As a copywriter I’ve been trained over many years that sales letters follow a vertical format. Not only in shape and form, but in the way the content is presented and the points are made to persuade the reader to buy.

And this tried and tested format has worked marvelously well on the web too. But I just saw a couple of videos by fellow internet marketer Jeff Walker that are making me re-think the whole approach to selling online. He’s now talking about a “sideways” sales letter, and there may be something to it…

Keep reading: Sideways sales letters: trend or new standard?

Whether we like it or not, groups of humans act a lot like herds. In action, opinion and even feelings, people are natural followers of the particular group they belong to. Even in the most extreme situations, group-think tends to overcome individualism.

As a copywriter and marketer these are good news for you, because by the time you finish reading this article, you’ll realize that once you can influence how a group thinks, you will be able to automatically persuade new members to conform without even trying. How? Let’s get some background first…

Keep reading: Moo! Exploring our conformity to groups

Have you ever watched a movie so arresting that it made you completely forget that all you were watching is fictional? We all have, plenty of times. Actors like Anthony Hopkins, Sean Penn and Robert DeNiro seem to have the natural ability to cause that effect on command… and they can, but their ability is not natural. They have studied and perfected a series of techniques that are known as “method acting”.

In method acting, an actor goes deep into the skin and mind of the character and studies every little possible detail. By becoming the character, they are able to suspend your disbelief and convince you that what is happening on the screen may actually be true. But the truth is that they are fooling you, you have not lost your mind… instead, you have willingly stopped disbelieving in the fiction.

Keep reading: Method copywriting - Your ultimate goal

Once you’ve written your award-winning copy, you’re all done, right? Well… not exactly. Wise marketers always keep an eye toward the future. While your product might remain the same in the months to come, people will not.

Their needs will change, technology will change and their goals will be adjusted to fit their lives better. By tracking customer feedback, you will be in a good position to tweak your copy from time to time (or rewrite it completely) to better fit the emotional standing of your target audience.

Keep reading: Is it time for a copy re-write?

If you’ve studied copywriting for any length of time at all, you have probably stumbled across the acronym AIDA. That stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. This formula has been used by copywriters (especially direct mail copywriters) for years and years. However, I find that it is a bit incomplete.

While I recommend that you base your copywriting process on the AIDA formula, I do want to add a few elements to it that will dramatically increase your copy’s performance by appealing to the emotions of your customers.

Keep reading: The advertising formula that always works

Listen to a few conversations during the course of your day and you’ll likely make a few interesting observations. When telling a story, some people give you just the facts. Others provide intimate details. When you offer information to them, some will stop you and say, “Oh, let me write this down,” a few will look at you intently – hanging on every word, and still others will appear anxious for you to get right to the point. This is because there are a variety of communication styles. People have preferences in the way they give and receive information.

The challenge, as a copywriter, is to provide your sales information in the way that your target customer will most willingly accept it. If you have a target group that consists of one behavioral/communication style, your copy will be easy to write. However, if your target audience is made up of a variety of styles, your job will take a little more effort.

Keep reading: What’s the key to effective communication?

As I explained in last week’s post, people don’t buy what they need, they buy what they WANT. And these “wants” can be triggered in the prospect’s mind by summoning common emotional buying states in your copywriting. The most common buying emotions you can use are: greed, fear, flattery, guilt, exclusivity, anger and redemption.

As a matter of fact, this strategy is being used on you a lot more than you’d imagine. All you need to do is flip through a magazine or watch some television. As you do, try to identify the emotion being used on each ad. Go ahead and do it now before reading this information. When you’re done, come back because we’re about to go over the bases for these emotions and how to gear your copy toward at least one of them.

Keep reading: How to make people WANT your products