I had the opportunity to attend the Social Media Marketing World conference in San Diego earlier this month. Each session presented the latest and greatest tools and tips in the world of social media marketing. Surprisingly, my most significant takeaway was on how to write better sales copy, something that applies to so much more than just social media marketing.

My favorite session was “Write Copy that Sells Without Being Sleazy” by Ray Edwards. He shared his formula for sales copy success that has led him to generate over $300 million in revenue for his clients.

Sales Copy Formula

His biggest secret? 80% of your connection to your customers is your focus on the relationship. Imagine that, the best way to write sales copy without being sleazy is to care about and build a relationship with your customers. One meaningful way to connect with your customer is to understand the problems they face. Make them feel important and understood, then present a solution.

The next vital piece – 15% of your message should communicate the cost of not buying your product. Let your potential customer know the pain points they’ll experience if they continue without your product.

The next 3% of your message must include a sense of urgency. Creating of urgency can include sharing a limited time discount code, saying “limited spots remaining,” or anything in between. Encourage the reader to act now.

Finally, 2% of your message should include asking for the sale. Failing to present a clear call to action means you’ve only shared information and left the reader without any direction of what to do next.

My Experience

As he shared these tips, I reflected on times when a brand’s sales copy connected with me in this way. I immediately thought of my local grocery store. About a year ago, I started receiving emails, flyers in the mail, and social media ads announcing same-day grocery pick-up. The busy women in the ads reminded me of myself. Spending time with my family is a top priority for me, but the day-to-day tasks (like grocery shopping) get in the way. The ads made online grocery shopping look fast and easy – like it would solve one of my most significant problems. So, I gave it a try. Online grocery shopping is just as easy as they made it sound and it honestly did solve a lot of my problems. As a result, I’m still a very loyal grocery pickup customer, placing another order every two weeks. They continue to solve my problems by sending me an email when the items I buy regularly go on sale, giving access to digital coupons, and providing reasonable substitutes for out of stock items.

Conclusion

My local grocery store’s marketing team presents the type of sales copy Ray describes. They understand and communicate my problem, I trust them, and they continually provide me with solutions to more problems. For each interaction I have with them, I feel understood, they create a sense of urgency, and include a clear call to action. What if every company approached writing sales copy using this formula? We’d probably have more satisfied customers. I plan to test this formula through the coming months. If you give it a try, let me know how it works for you in the comments below!