Write In The Now To Motivate People To Act

One of your key objectives when you write sales copy for your website or brochure is to motivate people to take action to buy, rather than putting it off until later.

When do you want people to act? Well, right now is a good time. You need to build a sense of urgency and strike while the iron is hot. You must keep this end-game goal in mind at all times. To forget and drift off into creative prose is costly error, and it is one you don’t want to make.

That warm comfortable place called One Day Isle is your biggest stumbling block. That’s the place where people like to live in comfort, putting things off until later with a “One Day I’ll Do That” attitude to making a decision. This is a great shame, as you and I know they would be MUCH better off if they would only make a move and spend money with you.

You can just imagine that little voice… one day I’ll get a new sofa, but not yet. One day I’ll buy that mountain bike, but not yet. One day I’ll organise my new car lease. But not yet. Living this way may well be safe and comfortable for THEM, but it is costing YOU business, and you must nudge them into action for everyone’s benefit.

The first step is to find ways NOT to set things up to sound as if they are in the future. That way, you will make tomorrow feel like it is here… now… in this moment. This will create the feeling of urgency you need to propel people forward.

To help create a sense of urgency, use pain points. These are what the prospect will lose, feel bad about, miss out on or regret if they don’t get cracking now. Clearly, you need to do this carefully and tastefully, but done well, it is a legitimate sales tool.

In fact, if your product or service is of good quality, makes your prospect’s life better and represents value for money, then you are doing the BEST for your prospect if you use copy that will help them to move towards enjoying all these good things!

In fact, given that they WILL be better off as a result of doing business with you, one could argue that you OWE it to them to rattle their cage to get some movement!

A wishy-washy approach would be to say “You will need around $48,000 a year when you retire to enjoy your life”. It is bland, and it won’t give your reader the nudge they really need. You need a way to make this future scenario feel like it is palpably real, right NOW.

To do this bring the pain into the present, rather than in the future. Say “In 2034, you are retired and worried, as you should be. Keeping the roof over your head needs $48,000 a year, which needs around $4,000 a month! How do you make ends meet? Hope for a miracle? Nope. You’ll have to cut back on private insurance, presents for the kids and club membership, The way things are, you’ll even have to sell the car, and that will cost you your freedom. The better alternative is to contact our team TODAY to get the peace of mind you deserve.

Yes, it IS a tough message. But remember, if you can motivate people to take this very necessary action by speaking in frank and plain terms about the problem they’ll face, then they (and you!) will be better off. It is a win/win.

Whether it is your brochure, website, direct mail or any other marketing communication, be sure to write in the present tense to make the benefits or the pain more tangible – and remind the prospect of the joy or misery they’ll experience if they don’t take action with you NOW! Take this approach and you are way more likely to move them off One Day Isle, which is far better for your prospect, and naturally, far better for you.

If you are passionate about persuasive copywriting, visit Copywriting Brisbane, or visit Jerry Crockford’s marketing ideas site at Web Copywriting Brisbane for practical, down-to-earth ideas to bring in more business.