| |
| |
|
Copywriting Information |
|
|
|
More Insider Secrets to Great Copywriting - Judging Your Target Market
This week we're going to reinforce the training that Recruits of my Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp are drilled on. In case you didn't read my last article we covered what you MUST do before you write a single word of copy. Each weekday we build on your skills of creating your copy from the ground up following my Field Guide. By the end of this copywriting Bootcamp you won't believe that it was you capable of writing such a professional sales letter. Get out your pen and paper, set your timer for 15 minutes, and let's go! How do you start?! We connect to the person reading. Copywriting is a team sport. There's you, the writer and the reader. The reader gets to decide when the game's over. As soon as the reader is gone, they're not reading your copy anymore. So you're anticipating what's going to keep them interested and intrigued with your copy ahead of time. Here's how it's done. Pick a primary target market. (Yes you can have more than one, but the more specific you make your target market, the easier it will be to sell to them. For our purposes, you need to pick one specific target market.) Let's define just what I mean and how I create my audience as a real person in my Field Guide. Target + Market = Tarket - a singular way to look at writing to one person rather than a mob. Get this one concept down and your copy will bond effortlessly with the reader. Because it's just you and her in the room. (Opps - I let out another of my secrets. We're limited in the English language when it comes to identifying rather than "he" I suggest if you use the pronoun "she" instead. Your copy will go through a subtle filter that you may find is more palatable to more of your audience than you imagined. Of course, it depends on who your target market is.) We have a lot to cover here, so don't miss a single word. You must know the education level of your target audience to write effectively. In general, even educated people don't mind reading simple words. Simple means clear. But there's a fine line between talking down to your market. Don't go there. For the most part, Americans read between the 11th and 12th grade levels. Did you know that best-selling books are written for the 8th to 10th grade level? "Reader's Digest" aims for the 10th grade level, while "Time" and "The Wall Street Journal" reach for the 11th. So Keep It Simple, Sweetheart! Prepare a Fact Sheet for your target market. Write down all the facts and demographic information you know about them. Here are a few questions to get you started;
Now, find a picture of your newly born "tar-ket". Make him or her as real as possible. In fact, he or she can BE real. If you would like to focus on a client or friend that fits the bill, that's fine too. Just do the brain work. BONUS - Have a few more minutes on the clock? Do a search in Google (http://www.google.com) on your target market and see what pops up. Check out a few Web sites while you're at it. Now reset the timer and do YOUR product. My goal is to get your copy up to speed FAST so you can start marketing yourself. I like to use the analogy of one of those big circular targets you see used in archery. You want to get into the bull's eye of who your target market is. I want to get right in that bright red circle at the center. But those concentric circles around it are also valuable. They do have different value points. But the funny thing is that the more specific you are the more you are in the bull's eye. The more the concentric circles are pulling you towards the center, you are still attracting the same people. It's amazing but true that people don't need to worry about appealing to everybody. Putting yourself in the shoes of your client is the best thing you can ever do. When you start thinking and anticipating what's going on in their minds, that's when your copy's going to start connecting. And that's what we do as copywriters. So where do you grab this Field Guide for more copywriting exercises? Sorry. Only recruits of my Bootcamp can get it for now. So sign up today for the next session. It will be one of the best business decisions you've ever made. http://www.red-hot-copy.com/rhcbootcamp.htm International copywriting trainer, author and speaker, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been a freelance writer and journalist for over 25 years. Her words have made her clients hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now she focuses her vast experience on teaching others the skill of copywriting. Lorrie is the author of an award winning copywriting course, creator of the Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp and founder of Copy Campus, a unique membership resource site designed to support copywriters and entrepreneurs on all levels. Visit her site to learn more at http://www.red-hot-copy.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Copywriting - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Copywriting and Your Five Senses In its most basic form, copywriting is, among other things, the art of conveying a message in writing for the purpose of persuading someone to do something. This is especially true when writing descriptive copy. Dissolving Buyer Scepticisim ... A Lesson In Copywriting When making a purchasing decision, people have their "rip off radars" on high beam. They're wary and so they should be -- after all, they're about to spend money so they want to be sure they're not going to get ripped off, AND they want to be sure they're going to get the absolute best return on their advertising dollar. Ad Copy - Your 12 Point Inspection! You're ready to launch that new product or promotion, & you're really counting on a piece of advertising copy to come through for you.You're looking for stellar results! And, you're determined to do everything in your power to get them. 10 Things You Should Expect From Your IT Copywriter Anyone who's ever tried marketing IT products or services knows that it's a specialist field. Your customers in the IT industry have very unique and specific requirements, and that means you do too. Professional Writing: Six Great Reasons to Hire a Writer Most people can write. Some can even write well. How To Write Headlines That Grab Your Prospects Attention It doesn't matter if you're writing an article, a newspaper or magazine ad, a web page, or even a Yellow Page ad. If it has a headline, that headline is the most important component of the entire package. Copywriting Businesses - How You Can Get Started Do you have the training and skills needed for copywriting?Are you looking for a way to get your foot in the door?Will you have what it takes to succeed with your copywriting businesses?For many, these three questions drive them day in and day out to become the person that people demand time with. Still for others, the business aspects of copywriting have just been easy to get. 5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Copy 1. Isolation technique It doesn't matter how good your copy is if they don't read it. How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance copywriting jobs, but how do you get them? The most important factor in finding these jobs is that you pursue the job you are looking for with all of your ducks in a row, so to speak. Here are a few things you need to do in order to get the freelance copywriting jobs that you have been looking for. Online Promotion Beats Traditional Ten-One While traditional marketing can work for the book author or publisher, the return is dim for the huge effort it takes. You must promote 90% of the time to even get a milligram of attention. On Copying and Stealing Designs The notion on the great artist, Pablo Picasso's quote, "Bad artists copy. Good artists steal" is lost on many. Custom Writing Services: Market Overview Market identification Custom writing services market is a sector of the e-commerce industry. Custom writing services are fee-based. Be That Copywriter Everyone Wants to Work With So many copywriters think that it's enough to be a stellar writer and grammatical genius. Oh, but this is so far from true. How To Personalize Your Headlines For Increased Profits! Personalizing your headlines to your target audience can significantly improve your sales response. You can do this by mentioning a person by name, their city, their career field, their job title, or group right in the headline. How You Can Find Freelance Copy Editing Jobs Even for those with the skills needed, finding copy editing jobs can seem next to impossible. The simple fact of the matter is, though, that through quality and building relationships, these jobs can be found and employment can lead to a career in the field. Give Me $1 And Ill Have A Powerful Marketing Weapon One of my most powerful marketing weapons costs me less than $1. I buy it once and it lasts me a lifetime. Working With a Freelance Editor If you are interested in creating information products, you will very likely deal with editors throughout your career. You may need someone to edit a book, review a special report, or tighten up a magazine article. Health and Fitness: A Huge Industry in Need of Writers Think about how much you read about and spend on health and fitness.Do you ever exercise? Take supplements? Go on a diet? Visit the doctor sometimes? Most of us do all four. How To Find A Copywriting School Have you heard the good things about the field of copywriting? If you have, then you know that a qualified copywriter is an invaluable asset to those looking for them. Becoming this asset means going to a copywriting school. Hook Your Direct Mail Sales Letter Readers With Good Transition Sentences Anglers in Maine catch trout using dry flies with barbless hooks. Unless they keep tension on the line all the way to the net, they lose the trout.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2008 |
