Author: Bob McClain, Web Copywriting Expert

Okay, in Part One of this series, we established who we are trying to sell to by answering a series of in depth questions. If you haven’t read Part One yet, I suggest you do so first.

In this post, we’re going to talk about the power of “The Story”.

Since the beginning of civilization, human beings have told each other stories. And some of the most valued people in societies (at least from an entertainment perspective) were the best storytellers. Our favorite TV shows, our favorite movies, our favorite operas have always been the ones with a combination of great characters caught up in a great and well told story.

The last thing to remember about stories is that people remember a good story. They want to tell it to others. And that is your biggest goal. That’s what they call “viral”.

So how can we use this fact of human behavior to slip our product or service into the active minds of prospects? By using a series of tools.

Tool #1

Use a narrative. Every human being has a narrative going on in their heads. We tell ourselves where to go, what to do, what to change, what to eat. A narrative can break into that running story in our heads and overwrite it for a time.

Try this trick the next time you’re going to use web copywriting to relate about the features and benefits of a product. Rather than give a series of dry bullet points filled with “put me to sleep” facts, embed them into a narrative or story about how another firm used them.

People can identify with hard information if they are presented in a format they can identify with.  Putting them into a story about another business can help them more easily absorb the benefits if they are told a story about how this other company realistically benefited.

Don’t have a real customer to use? Make one up. Just make it believable.

Tool #2

Repetition of your key point.  We all know that repetition is a great tool for learning. It’s also a great tool for teaching or in this case, embedding an idea. If you could boil down your product or service into one salient, all encompassing point; or better yet, the one fact about your product or service that sets you apart, what would it be?

It needs to be short and sweet. The shorter the better. And any other tool you can use to make it memorable such as rhyme helps. The best example I can think of is Johnny Cochran’s famous line from the OJ Simpson murder trial in reference to the glove found at the crime scene.

“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”

Cochran continued to pound on that line until it became part of the “narrative” running in the heads of the jury, the press and the public. And it worked. Brilliant subliminal persuasion.

Tool #3

Stop selling; start educating. No one wants to be sold. Everyone hates high pressure sales tactics and most people know the difference between a sales pitch or ad and being educated.

Most people come to the Internet first looking for information. Statistics even show that most people who buy offline, first research on the Internet to learn about the products or services available. Then they find the closest store that offers what they’ve decided they want.

This means that while people are suspicious and leery of anything that “smells” like selling, they are open to anything that “feels” like education. If you can couch your product or service in a format that comes across as education people about the subject they are the cure for, you have an “open and receptive” audience. Just what you need for propaganda.

Do you know what the difference is between education and propaganda? They are one and the same process. The only difference is that education advocates what society currently believes in and propaganda advocates what society doesn’t currently believe in.

Start thinking of your web copywriting as educating instead of selling and see if this form of subliminal persuasion doesn’t change your approach.