Another Question With A Lesson In It

Just got this in and wanted to share – as many people I talk to have the exact same question.
Question: “Is there a formula (or some pointers) for sales copy that is more appealing to women? For me personally, as well as many women that I have spoken to (both internet marketers and clients) have commented on how much they do not like long sales copy. It seems like most of the sales copy (that I have seen) is more geared to a formula that calls male buyers to action. Any insights on sales copy that is more appealing to the female market?”
My response: It is interesting that most people (not just women) say they hate long copy sales letters.
But the fact show different.
Not the first time I’ve heard this.
The facts show that the majority of direct mail orders are from women (infomercials, long copy sales letters, space ads – etc). 85% of people say they hate long copy ads – YET – 85% of the population has bought from a direct marketing style piece.
So what people say – and what they do – are usually very different things.
With that in mind – women want lots of proof that you deliver. They want to know more about you as a person than men do. They are more interested in the long-term relationships you build with them than the one-off sales.
They want to feel part of a group – or in an accepted click. When I write to a women’s market I ask lots of questions – I look through the reader comments on Amazon (a goldmine of information for marketers)… I find buzz words they use – I find out the negative comments and what they dislike – and from the positive comments – what they like.
Again, I think it is more about writing a sales campaign that addresses their concerns, dreams, fears and wishes – and focusing less on “how long the letter is”.
It all comes back to what people DO – not what they SAY. Interestingly, they are rarely the same.
And a last thing to test – is try both long letters and short letters. You may find that for certain markets short does work better.
We tested both short copy and long. Long always outperformed.
Test both – measure results (traffic of unique visitors versus sales)… then make your decision on how women buy.
One thing to look at (on the subject of do vs. say)…
Have you seen the “Better Than Botox?” advertisement yet? It’s in almost every women’s magazine out there. Tons of tiny, tiny text – the perfect long copy style advertisement – and it is making some people multi-multi-millionaires. And the ONLY people buying from those ads are women. So again, they are doing the opposite of what they say.
Test both – and let me know the results.