@bmassey

Writing Killer Conversion Copy

Emails, Landing Pages, PPC Ads and More

Brian Massey, Conversion Sciences

@bmassey

Betabrand

Betabrand

Introducing the Pinot Shirt, the latest addition to Betabrand’s Harvester Collection. We took 100% organic cotton poplin and dyed it the rich color of Napa’s finest Pinot noir grapes. The result: a comfy, casual button-down shirt, ideal for wine enthusiasts on weekend vineyard adventures.

Imagine a garment that can fuzz out a weary traveler’s privates just enough to let him or her retain meager shreds of dignity — without interfering with airport security!

GroupOn

GroupOn

Neglected lawns and gardens quickly overgrow into jungly briars that attract deadly predators such as pumas, tigers, and the Predator riding a tiger. Chop, snip, and mow your way to an orderly and alien-free yard with today's Groupon… Each day's Groupon features a

write-up describing the deal with thoroughly researched, informative selling points that range from the straightforward to the whimsical and bizarre. We strive to avoid marketing clichés, shooting instead for vivid description rooted in complete transparency and embellished with well-crafted absurdities.

Today’s Presentation

Conversion ScientistFounder of Conversion SciencesConsultantNational SpeakerAuthor Your Customer Creation EquationLab Wear Fashion Model

Close the emailTurn off the phone

What is Copy?

Source: Copy Hackers Book 1: Where Stellar Messages Come From (Chapter 2)

What is Killer Conversion Copy?

Typography

That create ACTION(Motion optional)

Why work so hard just to describe a product or an offer?

Broca’s Area and Wernicke’s Area

Source: Wizard Academy www.wizardacademy.com

WernickeBroca

http://thebrain.mcgill.ca

Broca’s Area and Wernicke’s AreaAren’t Just Decoders of Words

http://thebrain.mcgill.ca

Reading, Listening and Speakingall use the same Wetware

Seeing Words Passively

Primary Visual Cortex

Generating (and Reading) Words

Broca’s Area Wernicke’s Area

http://thebrain.mcgill.ca

Winding Up Wernicke

RelevanceEmotion

Storytelling

24%More leads

184%

Broca’s AreaFilters the Predictable

Chapter 30 of Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads, 1999

Broca’s Area

Motor Cortex

http://www.sxc.hu/profile/craiova

@bmassey

Surprising Broca

UnexpectedUnbelievable

Just Plain Wrong

Wake Up!

Free Marketing ResearchLousy Marketing Ideas.Don't Come to our Site.www.*****.com

Bulldog Info & ResourcesVaguely useful pet siteAffiliate links and pictureswww.*****.com

Free Marketing ResearchWe hold all the secrets to internetmarketing. Buy Now!www.*****.com

Bulldog Info & ResourcesSite about family dogPictures and links herewww.*****.com

Winners!Source: MarketingExperiments PPC Ad Copy Tested 6/2005

The Mehrabian Formula:“93% of all communication is non-verbal”

Not Exactly

@bmassey

93% of communication is non-verbal

when the words don’t match the facial expression

http://www.nataliedee.com/

More Trial submissions

38%

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Winner!

RELEVANCE… TO YOUR READER(IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU)

Who They Are

Triggers

Where They Are

@bmasseyHigher revenues 27.9%

Transactional or Relational

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Winner

TWO STEPS TO KILLER COPY

1. Hire a great copywriter(Trust Them)

2. Measure Them

HOW DO YOU PICK A GREAT COPYWRITER?

Uncovery Process

Sales Team

Customer Service

Customer Reviews

ForumsGroups

Social Media

Tested Portfolio

Control

Treatment A

Treatment B

Design and UX Knowledge

@bmassey

Analytics Animals

@bmassey

ResultsOriented Approach

www.garrisonphoto.org/sxc

FiredPens

It All Starts With the Lead(But where does the lead start?)

The Lead

HeadlineSub Headline

Interesting first paragraph that gets the

reader to move to the second paragraph

Second Paragraph that gets

the reader to move on.

Headlinehttp://subheading.comFirst paragraph that gets the reader to click through

HeadlineSub Headline

Interesting first paragraph that gets the reader to move to the second paragraph

Second Paragraph that gets the reader to move on.

PPC Ad Leads

Email Leads

Sub HeadingInteresting first paragraph that gets the reader to move to the second paragraph

Second Paragraph that gets the reader to move on.

Email Leads

What Kind of Lead Should We Write?

Most Aware Product Aware Solution Aware Problem Aware Unaware

Eugene Schwartz’s “Five Levels of Awareness”

Direct Leads Indirect Leads

Product and Price

Discounts and Deals

Claims and Proof

Benefits and Anxieties

Stories and Secrets

SubscriberEmail

Display Ad PPC Ad Organic Search Broadcast

Source: Great Leads by Michael Masterson and John Forde

@bmassey

Most Aware Product Aware Solution Aware Problem Aware Unaware

@bmassey

Most Aware Product Aware Solution Aware Problem Aware Unaware

@bmassey

Most Aware Product Aware Solution Aware Problem Aware Unaware

@bmassey

Most Aware Product Aware Solution Aware Problem Aware Unaware

@bmassey

None of This is New

A Word AboutMessage and Culture

Move The Needle

Move The Needle

Write a list of your most valuable visitors:• The most profitable• The easiest to close• The most common

We are talking three or four here.

Pick your triggers.

Move The Needle

Then write down the thing that happened in their life just before they came to your site that triggered their visit.

In this list you will find relevance and opportunities to be surprising

Pick your triggers.

Move The Needle

Who? Corporate Marketer in mid-sized company.

Trigger? Just got promoted and feels behind in online marketing best practice.

Relevance? How you can keep up in the fastest-changing career on the planet.

Trigger for a presentation on conversion

Key Takeaways

Understand How We Process Speech

Understand Your Visitors

It’s not about you.

Hire Great Copywriters and Test Them

Strong Uncovery Process

Tested Portfolio

Design / UX Experience

Not afraid of Analytics

Results-oriented

Nail the Lead

Drill Down

• Copywriters Round Table Bloghttp://copywritersroundtable.com/

• CopyBlogger Bloghttp://www.copyblogger.com/

• Nick Usborne’s Excess Voice Newsletterhttp://www.nickusborne.com/excess_voice.htm

• Fog Index:http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary/fog-index.html

• FutureNow, Inc WeWe Testhttp://www.futurenowinc.com/wewe.htm

• Jeff Sexton: 85+ Copywriting Resourceshttp://conversci.com/85ForCopy

• Great Leads by Michael Masterson and John Fordehttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13606090-great-leads

@bmassey

Learn how to apply• Your Conversion Lab• Marketing Batteries• Visitor Tripwires• Blogs that Erupt• Backwards Landing

Pages• Checkout Cholesterol• Social Homing Beacons

www.CustomerCreationEquation.com

 www.onlinemarketinginstitute.org 

Thank You

@bmassey

Do Not Read This Slide

The Conversion Scientist Blogwww.ConversionScientist.com

Twitter: @bmassey

LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/BMassey

Facebook Fan Page: Facebook.com/ConversionScientist

Contact:brian@conversionscientist.com512.961.6604