Wayside Gardens: Writing To Overpower Your Competition

"We don't have any competition. We're a truly a one-of-a-kind company." I've heard that line from clients for years. I wish it were true, but it's simply not. In fact, it wouldn't matter if you held a monopoly on your particular product or service; you'd still have competition. How? Because your competition doesn't come from a singular source.There may be no other businesses that sell the product or service you sell, but you still have competition. Once that's understood you have a greater advantage when it comes to copywriting. You can recognize the other options your customers have before them and can position yourself as the only logical choice.Know Who Your Competition IsCompetition comes from a variety of sources. Yes, there are those who sell the same things you sell, but there competition comes in other forms, too.The Same But DifferentCharitable organizations are a good example of "same but different." Your group may be the only one raising funds to save the purple spotted toad of northern Antarctica but that doesn't mean you'll receive a flood of contributions from everyone you call. Why? Because there are a million and a half other charitable organizations out there all vying for the same money from the same people.None of these other groups is trying to raise funds to save the purple spotted toad of northern Antarctica, but they are trying to get individuals to donate to their causes. That makes them all your competition.How do you get around this problem? Assuming your traffic generating efforts or your mailing list is highly targeted, you'll want to make a strong case for this little toad. In your copy, let the readers know why the purple spotted toad is important to the environment (he's the only toad in existence that carries antibodies that can cure cancer). Tell them why the world would be a much sadder place without our bouncing little friend. (In addition to being the only purple toad in the world, this guy is the only food the frosty wilder beast will eat so he's vital to the food chain).Just like with any other type of copywriting, list the benefits of the purple spotted toad. Why is he important to nature, how will the ecology suffer with his demise and what will happen to the rest of Antarctica if he becomes extinct? All of these are vital to convincing your audience that they should favor you with their contributions instead of some other organization.Everyone In the Search ResultsGo to your favorite search engine and type in "copywriting course" (without the quotes). What do you see? There are a lot of options listed on the search results page. Are all these products the same? By all means no!Some are live workshops, others are e-courses, some focus strictly on one type of copywriting leaving all others by the wayside, some are correspondence courses while others are downloadable. But because they all appear in response to the query "copywriting course," they all have the potential to take sales away. Even if your site falls into the coveted #1 position, the others on the page could potentially grab some of your sales.So how do you get surfers to click on your site's listing? Your title and description have to be first rate.If your copywriting course has a specialty (sales letters, search engines, catalogs, etc.) say so. Choose the most powerful benefit and a way to set yourself apart (your USP) and use those in the tags for your search results along with your keyphrases. Simply having keywords in your title and description might get you ranked with the engine but it sure won't entice anybody to click to your site.Other OptionsThere are options and substitutes for practically everything in the world. If people don't want to pay for a computer and Internet access so they can send email, they can write letters or call their friends and family. If customers decide the cost of groceries is out of control, they can plant a garden and eat a vegetarian diet. There are even alternatives to cars: taking a cab (as most do in New York), bicycling (very popular in London) or walking (great exercise). All of these alternatives can be competition for you.To overcome the pull of other options, when you write copy be sure emphasize why those other options really aren't viable. The sheer act of writing letters takes time in and of itself. Then you have to mail the letter and wait. If the person wants to respond, they have to get motivated enough to sit down and write a reply and mail it. Then you wait again. The phone? Yes, people could use the phone to talk like they always have, but what about when you want to show the person you're talking with something? A picture of your new grandchild or your new car can't be shown over the phone. You get the idea.Drop the egotistical viewpoint that you have no competition and take a good, hard look around. Once you've realized that there is always an alternative to buying what you offer, you'll be in a better mindset to write copy that outlines why yours is the only option the prospect should consider.© 2005 http://www.learn-copywriting.com [EXTRACT] "We have no competition. We are a truly one of a kind." I heard that line of customers for years. Just Like Heaven, but it just is not. In fact, no matter if you had a monopoly on particular product or service, you still have competition. How? Because your competition is not from a singular source.There may be other companies selling the product or service you sell, but you still have competition. Once deemed to have a major advantage when it comes to copywriting. You can recognize the other options to their customers before them and can be positioned as the logical choice.Know your IsCompetition competition from a variety of sources. Yes, there are those who sell the same things to sell, but the competition occurs in other organizations, too. The same DifferentCharitable But they are a good example of "same but different." Your group may be the only fundraiser to save the purple spotted toad north of Antarctica, but that does not mean you will receive a flood of contributions from all callers. Why? Because there are a million and half other charitable organizations out there all competing for the same money the same people.None of these other groups are trying to raise funds to save the purple spotted toad north of Antarctica, but they are trying to get people to donate to their cause. This makes them all competition.How can get around this problem? Assuming your traffic generation or the efforts of your mailing list is very specific, you need to make a strong case for this frog. In your copy, readers know why the purple spotted toad is important for the environment (which is the only toad in existence that carries antibodies that can cure cancer). Explain why the world would be a much sadder place without our little bouncing friend. (Besides being the only purple frog in the world, this man is the only food of the wild beast eats ice which is vital to the food chain). As with any other type of writing, the list of the benefits of frog purple spots. Why is it important to nature, how the ecology of suffering with his death and what happens to the rest of Antarctica when it dies? All these are vital to convince his audience that if the favor of their contributions rather than somewhere else organization.Everyone In search ResultsGo your favorite search engine and type "writing course" (without the quotes) . What do you see? There are plenty of options on the results page. All these products are the same? By all means no! Some are live workshops, others are e-learning, with some focusing strictly on a kind of writing, leaving everyone else in the way, some are correspondence courses, while others can be downloaded. But they all appear in response to the question "writing course," everyone has the potential to take sales away. Even if your site falls into the coveted # 1 position, the other on the page can take some of their sales.So how to get surfers to click on list your site? Its title and the description rate.If first copywriting course has a specialty (sales letters, search engines, catalogs, etc.) says. Choose the most powerful benefit and a way to set yourself apart (the USP) and the use of labels on their search results with keywords. Simply key words in the title and description that was classified with the engine, but it sure will not attract anyone to click on your OptionsThere site.Other options and replacing virtually the entire world. If people do not want to pay for a computer and Internet access so they can send e-mail you can write letters or call your friends and family. If customers decide the cost of purchase is out of control, you can plant a garden and eat a vegetarian diet. There are even alternatives to cars: take a taxi (like most in New York), cycling (very popular in London) or walking (great exercise). All these alternatives may be competition for you. To overcome the force of other options, type the text emphasize sure why those other options are not really viable. The mere act of writing letters takes time in itself. Then you have to send the letter and wait. If the person wants to respond, they have to get motivated enough to sit down and write a response and send it by mail. Then wait again. The phone? Yes, people could use the phone to talk as they always have, but what happens when you want to show the person you're talking about something? A picture of your new grandchild or your new car can not be demonstrated through the phone. You get the idea. Release the selfish point of view, which has no competition and have a good look, lasts around. Once you realize that there is always an alternative to buying what you offer, you will be in a better mental state to write the text that explains why his is the only option you should consider the prospect. © 2005 http://www.learn-copywriting.com