Too Much Build-Up: Over-Zealous Ad Copy
Can Break The Sale
b y Dina Giolitto
How many times has this happened to you?
A friend recommends a film that just came
out: "You've GOT to see this movie! It's SO (funny, scary,
suspenseful, etc.)." They start quoting lines, excitedly
taking you through the plot. You're hanging on their every
word. Seems like cinema doesn't get any better than this!
So you run out and plunk down $10 to see the movie. And what
do you discover? That this is “just another movie”...
mildly entertaining, at best. Next time this friend starts
crowing about another fantastic film, you're not so willing
to listen. In fact: you’ll never go to another movie
on their recommendation again.
What happened? Too much build-up. Someone
“over-sold,” and lost credibility because of it.
The same is true for copywriting
and marketing. Too much build-up can break the sale. It’s
what happens when your ads are “anticlimactic.”
What do I mean by ad
copy that’s anticlimactic
Let’s say you came across an ad for
a mysterious “something” that can give you the
same ecstatic feeling as being in love. The advertiser doesn’t
mention what it is... he’s too busy painting a picture
of how this thing can change your life. The ad goes something
like this:
“Ahh, that blissful, lighter-than-air
feeling of being in love! When you feel like this, you’re
at your best... like you can do anything. When you’re
in love, you’re on top of the world! Now imagine if
you could summon this feeling to life at any time you wanted.
Just think of what it could do for your career, for your personal
relationships, for your quality of living!”
How would you feel if, after reading paragraph
after paragraph about this elusive euphoria that can be yours
for just a few dollars, you came to learn that the ad is about
CHOCOLATE. You’d be a little annoyed, wouldn’t
you? You might even feel like someone had played a dirty trick
on you. How likely is it that you’d buy that chocolate
(even if it happened to be Godiva-quality), knowing you were
duped in such a way? Not very! In fact, you’d more likely
buy chocolate from the guy who told you outright, with minimal
fanfare, that he was selling delicious, gourmet chocolate.
Because he was being honest. And you, the consumer, appreciate
honesty. Don’t you?
Right now, hard-hitting
ad copy is all the rage. Unless you live under a rock,
you’ve probably seen those long sales letters that promise
the moon and the stars, if you just BUY NOW. Looks like those
internet gurus have become pretty darned successful, right?
And you want what they have: persuasive
copywriting skills that guarantee results for your business.
You want it so badly you can taste it. That’s why when
they dangle their secrets under your nose, you listen with
rapt attention. And you think, well, if they’ve become
millionaires with their hard-sell strategies, maybe I should
follow suit. But should you? Or will it just come across as
a big build-up followed by a letdown? How will you avoid the
trap of creating ads that are anticlimactic?
I write ad copy for a living. Lately, my
clients have been coming to me in a frenzy looking for “that
thing” that the Yanik Silvers of the world have. The
first thing I ask them is, what are you selling? Is it something
with many long-term benefits? Has your product made a difference
for many people? If so, then yes, I believe you can build
a case for what you’re selling with persuasive copy.
But if it’s something like chocolate, or phone cards,
or electronics, that will provide a bit of enjoyment in the
here and now... then my advice to you is avoid the high-pressure
sales pitch. It’s just going to create build-up that
you can’t live up to. And if your product presentation
is anticlimactic, your sales will suffer for it.
How are the web marketing gurus able to
create such aggressive ads, without being anticlimactic?
Internet experts have something that everybody
wants and only some people know how to get: success. The truth
is, success doesn’t come in a box or in an e-book or
in a four-day seminar. None of these things guarantee that
success will ever be yours. But they MIGHT help, and that's
where the promise of success is ever-gleaming. That's how
the experts can keep you trying like hell to attain it - repeatedly
forking over your hard-earned cash for their mysterious know-how
- all the while thinking that "maybe this one will seal
the deal and make it happen for me!" Their ads will never
be anticlimactic because they have mastered the art of keeping
their customers salivating for more. Can you do this with
your product offering?
Is what you sell highly sought-after, and
in the category of success? Is it a stepping-stone to something
of great magnitude? Or is it merely something that can enhance
quality of life in little ways? The truth is, it takes more
than ad copy to sell a product. Sometimes... surprise... the
product has to sell itself.
Despite what some would have you believe,
no blown-out sales pitch is going to guarantee that you’ll
become a millionaire. Just like the embellished movie review,
an aggressive advertising campaign will attract attention,
and it may even make you some money. But only until people
realize that your product doesn’t live up to all the
hype. At that point, they’ll lose interest. And then
you’ll lose customers. What will happen the next time
you’re ready to launch a new product? Surprise... no
one wants to “watch your movie.”
What would you rather be: a one-hit wonder,
or someone who draws a loyal following that’s ever-growing?
For those that want the latter, here’s my advice: be
realistic. Keep your copywriting
and marketing honest and informative. Present your product
or service in a way that highlights its advantages without
telling tall tales. Establish trust and credibility with your
customers, and they’ll keep coming back. And above all,
don’t base your advertising campaign on "what works
for other people." Base it on what works for you.
Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com
Copywriting and Marketing. All rights reserved.
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