Are You Using These Magic Marketing Words?

What are the magic words of copywriting? What do they do for you? And what precautions should you take when using them?

The family was watching a movie about this word over the recent holiday weekend:

“Shazam!”

(Darn - nothing happened ...)

In the movie, the 14-year-old character says the word and POOF he’s fully grown and packed with muscles - an easy win.

In real life, we all grew up with other “magic words” such as Please and Thank You!

What makes them so powerful?

They compel your listeners to do exactly what you want.

Another kind of easy win.

Our third child finally caught on.

For years, he joked around, speaking “Pirate” at the table and saying, “Pass the salt … Arghhh”

I blame one particular language learning app. Not telling which one it was. Just sayin’ ... if your software gives the “Pirate” option, be prepared.

Finally, he discovered that asking for the salt using the literal translation of one Latin phrase for "Please”, amabo te, results in this: “Pass the salt, I will love you.”

That works in my house.

In copywriting, we have other magic words that bring you easy wins.

“Easy”

Are you a person who loves a challenge? Marketing is full of challenges, and that makes it EXCITING!

However, running a business, launching a product, or running a marketing department can become overwhelming at times. Small business owners trying to do it all themselves … managers of large teams … Ask, and there’s likely a long list of tasks they would love to be easier.

Show them how fast and easy it is to use your software … because time is money and family time is worth even more than money

Make it easy to use your website … so visitors find what they’re looking for and take immediate action.

Show them it’s easy to get immediate help over your customer support line … so no-one has to waste another 40 minutes being switched to the next representative.

“Free”

Free is a powerful word in marketing. In fact it’s so powerful, advertisers even use it outside the context of money and payment.

For example, take a look at this example from Nike**:

What to watch for: The word “Free” can be a spam trigger word, especially if it’s all in caps. In emails, I suggest capitalizing only the first letter.

“Limited Quantity”

Scarcity motivates.

How many times have you put off a decision because you could? If you’re running a business or working in any kind of digital marketing, you’re dealing with constant change from day to day, whether it’s another Google update, Facebook photo glitch, or coordinating all 333 parts of your job.

Sometimes, you need an extra reason to act now.

You can give that reason to your prospects. Announce a limited quantity to increase sales with scarcity of PRODUCT. Set firm, meaningful deadlines for sales and promotions to boost conversions using scarcity of TIME. Open your program only once per year and make that monthly price move up by $200 if they don’t act by 4 pm.

What to watch for: Make it real. If you say you’ll cut off a sales price or limit sales dates and keep giving second chances anyway ... or if you use a fake countdown timer that resets ... you'll lose credibility and sales.

“Guaranteed”

Who wants a “Lifetime money-back, no-questions-asked guarantee”?

Your guarantee is the TRUST-booster giving your prospects the security they crave to move forward with a buying decision.

Reluctant to risk product returns and lost cash? Let’s think about that. If your competitor is offering a similar product, price, and an ironclad guarantee, their increase in sales due to that guarantee is likely offsetting any loss due to returned products.

What to watch for: If you're a service provider and you are investing hours of work and preparation in the work delivered, this is impractical. Another option that works here is a “Kill fee.” This is written into your contract, so you’ll be paid a portion of the total fee if the client starts working with you and then decides not to complete the work. With good communication, prequalifying, and onboarding, this scenario can be rare or non-existent.

Which word will make the difference in your business right now?

Judy Olbrych, B2B Copywriter and Communications Strategist, increases ROI for international brands with high-conversion copy. Read more at www.judyolbrych.com

** Photos by Unknown Authors licensed under CC