Writing Marketing Text: Advice for Newbie Webmasters
We speak to each other with ease. Some of us are more vocal; but, we all use language with which to communicate. When youre sitting in front of your computer, wrestling with your first gallery or free site, I can see your fingers freeze when it comes to page layout and that foreign concept of writing marketing text.
To those of you who are new to this industry, youre not selling sex. Youre selling a fantasy. When it comes to marketing, words and graphics are all you have to convey a message. The words you choose will mean the difference between selling and applying for a job at McDonalds. I know we all joke about newbies and the fast food industry; but, in all truth, text is what separates the sales person from someone who doesnt belong in this business. Its a harsh statement, to be sure; however, its one which needs to be said. Out loud.
Here are a few marketing text tips for those of you who are poised over your keyboards, trying to think of what to say.
Never ask a question to which you dont already know the answer. Plus, you dont want to ever ask a question, for which the answer might be no. Its called a closed ended question and only allows for two responses, yes or no. Any questions you do ask should have built in answers. For instance, instead of saying:
"Dont you love sexy babes?"
You may, instead, want to say:
"Which sexy babe do you want to fuck? Jessica or Kat?"
When a question is asked this way, the surfer feels they have a choice; but, the choices are already fixed in their heads because youve manipulated the possible answer. This way, the surfer chooses which girl, not whether or not he wants to fuck. You can already assume they want something with which to masturbate, so why ask them if they want an orgasm, when that answer is already obvious. Asking them a yes or no question allows them to say no, close out your browser and leave. This means no possibility of sales.
Never ever use the word if. The idea is to manipulate your surfer and convince him to click, so he will spend money. When you use the word if, again, youre allowing him to think about whether or not he wants what youre offering.
Ive seen this too many times:
"If youre into dirty, nasty porn, you really want to click here."
No. A resounding no.
Tell them what they want. Plant the seed inside their heads.
"You love nasty, dirty porn, just like I do. Click here. THIS is what Im talking about."
When writing sales text, the idea is to make statements which tickle the fancy of the particular audience you are targeting. When you write text to sell a mature audience, make sure the words youre using are not condescending toward those who love older women. Understand the guys who are into mature ladies really, really like them, for reasons which may be beyond your scope of understanding or preference. This being the case leaves you with two choices. Either research the niche for which you want to earn revenue or dont create sites for that niche.
If heavy, BBW women are a turn off for you, then, dont create the site. You wont be able to come up with marketable text, so why try to create words for a niche you dont understand or like.
When writing text for any kind of site, the goal is to find the words which jump off the page and grab the surfer by his proverbial balls. Graphics designers are always striving for the graphical look, which is different and interesting and spicy. Text design follows the same principles. The words you use are part and parcel of your communication with the surfer, something we need to do with specific, targeted words, since we do not have body language nor do we have hand gestures or facial expressions.
Punctuation gives inflection to our sentences. Use of periods and commas and exclamation points allow us to show emotions.
There must also be a careful balance between too much text and not enough text. Too many words will bore them, especially words using a size one font. For pitys sake, remember there is money to be spent by folks who wear reading glasses. They need to see. Conversely, size 300 is condescending and takes up too much space. Many people still have their browsers set for 800 x 600, so accommodate the size of your text toward your audience.
The site which has the best chance of selling is one which marries graphics and words, targeted to a specific audience, keyword rich and spicy. The goal of those who are new to the industry is to learn that balance.
