Copy Writing, Sell the Sizzle, not the Sausage.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWPzRxPdlkU[/youtube]

For an introduction to the world of Advertising in all its horrible and contemptuous glory please get hold of the film ‘How to Get Ahead in Advertising.’ Written and Directed by Bruce ‘Withnail & I’ Dickenson and starring Richard, E. Grant, it really lets you know all you need to about Advertising and it is absolutely hilarious. One of the major themes in Advertising or any kind of marketing is selling the Sizzle. If you are promoting a product, the chances are (unless you are in the narrowest of niches) that there are a few other products which are indistinguishable from yours in every way, quality, function, price etc. This is where marketing comes into play and where the Sizzle, or the hyperbole, that is written about your product will distinguish you to consumers.

There is no one way to write good copy about your product, and there are huge amounts of information on what does make good copy, see Copyblogger for a good general introduction. What is important is maintaining a sense of integrity with what you convey. Integrity is the new black, in the past it was an underestimated force in advertising, mainly due to the narrow media of pre internet advertising. As the web has exponentially expanded the ways in which we receive information about products and services, we have become ‘hyper-skeptical’ about information and its integrity, (How many spam emails do you read, some of them might really have a product that you need or want, have you ever even thought about that?) Indeed we are more susceptible to Brand Loyalty than ever before as Trust is more important than ever. Integrity is even harder to develop and maintain than before, and this is also down to the mass media of the internet. As with politicians, companies only have to slip up once and it is everywhere on the net in a matter of hours, and that integrity is lost. How do you convey integrity? It is very difficult, but one good way to embed it in copy is to have a guest book on your website for satisfied customers (or use iTrader or similar software) the advantages of a guestbook is that you can lift comments and put them into emails, or letters or reviews, or anything else for that matter. However, it does mean that the products and services you provide have to be faultless. Happy Hunting.