The most common error I see when I critique people’s writing is… they are trying to be everything to everyone. The biggest problem with this is… they are not speaking directly to the reader who is ready for them and they are trying way too hard to connect with people who aren’t interested in them. (This is the truth part. It wasn’t too painful was it?)

I have a lot of people say to me that when they read what I have written, it feels like I was talking directly to them. Well, this is no accident because when I write, I only write to one person.

There is a popular technique people use to hone in on who they are marketing to. They use a series of questions to create an “Avatar.” This is a great technique, but my friend and mentor Lorrie Morgan Ferrero creates what she calls a “Tarket” and I use this approach.

You see a “Tarket” is your Target + Market combined into one. It is a singular way to look at one person rather than a group of people.

For example, when people choose an age for their Avatar, they will say things like… “they are a woman between the ages of 30 and 65.” This is an age spread of 35 years which is huge. Think about it for a moment… this one group of women contains daughters, mothers, grandmothers and possibly great grandmothers.

Not to mention this age group covers 3 different generations… Y gen, X gen and baby boomers. And they all have a very different way of communicating. Words which connect with one generation will repel another.

So when you do a huge age spread, you make it difficult to know how to communicate with your market. This is why a specific “Tarket” is a more solid strategy. Lorrie even goes one step further by writing a personal description of the “Tarket” and naming them to make them more human.

The most heartfelt and connecting communication comes when we are talking to one person. People often have no problem writing an email or message to a loved one… but when it comes to writing to their market they freeze.

Well, next time you write to your market, don’t write to everyone. (You wouldn’t start an email with “Hey everyone!” and if you do… Stop it now!) Change the market to a “Tarket” and write to them like you are communicating with a loved one. The authenticity and care for them will be palpable. They will feel as though you are talking directly to them.

Business is all about relationships and trust. The best way you can connect with your market is to treat them as individuals and respect them. People buy from people, not from generic, clinical and unfeeling communication.

Write from your heart to their heart. You will like the way you write and they will love reading it.

Happy writing!

Bio: Pauline Longdon is an author, professional copywriter and marketer.  She specialises in Emotional Direct Response Copywriting, which subtly targets the emotional hot buttons of the reader.  She has been trained by the who’s who of the copywriting world and is in high demand for her ability to write for the female market. www.TheCopyAlchemist.com

Original Source:
http://ymagazine.com.au/on-your-websites-words-count-too/
6th July 2014

I see it all the time… People spend a small fortune on creating their website. Having the perfect graphics, their logo re done, all the bells and whistles done…but they forget one vital component! The words!

Perhaps it is because at school, we weren’t taught how to write code for a website or make beautiful graphics. We were however, taught how to write. Am I right? To pass high school, we all have to have a good grasp of the English language (in Australia anyway!).

So it stands to reason, if you passed English at high school… then you can slap a few words together. How hard can it be?

It isn’t hard when you know what you are doing. The reality is… not too many people know what they are doing. The written word can be a minefield of double meanings and mixed messages. Just look at what happens on social media.

A person will put up a “harmless” post about a life milestone and everyone chimes in and has an opinion. People will misread the message and take offence to it, then they’ll rant all over the post thread trying to convince everyone of how“right” they are. Other people won’t read it if it looks too hard or too long… You see people have a shorter attention span than ever be… oh, look a butterfly!

My point is… what is happening on social media is happening on your webpage. You can have the most spectacular looking webpage… but when you have the wrong words, people don’t engage with you.

Think about it. What is the true purpose of your website? Is it to promote your product or services? What are you really selling?

I know there is the word everyone hates… selling. But let’s be honest! Your website is selling something and in most cases, it is selling you! Now I don’t know about you, but I never learned how to sell in High School English!

In fact, most people don’t know how to sell and originally I didn’t either. Which is why I studied the art of “Salesmanship in Print” otherwise known as Copywriting. This skill in invaluable and certainly helped me to appreciate the power of words.

The words we use to communicate our message with our market is critical! Use the wrong word and all you have is a pretty website with no business coming from it. Use the right words… and your website will become your best salesperson.

YMag Copywriting Tip #1:  Stop using the word “that!” In 98% of cases it is a redundant word. When you remove it form your copy, it will become smoother and easier to read.

Bio: Pauline Longdon is an author, professional copywriter and marketer.  She specialises in Emotional Direct Response Copywriting, which subtly targets the emotional hot buttons of the reader.  She has been trained by the who’s who of the copywriting world and is in high demand for her ability to write for the female market. www.TheCopyAlchemist.com