Funnel Fallacy #2 | Compelling copy

In the last newsletter, we covered the WHO and HOW (Component #1) when it comes to creating a massively successful lead generation funnel. 

After gaining a crystal clear picture of WHO your ideal client is, it will be easier to nail down the second component…

Writing compelling copy for your funnel that resonates at a high level with your target audience. 

Resonates? 

Resonating is the feeling that develops when someone trusts, believes, and connects with who you are, what you stand for, and what you offer (you or your company). 

This piece is extremely important to mention, as it sets the tone, theme, and positioning when writing each copy element for your funnel. 

In other words, when your copy resonates at a high level with your ideal prospects, you can ultimately increase your conversion rate. 

So yes, this is important!

If you want to resonate with your audience, you must first become crystal clear on what it is you are selling AND how exactly it benefits your audience. 

First, let’s get clear on what the problem is. Only then can you get clear on how you, your product or your service solves that problem. 

So what is the PROBLEM you SOLVE? 

One clear sentence is all it takes. 

Next, you want to identify the pain(s) that are caused by that problem. 

I want to make sure I clearly differentiate pain from problem, as oftentimes these are readily interchanged, and they shouldn’t be. 

Problem and Pain Example: 

Problem: My car keeps breaking down

Pain Points: 

• I’ve been late to work 7 times this month
• Every time it breaks down I have to tow it
• I don’t feel safe in my car

Make sense? 

The pain points are the supporting elements that help you demonstrate that you truly understand (and empathetic in most cases) to your prospect’s problem. When someone feels understood, they start to resonate with your message and lean in to find out more.   

Jay Abraham said, “The more accurately you can describe your prospect’s problem in terms they can relate to, the more they instinctively feel that you must have an answer to that problem.” 

A Few Vital Copy Elements…

Your Headline 

You’ve got about two seconds to grab your prospect’s attention with your headline at the top of your funnel page. 

That’s it…

About two seconds for someone to decide whether they are going to keep reading or not.  If your headline doesn’t grab their attention within those first couple seconds, it doesn’t matter how compelling your copy is that follows…They won’t even see it because they will be gone. 

The ONE job of your headline is to get your prospect to continue reading. 

If you really want to be effective with your headline, always START with what your target audience wants or doesn’t want. Always be thinking what’s most important to them. 

People are always thinking “What’s in it for me?” They really don’t care about you, your product, or your service, however, they DO CARE about what your product or service is going to do for them. 

Use Dan Kennedy’s Great Headline Test if you want to see if your headline is strong enough for your ad…

Simply take the headline you wrote and add a call to action to the end of it. Then ask yourself, “If I ran this headline alone with nothing else but a call to action as a classified ad, would anyone respond to it?”

If NO, you’ve got more work to do on your headline. If YES, make that your “control” and create one or two more that pass the same test, and split-test them until you determine a clear winner. 

If you want to study great headlines, simply pick up a few tabloids or magazines in the checkout aisle in your local grocery store…If you can get your hands on a few National Enquirer issues, you have all you need to learn how to write effective headlines. 

Bullet Points

Bullet points in copy are used for a reason. They work. They are easy to read, they’re short, and your prospect can gather a lot of information just from scanning them. 

People never read everything at first. They are going to see your headline and determine if they are interested enough to skim and scroll the rest of your copy. They’re eyes will scan for anything that interests them. Bullet points create the curiosity you want your prospect to feel which entices them to want to know more. 

Social Proof

Another vital element to incorporate in your funnel to support your compelling copy is social proof. 

Testimonials lower the resistance of your prospect, as they provide third-party validation that your solution really does what it claims to do in solving their problem. 

Testimonials will increase your credibility, as well as enhance believability of your product or service. And the more, the better!

Videos are the best forms of testimonials, however, written testimonials can also be super effective, as long as you include a picture of the person and at least their first name and last name initial. 

The power of using testimonials in your marketing in your copy is absolutely priceless, and not just for your funnel. Testimonials can be leveraged in so many ways…

If you haven’t been asking your clients to give you testimonials, start NOW! And start by asking your best clients.  

In the next edition, I’ll cover another “ASK” (but to your prospects instead) as I reveal Component #3 to creating a massively successful lead generation funnel.   

Stay tuned! 

David