The Secret to Drilling Down Deep in Your Target Market
Here's another drill ripped out of the Field Guide for my Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp. There are 20 drills total which take 15 minutes per day (my "recruits" get weekends off). Each drill stands on its own but put them all together and the impact on your salesmanship is phenomenal! So here is another one for you? Copywriting is a team sport. There is you (the writer) and the reader. But the reader has all the power. She gets to decide when the game's over. As soon as the reader is gone, no one is there to read the copy! So anticipate what's going to keep her interested and intrigued 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. So let's go with ONE.) Now let's narrow it even further. I coined a term called "tarket" which is a combination of Target + Market = Tarket. See, "tarket" is 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. (Oops - 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 or "tarket" is.) Here's a million dollar tip for your copy. In general, even educated people don't mind reading simple words. Simple means clear. If you use high falutin language, you risk pulling the reader out of the reading experience?maybe fast enough to click away forever. 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 categories to get you started;
- Age
- Gender
- Education
- Family status
- Socioeconomic status
- Profession/occupation
- Hobbies
- Geographic location
- Media they consume (including Web sites, blogs, magazines, television shows)
Next find a picture of your newly born "tarket". Make him or her as real as possible. I have a picture of my tarket I got from clip art. (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.) Finally give your tarket a name. That helps solidify EXACTLY who it is youre speaking to in your writing. 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 and business folks. 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. www.red-hot-copy.com/rhcbootcamp.htm ABOUT THE AUTHOR: World class copywriter, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is the author of the award winning home study course, Red Hot Copy to Woo Your Target Market and founder of the online copywriting school Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp, ( http://www.red-hot-copy.com/rhcbootcamp.htm). Learn insider secrets to great copywriting from a pro whos been in the trenches with Lorries f^ree ezine, Copywriting TNT. Sign up at http://www.red-hot-copy.com.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Content is King
Introduction
3 Tips For Writing Content That Will Make You Sales
Content is king. Without content your website is an empty shell, a skeleton with no flesh, an empty vessel. Content can redeem the worst designed website. The right content can make your phone ring off the hook and flood your inbox with people wanting your product or service. Content is the most important ingredient in the recipe for your website's success. If you have engrossing, valuable and relevant content you are onto a winner..
Better Copy: The Interview is the Key
Most of us spend our days persuading others to buy our service, product or idea. Here is how to create powerful marketing copy to make your job easier: INTERVIEW YOURSELF.
How to Build Benefits from Features Fast and Easy with the Solution Approach
Every salesperson and fledgling copywriter hears the harangue: DON'T SELL the FEATURES of a product ? SELL the BENEFITS those features bring!!!
How to Write Carrot-Wielding Copy!
A significant reason behind websites that fail is the lack of an effective direct response sales message. Such a message is comprised of three elements (it must be):
So Youve Decided to Hire a Freelance Copywriter - A Guide to the Collaboration Process
Whether you're an executive or a small business owner, chances are you will have to hire a writer somewhere along the line to create your marketing material. Here is some insight into the process, what is expected of you, and how to get the most out of your investment.
Getting Paid for Your Articles
If you've been writing web articles to help promote your business, you may also wonder if you can write articles and get paid for it. What type of articles will land you some extra cash, and what control do you have over the resubmission of your content once you hand it over to the editors?
How To Get Started With A Career In Copywriting
Careers in copywriting are booming. Could it be that the new and ever growing market on the Internet has helped to fuel this demand? You can bet your sweet keyword that it has! With so many businesses looking to the internet for their freelance copywriters the demand for employees keeps growing. Likewise, careers in copy writing are being filled more and more with freelance or independent workers. Even those who work right from their home are jumping onto the bandwagon. But, copywriting careers are not all fun and games.
Freelance Technical Writers - How Much Are You Worth?
Where can you find out about freelance technical writing pay? Is there a place where you can go and find out where you stand? As with any field, pay is determined by several things, not just because you can do the work. Instead, it is about how you work, what type of work you do and how well you work with other people. It is often said that you cannot get experience without experience. That is true when it comes to these jobs as well. But, if you want to know about technical writing pay, then look at the characteristics you possess first.
How You Can Become A Freelance Business Plan Writer
As with any business, becoming a freelance business plan writer can be a challenge. The first challenges involve factors such as cash flow, getting clients, and maintaining some sort of order. Later, challenges will involve getting new clients, insuring return business and referrals, and making a profit. But, like any good business, it is up to the individual to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Becoming a freelance business plan writer is an excellent career. To make it successful, plan to succeed from the beginning.
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. Why? Because your customer's five senses don't work on paper? they only work in person. That's why we, as copywriters, have to create a sensory experience for our customers through our words.
Writing Online In Two Syllables or Less
About once a month I fly off somewhere to give a one-day workshop on writing for the web.
How to Get Instant Attention
Most of us have seen a heckler at a baseball game. Sure, he's likely to draw attention, both positive and negative. The louder he hollers, the more attention he gets.
7 Easy Tips on How to Improve Your Sales Letter Instantly
Would you like to get more sales from your online sales letter? Here are 7 easy tips that you can improve on your ad copy instantly and generate more revenue:
The Power of Saying You Can
If you have children, you will doubtless remember saying to them, "You can do it."
Copywriting: Engage Prospects By Involving Their Senses
Imagine a bland, colorless existence. Where food had no taste, silence surrounded you and everything smelled the same.
How to Write Ad Copy that Sells
When I write copy for my advertising clients, I always check to make sure the three key elements are in place. 1. psychology, 2. logic, and 3. creativity. These are three very different aspects of ad writing, which, when combined, produce a highly effective message. Master the technique of each, and create ads that really sell!
Top 3 Rules for Writing Effective Copy
One thing all successful Internet marketers have in common is that they're good copywriters. If you want to have a profitable online business, you need to know how to write a copy that motivates people to buy your product... a copy that sells!
Super Verbs Really Move Your Copy
Run or hustle? Eat or devour? Move or scurry? You can boost the power of your copy by boosting the quality of verbs you use. Verbs show action, and the way you describe that action can have a dramatic bearing on your readers. Why would you want to fill your copy with complacent words when you can conjure emotions and visual imagery in the hearts and minds of your readers? Sure, "run" and "hustle" both indicate that someone is moving fast. But "run" is a dull, ordinary verb while "hustle" evokes definite images in your reader's mind.
Sowing the Seeds of Opportunity: How to Multiply Your Freelance (Writing) Work
You can turn your $200 fee to write a press release into $2,000 to carry out an entire PR campaign simply by convincing clients to invest in campaigns, instead of individual assignments. Campaigns achieve better results and cost less in the long-term for clients, compared to individual assignments. And, of course, as the freelancer, you get paid much more for turning out a succession of assignments that assimilate a successful campaign.
|
