A Few Basics You Need To Know about Commercial Writing

USP's - Every Product Has One

Your USP is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) it is the single most important asset you posses about your product. It answers the age old questions that all of your potential clients will ask themselves -

Why should I buy from them?
What can they offer me that all the others can't?
Why should I read on?

Every product has a USP - you just have to find it - it is not so much the features of your product that your potential customer (PC) is really interested in, it is the benefits.

Your USP may well be no different from your opposition - you just have to find the way to make your customer "feel" that it is. To do that you need to know your customer and then get into their mindset.

Headlines

You need to know what your PC wants most out of your product. You need to get them curious, attentive and interested. To do that you need a compelling headline, an attention grabbing headline that makes your reader read on because (on average) only about 20% of your readers will go further than your headline.

Subheadings

Subheadings are also important, but you have to keep your PC's attention to get them to the point that they read on and buy. These are your lead-ons where you can give more detail about what benefits you offer. These also divide your message into easily readable copy. No-one wants lengthy paragraphs, your PC is busy and doesn't have the time to read all your blurb - unless you keep their interest.

Your headings and subheads should tell your complete story - this isn't easy to accomplish but that is what you must do. If your PC is more interested in particular benefits (and you may have many) they will go directly to those subheads. You can almost hear your PC thinking "get to the point" and the point is benefits, and you need to stick to that point.

More Information

If your PC wants more information about your product then by all means provide it. If your product is (relatively) expensive, remember that expense to some is not as important as to others (again, know your target PC) They may need more lengthy text to finally convince them. It is proven that long copy more often outsells short copy by some 20-30% but it is also true that boring copy (long or short) sells nothing! In cases where expense is an issue the benefits must outweigh the cost by a significant degree.

Technical Information

Technical information should be presented in a readable and understandable form. Many PC's are not as technically savvy as you are, they will appreciate the fact that you present technical aspects of your product in a format that they understand. Be careful of condescension though. If your PC thinks himself or herself as savvy on the subject they do not want to be "talked down to"

There is a balance to be met here and the answer is all in the wording. Even techies appreciate text that is clear, concise and totally understandable, though they will not respond to "sales speak" that they know skirts the technical issues.

AWAI trained and totally professional,