Let’s start the year by having fun and playing “what if” for just a minute: If you could have just one super-human power during 2008 and you could use it for whatever you want? Which one would you pick? Flying? Super-strength? Invisibility? Which power of all the ones available would you want to make this new 2008 the best year ever for you and yours?

They’re all fun… but I’d personally pick “mind control”: The ability to influence the masses and persuade them do whatever I want. Yeah… I know it’s a cool power… and yeah, you can pick that one too. As a matter of fact, it was not a random pick. Mass-control is a super-human power that could become a reality for you this year. All you have to do is read along…

Keep reading: Mass mind control revealed! (free video)

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

It’s a fact of life. Everybody looks up to, follows and most importantly obeys authority figures. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about business, music or even about religion; authority figures exist in virtually every realm of our existence.

And if you think about it for a few minutes, you’ll come to realize that in almost every case, authority figures are the ones making the most money (think Bill Gates, Madonna and the Pope). And we don’t have to go so big… authority figures can be as close as an older sister who knows a lot about fashion, that friend who you just can’t seem to beat at chess or the author behind that blog you love to read.

In the end, the fact remains that we’re all still flawed human beings. So what makes those authority figures so special? How can you become an authority? And how can you use that to skyrocket your online business into stardom?

Keep reading: 3 Easy steps to become an online authority

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

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?

There are many different factors that make up the buying process of a consumer; and the most important one of them is the fact that people buy what they WANT, not what they NEED. This crucial fact is probably the most overlooked factor in the buying process and it is ignored by advertisers, marketers and copywriters alike.

Think about it from your own perspective. When you need a new car… what do you “mentally” go through from the time you decide you might need to start shopping around until the time you actually buy?

Keep reading: You WANT it. But, do you NEED it?

Learning how to tell a good story is one of the most persuasive skills you can have as a copywriter. Great copywriters have proven once and again that knowing how to tell a good story can make the difference between a complete money-losing dud and a multi-million dollar success. But how exactly do you come up with a story that is good for sales?

When it comes to stories that boost sales, substance matters more than style. In other words, what you say matters more than how you say it. So instead of focusing on telling the story elegantly, you should be taking the time to plan your story and strategically selecting the points it will drive home.

Keep reading: 5 Persuasive story formulas you can use