Web Copy That Sells, 3rd Edition

Book description

With the rise of social networks, “Twitterized” attention spans, and new forms of video content, the techniques that worked in crafting attention-grabbing, clickable, and actionable online copy a few years ago are simply not as effective today. Thoroughly revised, the third edition of Web Copy That Sells gives readers proven methods for achieving phenomenal success with their online sales and marketing efforts. They will learn to: • Use psychological tactics that compel Web surfers to buy • Create effective, highly-targeted Facebook ads • Test copy to maximize response • Write online marketing video scripts that sell • Craft compelling copy for interactive advertising banners • Produce high-converting video sales letters • And more Proven and practical, Web Copy That Sells shows how to quickly turn lackluster sites into “perpetual money machines,” streamline key messages down to irresistible “cyber bites”…and ensure that Web copy, e-mail, and marketing communications pack a fast, powerful—and sales generating—punch.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Foreword
  7. Acknowledgment
  8. Introduction to Third Edition
  9. Half title
  10. 1 Getting Started: The Dynamics of Web Selling
    1. Three Fundamental Rules for Writing Web Copy That Sells
      1. Rule 1: Don’t Make Your Website Look Like an Ad
      2. Rule 2: Stop Readers Dead in Their Tracks
      3. Rule 3: Capture E-Mail Addresses
    2. The First Look
    3. Web Copy Dos and Don’ts
    4. Reading on the Web
    5. Words Tell, Emotion Sells
    6. How to Become a Great Web Copywriter in Five Hours or Less
  11. 2 A Simple Blueprint for Writing Killer Web Copy
    1. Creating the Blueprint: Five Simple Questions You Must Ask
      1. Question 1: What Is the Problem?
      2. Question 2: Why Hasn’t the Problem Been Solved?
      3. Question 3: What Is Possible?
      4. Question 4: What Is Different Now?
      5. Question 5: What Should You Do Now?
      6. The Anatomy of the Blueprint
    2. Putting the Blueprint to Work: Five Easy Steps to Making Your Web Copy Sell
      1. Step 1: Inject Emotion
      2. Step 2: Add Bullet Points, Bonuses, Guarantee, and Close
      3. Step 3: Add Credibility-Building Elements
      4. Step 4: Add Psychological Devices and Involvement Devices
      5. Step 5: Replace Rational Words with Emotional Words
    3. Reinforcing the Framework: A Summary
  12. 3 Crafting Your Copy
    1. Constructing Your Web Copy
      1. The AIDA Principle
      2. The Unique Selling Proposition
    2. Making an Impression: The First Paragraph
    3. The Offer You Can’t Refuse
    4. Testimonials: Effortless Selling
    5. Talking About Money: How to Introduce the Price
      1. The Minor-Purchase Technique
      2. The Daily-Cost Technique
    6. Keep on Selling: Writing the Order Form
    7. The Money-Back Guarantee: A Deal Maker
    8. The Close: Signing on the Dotted Line
      1. The Call to Action
    9. Get a Calling Card: The Opt-In Mechanism
    10. How to Construct a Riveting Headline
      1. What’s in a Headline?
      2. The Building Blocks of Winning Web Headlines
    11. Choosing Your Words: Tips, Terms, and Concepts
      1. Words to Avoid in Your Web Copy
      2. Words to Use in Your Web Copy
    12. Dos and Don’ts of Web Copywriting
    13. The Long and Short of It: How Long Should Web Copy Be?
    14. How Well Does Your Website Sell?
      1. Formula for Mathematically Measuring the Selling Quotient of Web Copy
  13. 4 E-Mail Marketing: The Internet’s Killer Application
    1. Traffic Conversion: Turning Visitors into Customers
      1. Wagging the Website
      2. Why Your E-Mail May Be More Important Than Your Website
    2. The Frame-of-Mind Marketing Method for Writing E-Mails
      1. Breaking the Sales Barrier
    3. The Future of E-Mail Marketing
    4. How to Make Sure Your E-Mail Is Delivered
      1. How to Avoid Spam Blockers
      2. Does Your E-Mail Test Positive as Spam?
    5. How to Write E-Mail That’s Read
      1. Seven Elements of E-Mails That Sell
    6. Put the Competitive Edge into Your E-Mail Marketing
      1. Adapt as Your Audience’s Frame of Mind Changes
      2. Using E-Mail to Get Attention
      3. What Really Works on the Internet Sometimes Doesn’t
      4. SIG File: Your Online Business Card
      5. How Your E-Mail Reputation Affects E-Mail Deliverability
  14. 5 Using Psychology to Motivate Prospects to Become Purchasers
    1. The “Reason Why”
    2. The Zeigarnik Effect
    3. The Cliffhanger
    4. Hypnotically Persuasive Language
      1. Embedded Commands
      2. Presuppositions
      3. Linguistic Binds
      4. Reframing
    5. The Appearance of Consistency
    6. Contradictory Thinking
    7. The Cyrano Effect
  15. 6 The Art of Changing Your Prospects’ Minds
    1. What Role Does Emotion Play in Mind Changing
    2. The Three Principal Triggers of Mind Change
      1. Emotional Resonance
      2. Redefinition
      3. Resistance
    3. The Trifecta Neuro-Affective Principle in Short Copy
  16. 7 Increasing Sales Through the Use of Involvement Devices
    1. Involvement Devices and the Recovery Principle
  17. 8 Online Marketing Communications: It’s What You Do After People Visit Your Website That Counts
    1. The Opt-In Offer: Your Most Important Asset
      1. Five Keys to an Opt-In Offer That’s Impossible to Refuse
      2. Presenting the Offer
    2. How to Write Irresistible Autoresponder E-Mails
      1. Quick Primer on Autoresponders
      2. Crafting Autoresponder E-Mails to Your Opt-In Prospects
      3. Crafting Autoresponder E-Mails to Customers
      4. How to Format Your E-Mails for Optimum Readability
    3. How to Write Free Reports and Promotional Articles
      1. Tips for Creating Search-Engine-Optimized Articles That Magnetize Hot Leads and Customers
    4. Guidelines for Writing Newsletters and E-Zines
      1. Tips for Creating “Monetizable” Content
      2. The Anatomy of a Successful E-Newsletter
    5. Guidelines for Writing Online Ads, Signature Files, and Banner Copy
      1. Three Tips for Writing Online Ads
      2. Writing Copy for Interactive Advertising Banners
  18. 9 Web Copywriting in the Age of Web 3.0 and Beyond
    1. Blogs
    2. Social Bookmarking Sites
    3. Social Networking Sites
      1. How to Craft Highly Targeted Facebook Ads That Deliver Leads, Sales, and Profits
    4. Authority Sites
    5. Marketing via Online Videos
      1. How to Create an Online Video That Drives Massive Traffic to Your Website
      2. How to Create High-Converting Video Sales Letters
      3. How to Optimize Your Video for Search Engine Purposes
      4. Uploading Your Video
      5. Resources for Creating Your Video
    6. How to Write Copy for Mobile Devices and the “Portable Web”
      1. Optimizing Your Website for Mobile: What It Means
      2. Guidelines on Optimizing Website Copy for Mobile
    7. How to Write Copy for Infographics to Generate Free Website Traffic
      1. The Role of Copy in Creating Infographics
      2. Case Study: UndergroundHealthReporter.com Portal Website
      3. Additional Tips for Using Infographics for Online Marketing
      4. The Benefits of Using Infographics in Your Content Marketing Strategy
  19. 10 Last But Not Least: Tying It All Together
    1. Track It, Fix It: What to Do When Web Copy Is Not Working
    2. Four Steps to Web Copywriting Success
      1. Track Your Results
      2. Two Degrees of Separation
  20. 11 The Lucrative Business of Web Copywriting
    1. How to Find Web Copywriting Clients
    2. How to Contact Prospective Clients
    3. What to Charge—And How to Ensure That Your Clients Pay You
      1. Intellectual Property Licensing
    4. Directory of Resources
      1. Books and Courses
      2. Resources for Creating Online Marketing Videos
      3. Resources for Creating Infographics
  21. Index

Product information

  • Title: Web Copy That Sells, 3rd Edition
  • Author(s): Maria Veloso
  • Release date: February 2013
  • Publisher(s): AMACOM
  • ISBN: 9780814432525