Benefits show -- in detail -- how your product will solve your customers' problems, improve their lives, save them money, and so on.
In a nutshell, benefits answer the BIGGEST question on readers' minds: "What's in it for me?"
But how do you know which benefits to focus on? What are people searching for when they type words into a search engine and end up on your sales page? More importantly, why are they searching?
(Hint: it's not because they like to spend money on random sites on the Internet!)
The answer to "why" is the secret ingredient that lies at the heart of EVERY successful salesletter: emotional appeal.
People don't buy things for rational reasons. They buy for emotional ones. They want to feel good... hopeful... satisfied... proud... relaxed... acknowledged... secure...
... you get the picture.
If you can identify the underlying emotional needs your product or service satisfies, you can write copy that identifies with your reader in a very intimate way. In a way that says YOU understand them. That you've been there yourself. And that you've found a solution to the very problem their emotions are driving them to solve.
That's powerful stuff.
So how can you write emotionally-charged ads that connect to your reader? Start by looking at the problem your product solves. What's the underlying emotion it addresses?
Let's say you sell an eBook on 5-minute makeup tips. What problem does your eBook solve? The need to look professional in a hurry and without too much effort? What emotions are being catered to? Pride? Vanity? Laziness? All three?
Out of all human emotions, some are more powerful "sales" drivers than others. So the first step to writing emotionally-charged copy is to identify which "power" emotions are at the core of your product.
Here are seven power emotions that you can tap into, to write salescopy that converts the MAXIMUM number of visitors into paying customers...
Power Emotion #1: Fear of Loss
One of the most powerful human drivers of change is fear. Fear of losing those things that are most important to us. It could be our sense of security that's at stake. Our money. Our health. Or even our happiness.
When you identify fear, you can write salescopy that speaks to that emotion, and indicates how your product will overcome that fear.
Here are some examples of copy that recognizes fear and offers a solution to it:
"Lose $3,000 tomorrow without this advice…"
"Protect your computer from viruses that can wipe out your entire hard drive."
"Selling your home? Avoid the top 10 mistakes that can cost you thousands of dollars
and stop you from
selling your house in 2-4 weeks!"
Notice how these examples use words like "protect" and "avoid"?
Just as there are power emotions, there are power words that correspond to those emotions!
What are some other power words besides "protect" that correspond to fear? Well, you can try words like:
Save
Secure
Safety
Clinch
Red flag
Defend
Keep in mind that when you identify negative emotions like fear, your ultimate goal is to show how your product or service takes away these fears.
Your job is to identify the fear that is there, relate to your reader based on that emotion, then provide relief from that unpleasant emotion. That's why the power words related to fear are positive.
Power Emotion #2: Greed
Greed is another powerful emotion that drives us to take action on our goals. Whether it's our thirst for money, security, fame, recognition, power, or just about anything else that we desire.
So how do you acknowledge these desires in your salescopy? And more importantly, how will your product provide them?
Take a look at some examples of copy that does just that:
"We'd like to introduce the easiest, simplest, and most efficient proven method for you to make money... This revolutionary method is 100% real and effective, and it will make you increase your income about 90%, so you can make between $100 and $500 a day."
"Club Sportiva gives you the keys to our private multi-million dollar car collection... letting you experience everything from the classics like a Jaguar E-type and Bentley to the newest exotic Ferraris and Lamborghinis."
"Tired of scraping by, only buying products if they're on 'sale', living paycheck to paycheck? Discover how to break the cycle once and for all, and start living a life of luxury."
And here are some power words you can use to connect with your readers' inner longing for easy acquisition:
All
Amass
Money
Millionaire
Monopolize
Results
Proven
Power
Emotion #3: Lust
Lust is perhaps the most pleasurable of the power emotions. And who couldn't use a little more pleasure in their lives?
Some examples of salescopy that hand you lust on a platter:
"In this section, you will learn a step by step process for how to win the game of love, so that you can immediately begin attracting the love of your life."
"Learn the seduction secrets that will make women melt in your hands..."
"Are you ready for a night on the town? Your best girl friends -- check! Money for cover charges and one drink -- check! Oh wait -- what to wear? No worries, FlirtCatalog has one of the largest selections of sexy dresses to put your mind at ease!"
Home in on this pleasurable emotion using some of these lustful words
Compel
Attract
Love
Delicious
Tempting
Enticing
Charming
Discovery
Health
Tempt
Of course, people can lust after things as well as people (like a Lamborghini!). So keep in mind that your product doesn't have to be focused on "getting the girl" or other types of people-related lust.
Power Emotion #4: Vanity
If your product caters to people's vanity -- pride in their appearance, abilities, and achievements reflected back by others -- you're in luck. It's another top-selling emotion.
"If you want to be one of those women who always looks great no matter what you're wearing, no matter what your age...and even if you're not at your "ideal weight," then this will be the most important letter you've ever read."
"In the last 10 years, we've helped thousands of men and women of all ages and fitness levels to look and feel their very best -- people just like YOU!"
In fact, whole industries are built around this need to look and feel our best. Let's face it. We can all use a boost sometime. And those products that appeal to our vanity can provide them.
Some other vanity power words include:
Attractive
Confident
Magnetic
Younger
Stronger
Beautiful
You
Think about how your product or service caters to this power emotion... image consulting, exercise equipment, cosmetics, laser eye surgery, baldness cures... the list goes on.
Power Emotion #5: Pride
Do you feel pleasure when you know you've done something well? Feeling good about your accomplishments is what pride's all about.
To connect with pride, your ultimate goal is to show how your product will provide a sense of worth or accomplishment.
Let's take a look at a couple of examples:
"Would You Want Your Name Written In The 'Largemouth BASS' Hall Of FAME? What if I could show you insider up-to-date secret techniques that will put your name in the history records like the old-school stars -- Kevin VanDam, Denny Brauer and Gary Klein?"
"Now You Can Transform Ordinary Fabric Into a Handmade Quilt That Your Family and Friends Will Love, Admire and Cherish – Even If You Have Never Made a Quilt Before!"
"Transform the book idea in your head into a completed and ready-to-publish manuscript in your hands."
The opportunities for identifying with pride are endless! Your pride power-words:
Accomplish
Master
Transform
Best
Biggest
Greatest
Money
Proven
Results
Envy
Power Emotion
#6: Envy
You've worked hard all your life, but you're not even close to making that 6-figure salary you thought you'd be making by now. But it seems every time you turn around, there's someone else who is.
Ah, envy. Whether you've got it for someone else or you want others to envy YOU, it's a powerful emotion. And it's one of the top instigators of change.
Envy is the state of seeing others who have what YOU want. So if you're going to identify with envy, you need to be prepared to tell them how your product will give them what they're lacking. In a word, your copy needs to promise fulfillment.
Testimonials, examples, and personal stories inspire envy -- and give inspiration to take further action:
"Your buddies will be AMAZED at your LUCK or so it would seem... If they only knew what you're about to discover..."
"I was working a corporate job for almost 9 years. Finally I had it when my salary was cut by 30%... Today my life is drastically different. I work out of my home office in NYC. I gave up the suit for jeans, sweats and shorts. And I spend most of my day doing what I love: working out, shopping, volunteering and walking my dog Cheila. And I have already tripled my income this year working this business 20-25 hours a week using the new
Web 3.0 Social Profit Streams"
"Desperate Scrawny "Nerd" From Texas Humiliates The "Big Boys" At The Gym After Accidentally Discovering The Body's Hidden Natural "Trigger" For Blasting Through Rotten Genetics And Packing On Up To 3 - 6 - Even 9 INCHES Of Shredded Muscle...NOT In Years...But Just WEEKS!"
Here are some envy power words you can use:
Desire
Covet
Begrudge
Secret
Ordinary
Extraordinary
People just like you
Just remember, envy is only a negative emotion if it doesn't prompt someone to take concrete steps to change whatever it is about their lives that isn't working for them.
And if your product can provide those steps, your customers need to know about it!
But first you have to capture their attention... by using genuine testimonials or personal anecdotes you can inspire a little envy, then go on to describe how your reader can achieve the same enviable state!
Power Emotion #7: Laziness
These days, there are a lot of things competing for our time and attention. Family, work, hobbies, giving back to the community... the list goes on and on. So products that can provide quick results with minimal effort are extremely appealing.
That's where laziness comes into play.
Laziness is the need for maximum results with minimum effort. And its allure is powerful.
Here are some examples of "lazy" copy:
"Avoid the common fitness mistakes that waste your time."
"How would you like to write your book in 3 days? Attend my Author's Boot Camp and get that book that you know is inside you out of your head and onto the paper in one weekend."
Your lazy power words:
Instant access
Save time
In less than
Break-neck speed
Lightning
Easy
Guaranteed
Roadmap
Blueprint
Avoid mistakes
Those are the top 7 power-emotions in a nutshell. Did you notice that salescopy from the same website came up in a couple of examples? For instance, the examples about writing a book covered laziness AND pride. Most copy will cater to more than just one type of emotion.
And there are natural combinations of these emotions, too: pride, laziness, and greed; fear, pride, and vanity; or envy, vanity, and laziness, for example.
So by all means, choose two or three to highlight throughout your copy and sales process. In general, any more than that, and your copy won't be as focused or effective as it should.
But remember, emotion is the element that will turbo-charge your salescopy, so think -- and FEEL -- like your potential customers.
Larry Potter
A Ticket To Wealth"Ignorance is a voluntary misfortune"
