ARTICLES
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Hundreds of books have been written on convincing writing. The ones I'd especially like to recommend are Influence by Robert Cialdini, Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Thus, as you can well imagine, the hints in this article are by no means my own ideas, they are just a medley of a few rules (with my comments), that should help you write in a clear, lucid and what's the most important convincing way.
Define what you are writing about and repeat it a couple of times
Repetition helps you remember better what you read. Don't consider it a sheer waste of time and space people won't remember the bulk of what your want to say. Therefore, find the main argument and repeat it a couple of times. If you can choose what they remember, make sure it's the best what you've got to offer.
Always argue your point
Cialdini described an interesting experiment that measured the frequency at which people manage to jump the queue. The ones that said Sorry, I've got to stand here were far less successful than the ones who added &because& followed by an argument. Even a nonsensical excuse like Sorry, I've got to stand here, cause I need to stand here brought about a better response than no argument at all. Why is that? People tend to analyze automatically what they hear. Word because triggers automatic response here comes an argument, it seems the guy has good reasons, which brings forth concessions. Surely, I don't want to induce you to make out absurd arguments. Still, a statement that your product cleans carpets better than any other will gain far more credibility if you add: because we have spent ages perfecting it.
Find someone to recommend you
We put more trust in recommendation than in advertisement. Even& when the recommendation derives from an advertisement. Pointing to someone flesh and blood recommending your product (a person your customer can identify with) you gain additional credibility. The person in question may be a proverbial everyman, a Smith. On the other hand all kinds of authorities do great work here as well from a doctor talking about allergies (and ways to cure them) to celebrities using a given product. So find someone people will put more trust in than you.
Involvement rule
People want to be considered consistent. A very interesting experiment was carried out including pollsters knocking on the doors in a detached houses district, asking owners if they would let them put a huge Slow down billboard on their lawns. Of course, the majority refused. The same experiment was conducted in another district, but this time differently. First, the pollsters knocked on the door asking to fill a survey concerning road safety involvement. The ones who filled it (a pretty considerable percentage) were given some kind of trifle, a badge I'm for road safety or something. In two weeks' time the pollsters visited the same people and asked: Since you filled our questionnaire a couple of weeks ago and we know, you support road safety, would you consent to us putting a billboard on your lawn? The percentage of people who agreed after filling a survey was much higher than among the ones that were asked regarding the billboard straight ahead.
What are the conclusions? Try to win your consumer's head with small steps. First ask him a question he has to concur with (all of us know that allergies are a lot of nuisance), and then continue along this line, supplying subsequent arguments and referring to consistency and involvement. You'll be surprised with the results.
Present a problem and find the solution
In marketing, this technique is called need-creation. If you want to sell an innovative product, first you have to make your customer realize the advantages of using it. Articulate the problem that your customer hasn't realized so far, try to exaggerate it (we'll mention exaggeration techniques in a moment), and then suggest the solution. For instance (mind we're using involvement rule here as well): Do you run a bookstore? (we send mailing to bookstores owners so the Client has to say yes to that) Are you afraid of the online bookstores competition? (we're sowing the seed of uncertainty) You're right. Studies have shown more and more readers use e-publications two years ago it was 3 percent, since then the number has increased (we're using extrapolation here, look at forecasting section). The solution is easy. Convert your shop into internet bookstore with the use of our system (we're offering the solution to the problem). Diminish misgivings, even if you had to sow them beforehand;)
Dispel any doubts before they appear
Now, your clients have read your offer, they put it down and you can hear: Yes, but&. You've lost. If you have to argue your point at the end, it means it was badly written from the very beginning. Try to predict all the buts and smash them before your customers manage to think of them. Don't let them take initiative if you're anticipating any doubts get rid of them. We do realize that you have managed without internet so far, but the market is changing and the competition is rearing its ugly head. I know you're afraid of the costs, but our system is the cheapest solution available on the market. And so on, and so forth&
Forecasting
It's the technique that we have used to exaggerate the problem. But it has one more advantage. It makes you seem an expert on a given topic, since you can predict market situation. So what it's just an ordinary extrapolation, it's impressive anyway. In 2004 internet advertising spending amounted to X, two years later to as much as Y, this year it's going to be Z you cannot disregard it. Predicting future calls for knowledge and/or courage and that way you'll improve your score in the eyes of your customers.
AIDA (still not the opera)
AIDA is a marketing technique. The acronym stands for Attract, Interest, Desire, Action. The previous points triggered your Readers interest in your offer and their desire to buy your product. It's high time to finalize the sale, so don't waste it. If your readers throw your leaflet on a desk, they'll forget about it in a few hours (or at least they won't read it with as much interest). What you need is a call for action. Limited number of promotion packages! Offer valid to the end of the week. Take haste the processors are going up! All this is aimed at making your reader think every minute matters. Sure, you don't have to write it in such a direct (a'la TV shopping) style. Just think up something that'll encourage your Customers to take action.
Tell stories, address your writing to a specific person
No one likes being treated as just a part of the mass. We like being pointed out, treated individually. Therefore, when writing an advert, don't address all of your readers, focus on just one of them, the one that is reading your portfolio or leaflet at the moment. Shun variable forms like Sir/Madam, why don't you try using ordinary you instead.
And last but definitely not least comes a story& It's the story that makes your message far more memorable than dozen other adverts. Describe an interesting case, something people can talk about during dinner. If you sell vacuum cleaners, tell about a cleaner that was in a family for three generations (which will stress your product durability), if you sell software tell how it saved an important order one of your Clients had. It doesn't have to be a success story but it definitely has to be a story.