And so this is a New Year!
Good for us! 2020 dumpster fire ornaments were all the rage, as the world waited the few days to get it over with! Lots of rough stuff going on LAST year, oh it feels so good to call it that! But just letting 2021 go on and happen is not my scheme this year. I have been in an iffy line of work for the last 14 years, and I want it to go away! I go out to different places and take pictures, ask questions and turn it all in to one client or another. That’s property inspection work, and it depends on clients walking in the client’s door and giving them work to pass on to inspectors. But that’s an inconsistent flow at best, and miserly at worst.
No, in March 2019, I started getting interested in a brand of writing I hear is very well-paid, which is copywriting. Its NOT making copies or being involved in copyrights. Its writing to persuade someone to buy what you’re writing about. The words you string together to convince someone to buy something is called copy, ad copy to be exact. It’s a real head game, finding out about the product or service, then about the whole business of that product or service, getting info on the competition, and putting some words that will sell your product better than the other one sells itself.
But it looks to be fun, as well. The research can make you quite the wizard and authority on razor blades, shavers, bicycles or whatever it is you’re writing about. A bit of a step up for me, really. I can come up with stuff, but this will take many drafts to get good enough to sell something. A bit like a college paper, where the idea is to convince the prof you WERE actually paying attention during lectures.
There selling to people, the public. Its called B2C-business to consumer. You take the features and make the prospect feel like “this is for me!” because you managed to show how the features made them look or feel. Then there’s selling to companies- B2B. Usually it involves 6 figure sales, and you have to bring up features AND benefits. The person you’re talking to is mid-level management and they have to turn around and parrot your words to the check writers to sell the idea. SO, B2B seems a harder sell! Then there are these situations called niches, where you’re selling with a long time of involvement with the product area and you know it backwards and forwards. If you’ve been a long-time boater and outboards, skis, wakeboards are your thing since high school, you KNOW this world! Its your niche.
Selling in an area helps, makes the hiring manager see your experience, your knowledge, etc. and maybe gets you hired. Then putting your money where your mouth is comes to the forefront. You NOT only know your niche, but you also know how to sell in it. At least you think so. Persuasive writing is a tricky ball game, to be sure. So, on with the training, the multiple draft sales letters you write to convince someone your boat/ski/wakeboard is a better fit for their need. The finer points become your selling points, the differences you use to get a sale.
People think in terms of their needs, they buy according to emotion, so sell to that-and back it up with facts. Sell to the heart, back the wisdom of the purchase with the head. That’s how it’s done, I am told.
I just bought a printer. The fact that the control panel is in front instead of the top sold it to me. Epson saved me the trouble of standing up that HP always makes me do to operate the machine. That’s fact, that’s physical ease, that’s what put Epson out in front. So, the emotions are NOT ALWAYS the deal maker or killer. Sometimes your technique has to break from the pack to make a sale!
So, copywriting is my near-and I hope far-off- future. We’ll see how this goes. Y’all have a great 2021! Can’t be hard to beat 2020, can it?
