Put It in Quotes
Don't take it personally, but prospects don't automatically believe what you write. They assume, perhaps rightfully so, that the words you put in the marketing and publicity materials you create are biased. After all, you're a paid advocate for the product or service. You are supposed to say nice things about it. That's why building belief and credibility can be such a challenge for a copywriter.
The “put it in quotes” technique can help. You simply find an opportunity in your copy to use quotations to describe or dramatize a particular feature or benefit of the product. Consider the following examples.
Example 1: The XM-50 Turbo-Mower cuts your lawn up to 30% faster than other lawnmowers in its class.
Example 2:“I love my XM-50,” says John Smith of Denver, Colorado. “I've tried other models. And this one cuts my lawn at least 30% faster.”
Prospects may be skeptical about what you, the copywriter, say in the promotion. But they will believe, almost unconditionally, what a fellow customer tells them. The assumption is that customers will tell it like it is about the product or service, with no bias. You can argue whether that assumption is correct or not, but it does exist.
What if you don't have a customer testimonial to use? The next best alternative is to use a representative testimonial. If you know for a fact that many of the customers are raving about the product and saying great things about it, you can legitimately write in your copy something like this: “Customers tell us frequently how much faster the XM-50 cuts their lawn.”
Even quotes from someone inside the company can add weight. For example, you could have the company president quoted in your promotion as saying, “The XM-50 will cut your lawn faster. Guaranteed.” That's much more persuasive than simply making that statement without quotations.
