image courtesy of stuart miles at www.freedigitalphotos.net
Does your mind travel when you hear platitudes and generalities in advertising? “We offer great service,” or, “Our prices are very competitive” is most everyone’s ticket to a ride on the daydream express. Or in the case of a website visit, a click away.
The specifics in web copy was talked about well before the internet, only the focus was on print copy. The great Claude Hopkins who wrote the classic book, “Scientific Advertising” was a copywriter in the early 20th century who in 1906 made $185,000 working for Lord & Thomas Advertising…that’s equal to $4,386,219 today!! And he was just a copywriter!
So how did Claude Hopkins handle dull, non-specific advertising that he described as, “Platitudes and generalities [that] roll off the human understanding like water from a duck”?
Bland Turned to Spicy in Your Web Copy
Hopkins believed that the product or service would sell itself if customers knew its results, especially if those results were specific. Actual figures and specific facts are usually accepted by customers with little question.
For example, a dealer may say that his prices have been reduced without creating any noticeable impression. But when he says, “Our prices have been reduced 25%” he gets the full value of his ad.
Hopkins tells us of a mail order advertiser who sold low end women’s clothing. They started using the slogan, “Lowest prices in America.” That got copied by the competition so then they guaranteed to undersell any other dealer. That claim became common, so they finally used this, “Our net profit is 3%.”
What an impressive statement! If their profit was that low (which it was because they sold on huge volume) they must be the best buy on the market. With this they got a huge increase in sales.
In ads for razors, companies had been advertising quick shaves. One maker advertised a 78-second shave. Now that was definite and it indicated actual tests. Which razor would you buy: Quick Shaves or Get a 78-Second Shave?
Even if the specifics of what you do are the same as your competition’s, your customers don’t know that. A few years ago, I advised an insurance agency to use the phrase, “The person who answers the phone is your agent.” Well, other agencies have licensed agents answering the phone, but why not get specific and tell your prospects. Wouldn’t you rather call for insurance and skip the receptionist all together?
Thing is, a definite statement is more effective than a general statement. Generalities don’t have any weight at all. As Hopkins says, using them, “…is like saying, ‘How do you do?’ When you have no intention of inquiring about one’s health. But specific claims when made in print are taken at their value.”
So think about the specifics in web copy when you write the next page for your website. Though Hopkins was concerned about the high price of print and making the best use of the investment in an ad, we are concerned with the ease in which your website visitor can click away. Specifics in web copy helps them stay right where they are...on your website.
Until next time,
Nick
Nick Burns is an SEO web writer specializing in persuasive copywriting and content marketing. He provides clients a winning content strategy plus the special web writing to make it work. You can contact Nick here.
