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10 Tips for Aspiring Freelance Copywriters
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9 Tips for Better Copywriting
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An SEO Copywriting Makeover – Turning “Not” Into “Hot” Part 2 of 2
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Boost Your B to B Marketing Copy: 3 Major Copywriting Blunders and How to Correct Them
When you're writing or evaluating copy for a B to B marketing (also referred to as "business to business" marketing) campaign of any kind, you may think it's only appropriate to write formal copy in which you refer to yourself as "we" or "our...
How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs
Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance copywriting jobs, but how do you get them? The most important factor in finding these jobs is that you pursue the job you are looking for with all of your ducks in a row, so to speak. Here are a...
How to make your web copy better.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when creating a web site is to take large chunks of copy from your existing marketing materials (ads, brochures, sales letters etc.) and cut and paste them onto your web pages. What you have to understand is...
Make Your Sales Copy Believable
You read all kinds of articles telling you which power words and "triggers" to use in your sales copy. These words are assumed to be "magic bullets" that will immediately put your prospects in the mood to buy whatever you're selling. How could...
Published But Not-Paid Part II - How To Extract Payment From Sticky Fingered Editors!
Having a proper strategy in place to eliminate payment confusion will go a long way in avoiding unnecessary problems caused by misunderstandings, (see the part one of this article), but there will be occasions when the agreed payment period has...
Revealed: The $12,500 Copywriting Formula
Have you heard of Brian Keith Voiles? Probably not, but if you have eyes you've seen his ad campaigns and you probably even bought products that he created ad campaigns for. Would you like to have the formula he gets paid $12,500 to put into use...
The $12,500 Copywriting Formula
Have you heard of Brian Keith Voiles? Probably not, but if you have eyes you've seen his ad campaigns and you probably even bought products that he created ad campaigns for. Would you like to have the formula he gets paid $12,500 to put into use...
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Copywriting Tips for Sales-generating Brochures
Copywriting Tips for Sales-generating Brochures
by Karon Thackston © 2003
http://www.copywritingcourse.com
Brochures have held an important place in marketing plans for longer than most of us can remember. There is no doubt that they have the ability to generate sales and increase revenues. Why then do so many of them fail?
There are several aspects of copywriting for brochures that amateur writers don’t consider. It’s those things that make or break the success of your efforts.
For the sake of generalization, let’s think about creating a six-panel brochure. (Also called a tri-fold brochure among other things.) This is created from an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper that is then folded twice. There are three panels on the front and three on the backside of the original sheet.
The Cover
As if it wasn’t obvious, the cover is the most important panel in your brochure. Both the images and words need to grab the reader’s attention and pull him or her in. It has to be compelling enough to (a) strike an emotional chord, (b) make the customer want to pick up the brochure, and (c) make the reader want to know what’s inside.
So, why then do so many people simply put their company name and a picture of their building (or something equally as boring) on this - the most important of all panels?
I generally leave the writing of the cover as the last element in my brochure-writing project. Once I’ve finished the rest of the copy, I read back over it at a leisurely pace. Then I stop to think. If I were asked to summarize the information in this brochure in 10 seconds, what would I say? If I had to name the single biggest benefit the customer will receive from this information, what would it be?
Those are excellent ways to generate covers for brochures. A few examples are below. These are brochures that I’ve seen around town that
made me reach for them and want to know what was inside.
“Plastic kitchen set. Dollhouse. Dollhouse furniture. Pink tricycle. $427.66. Your checking account balance… $302.86. Get what you need when you need it.” This was for a cash advance service. This particular brochure was printed before the Christmas holidays so it had special appeal to lots of people.
“Over 3,000 babies died last year alone due to improper safety seat installations. Be SURE your child is safe!” Obviously, this was for a child safety seat inspection checkup.
These make an emotional appeal, get the readers' attention, and make them want to know more.
Inside Panel Headlines
These are just as important to the process as the cover headline. Capture the true value of the information in each section and provide it to the reader within the headline.
Information Panels
For most brochures, making a sale on the spot is not the objective. Driving traffic to a phone center or Web site is. Therefore provide the most impressive product/service information on the inside panels in order to help accomplish this goal.
In addition to the information about your products/services, incorporate calls-to-action like:
“Call today for full details.”
“Visit our Web site to see the complete color selection.”
“Customer service specialists are waiting for your call.”
Once you understand the goals of your brochure, incorporate compelling headlines, and include a cover section that generates interest, you are more likely to see success from your brochure.
About the Author
Copy not getting results? Learn to write like a pro! Boost your sales and your search engine rankings with The Step-by-step Copywriting Course. Not just an ebook... a complete course. Get yours - and 3 FREE bonuses - today! http://www.copywritingcourse.com
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