Ken Lovering is the owner of KL Marketing Communications. He can be reached at Ken@KLmarcom.com.
10. IT’S WRITING
People ask me if I can help with trademark or patent law. I can’t. That’s copyrighting.
9. SUBHEADS TELL THE STORY
Casual readers skim the subheads of your website, letter or ad first. So these should convey the benefits of your product or service succinctly and simply. Then, if readers want to learn more, they will read the rest.
8. ESTABLISH A VOICE
Avoid being ultra-serious in one paragraph and ultra-cute in the next. To reinforce brand and keep your reader engaged, convey one persona on the page and stick to it.
7. BE FRESH
Fresh, original copy begs to be read. It injects life and vigor into an advertising world that has become diluted with canned infomercial-speak like “and so much more!” or “and that’s not all!”
6. BE DIRECT, RELEVANT
No one wants to read a tangent about what your competitor does wrong. Your potential customers would rather read about what YOU do right. Tell them … and be pertinent and unswerving.
5. CONNECT
Are you in a technical industry? Turn the techno-speak switch to “off.” Speak the layperson’s language and keep your copy accessible and easy to understand. Doing so will tell your customer that YOU are accessible and easy to understand.
4. SHORT SENTENCES. SIMPLE IDEAS.
Divide longer sentences into two. And if your copy suddenly veers toward an exploration of the meaning of life, delete and start over.
3. KEEP THE RELATIONSHIP
If you lose touch with your customers, they will lose interest in you or, worse, be wooed by your competitor. Keep yourself front-of-mind by e-mailing or snail-mailing a regular newsletter of relevant topics.
2. CALL TO ACTION
Ask your reader to take action. Call today. Request more information via e-mail. Add your name to our mailing list. Either of these can result in future sales.
1. UNDERPROMISE. OVERDELIVER.
Give your customer more than they expect. They’ll remember you for it, and they’ll come back to you.
