Improve Your Copywriting With Simplicity
How to improve your copywriting with one of the most important, but overlooked, copywriting principles: writing the way your customers speak
This special guest article is by master copywriter Joe Robson. Joe is the co-author of copywriting classic Make Your Words Sell! and founder of the Newbie Club, which helps technical beginners learn about their computers, the Internet, and building an Internet business.
In this article, Joe reminds us of the necessity of writing the way your potential customers speak instead of the way you think.
We Don't Learn Japanese to Drive a Toyota
by Joe Robson
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Some time ago I wrote a Direct Mail Package and full page magazine ad for an International Database Developer Software company. What's that? Well I didn't know either. It is so technical it took me a week to translate their existing sales literature from 'Techie-Speak' into English.
Their literature was written and aimed at very technically minded people. Computer Programmers in particular.
However, I wrote the new sales messages in 'layman's language'. Why?
Because even technical people don't always understand everything technical. And tomorrow's 'Techie' is today's 'Newbie'. And TODAY'S customer.
Sales increased by 400%.
I'll repeat that - 400%. Does that tell you anything besides the fact that I like to show off?
------ What does that tell us?
Maybe it tells us that 'Techies' also understand 'Newbie-Speak' but not the other way round.
Here's an ezine Ad I came across from a 'Techie' who has never heard the word 'Newbie'.....
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XYZ Jukebox is integrated digital music-management software for the home. It combines a CD ripper, MP3 encoder, playlist maker, ID3 tag editor, and media player in one package. CD audio is digitally extracted and encoded directly to MP3 format with no intermediary WAV file, using Xing MPEG encoding technology.
####
Hmmm, I wonder if it would play music CD's on my computer....
The point I'm making is that this piece of software may make a great deal of difference to my lifestyle. If I knew what it was I may well be tempted to buy it!
I am reminded of an experience some years ago when I ventured out to buy a new Hi-Fi system. You've been there.
I visited FOUR stores and was blinded with science by 17 year old 'sales executives' with fluff on their chins, whose sole purpose in life seemed to be to exhibit their superior knowledge about electronics. Sub Whoofer? I want music, not an aquatic Rottweiller!
I finally came across a PROFESSIONAL salesman who asked me what I WANTED from a Hi-Fi, and demonstrated a system that SUITED MY NEEDS. He made a 500 sale to a Hi-Fi Newbie in 10 minutes.
The fact that when I got it home I couldn't understand the Manual wasn't his fault! It was written in 'Techie-Speak'!
------ Everyone was a Newbie once
This wide spread use of Jargon on the Web is the very reason Tom Glander and I set up The Newbie Club at http://www.OneStopWebSupport.com/newbieclub.
It's a brand new concept designed to teach PC and Internet Newbies the basics of using computers and the Web. Because they were blinded by Techie-Speak by the salesperson, and confounded by the same language in their user manual!
Using the unique Newbie Club Learning System, the products and the site itself are 100% free of Jargon and technical terms of any kind.
In fact the System is so unique and successful it's being used by Banks, Computer Societies, and individuals alike.
So remember this before you write your Sales Copy.....
Just because your product is 'technical', don't assume that it's the language your readers prefer - or even understand.
They don't.
They want to know what the BENEFIT of your advanced technology is and what it's going to do for them.
In English .... In Newbieish .... In Anyish.
But not in Gibberish!
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Joe Robson is co-author of 'Make Your Words SELL' with Ken Evoy. Joe and Tom Glander own The Newbie Club which is bulging with unique NET and PC Newbie tutorials and eBooks. CLICK ON OVER to http://www.OneStopWebSupport.com/newbieclub and look at their very professional Affiliate Program. It's BIG! Joe's Copywriting site is at http://www.adcopywriting.com
Helping you become the successful business owner you want to be.
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