8:59am Wednesday
Saint Paul
Time is scarce.
Everyone is busy and thinking and planning and worried about both their past and their future.
Which is why your copy needs to be clear, concise, and compelling.
David Ogilvy said, “A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.”
Someone else said…
maybe Sugarman?…
…that your copy needs to be like a clear glass storefront window. If it’s a dirty window, people see the glass instead of the offer within.
Clever copy draws attention to itself, instead of to your offer.
Brand-focused copy draws attention to the brand, instead of to your market’s problems. Brands hope the consumer can make this bridge. But they’re not only busy and distracted, but people are also lazy, too.
When I worked in IT, there was a popular book about web design:
Working in IT—before becoming a copywriter—I hated the idea of this book. Because my job in IT was to fix problems that, with IMHO just a little thought, people could fix themselves.
It drove me mad when they couldn’t solve the most basic computer issues, on a machine they use all day long.
I’ve since changed my mind on this, for a few reasons.
IT is often about getting paid to solve those little problems. If people fixed problems themselves, I wouldn’t have a job.
(And the servers that I maintained didn’t have many problems—because I was good at IT too—so I had time to solve these little problems even if I didn’t like ’em.)
And, reading books like Thinking, Fast and Slow, I realized that I too was taking shortcuts in my thinking, and avoiding the little hassles that might slow me down. We all do.
Today, as a copywriter, I use those mental shortcuts to help others understand how my clients’ offers can solve problems. I try to keep my copy as clear as a nice glass window at Macy’s, with an invitation (aka a call-to-action) to come inside (aka purchase).
And, as much as possible, I strive to live in the Now. No time for thinking and planning and worrying about both the past or the future—get this task done now, then the next, and the next.
Live as a branch attached to the vine, and bear fruit.
On to the next, *|FNAME|*. Have a blessed day.
Jeffrey