Web marketing and advertising is so different from traditional
marketing and advertising that many people with expertise in
traditional marketing find the concepts employed in copywriting
for websites and internet marketing to be unusual. Many even deny
the reality that web marketing and advertising on the internet is
different from traditional marketing and they attempt to apply
traditional marketing techniques rather than proven copywriting
techniques that are successful for web marketing and advertising.
The main difference between traditional sales copy and web copy
for web marketing and advertising is that traditional sales copy
is usually deemed to be more effective if it is brief and to the
point. Copywriting for web marketing and advertising; however, is
unique in that it is not intended to simply captivate the
audiences' attention and prompt them to take action such as
picking up the phone or visiting a store.
Copywriting for web marketing and advertising actually serves to
fulfill the entire advertising and sales process. Because
internet business is generally automated, the sales copy is much
more than material for web marketing and advertising, it is the
"sales person" that introduces website visitors to your products
and services, highlights the features and benefits of your
products and services, counters objections, asks the reader to
act, and closes the sale.
Because the role of sales copy for web marketing and advertising
is so much more involved than that of traditional sales and
marketing materials, being brief and to the point is not usually
the best approach to preparing your web copy. Short web copy can
be useful if you have an online catalog and you are simply
providing product descriptions through your web copy. However,
most ecommerce businesses need long copy to persuade website
visitors to become customers, to make sales, and to generate
ecommerce revenues.
Crafting useful web copy for your web marketing and advertising
using long sales copy techniques begins with planning. You must
know your target audience, prepare a unique selling proposition
that will appeal to that audience while setting you apart from
the competition, develop a pricing strategy and bonuses that give
customers the perception of value, and identify keyword terms and
phrases that your customers will use when searching for your
products or services.
Using the information from your research and planning efforts,
you can begin to write sales copy for your website which will be
the base for your web marketing and advertising as well as your
storefront. Start your copywriting with the creation of a
headline that grabs the attention of website visitors and a
subheading that sparks their interest. Be sure to focus on
benefits to the customer and to build credibility throughout your
sales copy by including testimonials and credentials.
Use bonus items and freebies to add value to your products or
services. Create urgency to prompt action by offering "limited
time" discounts or special offers. Finally, set your website
visitors' minds at ease by providing a strong, no-risk guaranty
and ask for the order.
Another technique that is useful for web marketing and
advertising sales copy is to offer a free newsletter or a free
report somewhere within your website copy. While this doesn't
contribute much to the actual sales process, it will provide you
with an opt-in list of customers and potential customers so you
can continue marketing to those website visitors that do not
convert to buyers on their first visit. If you don't get the
sale, at least you will get a lead if website visitors subscribe
to your newsletter or request a free report.
Be sure that a disclosure is made or an option is given that
makes it clear to website visitors that they are agreeing to be
placed on your opt-in list to receive communications from your
company if they subscribe to the newsletter or request the free
report. Using the techniques suggested here in creating your
sales copy for your web marketing and advertising provides a
strong foundation for building your internet business.
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