Clayton Makepeace recently revived an old copywriting post titled "
8 Ways to Spot Dominant Emotions Your Prospects Already Have That Could Drive Your Response Rates Through the Roof." In that post, Makepeace explains uncomplicated yet effective methods for researching your target market. By the end of the post you realize there really is no excuse for leaving out this critical step. While the copywriting techniques outlined are indeed timeless, I'd like to "Twitterize" some of Makepeace's points for the social web. Let's see how:
Makepeace: "Chat up your friends and family."Twitterization: This is more about staying engaged with your tweeps than anything else. Hanging out on Twitter isn't enough. You need to stimulate conversation. Take informal polls and tweet about topics that relate to the market you're trying to understand. For example, tweet links to controversial or otherwise provocative blog posts and see what comes back. Be sure to add a brief description to the link your tweeting so your tweeps will click on it.
Makepeace: "Talk to strangers."
Twitterization: Similar idea to the above but requires you be a bit more bold. In other words, find people in your target market to follow and shoot 'em with a question right off the hop. Both their eagerness to respond and candor on the public timeline might surprise you. Twitter users
want to see that @ in front of their name. Makes them feel special!
Makepeace: "Immerse yourself in popular culture."
Twitterization: If Twitter is not a window into the popular zeitgeist I don't know what is. Microblog posts are much less scripted than most journalistic writing and definitely less edited than the conventional blog post. Just remember to keep a notepad nearby to jot down any gems of insight you glean in your twitter travels.
Makepeace: "Divine the answer."
Twitterization: Makepeace talks about observing your competitors' copywriting techniques. Twitter makes this pretty easy. Follow other copywriters and internet marketers. We're an egocentric bunch and generally like to tweet links to stuff we write.
Makepeace: "Check the polls."
Twitterization:
Dig into Twitter's search engine, http://search.twitter.com (formerly known as Summize). Plug a few key
phrases in and do some trendspotting. This is also a great way to find
new tweeps to stalk--er, I mean follow.
Good copywriting is rooted in raw, unedited emotion. And researching how people really feel about something used to be a daunting--and often expensive--proposition. However, the social web means that even if you're a copywriting newbie you have no excuse for not conducting at least some baseline, observational research on your target market. Of course, Twitter is just one example of a social media tool that allows you to easily engage your market on the cheap. The possibilities are endless.
FreeFind Site Search Engine - FreeFind adds a "search this site" feature to your website, making your site easier to use. FreeFind also gives you reports showing what your visitors are searching for, enabling you to improve your site. FreeFind's advanced site search engine and automatic site map technology can be added to your website for free.
(Unpaid placement - FreeFind is a Search Engine Guide partner.)