you're using copy that says "we", "us", and
"our" a lot - find a way to change that copy so that it says
"you", and "yours". Speak about the things that matter to your
customer.

Here's a hint: those things are probably not what you think they
are. Why not ask your customers? They know the answer, and
they'll be glad to share it with you if you're wise enough to
listen.

================================================================
Deadly Mistake #2: Using a Weak, Wimpy,
or Just Plain Bad Headline
================================================================

In the beginning, you only have one chance to grab the reader's
attention. That chance is the headline. Make sure your headline
is strong, aggressive (without being pushy), and compelling.

Think of your headline as the sales pitch to get the prospect to
read the whole ad. It has to be compelling enough that the
reader thinks, "Hey, if this is true, I need to know about it..."

You get one shot. You can't afford to blow it.

A poor headline for an automotive shop: "Our Experienced Staff
Can Tend to Your Every Automotive Need, And Are ASE Certified
With the Guaranteed Lowest Prices."

A much better headline for the same client: "Are Hidden
Mechanical Problems With Your Car Threatening The Health And
Safety Of Your Family? Our 9-Point Safety Inspection Could Save
Their Lives - And Give You Peace of Mind..."

================================================================
Deadly Mistake #3: Not Using Enough Bullets
================================================================

Bullets break up your copy into short, readable bursts.
Especially on the web, people tend to scan copy before they read
it; breaking your benefits into bullets increases the chances
your copy will "catch the eye" and thus get read. To recap the
benefits of bullets:

* They break up copy (just like this) into short pieces.

* Makes the copy easier to scan.

* Makes it easier to pick out key words and phrases.

* Gets more of your copy read.

* Makes you more sales.

* The more the better.

================================================================
Deadly Mistake #4: Using Big Words and Jargon.
================================================================

Copy should read like conversation; it should flow naturally and
be easy to process.

Using big words and jargon might sound impressive, but it won't
get you sales. Which would you prefer?

Use strong, punchy words. Write simply and clearly.

Read Strunk & White's Elements of Style - and follow its advice.

Avoid jargon.

================================================================
Deadly Mistake #5: Using Weak, Wimpy, or Just
Plain Bad Sub-Heads
================================================================

You should use subheads every 3-4 paragraphs in your copy.

Make subheads strong and compelling; think of them as headlines
for each section of your copy.

If read in sequence, your subheads should sound like an
abbreviated version of your sales pitch (which is what they
are). Sub-heads done correctly are a way to "stop the eye",
catch the reader's interest, and get him to slow down enough to
read that section.

================================================================
Deadly Mistake #6: Sentences and Paragraphs
That Are Too Long
================================================================

Keep your sentences and your paragraphs short.

A paragraph in a sales letter should be no more than 3-4
sentences long - and they should be short sentences.

People will read more of your copy if the sentences are
paragraphs are short. This is especially important on the first
page (or the first screen, if it's online) of your sales letter,
when you are trying to draw them into your story.

Don't scare people off with big blocks of text.

================================================================
Deadly Mistake #7: Not Enough Testimonials
================================================================

You may not like to hear this, but prospects just don't believe
your copy. Not at first.

People are very, very, skeptical these days. One of your first
tasks as a copywriter is to break down that skepticism, and get
them to believe you - even just a little bit.

Once that initial barrier of skepticism comes down, readers will
give your ideas consideration. They'll think about what you have
to say. They'll consider your offer. Maybe, just maybe, they'll
buy from you.

How do you break through that skepticism?

Testimonials.

You need lots of testimonials in your copy. There are a lot of
things that will make your testimonials more believable and
effective:

* First, and I wish this went without saying, they should be
authentic. Not only is "making them up" just not right, it's
also illegal. Get real testimonials. Ask for them from your
customers - most will be glad to supply one.

* Use the customer's full name. C'mon, do you believe a
testimonial from "Doug K"? Nope. Neither do I.

* Video testimonials are best; if you can't get video, get
audio; if you can't get audio, at least get a picture of the
person.

* Testimonials should be specific. "You increased my
productivity by 37%." is much better than "You are awesome!".

================================================================
Deadly Mistake #8: Offers That Stink
================================================================

This is something else that should go without saying, but I see
it so often I just have to mention it.

If your offer stinks, the best copy in the world won't help you.

By your offer, I mean the bundle, widget, or information as
presented for sale. This includes your price, and how you
demonstrate the value of your offer versus what you're charging
for it.

It's best if you're in the position of "selling dollars for
dimes". Then it's easy to show the value of your offer.

For instance, if you sell a device that causes a 20% increase in
a car's fuel efficiency, you might frame the offer like this:
"The FuelSaver is $99 - but you'll save ten times that amount
per year in fuel costs. So you get back more than TEN TIMES YOUR
INVESTMENT in just one year!"

Now that's a good offer.

Is your offer good? If not, figure out how to make it good!

================================================================
Deadly Mistake #9: Forgetting To Ask For the Sale
================================================================

It's one of the most common mistakes in all forms of selling -
not asking for the sale. Hard to believe? Maybe. But it's true
anyway; people just don't want to ask for the order.

There comes a point where you've presented all the benefits of
your offer; you've demonstrated its value; you've supplied lots
of credible testimonials; you've shown your iron-clad guarantee...
and you just need to ask for the sale. "Click here to download
your copy right now."

That's one way to ask for the sale.

"Sign up for your membership today by filling in this form."

That's another way.

There are lots of ways to ask for the sale - but all of them are
direct and to the point.

I recommend asking for the sale at least three times, if not
more. On the Internet, this can be as easy as putting in a link
that says "Order Now". Online Marketer Armand Morin often has
5-7 order links on each of his sales pages; he says that the
more "order links" he adds, the more sales he makes.

In other words: the more often he asks for the sale, the more
often he gets the sale.

Imagine that.

================================================================
Deadly Mistake #10: Pricing Before Benefits and Offer
================================================================

Sometimes business owners want to use price point as a selling
feature, and so you see lots of web pages that right near the
top will say something like "Now Only $24.95!".

That's a deadly mistake.

First, you are signaling readers that this page is an ad, not a
page of information. That will cause you to lose readers before
you've had a chance to tell them your story.

Second, you haven't had a chance to elaborate on the benefits of
your product or service, or to show the value of your offer.

Long before the price ever shows up on your page, you need to
make the prospect feel that they must have the benefits that
your product offers. They must desire those benefits in a strong
and intense way.

Then you want to build a case for your offer - you want to show
them that it is worth 3, 5, or even 10 times the price you will
ultimately ask for it.

This way, when you do reveal your price, your prospect's
internal reaction will be amazement: "What!? He only wants $67
for this product? I thought it would be MUCH more than that -
now I must order it!"

Don't reveal your price before you spell out the benefits of
your product, and the value of you your offer. If you do this
well, and you do it in the correct order, price will never be an
objection; your offer will always seem like a bargain.

================================================================
What to Do Now
================================================================

First, correct any of these mistakes if you're making them (and
you are - at least one or two of them).

Then, review each of the mistakes and think about what its exact
opposite might be - for instance, the exact opposite of #10
would be something like "Build a Stunning, Rock-Solid,
Undeniable Case for the Value of Your Offer and the Benefits of
Your Product... so That Your Price Seems Like You're Selling
Dollars and Charging Only Dimes".

If you go through this exercise with all 10 Mistakes, you'll
have the "10 Most Deadly-Persuasive Copywriting Tactics". In
fact, I've already done this for you if you want to download it
at http://www.ray-edwards-copywriting.com. Once you have that
list - get busy using all 10 Tactics!

================================================================
About the Author
================================================================

Ray Edwards is a Copywriter and Marketing Consultant whose copy
is responsible for selling millions of dollars worth of products
and services.

Ray writes clear, credible, persuasive copy about a wide range
of business products and services, from the simple to the highly
technical. An in-demand speaker at seminars on copywriting,
marketing, and publicity, Ray can be contacted at his website:
http://www.ray-edwards-copywriting.com

Copyright © 2005 Ray Edwards. All rights reserved. May not be
reprinted or published without prior written consent.