The 4 golden rules of sales copywriting! (two)

If a title cannot attract people to click on it within 3 seconds, then it will never have a chance to be on the stage.

So, when consumers are attracted by the title and click on your copy , how can you stimulate their desire to buy?

Today I will continue to share with you the second part of the four golden rules of sales copywriting: stimulating the desire to buy.

Stimulate purchasing desire

People often talk about the seven emotions and six desires, among which the seven emotions according to Buddhism are joy, anger, worry, fear, love, hate and desire. Regarding the six desires, Gao You, a philosopher in the Eastern Han Dynasty, commented: "The six desires are life, death, ears, eyes, mouth, and nose."

Later generations summarized the six desires as: visual desire, auditory desire, smell desire, taste desire, touch desire, and intention desire.

To stimulate purchasing desire, we need to find consumers’ triggers or pain points based on these seven emotions and six desires.

Eugene Schwartz said in "Innovative Advertising":

Copywriting cannot create the desire to buy a product, it can only evoke the hopes, dreams, fears or desires that already exist in the hearts of millions of people, and then direct these "pre-existing desires" to specific products.

In short, copywriting does not create the desire to buy; it stimulates the desire to buy.

So which desires will evolve into purchasing desires? I personally think that the 11 pain points summarized by Li Jiaoshou can bring some inspiration.

Compensate yourself, compensate others, backward mentality, superiority mentality, perfect mentality, experience acquisition, ideal identity, avoidance identity, consistency psychology, preferential treatment psychology, dilemma psychology.

These psychological factors can be combined with Maslow's hierarchy of needs that we are familiar with and the six theories of sensory occupation, fear appeal, cognitive contrast, usage scenarios, best-selling, and customer testimony mentioned in "Best-selling Copywriting". It can be summarized into these types:

1. Sensory occupation

2. Fear Appeal

3. Social recognition

4. Purchase rationalization

5. Self-actualization

Below, I will share with you:

1. Sensory occupation - the copy should have a sense of picture

When we are infants, there is a stage medically known as the oral stage, where we curiously put everything in our mouths. In fact, we use our mouths to understand and explore the world.

All human intuitive experiences and feelings are perceived by our senses. We use our eyes to judge beauty, our noses to smell, our ears to hear, our mouths to taste, and our bodies to touch.

How to stimulate customers' senses?

The most direct way is to stand in the customer's perspective and tell the customer in a concrete way what kind of experience he will have when using this product, and make these experiences become text with a sense of picture.

Let’s first look at the dish served to Granny Liu in the Dream of the Red Chamber—Fried Eggplant Fish. How did Cao Gong write about it?

(The most famous dish in Dream of Red Mansions - Dried Eggplant)

Granny Liu said in surprise, "Is it really eggplant? I've been eating it for half a day in vain. Auntie, please feed me some more. I'll chew this one carefully." Sister Feng picked up some more and put it in her mouth. Granny Liu chewed it for a long time and said with a smile: "Although it has a bit of eggplant fragrance, it just doesn't look like eggplant. Tell me how you made it, and I'll try it too."

Sister Feng smiled and said, "This is not difficult. You peel the freshly harvested eggplants, take out the flesh, cut it into small pieces, and fry it with chicken oil. Then use chicken breast meat, fragrant mushrooms, new bamboo shoots, mushrooms, five-spice dried tofu, and various dried fruits, all cut into small pieces, simmer them in chicken broth until dry, collect the sesame oil, add fermented rice wine, mix it, put it in a porcelain jar, seal it tightly, take it out when you want to eat it, and mix it with the fried chicken and melon."

After hearing this, Granny Liu shook her head and stuck out her tongue, saying, "My Buddha! It would take more than ten chickens to match it, no wonder it tastes like this!"

This eggplant and fish jerky is a dish that Cao Xueqin spent a lot of time and effort to write about in Dream of the Red Chamber. The preparation process is complicated and the ingredients are numerous. Just by reading this text, even though I don’t like eggplant, I am salivating over this dish and longing for it.

The term "sensory occupation" is used more frequently in video copy. Remember not to use general terms such as "delicious" or "yummy" in the text. Instead, think of yourself as someone who is cooking or tasting the food, mix the food, amplify the details of the sensation on the tip of the tongue, and stimulate the taste buds of consumers.

Like the copywriting of A Bite of China, it is something that cannot be ignored.

The rice fish is gutted, neatly placed on the stove, and smoked over a weak charcoal fire overnight. Now it needs the power of air and wind to dry and ferment, which will together create a special flavor. The glutinous rice is covered with mycelium, and the various enzymes produced by the mold hydrolyze the starch into sugar, ultimately resulting in a refreshing sweet and sour taste.

Sweet rice is mixed with salt and chili and stuffed into the fish's belly. Rice fish can be eaten directly, or it is suitable for steaming or frying. No matter which method is used, it cannot cover up the charming sweet and sour taste created by the pickled fish and glutinous rice.

(Glutinous Rice Fish)

If you want to write a copy about a restaurant story, you can refer to the commentary for the first two seasons of A Bite of China. The reason why A Bite of China received rave reviews and became a favorite program for many people to watch while eating was not only because of the beautiful pictures, but also because of the support of these copywriting narrations.

Psychological research shows that humans have a cultural tendency to link visual imagery with verbal messages, which is the nature of multimodal perception.

Therefore, the concepts inspired by the copy are most likely to make an impression when they can produce clear visual images in the mind, that is, a sense of picture.

The way to stimulate this sense is through concrete and vivid expressions. When you say crispy, the word crispy alone cannot make people feel the same, but if you use "magical nougat and scallion rice cake, 54 layers in one bite", you will have a picture in your head, which connects your vision and taste.

Therefore, when describing the quality of a mattress, a phrase like "the materials are precious" is often not enough to fully reflect the quality. Instead, "the wool produced by an average of 30 sheep is only enough to make one mattress" will be much more concrete.

In addition, when we write a character copy or a still life copy, the sense of picture is also very applicable.

The difference is that for character copywriting, we need to set flags for them and insert BGM. For example, the appearance of Fu Hongxue in Gu Long is very classic:

"Fu Hongxue in the sunset. He was the only one in the sunset, as if he was the only one left in the world. The vast expanse of desolate and cold land, even the sunset seemed to have changed color due to loneliness, turning into an empty and desolate gray-white.

The same goes for his people. His hand was tightly clenched around a knife; pale hand, black knife! Aren’t pale and black the colors closest to death? Isn't death the limit of emptiness and loneliness? ”

The label that Gu Long set for Fu Hongxue is tragedy, which also laid the emotional tone for his subsequent life.

Lao Zei has previously written an article titled " How the tried-and-true fear marketing can scare babies to death ." In fact, to sum it up, it is to take advantage of people's tendency to seek profit and avoid harm and to scare consumers scientifically.

First of all, we need to be clear about what people are afraid of? In short, the source of fear is the fear of losing. Loss of health, fame, status, life, money, friends, things you have already gained.

But even if you find the user pain points corresponding to the product, you still can't scare your consumers. The book mentions a good formula:

Fear appeal = usage scenario + serious consequences. Such a scenario must be set up for consumers.

In 2016, Nanfu launched a lightweight power bank, but the power bank market was already saturated at that time. The biggest highlight of this power bank is its light weight. Based on this, Nanfu set up three painful scenarios for consumers in the form of comics.

It takes time to carry a bulky power bank when you go on a date after get off work, go to a party at night, or go shopping for a day. If you don't solve the problem or buy a new one, you will continue to suffer from holding a bulky power bank. These two steps first impressed the consumers.

Another example is Ogilvy’s classic advertisement “I’m Afraid of People Who Read”.

I am afraid of people who read. When they read, their faces are hidden behind the books. As soon as the book was put down, it shone before me as a noble king. Every gesture and movement is full of ease and grace. It made me realize that reading is not just knowledge, it is also magic.

…

I am afraid of people who read. I prayed that they would never know my insecurities, lest they would break me more easily, without even having the will to defeat me. I am so afraid of people who read because their role models are great people. Even if they cannot do it, they will still be successful people, which is far beyond me. I am afraid of people who read because they know that "ignorance" is cute only in children, but I am already an adult.

…

This is a long copy created by Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan for the 25th anniversary celebration of Yuanjian Commonwealth Publishing Co., Ltd., which won a famous creative award in the industry.

Behind this copy, there is a keen insight: Taiwan's economy was developing rapidly at the time, and there were many eye-catching stories of wealth creation every day. Everyone was thinking about climbing up, working, entertaining, and socializing, but they couldn't calm down to read.

This classic copy targets this phenomenon, taking advantage of people's fear that they cannot speak well in social situations due to their lack of knowledge, and arousing people's desire to read.

The painful scenario that this copy sets for fear is that people can imagine others chatting and laughing, but they themselves have nothing to say. It also reinforces the serious consequences: if you don't study, you will continue to be marginalized and eliminated by society.

Therefore, when writing copy that exploits fear, it is important to set up painful scenarios and serious consequences for consumers.

As for the use of fear appeals, you can mainly refer to the three types: trouble-free, preventive and therapeutic.

Trouble-free type:

Shenzhou Special Car I am afraid of black special cars

The fear appeal of Shenzhou Special Car = a weird uncle in the car (painful scene) + taking chances and being in danger (serious consequences)

Preventive:

Don't let your children lose at the starting line

Children who learn piano will not become bad - Taiwan Yamaha Piano

Youdao Translator:

I am eloquent and talkative, but I was asked nothing by the US Customs - Lily, a pig farm salesperson who earned 360,000 yuan in commission in the first quarter of 2017

I type thousands of lines of code a day, but I am reduced to a passerby at Shinjuku subway station——Adam, a programmer in Xi'erqi who specializes in artificial intelligence

Youdao Translator is a portable translator in 107 languages

Therapeutic type:

If you have onychomycosis (painful scene), and one person can infect two others (serious consequence), what should you do? Use nail polish immediately.

Finally, when using fear appeals, be sure to reduce decision-making costs and execution difficulty. Give the other party a solution that is simple enough and easy to implement.

Also note that in the process of arousing fear, the vulnerability of the threat is often more important than the severity. Because most people only worry about the present and not the future.

3. Social Proof – Creating Prosperity and Popularity

The book "Influence" mentions the "social identity principle", which means that people's behavior in a group is often influenced by others, and they may even respond accordingly based on the reactions of those around them.

In addition to the experiment conducted by social psychologist Asch in the book "Best Copywriters", I found another very interesting video about herd mentality.

In a clinic, a group of people, except for a girl in purple, stood up when they heard the beeping sound according to the pre-arrangement. After a few rounds, the girl in purple will hear the beeping sound and stand up. And when this group of people have left, the girl in purple will still stand up consciously when she hears the beeping sound.

Scientists believe that this internalized group behavior is what we call social learning, and from a young age, when we see group members do something, our brains reward us for following in their footsteps.

Just like what the test subjects said, when I don’t follow the crowd, I feel excluded, but following the crowd makes me feel much more comfortable.

The herd mentality also has a kind of self-suggestion to reduce losses. If you don’t follow the crowd, you feel that you will lose something. For example, when dining, everyone will think that the food with the longest queue outside the store must be delicious, the products ranked by sales volume on Taobao must have the best price/performance ratio, and the "millions of copies sold" of paper books will make you more willing to pay.

The popularity of internet-famous milk tea brands such as Heytea and Zangzangbao began by taking advantage of people’s desire for social identity. How should we create this kind of prosperity, which may be false, in copywriting?

"Hot-selling Copywriting" gives a good idea. When you are in a large company, you can list your sales volume, number of users, number of positive reviews and other data to make readers more willing to buy.

For five consecutive years, Xiangpiaopiao milk tea has been far ahead in terms of sales volume, and it can be circled around the earth ten times.

Pinduoduo is a shopping app that 300 million people are using

Vipshop's registered members exceed 100 million

Huoshan short video * 100 million people are playing

But if you are a small or medium-sized enterprise, simply listing the sales data will look shabby. Then you can try to highlight one or several best-selling phenomena and give readers the same illusion of best-selling.

Of course, we can also use the power of celebrities and brands to increase the influence of our products and attract people to follow.

Fan Bingbing's Little Red Book has become popular, driving the sales of coconut oil hair care, domestic hyaluronic acid and other skin care products. The Zhangqiu iron pot on the tip of the tongue has become popular, and the corresponding Taobao store is in short supply.

4. Rationalize purchases – make consumption justified

The book "Hot-selling Copywriting" calls this legitimate consumption and puts it in the steps of guiding consumers to place orders, but I think it is more appropriate to put it here.

In short, purchase rationalization is to find a reasonable excuse for your purchase. When we tell readers that this product is not for enjoyment but for the following four things, it will be easier to stimulate their desire to buy.

1) Compensate yourself

If a person feels that he has given a lot to others or has paid too much for a certain goal, he will want some "compensation" for himself.

This compensatory psychology can be material feedback, improving the quality of life of consumers. for example:

It is necessary to eat something good (Sanquan dumplings)

Women need to be calm during menopause (calmness oral solution)

It can also be spiritual care to comfort consumers' psychology. For example: "You Don't Have to Be Successful" by JD Xiaojinku.

You don't have to finish this glass of white wine and drink it until you have a perforated stomach, and you won't get help or respect. You don't have to give up playing music, putting out albums, or quitting your job, or mind being a punk with a bottle.

You don't have to carry so much, you don't have to succeed.

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Faced with the pressure of life and work, many modern people can only choose to bear and endure it.

JD’s Xiaojinku is targeting this psychological pain point of young people. It writes anti-chicken soup copywriting that you don’t have to be successful, uses empathy to impress consumers.

2) Motivate yourself

The main purpose is to strive for progress, to improve abilities, expand personal connections, develop careers, etc.

I am Mei Renli

The company is small, has few connections, and is difficult to expand

Fortunately, there is Maimai, which accurately targets partners

Now my company is thriving

Introduce yourself on Maimai, opportunities and connections will find you

I am Chen Mo

Thin-skinned, few resources, and not good at socializing

Fortunately, there is Maimai, more than 2,000 directors have become my clients

Now I am also the director

Introduce yourself on Maimai, opportunities and connections will find you

The poster copy of Maimai captures several major pain points of people in the workplace, introducing that downloading Maimai can help oneself grow, which is to motivate oneself.

3) Compensate or show gratitude to others

If a person feels that others have paid a lot for him, but he has paid very little in return, he will feel guilty towards others and want to do something to compensate them.

For example, ensuring that children grow up healthily and have a bright future. For example, repaying your parents, relatives and friends.

There is an interesting effect in economics. When people buy things, they always make excuses for themselves, saying that they are paying for their families, and then it will be easier for them to complete the purchase.

Caring for and protecting those we love, especially caring for parents and protecting children, is human nature and the driving force behind many advertisements.

I want you to be by my side, but I also want you to own the whole world - China Merchants Bank's tomato scrambled eggs ad

Even if we are family, we must continue to be lovers——BenQ projector

A gift that makes mom happy, opened again and again - Apple

Going home once a year means you can see your parents a few more times in your life - a series of print ads for Going Home

4) Pursue health

It can be said that maintaining health, improving physical fitness, reducing the risk of disease, and eliminating the pain of illness. These are not only the basic material needs for human survival, but also the constantly evolving and endless desires that arise from them.

A glass of milk every day makes Chinese people strong - Yili

Loving mother, caring for the whole family——Safeguard

5. Respect needs – self-actualization

In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, respect needs belong to higher-level needs, such as achievement, confidence, fame, status, respect from others, and promotion opportunities.

Esteem needs include both personal feelings about achievement or self-worth and recognition and respect from others.

Good copywriting should inspire consumers' competitiveness and beautiful vision. The competitive spirit is not only about defeating others, but also about defeating yourself. After owning our products, you will become more beautiful, smarter, stronger and more attractive.

For example, Remy Martin’s copywriting: Live more than one life in one life. This means that people who drink Remy Martin have a colorful life.

This copy during the marathon also stimulates this mentality among people.

Of course, you can also do the opposite. For example, this copy from the Yancheng Traffic Police uses people's desire to win (and save face) to advise everyone to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle.

Another example is a set of recruitment posters from 51job.com.

You are doing a job that only gives face to your old boss by drinking 5 beers, 8 liang of white wine and 10 glasses of foreign liquor. I have a worry-free future.

You guys, working from 9 am to 10 pm and having one day off a week, we have a worry-free future.

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Well, the above is my learning and thinking on the golden rule of copywriting sales, which is “stimulating purchasing desire”.

After our copywriting stimulates consumers' desire to buy, the next thing we need to do is to solve their trust issue. If consumers do not trust what we say, everything will be in vain.

So, the third part I want to talk about is: how to win the trust of readers. Given the limited space, I will continue to share with you next time. Please continue to pay attention.

above.