Vickie Taylor - The Complete Guide to Writing Web-Based Advertising Copy to Get the Sale: What You Need to Know Explained Simply

The Complete Guide to Writing Web-Based Advertising Copy to Get the Sale

What You Need to Know Explained Simply

By Vickie Taylor

The Complete Guide to Writing Web-Based Advertising Copy to Get the Sale: What You Need to Know Explained Simply

Copyright 2008 by Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

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ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-020-3

ISBN-10: 1-60138-020-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

OPhelan, Ann Marie, 1960

How to go to college on a shoe string : the insiders guide to grants, scholarships, cheap books, fellowships, and other financial aid secrets / by Ann Marie OPhelan.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-020-3 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-020-8 (alk. paper)

1. Student aid--United States--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. College costs--United States--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.

LB2337.4.O64 2008

378.3--dc22

2008007340

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Table of Contents

Dedication

To Daddy, for telling me to dream my dreams, and Mom, for helping me achieve them.

Acknowledgments

So many people need to be thanked for helping me write this book. First, thank you to all the copywriters and business owners who took time out of their busy schedules to help me with this book. This book would not have been possible if not for you.

Second, thank you to my boyfriend, Michael, and to all my friends, for pushing me and pestering me to keep writing even when I did not want to. Though annoying at the time, your constant questioning on the status of my book helped me write it faster.

Third, thank you to every English teacher I ever had who encouraged me and told me to keep writing. A special thanks to two, Pam Bradley and Dava Tobey, who played significant roles in developing me to become a better writer and not settle for crap. I appreciate your guidance and encouragement. Thank you for everything.

Foreword

By Susan Greene

Copywriter

You have decided you want to be a copywriter. Now what? Where do you begin? How do you learn the craft?

How do you make the leap from an idea in your head to an impressive online marketing presentation, one that will attract visitors to your Web site and convert them into customers?

Fortunately, it is not quite as overwhelming as it seems. The Complete Guide to Writing Web-based Ad Copy to Get the Sale is your virtual instruction manual. Author Vickie Taylor will take you step-by-step through the process of creating and promoting a Web site.

You will soon realize that when it comes to purchasing products or services on the Web, most people do not care what company they buy from. They simply are seeking a solution to a problem. If you can persuade them through your Web site copy that your product meets their needs, then they will buy from you.

With that in mind, this book will teach you how to write Web copy that:

• Identifies your prospects desires
• Engages them with your understanding of those needs
• Explains your solution
• Describes its features
• Highlights its benefits
• Overcomes any objections the prospects may have
• Builds your credibility as their best resource
• Persuades them to act now with clear instructions on how to proceed

At its most basic level, good Web site copywriting provides the facts. It has the exact information that your customers seek and ultimately compels them to take action.

You cannot just toss random content on your site like a basket full of clean laundry that needs to be sorted. Readers will not sift through the mess. The clutter, like the mound of disorganized clothes, becomes an overwhelming deterrent. At best it is pushed aside to be dealt with later or, more likely, in the case of a Web site, it is ignored completely as the visitor clicks off to search for another more concise Web site.

To be effective in your Web copy, you need to carefully organize the information, employing words and categories that make sense to the reader. Use topic sentences and limit each paragraph to one main idea. Provide the right amount of information, enough to satisfy the readers questions, but not so much that they will be overwhelmed.