Want to learn how to write great copy?
Then read on because I am about to share with you one of the most important copywriting lessons.
Your entire message can fall on deaf ears unless you get this right.
Enter The Optimal Intensity Zone Of Communication
Every market has an “optimal marketing intensity zone” for communication.
On the low end of the intensity zone of communication you have an English scholar who writes with perfect grammar and zero embellishments.
On the other end, you have a hardcore marketer who swears, doesn’t care about grammar, and communicates with reckless excitement.
The path to optimizing your communication is to dial in the edginess and emotionality of your marketing to match your prospects.
Go outside of that range and your results will suffer.
Here’s a quick diagram to illustrate this:
How To Write Great Copy – The Optimal Marketing Intensity Zone
The Money Zone
The Money Zone is when you’re doing marketing that is perceived as either “Edgy Marketing” or “Interestingly Professional”.
You lose the prospects if you go to the “Dangerously Boring” zone or the “You’ve Gone Too Far” zone.
The Dangerously Boring Zone
Most marketing falls into this category. The ads are so boring that most prospects don’t even glance at the ad. And those who do glance don’t read. And those who read, don’t care. This is bad marketing at its worst.
As my marketing mentor John Carlton says, “the biggest sin in marketing is to be boring”.
Ads and websites that have generic copy, stock images or show a picture of you and your dog are all great examples of dangerously boring.
Your marketing message always needs to be focused on THEM. On your prospects. It always needs to be directing its message towards the benefits THEY are going to receive.
And more importantly, you need to “dial in” to the appropriate level of intensity for your market.
If you want to play it safe because your prospects are more conservative, a good zone to shoot for is the…
The Interestingly Professional Zone
Apple writes GREAT interestingly professional sales copy
This is where things are very sharp, well done and communicated clearly. Apple Inc. does a world-class job at this level. Their marketing is engaging, interesting and simple.
And their PC vs Mac campaign was bordering on edgy marketing.
If your personality is more low key, then you might be more comfortable and successful with the “interestingly professional zone”.
When an emphasis on benefits and big promises are made with stronger power words with wilder antics, the marketing intensity level goes up to…
The Edgy Marketing Zone
Edgy Marketing is when you’re pushing the boundaries of what is considered “normal”, and you’re appealing to a more intense mentality.
For younger prospects, you NEED edgy marketing most of the time. They don’t think you’re “cool” otherwise.
For markets that are predominantly younger men – this type of marketing can do very well.
There’s a VERY POWERFUL ELEMENT OF ENTERTAINMENT that comes with Edgy Marketing. And this can be an incredible tool to help you stand out in your marketplace.
You can even test using cartoons, caricatures, and fun whacky videos. Just showing the world that you are a FUN company can do wonders in terms of creating Harmonization Marketing.
Hypey, pushy infomercials fall into this category too.
Legendary pitchmen like Billy Mays and Tony Little were naturally EDGY with their speaking style and IT WORKED.
Susan Powter had an edgy image that made her stand out as you flipped the channels.
Edginess grabs ATTENTION which is the most valuable currency in the marketing world.
You can’t lead someone through your funnel without first GRABBING their attention.
Other ways you can increase edginess are FONTS.
Here’s a simple example:
That font is called “Assasins Dub”. It reeks of intensity, distortion, heavy metal, and violence…
This one communicates a hippy, laid-back funky disco vibe.
The pictures you use will naturally increase or decrease the intensity of your communication.
However, when the intensity goes too far – it falls into the…
You’ve Gone Too Far Zone
At this point, you’ve pushed past the line. You’ve lost the prospect. You’ve blown past their comfort zone.
This can happen when your marketing is too pushy, too absurd, too hardcore, too comical, too off based, and too dissonant.
People don’t want to be pushed too hard into making a decision. They would rather make the decision in their own minds. They would rather make their own choice.
When people don’t feel any harmonization with your message – THEY ARE GONE. That’s the bottom line.
Where Is Your Market?
The most important question is, what’s the optimal level of communication intensity for your market?
For now, take a close look at the difference between Yoga and Bodybuilding.
Let’s start with Yoga.
The Optimal Marketing Intensity Zone for Yoga
You can see that “The Edge Marketing Zone” isn’t very wide and the line where “You’ve gone too far” is a lot lower compared to bodybuilding.
Yoga practitioners are peaceful, calm, and will respond to simple marketing if it’s designed with their desires in mind.
The Optimal Marketing Intensity Zone for Bodybuilders
With bodybuilders, there’s a line where things get Dangerously Boring for them because they are hardcore guys that like hardcore marketing on some level.
I don’t even know if the “You’ve Gone Too Far” zone exist with bodybuilders. You can literally write about puking from squats, not being able to walk and all kinds of insanity and they get excited.
I like to test how far I can push the edgy marketing zone using Adwords.
Seeing a dramatic difference in click through rates, opt-ins or sales can be a big clue that your market wants you to be intense or wants you to be mellow.
If you enjoyed this copywriting lesson, make sure to enter your name and email below to get more details about Level 5 Marketing System that will be released this fall.
