Direct Response Copywriter asks, "Long or Short Copy?"

Should direct response copy be long or short? To begin to answer this question, it's vital to understand skepticism...especially Internet skepticism.

If you’ve seen the work of the excellent Herschell Gordon Lewis, a direct response copywriter, then you’ve read something along the lines of “we live in the age of skepticism.”

He’s right, of course.

But potential buyers have always been skeptical. It’s always “the age of skepticism.” And with the pullulation of information, readers, somewhat ironically, have become more skeptical: they have more information and more access to more information but they're still skeptical.

According to the official Google blog, there are more than 1 trillion unique URLs but even the engineers at Google are stumped when it comes to estimating the total number of pages. From the blog...

So how many unique pages does the web really contain? We don't know; we don't have time to look at them all! :-) Strictly speaking, the number of pages out there is infinite…

Marketers are partly to blame for the information avalanche. Sadly, many of these Internet marketers tell blatant lies. Once a reader falls prey to an Internet scammer they are less likely to buy a product that’s sold online. It’s understandable and the lies fuel the fire of skepticism.

Due to this skepticism, it’s even more important to provide potential buyers with plenty of information backed by solid proof. In other words, you’d better have long copy versus short copy and the copy must include all the proven elements of long form direct response copy.

(You can use my handy direct response checklist to make sure you have all the elements).

Direct response marketing has never died and it never will but it’s enjoying a renaissance—or a ‘trendification’ if you prefer.

The most successful twenty-something online marketers, the mega-geeks, are more interested in the technology than the tactics. At their core, these kids who grew up spending hours gaming are video-tanned mathematicians who correctly base all their marketing decisions on raw data—as translated by tools like Google Website Optimizer.

For a direct response copywriter, it’s exciting to see these quiet millionaires discover the beauty of direct response marketing. Now they’ve found it and got over the “that must be tacky” hurdle their appetite for direct response knowledge is voracious.

Well guess what? The data is pushing them toward the foundational veracities of direct response marketing.

• Copy is really, really important.
• You’d better have a direct response copywriter on your team.
• There’s no way to measure the impact of branding but you can measure the impact of a new headline...or offer...or price.
• Black type on a white background converts better than black type on white copy.
• Always be testing.
• Feed the testing beast with fresh copy.
• Long form copy sells more than short form copy.

And so on…

A veteran of direct response marketing could have told the online marketers all this but people in their 20s rarely listen to the sagacity of the now graying direct marketers who relied primarily on mail, radio, and TV to sell what they sold. That’s changing as the geeks download the work of Lewis, Schwartz, Hatch, Ogilvy, and other direct marketers onto their Kindles.

"Guess what?" they say to each other. "This direct marketing stuff KICKS ASS!"

A company called Conversion Rate Experts recently helped a client, Crazy Egg, improve revenue by a staggering 510%.

The tactic? A long form sales page.

Here’s the case study.

Here’s the copy.

The challenger increased revenue by 510%. 

HELLO! 

Yes—long form is more expensive and yes, it takes a little longer to develop and create but the numbers tell the truth: 510% increase in revenue. The ROI must have been jaw-dropping.

If you’re selling an expensive product or if you’re selling something that’s innovative or new or if the product’s value proposition isn’t instantly obvious, then long form copy is mandatory. How long is long enough? The copy needs to be long enough to sell what’s being sold.

As David Ogilvy said:

The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.

In the age of a trillion website pages, one direct response truth ironically remains rock-solid: when someone is genuinely interested in what you provide, you cannot provide them with enough information...and proof…and bullets…and attention grabbing headlines…and Johnson boxes…and embedded video…and irresistible offers…and every direct response tactic in the book.

With so much information available so quickly, it’s tempting to believe that readers don’t have the capacity to concentrate.

Wrong.

If the copy is enticing, salient, and relevant, the reader will read—then buy. If you’re skeptical about this, the data proves it.

Long form copy, written by a competent and experiened direct response copywriter, sells more than short form copy.

If you’re skeptical about this, the data proves it. 

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I'm a direct response copywriter. I specialize in providing content and copy for the direct marketing environment for clients around the planet. I specialize in sales page copy, landing page copy and copy that just plain persuades readers to pull out their credit card and buy. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here if you have a project you'd like me to quote.

Why I'm a Direct Response Copywriter

Q: Why am I a direct response copywriter?

A: The smile on the face of a client when my copy helps conversion increase.

I'd be lying if I said my copy beat the control every time but I've had some good successes over the past several weeks. 

• An advertorial that increased conversion by 30%
• A sales page that's converting at 5.5%
• A product page for a high end iPhone case that's converting at 3%

I'm happy with these numbers but I'm keenly aware that a direct response copywriter is only as good as the last assignment.

But the numbers above represent tens of thousands in revenue, or additional revenue, per day, for the people who have hired me to write copy.

This means business owners are being successful and when they're successful, they can hire people and reinvest in new products and this helps people thrive.

I also enjoy direct response copywriting because:

1. It's a challenge
2. It's fun
3. People in direct response marketing are driven
4. There's nowhere to hide...you have to be accountable
5. I enjoy reading about how to improve my copy
6. It's totally democratic (in the non-political sense) because the result is the only thing that matters
7. I can't do anything else 

But the #1 reason I love being a direct response copywriter is helping businesses succeed.

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I'm a Charlotte direct response copywriter. I specialize in providing content and copy for the direct marketing environment for clients around the planet. I specialize in sales page copy, landing page copy and copy that just plain persuades people to pull out their credit card and buy. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here if you have a project you'd like me to quote.

Direct Response Copywriter on THE TRUTH

I was driving around this morning listening to a radio station. I heard a radio spot for a local jeweler: Diamonds Direct.

With the NFL season coming up, the jeweler is making a big deal of their affiliation with the Carolina Panthers.

“The Official Jeweler of The Carolina Panthers.”

It’s impossible to measure the ROI on this type of marketing spend but that’s fodder for another blog.

During the radio commercial, the breathless announcer says that Diamond Direct ‘earned’ the right to be the official jeweler of the Carolina Panthers.

Earn.

Proof that one word can make a big difference in copy.

You don’t ‘earn’ the right to sponsor a team. You BUY the sponsorship. You write a big check.

So they’re not really telling the truth.

I have to admit I would rather have razor wire stuffed up my nose than go anywhere near a jewelry store. One reason: I can think of 490 better ways to spend the cash I would likely drop in the place like Diamonds Direct.

Anyway…why would I give a chunk of business to a company that fibs in their copy?

It’s not a major thing perhaps and I might be the only person who cares but it's important to remember that listeners, readers, and viewers are extremely skeptical when it comes to advertising. Why fuel that skepticism? Remember, in direct response copywriting, we’re writing every word to maximize response.

As a direct response copywriter, I strongly believe in verisimilitude which is placing the product or service in the best possible light. But verisimilitude is not fibbing.

So my brothers and sisters at Diamonds Direct…don’t tell me a fib. Instead, persuade me to walk in the door or visit your website. Tell me why I have to buy from you instead of the bazillion other jewelers on the planet. Prove that you do what you say.

And just in case you care, the fact that you’re the official jeweler of the Carolina Panthers means nothing to me and I’m a huge fan of the team. You’re better off spending your money on a direct marketing campaign where you can closely track the ROI.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment for clients around the world. I increasingly specialize in sales pages and landing pages. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here.

Direct Response Copywriter Word of the Night: AIDA

OK. Admittedly, it's an acronym. But for the direct response copywriter, AIDA is an extremely important word. It’s the baseline copywriting formula for direct response copywriting.

A = Attention

I = Interest

D = Desire

A = Action

Let’s go through these briefly.

The headline and opening must get the reader’s attention. The reader is the target prospect.

Interesting facts come next in order to hold the interest of the reader. The deeper the research, the stronger the overall interest. It’s where the direct response copywriter states the problem.

In the desire section, the product/service gets introduced as the solution to the problem. It’s time to discuss features and benefits and also include testimonials and proof. Don’t forget the guarantee and the offer.

At the end, demand action by telling the reader what you want them to do.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

It takes a lot of work to get it right and convert readers, viewers, and listeners into buyers.

However, for any copywriter, including the website copywriter, it’s important to use the AIDA formula.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment for clients around the world. I increasingly specialize in sales pages and landing pages. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here.

Charlotte badly needs a direct response copywriter...or 20

I live in Charlotte, North Carolina, a city that will soon be in the national spotlight when it hosts the Democratic National Convention.

I’ve lived in Charlotte for 23 years and the city has changed dramatically. I think the population has doubled. Or trebled. Yet the city remains remarkably friendly and convenient. It's so easy to live here yet the city has a national feel. I live just five miles from an NFL stadium.

But I’ve always thought of the city as an advertising backwater. The biggest agencies here would be mid size in other cities. And what I’ve seen of their creative output is generally weak. There are lots of small branding agencies that don’t do much. But they’ve ALL won plenty of awards—given to each other by…each other.

Proof of the general mediocrity came this morning when I was driving around and actually listened to four minutes of drive time radio ads. One of the ads featured a mumbling man who tried to tell a story; at the end of 60 seconds a mumbling lady invited me to go to a website. I have absolutely no idea what the man was trying to sell.

I heard two screaming car ads that instantly gave me a big headache. I also heard an ad for Hooters that was trying to be funny. I’m sorry, but if you’re a copywriter and you can’t write a funny ad for Hooters then you should become a dishwasher or bar back.

Compare this to the ads I hear on satellite radio. They are ALL direct response ads and I’m certain they are all tracked and someone is measuring ROI. There's a lesson there for the local advertisers.

Because I don’t spend time hanging around other ‘creatives’ at ad club social events (maybe I should) I’m admittedly out of touch with the local scene but it seems to me like Charlotte lacks a big time direct response marketing presence.

And I’ve heard that from people with a national perspective.

It’s a shame because just about every client of every Charlotte ad agency could benefit massively from a direct response orientation.

I have NEVER run into another direct response copywriter in Charlotte.

Here's a brutal fact if you're a business that's using a Charlotte branding agency. You're wasting your money. Find a direct response agency. Now. Even if you have to go outside Charlotte.

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I'm a direct response copywriter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. I specialize in providing copy and content for the direct marketing environment for clients around the world. I increasingly specialize in sales pages and landing pages. Enter your info to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or contact me here.