How to Authentically Write Sales Copy That Converts

Bryan Karas

January 17, 2019

There’s no doubt that the consumer is getting really good at sniffing out inauthenticity – and it really only takes one person to know you’re faking it to ignite a Twitter firestorm.

But that can all be avoided…

Flint McGlaughlin of MarketingExperiements gives us great insight on how marketers today should be communicating with and selling to the consumer. It’s called Transparent Marketing. Transparent Marketing uses the principle that “we treat the customer with the same integrity that we would expect to be treated.”

So when the average person is bombarded with over 3,000 marketing messages a day how do we stand out? How do we capture the attention of our intended audience? Especially when it’s human instinct for a consumer to automatically try and bash any marketing message that comes their way…

Tell only the truth: don’t use fluff, jargon, half-truths and marketing language that you think sells. If someone can’t instantly verify a claim they will assume that it is false.
Remove all vague modifiers: cut away the subjective adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases.
Let someone else do the talking: every time a company says they’re the “best” at something or the “finest” at something it makes me want to vomit. It’s always better to let someone else do the talking (customers, peer review, etc)
Use only facts: the consumer appreciates simple, direct communication. Give them the resources they need to make an intelligent decision then get out of their way.
Admit your weaknesses: lay out all your weaknesses and address all your faults and doubts up front to build trust with the consumer.

Admitting your weaknesses is a very interesting concept. Avis took this approach. They were the number 2 car rental company out there and they proudly shared that with the consumer.

“Avis is only No. 2 in rent a cars. So why go with us? We try harder (when you’re not the biggest you have too). We just can’t afford dirty ashtrays. Or half empty gas tanks. Or worn wipers. Or unwashed cars…”“

You can take a look at the whole advertisement in this blog post from ConversionXL.

Now go to your website and read what you’re selling. Are you using marketing fluff to make you sound better then you really are? Is your sales copy general and not specific? Transparent Marketing is not a new thing but the concepts behind it could never be more relevant.

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