One of the first questions that your prospect will ask when they read your copy is “What’s In It For Me?”.
They will scan the copy to quickly ascertain what your product or service is, what it can do for them and decide how it aligns with their needs, desires and wants. To do that you need to make a big promise.
However, a big promise does not need to be over-the-top. It should not be so outrageous that your prospects leave your site because your promise is too good to be true, nor should it be so insipid that your prospects quickly rush to the competition. It should say just enough to fulfil the needs of your prospects, motivating them to buy or take some other action.
Don’t know how to make promises? That’s easy. Here are 7 ways to make a big promise.
Take a Look at Your Product’s Features
You cannot make a promise if you don’t know the features of your product or service. Fortunately, pointing out your product’s features is easy. In fact, it is easier than pointing out the benefits of your product.
For example, you have a graffiti sketchbook product that can help people make better sketches. The feature is that the product is in video format which can be easily downloaded online. You can then use this when crafting your promise.
Think About Your Product’s Benefits
If you have the feature, you must also have the benefit. Benefits speak to the emotions and desires of your prospects. For example, the Internet marketing product has the video format as a feature. The benefit is to learn while watching and not reading.
Talk To One Person
Usually, copywriters make the error of talking to a wide audience. While they aim to capture a lot of people, this can backfire and they end up making fewer sales. Instead of talking to three market segments all at once, talk to only one. If you can, create a persona of that market and talk to him.
Talking to a 21-year old computer geek who wants to make money but does not have the time to exercise or date because of his busy programming and video gaming schedule is better than talking to the 20-30 male demographic.
Craft a Promise That Your Product Can Do
You can create an effective promise if you will focus on what your product can actually do. Aside from listing the features and the benefits, try to summarize what your product can do in a single headline.
For example, you can put “Who Else Wants to Make a Full Time Income by Watching Videos? How Hard Can It Be?” as a promise.
Create a Promise That You Can Keep
A common error when creating a content marketing strategy is to make outrageous promises. This does not only make your prospects lose their trust in you, they may avoid your business and recommendations altogether. Notice how I have not put ‘make millions’ or ‘make money overnight’ in the promise.
While this can draw people into the copy, it is a promise that will not always be fulfilled by your product. So it is best if you will stay away from making those kinds of claims.
Talk to Their Emotions
If you noticed, the promise talks to the person’s desire to make a full time income. It elicits the frustration that the persona is feeling from his current job.
He may not be earning enough money or he does not have a regular source of income. By talking to these desires, you draw people in and they start to believe your promises.
Aim To Fulfill Their Desires
It is not enough that you talk to their emotions. You must also fulfil them. Remember that no-one knows your product or service better than you do. Be sure that you can fulfil their desires. If you noticed, the headline shows a desire to lazily make money in the comfort of one’s own home.
In Summary
These are just 7 ways to make a big promise. A promise shows that the copywriter understands what the prospect needs. But ultimately, it shows that the product fulfils the prospect’s desires. Use promises to your benefit so you can win your prospects’ trust and make more sales.