Memorable Sales Copy -- How to Write it

Want to know the secret of creating MEMORABLE
promotional copy? Sales copy that actually stays with your
customers long after they've finished reading it?

Then master the art of using words to create pictures in your
customers' heads.

If you can describe your products or services in such a way
that it forms images in your customers' heads, well, then
you've just created something that will last long after the
marketing is over.

Why else do novels stay with us for so long? Those
"pictures" we see draw us into the world of the novel, and
those pictures stay with us long after we've closed the book.
If you can create that kind of staying power with your
marketing materials, think about how much ahead of your
competition you'll be.

So, how do you get started? Below are three tips. (Note how
all three tips have the word "specific" in common. Be
specific whenever you can. We don't think in generalities, we
think in details. The more specific you are, the stronger the
pictures.)

1. Use specific nouns. Quick -- what springs to mind when I
say the word "bird"? Now erase that image. What pops into
your head when I say "cardinal"?

When I said bird, you could have pictured any number of bird
species or maybe even some sort of generic bird
(something brown with wings and feathers). When I said
cardinal, I bet you saw a bright red bird with that distinctive
triangle head.

See the difference? Cardinal is specific and it brings a
specific picture to mind. Bird is generic, and it brings a
generic picture to mind.

Whenever possible, use the most specific noun you can.
(However, if the most specific noun is something most
people wouldn't know, say some rare exotic insect only
found in the Amazon jungle, then make sure you describe it
as well.)

2. Use specific verbs. Verbs breathe life into your copy.
They're the difference between words lying flat and
comatose on the page or jumping up and dancing a jig.

Verbs bring movement to your copy. They tell your readers if
someone is walking, jogging, sauntering, skipping or
crawling. Or maybe that someone is exhausted and has
decided to lie down for a bit.

Now, when I say verbs, what I'm NOT talking about are "to
be" verbs -- am, is, are, was, were, etc. Those verbs don't
paint a picture. Not like hug, skate, sail, run, fall, spin, flip,
etc. See the difference?

While "to be" verbs are necessary, the idea is to use them
as little as possible. In fact, I have a fiction-writing friend who
has a "was/were" rule. Only three "wases/weres" per page.

Yep, you heard me right. Per page.

Yes, it can be done. I didn't think I could do it either in my
novels. And let me tell you, when you start pruning those
"wases/weres" out of your prose, it's amazing how strong
your writing becomes.

3. Describe specific situations. Compare:

"Our bookkeeping service is the best in the area. We can
take care of all your bookkeeping needs, from invoices to
paying bills to reconciling your bank statements."

To this:

"Do your invoices go out late because you can't stand the
idea of sitting down to do them? Does your cash flow suffer
droughts each month because no checks arrive in the mail
(because your invoices went out late)? How much hair have
you pulled out over the years because of accounting
mistakes? Never fear, those days are over when you hire us
to do your bookkeeping."

The first example is generic (take care of bookkeeping
needs). The second example shows you HOW the
business does it. (In fiction we call it "show, don't tell." Good
advice, even for copywriters.) You can actually "feel" those
business problems -- late invoices, cash flow droughts,
loss of hair. It's the difference between something cold and
impersonal that really has nothing to do with you and
something that wakes you up with a spark of recognition
("Hey, that's me. I need that.")

Creativity Exercises -- See what others are doing

Pick a piece of copy. Something with meat -- at least 300
words or so. No, it doesn't have to be something you wrote
either. In fact, this exercise might be easier if it isn't yours.

Now analyze it. Look at the nouns. Are they specific? Or are
they a bit too generic? What about the verbs? Could they be
stronger? And does it describe a specific situation,
something that you can actually feel and touch?

Try this with a variety of writings -- novels, nonfiction books,
newspaper articles, Web sites, sales letters, etc. Look at
both "good" and "bad" examples. (Although good and bad
are somewhat subjective, follow your gut.) See what trends
you discover.

By analyzing what others are doing, you're better able to see
the strengths and weaknesses in your own writing.

http://ezinearticles.com/members/mem_pics/Michele-Pariza-Wacek_63.jpg" border="0" alt="EzineArticles Expert Author Michele Pariza Wacek">

Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and
Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She
offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine
their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting
principles to become more successful at attracting new
clients, selling products and services and boosting
business. She can be reached at http://www.writingusa.com

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