Dialog With Your Web Visitors Through Smarter Writing Styles

In a minute I want to come back to give you some examples, but let’s talk about that word “dialog.”
We know that the term dialog is really more correctly thought of as the dictionary describes:
“A conversation spoken between two or more people.” If you look up synonyms for the word “dialog” as a noun, you’ll find a lot of terms that focus on “vocal expression” or “utterance” or “verbalization” in some aspect.
So why do I use the term “dialog” in terms of writing Web copy?
It’s the best term I can think of to describe what I like to think of as the “flow of conversation” or nearly like writing your copy as though it was meant to be read “out loud” by voice. When I say “write for voice” I’m referring to how something is written for the radio or TV or other live media.
The most prominent aspect of this, is that it makes you feel that the message is delivered just for you. It’s nearly like you were hearing it directly from a friend or someone you personally know. Probably one of the best examples, would be from the professional broadcaster who has been trained to not only speak wonderful dialog, but they are able to nearly project their personality right toward you through the radio, TV or whatever into your home.
Let’s talk then about your writing style and start with a very simple example from our opening line to this article. Did you notice the very first line of this article? It was a question which asked you: “Have you ever wanted to be able to write more effective sales copy?” Questions always grab a readers attention, don’t they.
The next paragraph that followed the opening line was to get you immediately reading.
On with a few tips and analysis:
Try reading this…right out loud:
“If you have ever wished you could convert more of your Web site visitors into actual sales, then let’s examine some superior ways to accomplish exactly how it’s done.”
Did you notice how it flows? Did you notice how it gets you reading right away? This is what is referred to as an If – Then type of statement which makes an ideal way to start your visitor reading your content. The way it is constructed, is to start by writing: If followed by Then.
Example of If – Then:
If…(write to identify a specific challenge) followed by then…(write to introduce the solution). Next, consider some of the other components are simply some descriptive adjectives to accent the value of the statement.
Other great compelling phrases can be used to help your readers “visualize the benefits” of whatever product or whatever service you may be describing.
Consider trying one of these type of statements :
-Now just suppose…
-Can you just imagine the…
-Did you ever imagine…
Example: with adjectives
“Now just imagine the puzzled look on your unhappy competitors face, when they notice your extraordinary new top rankings.”
A statement like this paints quite a picture in your mind creatively with words, does it not? Let’s explore another way you might write in order to “describe an action” in such a way, that your dialog may cause the reader to really visualize possessing a product ahead of time, even before they order it. It’s just dialog, but if it paints a picture in your mind, it can be powerful.
Example:
In just seconds, you’ll download your new book, but be sure to flip directly to page 52 where you’ll immediately discover the top 100 best selling markets for this year.
What you are really doing here, is painting a picture in the reader’s mind. There is a lot more to writing sales copy than just these few mechanics, but one of the best ways to refine your skills, is to study the work of an accomplished writer. By studying well crafted pages, you can build your own writing style and begin to do more of what is right and less of what is wrong.
Here are a few of my favorite tips for writing sales copy.
1. Write your copy as though you were writing to a close personal friend. Your focus is on the “delivery” of your message so that it is absorbed by the reader in an easy to read conversational style. Our dialog often is quite different when we are speaking to a friend whether we realize it or not.
2. Try starting your page with a compelling headline that captures the visitors attention.
3. Make your dialog flow so that it reads very naturally if you read it aloud. Try reading your work out loud or even record yourself reading your work out loud. Then play the recording back and just listen to the flow of delivery. This is an age old method that most professional broadcasters use to build their voice, but your focus in on how your writing sounds and how it flows. If it flows smoothly in a nice conversational style when you read it out loud, you can be sure it will read that way too.
4. Add in some descriptive text to help paint a vivid picture of the “benefits” in the mind of the reader. Remember that you need to accent your dialog. Your objective is to heighten the descriptive narrative in order to flesh out the scope of the benefits so that your Web visitors can nearly visualize those benefits in their mind, just by reading them.
5. Don’t forget that a sales letter must have a solid call to action. Your dialog nearly needs to guide the reader in exactly what you would like to do on a page. Don’t assume they’ll know what to do, but let your dialog guide them into a true call to action.