Martin is a freelance copywriter for Big Star Content

Do you read many copywriting or internet marketing sites like this? If you spend much time at all taking in the thoughts, experiences and advice of professional copywriters then it’s likely that you’ll keep coming across the same names.

The kings of copywriting

You’ll see names like David Ogilvy, Joseph Sugarman, Robert Bly, Drayton Bird, John Caples, Claude Hopkins, Victor Schwab and others; all held in the highest regard by pro copywriters and marketers. These  ‘copywriting greats’ represent the very best in advertising and sales copy writing.

Despite their differences as individuals and as writers, many of these hero writers share consistent traits. In the list of names above for example there are in fact two notable common factors. Do you know them? Can you guess them?

Did they all work for the same agency at one time you may ask? Well no, they didn’t.

Is it that they are they all American? No they’re not, Ogilvy’s British (Scottish as he’s keen on telling us in Confessions of an Advertising Man), Hopkins had a Scottish mother and Bird is originally from Liverpool.

No?

Well here’s the first. All of them; each and every one of them, forged their reputations as great copywriters before the advent of the internet and SEO copywriting.

Copywriting pre internet

When these guys were working their marketing magic through magazines, catalogues, newspaper adds and direct mail, today’s web enabled sales opportunities simply didn’t exist.

No fancy new media. Just old school copywriting and copywriting greatness that sold billions of dollars worth of products. Copy based on hard won lessons and expertly applied techniques…and here’s the second point. Copywriting based on continual and continued testing. They loved to test the effectiveness of their writing. How else could they improve results if they didn’t know which copy worked and which didn’t? It’s the test of a great copywriter.

Test, test and test again

Hopkins, Caples and Ogilvy in particular were absolutely fanatical about testing. And if testing to see which copywriting techniques worked for them then surely it should work for mere mortals like us.

I’ve been revisiting John (“They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano. But When I Started to play!) Caple’s, Tested Advertising Methods – 277 pages of copywriting dynamite. Essential for anyone serious about their writing.

I’m dying tell you about it, the proven ways to get better results from your copywriting and how you can test your copy to make it even more effective. So be sure to check out the next post in this series

In the meantime, maybe you have a favourite king of copywriting who deserves a mention. Who inspires you? Who do you rate? Why do you rate them?

Martin is a freelance copywriter for Big Star Content

Armed with the knowledge that there are four basic types of personality we can go about crafting our copy in a way that will interest each and that each will respond to along multiple navigational paths.

In effect you are enabling each personality type to self select the content that appeals.

Of course people are complex creatures and cross over these simplistic personality types. No individual exists within one category but an appreciation of them and the careful use of SEO copywriting that appeal to different types of readers can be an effective technique in guiding them to messages that motivate.

Future Now use the following sentence as an example of copy that contains elements appealing to all personalities.

‘Our approach is personalized to meet your objectives. The bottom line is that your results are guaranteed. Explore our methodology to discover how thousands of clients just like you have been delighted.’

The ‘personalized to meet your objectives’ sentence will instantly appeal to Amiables or Spontaneous personality types who like to get as much information as quickly as possible often by skimming  or scanning pages. A/S readers like to see customer testimonials and have USPs clearly defined. They tend to be trend followers as opposed to trend setter and react to ‘word of mouth’

Analytics/Methodicals will head for the ‘methodology” section. Where they may be greeted with a detailed pdf download of in depth technical information. Features driven they  like the use of graphs and tables with simple stated facts. Fluffy or vague sales speak doesn’t go down well.

Humanists/Expressives will appreciate the validation of “thousands of clients.”  Fearful of commitment and in need of constant reassurance they react well to a personal tone as well as testimonials, money back guarantees, links to return policies and assurances of security. H/Es are often repeat buyers so if you can engage successfully they will likely prove loyal and profitable customers.

Competitives/Assertives are the hardest to sell to and will be reassured with the referral to “bottom lines” and ‘guaranteed results.’ They like clear and definitive credentials with value and quality stated unambiguously. C/As are competitive and impatient. They won’t hang around if they don’t quickly see what they need and will abandon a page or sale easily. Offer credible information and obvious calls to action.

Of course the important part of the whole process is to accept and appreciate that people are all very different and that a one size fits all copy approach is a course bound to fail.

Defined navigation paths? Or a broader brush approach matching personality or persona to the site as a whole? You choose.

However you choose to approach personas and personalties, the fact that your writing is seeking to genuinely identify your reader and to seriously address their motivations is an important step on the road to successful SEO copywriting –  conversions and profits.

Read the first three parts: SEO Copywriting and the Power of persona part one, two and three