Words might seem like a simple combination of letters – but when used correctly they can have amazing power over our minds and the minds of our prospects.

Remember those cheesy ads you saw in comic books as a kid – advertising things like the famous sea monkeys and x-ray glasses?  How cooooool would it be to have a little family of sea monkeys! Or be able to see through anything like Superman!  Of course, in reality – what you got was something far different.

And before you think I’m just talking about the sway of advertising over children – realize that it happens to adults too.  For example “Certified pre-owned vehicles” sound much better than “used cars” – it carries a more trustworthy, reliable appeal.  And that’s the power that the right words can have over your potential customers.

Your Words Must Be Simple and Actionable

You may have heard of phrases like “power words” or “emotional words” that press buyers “hot buttons” – but do they really exist?  Absolutely, in fact, action words convey a sense of movement to our minds that make us want to act.

Why use the word “Find” when you could use “Explore” or “More Money” when you could say “Increase Profits”?

That’s not to say you should immediately reach for the thesaurus though.  Keep your words and phrases actionable yet simple.

Words like “Remarkable”, “Amazing” and “Discovery” have punch and flair to them, but sometimes the most simple, direct words are a far more compelling, easy-to-understand way to get visitors to take action.

For example, many copywriters advise replacing instances of “I” with “You” to get the reader directly involved.  Another good piece of advice is to include words like “Love” and “New” and “Free” as our minds associate them with good things.

You may also want to try words like “Results”, “Save” and “Deals” – a testament to the growing popularity of online deal-sharing coupon sites.

Don’t forget, people like to be “in the know” too – they like the inside scoop on just about anything that interests them.  So if you want to “share” something, make it “shocking” or “revealing”.  Just imagine compiling some of your best articles together into an eBook.  You wouldn’t promote it as “a bunch of old articles I had sitting on my hard drive…yours for free!” would you?

Of course not!  But if you promoted it as “Insider Report Reveals the Dirty Little Secrets of ………..” – You’ll likely get a lot more interest for the same material.

Always Be Testing

Remember that copywriting is both an art and a science. There is no “one size fits all” market strategy.  The only real way to tell if these words will work with your audience is to – you guessed it – test.

Test different headlines, different subject lines, different calls to action and see what kind of results you get.  Always be working to test and improve your copy.

Please share your opinion on the power of words by leaving a comment below.

Thanks.