I get asked all the time, "Lorrie, how can I make my copy more persuasive?" Well frankly it helps if you can speak your prospect's language. But writing persuasively is more involved than just saying the right words. You need to say them in the right order?and in a way that lowers resistance to new information and is acceptable to his or her mind. One discipline that translates nicely to writing persuasive copy is NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming.
NLP isn't a replacement for good copywriting. It's a turbo boost. Meeting a person on his or her own level by using familiar words puts YOU in control of the communication almost immediately.
Have you ever been moved to buy a pair of sexy shoes instead of the sensible, comfy shoes you really needed? But when you got home you didn't know how you got over the resistance of spending the money? See, people understand the RESULT of making a purchasing decision, but are often unaware of the internal recipe that gets them there. We all know we tend to buy based on emotion over logic. In fact, most buying decisions are largely emotional.
WHO'S RIGHT ANYWAY?
We can all agree there are two sides to the brain, correct? The left (logical) and the right (emotional). Interesting fact: information is first perceived by the emotional right brain. Then within a fraction of a second, it shoots over to the logical left. Then finally, once again, is reflected to the emotional right. In other words, every message we get is influenced by the emotional right brain. Pretty fascinating, huh?
Here is the basic principle of NLP as I understand it. There is no mental resistance to an idea you perceive as your own. And whenever any of us engages our imagination, we think we came up with the idea ourselves. So it must be great!!! It aligns with our own beliefs so it's unconsciously accepted as being the truth and you act as if it's true. So NLP always prefers to presuppose that changes can be made quickly and automatically. So let's cover some NLP principles and how to use it in the art of persuasive writing.
PACING
Pacing is putting yourself in the prospect's shoes through languaging. Look at David Ogilvy (one of the greatest advertising masters who ever lived) as an example. His first headline for Rolls Royce didn't come from HIS mind, but that of an engineer at the factory. Ogilvy was told, "You know David, the loudest noise from this Rolls Royce comes from the clock on the dashboard at 60 miles an hour." And David thought this man, this engineer must know something because he's constantly in the flow about changes and revisions and everything happening at the Rolls Royce factory. So David did his research and made a connection. I'm not suggesting the engineer was deliberately using NLP on David, but it's an illustration of how we as humans connect the dots and are able to write persuasively as a result.
Though similar to empathy, pacing is a bit more complex. In pacing, you actually encourage the prospect to use visualization or other accessing cues in a very subtle and vague way. These are the same communication skills of matching, mirroring and rapport that allow you to pace and lead someone to the sale.
NLP Master Ross Jeffries says, "People will not accept that you are an authority on where they should go unless they accept you're an authority on where they are at."
In other words, if you're reading a letter or listening to a podcast, it makes sense for me as a writer to mirror that experience for you. Then you subtly relax:
Any of those phrases have you and the prospect share an experience, which moves him or her toward the sale. Have you ever met someone and felt an instant kinship with that person? Or on the other hand, met someone who you just could never quite get on the same wave length?
What if you knew how to get on that person's "wave-length"? You would have a totally different outcome ? the outcome you wanted! That's the importance of defining your target audience (or my own term, TAR-KET). You can communicate with that one person because you have already defined him or her.
PRESUPPOSITION OF AWARENESS
This technique also ties to speaking directly to your own target market. (If people don't have their target market nailed down, it doesn't matter how good their copy is. It doesn't matter if you're trying to sell beef to a vegetarian. It's just not going to work. So you really have to zone in on your target market.)
The way you do that is to understand your product. Figure out where they shop, where they eat, what they look like. Are they a family or are they single? Do they have dogs or not? Do they live in a rural area or the city? These keys make a huge difference when you are trying to figure out who your target market is. When I write my copy, I write to one person. I visualize everything about them so it's very real to me when I start to write. I would suggest that you funnel down your target market to your TARKET as much as possible. That's how you're able to give them the illusion. You've given them information and the mind fills in the blanks. The more specific the better is what I'm saying.
In this technique you direct the conscious mind of the reader by assuming something is true. So you speak to him or her as if something has already happened. Here are some examples:
The proper use of language patterns in written words means you communicate by tonal shifts, tempo shifts etc, following the patterns of a question, a statement, or a command. We invite people to share our certainty about our product or service by using an intonation of a command or a statement like "Do you agree?"
PRESUPPOSITION OF TIME
This concept piggybacks onto the previous one. You build on the prospect's experience of awareness by adding in the element of time. Examples:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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 .
There is no doubt that Spam has affected online business... Read More
Article marketing has become very popular of late, especially with... Read More
Never before in the history of the business of writing... Read More
One of the best things you can do for your... Read More
What's the quickest, easiest way to get exposure for your... Read More
Do you wonder what easy, cheap, and fast way you... Read More
Writing dozens, hundreds or even thousands of articles and making... Read More
A ghostwriter, as one may think is not a writer... Read More
Anxiety, apprehension, cold feet, consternation, dismay, distress, dread, fear, fright,... Read More
Writing articles for online newsletters and websites can be a... Read More
Most authors are wasting their time producing dozens to hundreds... Read More
Two important factors that play a part in the rankings... Read More
Abandon your frustrations and get a fresh start by trying... Read More
If you are using articles to promote your business then... Read More
There's a new sort of ghost stalking the digital landscape.They... Read More
The Shortest Distance to Your Home Town Enterprise is Over... Read More
If you are not creating articles for your website and... Read More
As an article author, sometimes you can only pull so... Read More
I have a confession to make.I think in "articles."As a... Read More
Writing effectively on the internet is the most effective way... Read More
Heard about article marketing but not sure why you'd need... Read More
Most writers I talk with who experience "writer's block" do... Read More
It's not enough to scatter your articles across the internet... Read More
Ever read one of those web articles written by an... Read More
If you have writing skills and want to use your... Read More
If your business has a website, you're probably searching for... Read More
All of us, the authors, know that to enhance our... Read More
1. What is the single most compelling subject from your... Read More
Every successful website needs to be, what the experts consider,... Read More
You have decided on a great idea and researched a... Read More
You've already agreed that putting some of your best articles... Read More
You say, I can't write an article, I have no... Read More
Writing a great deal of articles myself, I see a... Read More
Are you looking for a better way to promote your... Read More
Do you wonder what easy, cheap, and fast way you... Read More
Content is an important component of your web site. Learning... Read More
Much has been touted about the effectiveness of article writing... Read More
When you have to share what you've created, where do... Read More
The traditional print media newsletter is still useful even in... Read More
Hey! Who's that I see, typing feverishly as brilliant ideas... Read More
Often all the Web Surfer will see is your title,... Read More
A "Thought Leader" is someone recognized as an authority in... Read More
Writing can be fraught at the best of times but... Read More
Many writers do not understand that the online writing business... Read More
The five essential questions to be answered in your article... Read More
The first twenty-five words of your article are the most... Read More
One of my subscribers writes 'I can't hold my tongue... Read More
I've been involved in publishing for over a decade now... Read More
1) Don't use all capitals in your title:People don't like... Read More
Article Marketing Builds Momentum and TrafficWhen I started submitting articles... Read More
Every time I run a course on Freelance Writing, students... Read More
Last time on "Because your articles suck" ? we discussed... Read More
Sometimes when I am communicating with other webmasters and I... Read More
You've already agreed that putting some of your best articles... Read More
Being an Internet Article Author is far and away the... Read More
Heard about article marketing but not sure why you'd need... Read More
There are many different ways to improve link popularity for... Read More
These 7 Important Elements are your Blueprint to Article Writing... Read More
A few years ago as a webmaster with no money,... Read More
If you are using articles to promote your business then... Read More
The key to selling reprints to parenting publications is the... Read More
What should be in your article summary? It's otherwise known... Read More
Your author bio is a vital part of your article... Read More
Are you ready to become an internet marketing expert? Are... Read More
Writing quality articles is time consuming for the very best... Read More
Publicity?you're business can survive without it, but it certainly won't... Read More
Article Writing |