Do This Before You Write Sales Copy

Do you ever wonder about the “right words” you should use in your sales copy?

Do you have just a general idea of your clients’ pain points, and creating reader-specific benefit statements is hard?

We’ve all been there. It’s hard to write good copy when you don’t have all the information you need.

The solution?

Start a conversation with your target reader and ask them what you want to know.

If you’re thinking, “Ack, does that mean talking to people in real life?” the answer is yes. :)

Chatting with a reader or a customer uncovers a treasure trove of information. You’ll learn what they love about the company. You’ll learn what they don’t like.

And you’ll hear their story — including why they chose to work with your company (or read your blog) over all the others.

Knowing that information makes writing the sales copy easy. In fact, it basically writes itself.

Plus, readers coming to the site will immediately click with your content. They’ll read it and think, “Wow, it’s like this company gets me.”

After all, how many times have you worked with a company — even if they were slightly more expensive — because the sales copy put you at ease?

Yes, this takes extra time (if you freelance, know this is a billable deliverable.) But it’s worth it.

Are there other things you can do besides talking to people IRL?

Yes. But they aren’t quite as good. ;)

Survey Monkey surveys are a great way to gauge interest in topics, float possible product ideas, and identify pain paints. Consider including a comments box at the end — the feedback is just as fascinating as the results.

Another idea is to send an email after every transaction and ask a couple questions. I do this when people purchase my SEO Copywriting Certification training, and the feedback is amazing. Not only does this give me a great chance to “meet” my students and to start a dialogue, but I also learn why they signed up. 

And that’s great information.

If you’re looking for general target audience musings, specialized forums are key. You can see what people post, get a feel for popular topics, and learn a lot about folks who are passionate about a topic. Check out places like Reddit or specialized forums. Did you know there are multiple forums for a Thor 23FE Freedom Elite RV? Neither did I, until my husband told me. 

Finally, you can get in the habit of asking for feedback. That’s why I do it at the end of every newsletter. I want to know what topics you want to know more about, and which ones bore you. (It’s OK. I’m not hurt.) I learn what’s inspiring and what’s just…meh.

Sure, I have other data too — AWeber (and other email providers) track all sorts of fun stuff. But, I always read my emails. The notes mean more to me than the raw data alone.

So, what do you think?

Are you going to (gasp) chat with a customer or a reader in real life? Or, are you going to get feedback a different way. Leave a comment and let me know! <—See what I did there with the CTA — ha!