Can Soft Copy Convert Hard Sales?

I don’t want to get into an ethical is it right or wrong to write misleading ad copy and what you should or shouldn’t do when building copy that produces debate here.

Personally, I think you can write good, strong ad copy that doesn’t mislead without doing it in a way that is “soft”.

The purpose of this article is a critique of soft copy techniques that are espoused by the “third tribe” clan (I feel retarded for saying that) as opposed to direct response ad copy.  This may or may not interest you….

I was planning on finishing up an article on the power of reciprocation when a “tweety-bird” posted a link that caught my attention.  The post was by Dave Navarro, one of the contributors of  the Third Tribe Forum, on the Copyblogger website.  The subject?  5 “old school” tactics that could ruin your sales page.

First to be fair about this, Dave does agree that the typical direct marketing tactics work, but as he puts it (his words, not mine)…

“…$10,000-a-page copywriters use them without hesitation because they appeal to the baser instincts of the easily swayed…”

His solution? Join the Third Tribe of course and learn how to create ad copy that is kinder,gentler, and more authentic, without the hyperbole you would normally associate with an online ad.  In other words,  the claims are more subdued (give me 7 days and I will demonstrate a proven way to lose weight and keep it off) from the extraordinary (lose an inch a day with the abolizer!)

You know the kind of copy he is talking about….

• 20 point, impact, red font with an outrageous claim for a headline that you intend to PROVE in the copy itself…
• Proofing reviews that show the best possible scenario, benefit wise…
• Yellow highlighted areas that attract the eye to it, exposing something the copywriter feels is very important….
• Bulleted lists (and lots of them), going over benefit after benefit….
• Call to action using scarcity as a motivator (fear)…

We have seen them before over and over and over.  And the reason why we see them is the same reason why we DON’T see much copy that is less than 2,000 words…..because it works, in a very general sense.

But, the folks at Third Tribe Marketing seem to have a different take on the matter.  They think that if you appeal to the intelligence of your market by not making over-the-top claims,  that the market will respond.

In effect, they are selling the idea that “soft” or “smart” copy (should I say ad copy for smart people instead?) is a better solution to the tried and true.

Can SMART copy for SMART people Work Though?

The idea behind soft ad copy is that people are smarter than us marketers/advertisers give them credit for.  In other words, we, as consumers, know that those ads you see on TV for that ab machine that promises big results fast are bunk just like we know that making thousands of dollars online with no website, no business experience and no money is pie-the-sky speak as well.

…yet so many smart people fall for it all the time….

As an aside, I can’t tell you how many friends of mine still think that doing sit-ups will help you lose that tire around your waste (it won’t…and it could actually increase your girth).

Third Tribe “Solutions” to Everything will be better in a Week copy…

This type of ad copy focuses on the reader’s hope for fast results.  Copywriters use it because let’s face it….in the world we are living in today, results simply can’t happen fast enough.

Wanna lose that 20 pounds in time for spring? Third Tribe’s solution for ad copy is to not insult the reader with a promise that by going on this diet, you could potentially lose it within a month.

Instead, a soft copy solution to the problem would be something like….

“Give me 7 days and I will generate a personalized diet for you that will help you accomplish your goal of weight loss that will work…”

This type of ad copy is pretty smart.  A smart person would think to themselves that it is clear, doesn’t make a huge promise and therefore is probably deliverable.

But the problem is that even smart people, under desperate situations, are looking for the biggest results in the smallest time frame.

And when a person is wanting to squeeze into that bikini by dropping 20 pounds within a month and a half, when they see THAT ad copy compared to something like this…..

“I lost 40 pounds on the slim fast plan in 2 months and if I can do it, anyone can..”

…the smart person is going to think….well if they can drop 40 pounds in 2 months, I should be able to drop half the weight in that time frame as well.

When presented with the two headlines, more people will gravitate toward the big claim because they usually think that even if they get half the results of the claim, it would be worth it.  This is even for SMART people who know better, folks.

The Third Tribe Solution to “Set On Auto-Pilot” Ad Copy

Another copy writing tactic is to show how effortless something is that will get results.  It is the classic “business-in-a-box” stuff you have seen in the make money online market.  But it can be used for practically anything.

The reason why copywriter’s use this is to appeal to the reader’s laziness.

I can buy this website (that is already put together for me) and it will make money for me while I sleep….

I can take this diet pill, and it will increase my metabolism and I will lose weight all the while eating as much as I want…

The old school method is to pepper ad copy with the benefits of what the business in the box will do for you…typically, this has nothing to do with the product itself (usually the results are implied) but instead focuses on what the consumer really wants….better lifestyle, bigger house, a 6-pack for a stomach, more time to do what you want to do…

Third Tribe Solution…

…a service that automates opt-in form creation and has reporting statistics frees you from coding so you can spend that time tweaking forms for higher conversion.

Sounds smart, right?  I would imagine if you are lower on the evolutionary ladder, you would lose interest mid-way through the first sentence…

Compare this to what they consider “corny” aka “old school”…

“an email autoresponder service that “pulls in new subscribers like clockwork”

So which one wins?  The third tribe promises (in a very clinical way) that you can create opt-in forms without knowing code which would free you up to do more work.  Okay, sound realistic enough.  Appeals to the braniacs looking for the service.

The old school method (even the one they used) implicates a visual copy that you can imagine.  It doesn’t mention work.  It doesn’t mention not doing work either.  It implies the benefit that most who want an autoresponder service want….a growing list of clients added to their autoresponder.

Third Tribe Does Practice What They Preach…but how would someone who has never been exposed to their product react?

Third Tribe does practice what they preach.  Their sales letter is absolutely terrible from a direct marketing viewpoint.  In fact, to state that their site is ad copy is almost overstating things.

And while they profess to have 2,000+ members, this marketer would have to think that someone without the reach of its creators (between copyblogger, problogger, and chris brogan alone, their audience would probably be a couple hundred thousand….not to mention those that are minor players promoting it) would probably have some serious issues with conversions outside of their sphere of influence.

I am not really interested in seeing the conversion results for referral traffic but more interested in seeing conversions from COLD traffic.  For me, taking the customer’s bias out of the data would be able to prove (or disprove) whether this type of soft copy actually could work in a marketing environment.

Dangers of Using The Third Tribe Copy Philosophy With Your Ads

The thing I think I don’t like the most the third tribe’s philosophy are the assumptions that they are making in regards to what people want.  The risk of softening ad copy is that, while you may be entirely up front with your reader, your reader may not be ready to accept the facts.  You are basically segmenting your audience down to the “smart” consumer….which like I said before in my ab example, the majority of people aren’t ready to realize that crunches won’t make you lose weight.

The biggest problem with the soft copy principle and with this social network of A-listers promoting it is that there really is no data to support their copywriting techniques (the fact that people appreciate it when you “level” with them and want to feel smarter for it).

Compare that to decades of proven results from direct marketers.  So, a smart up and coming blogger/wannabe marketer will look at the rhetoric of the third tribe and think to themselves, I hate those long ads too….and therefore, their way must work since they say it does.

Hokie, I know.  But I don’t know of anyone (besides those that create them) that like long extravagant over the top ad copy either.  Yet, it converts.

Show me the results of the Third Tribe Ad Copy (not the actual site but ad copy from another product without the reach and brand), and I may change my mind.  For now, I am still on the “old school” boat.

When would soft copy work?

Soft Copy does work.  And it even works COLD.  But there are some ifs, ands, and buts to think about….

1. The stronger the brand, the less you need ad copy-  Obviously, this is a no-brainer.  You don’t need pages of ad copy if your product is strongly branded.  In some cases, you don’t need ad copy at all.  To illustrate this, I bought a Bose stereo system back in the day when Bose was using long ad copy.  Over the years, their ad copy has shortened because the brand has become more known and prominent.
2. Low Price-  Typically, the lower the price, the less you have to prove and the less risk the consumer is taking.  A couple years ago, some marketer ruined things with the $7 script, cheapening the make money online niche with crap products.  But hey, at such a low price, what’s the real risk?  Typical race to the bottom stuff.
3. Strong Referral Structure-  Word of mouth marketing and referrals from credible sources and friends can almost sell a product without ad copy.  In the case of third tribe marketing, chances are this was the real reason behind their success….not their ad copy.
4. Lots of Reach-  I have talked about reach before.  But the more reach you have, the more people you expose your product to and the greater the chance that it will be successful…this is partly due to the referral structure and branding.

I applaud Brian Clark and his group for his out of the box thinking.  The whole third tribe thing is really good marketing in the sense that they have taken a group of people who want to make money online but can’t (for whatever reason) and hate the slick marketing practices of direct marketers (and internet marketers).

Even most of those who read this site would agree to that, no matter what they think about 3tm.

And I am not saying that the current ad copy that focuses squarely on the fears and desires of the visitor and doesn’t deliver the promises they make is the right way to go either….

But the idea that a soft sell centered around the SMART part of the market is the way to sell….dunno about that.  Even some who consider themselves smart are still driven to the direct response marketing techniques.  And the soft copy approach has yet to be proven as the most convert-able.