Who should you write for?

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Who should you write for? Copyright © 2006

Do you really think that somebody who is in the grips of making a decision about a major purchase, with all the emotional turmoil and all the question and uncertainty they have, with all the stress and anxiety over spending, do you really think that your one-page flyer that says, "We care," is going to interest that prospect enough to want to do business with you, as opposed to the ten million other businesses in their area?

See, they want to understand what's going on. They want to understand why you're the one who can help them. And, as long as it takes to do that - is as long as it takes!

Are your prospective clients any different from you? Do you really think that for big decisions about major purchases or investments, they want some short, sweet thing? No. What they want is someone they can trust. In order to develop a trust, you have to make an emotional connection with them - to the heart.

In order to make that connection, you have to talk to them in a way they understand; in a way that makes them feel that you have empathy and that you can solve their problems or give them the best product or service. All that can not be done in one page!

I don't have a rigid answer for how long the copy should be. In ads and postcards, you're limited by size, so you don't have as much room. Sometimes it's very difficult to cut copy down to make it fit on one page. I know! But, when it comes to sales letters, you have as much room as it takes. I promise you - people will read it if they are interested. So, write for interested people.

You cannot trick people who are not interested into becoming interested. And people who are interested want to know everything before deciding who they're going to do business with.

So, again, who should you write for? The majority of the people who aren't interested, and try to trick them into becoming interested? Or, for people who are interested, who want as much information as they possibly can have before they make a decision? Or, at least, for people curious enough to want to know more and to respond to you?

When you think about it this way, it makes a lot of sense. If you were a sales person, you'd go nuts if your boss told you that you only had one minute to close a sale. You should go just as nuts if somebody says your copy should be "short and sweet."

See, we're not fans of long copy because we're fans of long copy. If we could market to people in one page, we'd do it. It's cheaper and easier to do. Unfortunately, though, what marketers "like" has nothing to do with what prospects love!

Keep in mind that the best marketing is marketing that works! Not marketing that fits into a certain size envelope, or that has lots of white space or whatever.

The only issue is what works. And if it takes long copy to make it work, then that's what you write because you are interested only in finding out what works.

Now, if you test something, and it works in one page, more power to you! Because I'm not saying you should always do things one way or another.

No. What I'm saying is that you should, always do what works. And if you can make something work in one page, GREAT! BUT, I am going to tell you that, in most cases, what usually works is longer copy.

So, don't leave this secret with a predetermined notion on exactly how long something should be. The only way to really know is through testing.

You should know, though, that going "as long as it takes" may move you out of your comfort zone when you first get started.

Try to have faith in what I'm talking about. It makes sense, and it's right. Not because I say so, but because it's been proven through years of testing. Long copy outpulls short copy if it is interesting and relevant to the reader, and it tells the whole story.

When you start getting customers responding to you because of the long copy that you are using, you'll quickly give up your preconceived notions about "short and sweet."

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