Childrens Charity

Writing copy has sometimes been compared to an “art.” While it
does take creative skill to write great copy that generates
results, there are some mistakes that you should avoid to make
sure that your copy is read and acted upon.

1.The copy is boring. Great copy will never be boring and will
always get the reader to read the entire message. It is engaging
and written in a conversational tone. It bypasses the readers
mental resistance to being sold and will always generate
results. That’s why the best copy that you read, is always the
ones that read like a good book. They tell a story and bring the
reader along your sales process. 2.The copy is all about you.
Copy that is all about the features of a product, or all about
your service will fall flat on its face. The reader will not
finish reading the copy and will in all likelihood toss the
letter in the trash. There goes your marketing budget to the
landfill. It would be more profitable to donate the money to a
deserving charity and have a press release written about how you
or your company is concerned about people’s welfare. No, your
copy must tell the reader “what’s in it for me,” WIIFM. You must
show the reader what the result of using your product of service
will be of benefit to them. They could care less about you, so
keep yourself out of it. Now, there are times when you must tell
about yourself or your company. And that is used to generate
credibility, not to make the sale, and it must come after
telling the reader the benefits of using your service or
product. Only then will the reader be interested in hearing
about you or your company. 3.Has no clear “call to action.” You
must spell out what you want the reader to do. If you want to
reader to fill out your order form, give them specific
instructions on how to do it. Tell them exactly what to do.
Don’t dawdle around and say, “Just fill out the order form to
get your…” No, no, no. Rather tell them that they need to give
you their name, address, etc. on the order form, and make sure
you tell them to “print” on the order form, that way it will be
easier for you to read. I’m not saying that prospects are dumb,
but you must give them specific instructions on what action you
want them to perform. 4.Has a week P.S. The PS is the second
most read part of your sales letter. Restate the benefits the
reader will enjoy by ordering your product or service. Throw in
an extra bonus here as well. For example, “Order in the next 5
days and you will also receive (fill in the blank).” And if you
want to make sure that you have a strong PS write it before you
write the body of your letter. That way you won’t be tired of
writing and scratch out a hurried PS. 5.Has no testimonials.
Without testimonials (and we’re not talking about the “Oh I just
loved your service” kind of testimonials) your copy has no
credibility. Why should someone believe what you are telling
them if there is nothing to back up your claims? Without
testimonials your reader will assume that you are hyping them.
That you are claiming to be something that you are not. You must
have testimonials to help your reader/prospect believe in you.
Survey your customers to get good specific testimonials so that
you can sprinkle them throughout your copy. These are just a few
mistakes that I’ve seen people make when trying to write their
own copy instead of hiring a qualified copywriter. A really good
copywriter will avoid these mistakes like the plague. Examine
the copy you have on your website or in your sales literature.
Does it make any of these mistakes? Chances are if it is making
any of these mistakes then it is making others that will jump
off the page to a well-trained copywriter’s eye. Don’t make
these mistakes yourself if you decide to tackle writing your own
sales copy. If you do, you will be doomed to fail at the outset
and you will be wondering why your copy isn’t converting more
prospects

Gary Glasscock
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/do-you-make-these-5-mistakes-when-writing-your-sales-copy-307.html