PRINCIPLES OF COPYWRITING
Be Concise
Be Simple
Be Specific
Be Personal
Make it Believable
Be Clear
Make it intersrting
Make it Persuasive
Keep a surprise in the Copy
Follow the Headline and Illustration.
The renowned advertising agency, McCann Erickson’s motto is “Advertising is the truth well told,” Copy must also strive to live up to this motto. The truth as perceived by the consumer (or credibility0 is more important than the literal truth.
Copy must present the facts in a manner that consumers can believe. This often poses a challenge for copywriters. A simple example will illustrate this.
Lets say an instant remedy has been discovered to cure the common cold. While this may be absolutely true it could be probably not be communicated directly in the advertising. This is because most consumers have deep-rooted skepticisms regarding cold remedies, and would be reluctant to accept a message about instant cure. In this case, the copy would have to convey the message in an indirect, yet credible manner.
It is not sufficient for a copy to say, “a product has this and this, so buy it.” Consumer reaction is likely to be: “What will all those features do for me?”
Having informed prospects about the product’s features and established credibility, the next task of copy is therefore to create a desire for the product. The copy must promise a benefit to the consumer, and show him how and why he will be better off with the product than without it. Example
“The Apco appliance is easy to use because it has 14 moving parts, attractive because it comes in three colours, and safe because its plug is shielded.”
The above example is likely to create desire for the product, because it states the products benefits and backs them with proof. This is also known as a “reason- why” or “rational” appeal.
The important point to remember is that the benefit must be matched with a real or perceived need of the consumer, in order to heighten desire. It should also be presented in such a way that consumers believe it and understand its application to their own situation.
Finally, having taken the consumer through the initial stages of attention, interest, credibility and desire copy must achieve its ultimate purpose- motivate the prospect to take some action.
The copy must spell out precisely what the prospect is expected to do. The proposed action may be immediate, e.g. “ Visit our showroom today”, or future, e.g.” Come to our sale, September 14” .The action may be directly requested as above, or indirectly implied in the copy (asking the prospect to associate a manufacturer’s product with high-quality).
Common “ action aids” used by copywriters are- convenient and ample availability, simple payment terms, immediate pick up or delivery, special bonuses for buying now, memorable slogans and so on. The important to remember is that consumers are essentially lazy and have to be “eased” into a sale.
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