Are you bullying people with your copy?

It?s a fact of life where advertising is concerned. If they?re not trying to scare you into buying their products they?re tugging on your heart strings. Advertisers have to get people?s attention, that?s the whole point of it. But sometimes it feels as though we?re all at the mercy of their ambitions. However subtle they may be. If your copy is too heavy handed on the emotional aspect, potential customers might feel they?re being frightened into submission by you as well.

Copy is important to any business of course. You want to persuade people to purchase what you have on offer. But you also have to gain their trust. Playing on their fears isn?t likely to do you any favours in the long run. Most of them will be all too aware how companies use psychology to get them reaching for their wallets. If it looks as if you?re trying to do the same, they?ll probably resent it and go elsewhere.

What most people are looking for is a solution to their problems or needs. Not to be scared witless. It?s been a long time since people simply believed everything they were told. Or took for granted the fact other people knew what was best for them. It isn?t just cynicism that?s taken over. It?s realism as well.

Offering someone a so called miracle cure won?t guarantee they?ll be beating a path to your door these days. What is important however is for them to feel comfortable doing business with you. By showing you understand their problems you?ll catch their interest. As long as you?re not making false claims of course.

Offering them answers without trying to browbeat them into becoming customers shows integrity on your part. Something that?s important whatever time we live in.
You wouldn?t go back to a shop where you?d been treated badly would you? The same applies to people visiting your site. And it?s much easier online to alert others to treat your site with caution.

After all no one wants to feel they?re being bullied. There?s a big difference between that and gentle persuasion. Get your copy wrong and you?ll end up with no customers at all.