The great debate rages on. Should your marketing content be copy heavy or copy light? Should your web pages be long and detailed—or short, simple and sweet?
Some people swear the days of long sales copy have died and gone away because nobody reads anymore (which would explain why Amazon sells so many Kindles).
However, a lot of authors and online marketers make six figures a year using lengthy landing page copy that sells the value of their products, while giving readers all the information they need to make an informed buying decision.
So what’s the answer to the question of copy heavy vs. copy light? The truth is, there is no one correct answer, but there are several things to consider.
The first thing to come to grips with is that people still read. In fact, they read a lot. And people still want detailed information before they reach for their wallets.
Long Copy Isn’t Dead
In the past year I’ve written sales landing page copy for many bestselling book campaigns that have been in excess of a 1,000 words. I’ve written even longer sales pages that have successfully sold information products that cost several hundred dollars or more.
So drop the notion that copy heavy is dead. It’s not.
However, you must consider the medium for which you are writing. E-blasts compete with hundreds of other e-mails that fill our inboxes daily. This makes it harder to grab and hold the attention of readers, so writing shorter e-blasts increase the chances of your copy being read.
The same can be said for mobile ads where short copy is a must.
As I’ve said, web site landing pages give you a chance to stretch out a bit. Plus, people expect to find out everything they need to know about a product on a sales landing page.
If they have clicked through your e-blast to your landing page it means they’re interested in your book or product. So don’t be afraid to give them the information they’re looking for (a great offer helps too!).
Know Your Purpose
You must also consider the purpose of your marketing piece. If you’re trying to generate no-obligation leads, you need only arouse the curiosity of your audience. This can mean less copy because you want to say just enough to titillate your readers.
If you’re trying to generate direct sales (landing page example), you must provide all the information your audience needs to know before they pull out their credit card.
This will almost always require more copy than what is needed to simply generate a lead.
Here’s your key takeaway. Whether your copy is long or short, be concise with your writing style and make every word count. This means no fluff and no hype. Tell your audience everything they need to know and then stop.
If you got a knowledge boost from this post I encourage you to share it with your crowd!
Want to learn more? Feel free to give me a call at (303) 697-4793.