The Long & Short of It -- Long Copy Versus Short Copy

Copy (the written part of any marketing material) is the secret to sales success. So, is long copy or short copy more effective? The answer is both are effective when well written. Publishers Clearinghouse wouldn't send out long sales letters if they didn't work and coincidentally, newspapers wouldn't sell small space ads if no results were seen. Bottom line, it's the copy inside the ads that makes the difference. As a marketer it's important to realize that there will be a difference of opinion from consumers regarding what is more effective (this mostly depends on where they are in the decision making process regarding purchase). There's also an age old debate about long copy versus short copy. The long and the short of it is that both are effective when incorporated in your overall strategy. Some marketing strategies will call for longer copy while other will call for shorter copy. This is often determined by price point, delivery method and market. For example: You probably don't need a 19 page sales letter to sell an item that retails for less than $100.00. If you're offering a high-end coaching program a small space ad is not likely going to answer all the questions your prospects might have let alone overcome any objections to empower a well-educated buying decision. Determining the length of your copy will really depend on your market and where you're placing your ads. Depending on your strategy you may need to masterfully blend long and short copy techniques to customize messages per medium while incorporating direct response techniques. While typically higher-end products warrant longer copy, the emerging trends of social media may force punchier, more concise pitches upfront to create interest and lead to longer, more informative messages. Think pithy Tweets and Facebook status updates or longer Facebook notes, depending on the message. Carefully gauge the approach that gets the most response and blend long and short copy techniques to continue to increase response rates. Take a moment to review your marketing materials today. Ask yourself the following questions regarding your content (copy): How does your marketing message measure up? Are you skillfully matching your message to market? What's your copywriting style? Are you getting results?