Does The Spoken Word Outsell the Written Word?
In this issue:
- The two-headed man beast …
- Five reasons why the spoken word outsells the written word …
- Six quick tips for crafting and delivering effective multi-media
sales presentations … - And more!
Dear Business Builder,
It never ceases to amaze me to see how much weight people give to second hand knowledge. If some expert says something, it must be written in stone, immutable truth. Have we become so clever at learning from others that we’ve forgotten to think for ourselves?
Let me give you one such example …
Some copywriting gurus say that copywriters should write like people speak. Have you heard this before? I don’t know about you, but when I hear this I simply translate it to mean — write simply and clearly.
But the truth is, very few people speak simply and clearly. Sure they may use a few big words, but their communication is, more often than not, anything but concise or persuasive. It rambles all over the place. It’s full of fluff and ambiguity, and would never pass as productive copy in a millions years … The difference between writing the way people speak and putting persuasive words in their mouths is night and day.
A more accurate and useful axiom is this: Write copy that would sound natural if it were spoken.
Why is this so important? Let me tell you the reason.
Why conversational copy sells …
Copy (text) on a web page is a strange two-headed man beast. Technically it is a visual medium. But its power is sound, not light. I kid you not … the photons radiating from your computer screen right now are literally whispering my words in your ear. Can you hear them? Of course you can.
And sound is the medium of emotion. That’s why what you write should sound natural when spoken. Only then does it have the power to move people …
Still, did you know that the spoken word is 10 times as persuasive as the written word? How do I know? Not because some guru told me, I can assure you. I have seen it with my own eyes …
A well-crafted teleseminar will typically sell 20% to 30% of the people on the call, where a kick ass text-based web page will typically sell 2% to 3% of the people who see it.
The reasons?
Five reasons why the spoken word
outsells the written word …
You already know that emotion is the secret sauce that moves people to action. Yes, words on a page have the power to evoke emotion. The human voice however, has the power to infuse those words with an emotional charge that is far greater than the words themselves.
Just as there is no music other than mood music, there is no utterance that is not emotive … therefore listeners are much more easily moved than readers.
The human capacity to perceive non-literal meaning through the spoken word has its origins in the womb and is anchored far more deeply than the ability to construe literal meaning through language. When we hear a joke expertly told we’re rolling in the aisles. When we read the same joke, we merely smile.
Second, it’s more difficult for people to think critically when listening than when reading. This is because they’re not in control of the pacing of the information. You are! If they stop to ponder something for more than a few seconds (unless you give them the opportunity), they lose track of the presentation. People therefore tend to pay attention to what they’re feeling, much more than what they are thinking as they listen to a persuasive sales presentation.
The ear absorbs what it receives. The eye analyzes and deconstructs.
Third, it’s much easier to bond with your prospect through the spoken word than the written word. Your spokesperson’s personality will shine through instantly and automatically and will remain pervasive throughout the presentation. If your spokesperson can endear himself to your prospects, they are very likely to share his point of view and do what he tells them to do.
With the written word, projecting your spokesperson’s likeability is much more difficult. It’s much easier for the prospect to remain emotionally detached from your spokesperson. This of course leaves more mental bandwidth for rational thought, and the inertia that goes along with it.
Fourth, when your sales message is delivered through the spoken word, you are in control of the delivery. You can slow down, speed up, pause, alter the tone, timber, and pitch of your voice, and otherwise deliberately emote in ways that affect your audience.
And fifth, people are much more likely to discern the mood and emotional disposition of the heroine in a sales stories they hear, compared to one they read. What this means is they are more apt to identify with the heroine, and project themselves into the story …
The listener effortlessly enters the story via the imagination and becomes an active participant in the drama. This is, of course, a deeply ingrained conditioned response. The prospect is reliving the bedtime story reveries of childhood. Stories that were heard, not read.
Is the spoken word the most persuasive medium? I believe it is. It is the core of persuasion, because it is the conduit of the emotions. Our relationship with the spoken word is primal. We relive our earliest childhood — a time when our relationship with the world was pure emotion — when we listen to a masterful sales story. Of course, in a perfect world, you will use every medium available to you, combining sound and sight for maximum effect.
Six quick tips for crafting and delivering
effective multi-media sales presentations …
We are at the dawn of a brave new era in Internet marketing. Until now, text has been king. Barriers have existed that have prevented the power of audio and video from being fully exploited. But that’s all changing. Bandwidth limitations are disappearing, compression algorithms are coming of age, and new low cost software tools are making production affordable.
If you’re a copywriter or marketing consultant, now is the time to start actively experimenting with alternative mediums and bringing bold new solutions to your clients. Audio and video are not magic pills. They are driven by copy. People do not speak persuasively by accident. YOU are the missing link. Your rare ability to write persuasive copy that sounds natural when spoken is critical to your client’s success.
Here are a few quick tips I’ve picked up over the years for crafting powerful audiovisual presentations …
- Talk fast. The average reading speed with good comprehension is somewhere around 120 words per minute. The ability to listen with similar comprehension is easily double. If you want your audience to remain engaged, excited, and primed for action, keep it speedy.
- Keep your visuals simple. Pictures, few words.
- Use an advertorial style. A powerful audiovisual presentation should WOW the audience. Don’t be afraid to give away your secrets. What you want people to come away with is the feeling they’ve already got more value from your presentation than the price you’re asking for your product.
- Drill, practice and rehearse. This is where I see so many people falling down. They think they can wing it. And listening to them is like taking a rambling stroll down a country lane that leads nowhere. You’re much better off planning your presentation to the letter and delivering it word for word.
- Repetition is the mother of selling. Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them. And keep it riveting while you’re at it.
- Don’t forget AIDA, (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action). All of the things you’ve already learned as a copywriter apply. Many of them are lifted right out of the personal selling playbook. You are already qualified to do this.
All right, so there you have it: A quick and dirty primer on the art and science of using multi-media on the web. Hey, it’s not rocket science. Whiz-bang technology doesn’t make sales. You do!
Until next time, Good Selling!
Daniel Levis
Editor, The Web Marketing Advisor
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Daniel Levis is a top marketing consultant & direct response copywriter based in Toronto, Canada and publisher of the world famous copywriting anthology Masters of Copywriting featuring the selling wisdom of 44 of the "Top Money" marketing minds of all time, including Clayton Makepeace, Dan Kennedy, Joe Sugarman, John Carlton, Joe Vitale, Michel Fortin, Richard Armstrong and dozens more! For a FREE excerpt visit Sellingtohumannature.com
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The only rule: RESPECT THIS HOUSE! Postings that contain abusive language and/or personal attacks will be cheerfully VAPORIZED. One cross word and – POOF! – your well-thought-out post will be gone in a puff of smoke.
– Clayton
Comment by Brandon Clay — September 12, 2007 @ 8:59 am
Awesome Stuff, Daniel. I\’m writing for an investment publication company right now. We\’re currently revamping the website. I will definitely follow your advice once we add the multi-media elements to the website. All the best to you.
Comment by Stan — September 12, 2007 @ 9:26 am
Thanks Clayton and Daniel for providing the well-timed sign of what I needed to do next: use my voice!