Written by: Bob McClain, Web Copywriting Expert

On the Internet, nobody is going to sit through a long, drawn-out proposal or sales page. We live in an age of instant gratification. Give me what I want, when I want it, and nobody gets hurt.

To accomplish this, you need to forget about the logical sales pitch you would use if you were sitting face to face with someone in a sales meeting where you have maybe half an hour and you can answer questions and prod the potential client with questions to figure out what they really want.

On the Internet, you have to skip straight to the punch line. People want their information fast, entertaining and predigested so they can make a fast decision. If you work with this fact, you’ll be successful. If you fight it, you’re going to be one disappointed website copywriter.

The “catch phrase” that buries itself into the subconscious…

You need to distill everything down into a few “catch phrases” that you can pound away at your visitor’s subconscious with. Every successful politician uses this trick. They pay a very sharp speech writer to come up with a handful of slogans that they sprinkle liberally throughout their messages.

They don’t have to be profound so much as they have to introduce doubt about your opponent (your competitor) or make a strong statement about your business that appeals to the reader.

Too many times, a website copywriter will place a laundry list of features and benefits on a page in the hopes of overwhelming the reader and persuading them to use their client’s product or service. A better method is to pick one thing and emphasize it over and over as an overwhelming advantage over competitors.

But remember, don’t repeat the catch phrase just to repeat it. Each time you repeat it, it must be tied to some point. In other words, it must be used in a sentence that sells some aspect of the product or service. For instance, using the catch phrase our factories are automated:

• We can deliver the product faster than anyone else because our factories are automated.
• Since our factories are automated, our costs are lower than anyone else’s.
• You won’t have to worry about “factory rejects” because you know our factories are automated.

Don’t use them in bullet points like this because it would be too obvious. Sprinkle these arguments throughout your page.

How to develop your “catch phrase”…

Your catch phrase has to be something that both sets your company apart from all your competitors and also will stick in people’s heads so they don’t forget you. You can build your catch phrase around:

• A benefit: We make marketing easy.
• A feature: The Single Step Process.
• A challenge: This may be too much process for you.
• A question: Do you have any idea what you’re missing?

It can also be targeted to elicit an emotion:

• Inspiring: If you can dream it, you can achieve it!
• Boastful: We help you Dominate The ‘Net! (This is my “catch phrase”)
• Painful: Without this process, you’re just another dentist office.

Writing your copy is all about hammering home this important and memorable point. While there’s no guaranteed sale, there’s a very good chance your visitor will remember your major point and that’s all you can ask of a good sales page.