Your copy deck is one of the most important marketing tools that you have at your disposal. Do you know what it is? If not, start here. Once you’ve gotten the basics of this concept down, you can really dive in and create a copy deck that converts.
Copy, in the copywriting world, refers to the text used for the purpose of advertising or marketing. Copy is meant to persuade someone to buy a product or influence his/her beliefs.
A copy deck is a written document, most often written by a copywriter, which contains the advertising idea (with the specific wording to be used in advertising or promotions) to persuade people to buy or believe in a product. It also contains graphics, links and really anything that is considered essential for promoting the product or service.
If you’re not a writer, that’s ok. This guide is about the principles that you need to follow in order to be successful. If you can understand and follow these principles then you can instruct any skilled writer to write what you need.
1. Start with Existing Human Desire
If your copy deck doesn’t first focus on what people already desire it’s going to fail. Rather than trying to get people to want your product, get your audience to see that your product fulfills the desires they have.
What are some common human desires? You should look at your marketplace, specifically, but here are a few ideas to get you started.
People want:
- More money
- More time
- More (or better) sex
- More health
- More or less weight
- More “success” (whatever they define success as)
- More happiness
Are you seeing a pattern? People want more. It’s that simple. Now that you’ve started to think about human desire, find ways that your product can fulfill those desires.
Write ideas out like this:
Keep writing until you find the idea that really sticks out. This is probably the most important and overlooked part of copywriting for converting sales.
Remember this simple equation:
If you (the consumer) give me money, then I will give you what you desire (in the form of my product or service).
Keep it simple. That’s what your message needs to boil down to.
2. Highlight Emotions and Be Descriptive
In order to really heighten the human desire that already exists in your audience, you need to focus on bringing all of their emotions to the surface. Highlight the desire, or the pain associated with not fulfilling that desire, and then point them to your product.
Look at this copy and see how it makes you feel:
Are you always running late? Are you tired of your to do list getting longer and longer? Are you feeling overwhelmed with the daily tasks everyone else seems to place on you?
If you are sick and tired of always running out of time we have the solution you’ve been looking for!
Our Fancy Time Saving Product was designed for people just like you. It can bring peace and order to the busiest professional.
Over 4,100 realtors just like you have signed up this year and here’s what they’re saying:
“Our Fancy Time Saving Product was exactly what I needed! Now I get to spend more time with my family and less time working!” – Jill Customer
“With Our Fancy Time Saving Product I’ve been able to be more productive and increase sales by over 65%! I love Our Fancy Time Saving Product.” – Joe Customer
Stop letting time run out on you. Take control of your future and sign up today for just $97!
Not sure if it’s the right time? When you sign up today you get:
- Benefit one (valued at $105)
- Benefit two (valued at $250)
- Benefit three (valued at $79)
That’s a total savings of $337! Act now, supplies are limited.
Let’s break down what we have here:
Section 1: I outline the problem and highlight the pain associated with people wanting more time.
Section 2: I highlight the frustration that revolves around the problem and promise that we have the solution.
Section 3: I provide supporting content that explains how we can deliver our promise.
Section 4: I provide more supporting content in the form of social proof. As humans, we think that if others are using something successfully then it must be good for us too.
Section 5: I have our first call to action.
Section 6: I provide more reasons to act and highlight all of the extra add-ons that are included.
Section 7: I highlight the savings and tell them there is scarcity so that they feel compelled to act now. No one wants to lose out on a good deal and face loss. That’s a negative feeling.
Now look at the copy again. It’s actually broken down into three critical pieces:
The blue section is the headline. If you actually wanted to use this copy, you would want to boil it down to one very clear, strong headline. I have a few up there but it needs to be cleaned up a lot.
The green section is the supporting content. All of it should strongly support your killer headline.
The orange section is your call to action. This section could really use a lot of strengthening around a real product and real add-on offers, but again, this is just for illustration.
Are you starting to see how this works?
3. Test, Test, and Test Some More
Copywriting is not a single effort. It should be a constant exercise of refinement. Until you’re getting response rates of over 40%, you have plenty of room to grow. When you think you’ve found the perfect copy deck, put it out there and test it.
Once you get results of any kind, or lack of results for that matter, try a second or third version. Compare what happens with each pitch.
You’ll find that some pitches work better for some audiences and others work better seasonally or with certain pre-framing. No matter what you’re finding, you need to test constantly.
Be patient and track results. Make small adjustments. Make large adjustments. Become a student of great copy and you’ll be able to convert more and more prospects into paying customers each year.
Tell Me What You Think
Have you found a certain type of copy deck that works better than others? I’d love to hear what you think about this approach and what you’ve tested.
If you don’t have the time to write or you just don’t feel like you’ve got what it takes to write a killer sales pitch – you’re in luck!
At Business Marketing Engine, our team can help you create an email marketing campaign that meets your needs and helps you achieve your goals.
Contact us today for more information!
