![\"copywriting](\"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/copywriting-code.jpg\" "\\"copywriting")
<\/a>of \u00a0your sales copy.<\/p>\nOnly they didn\u2019t miss the point.<\/p>\n
You did.<\/p>\n
And unless you fix this copy, you\u2019re probably going to be disappointed in the results brought in by the ad in question.<\/p>\n
You see, Constant Copywriter, the communication is the message received \u2013 not the message intended.<\/p>\n
Each of us has our own \u201ccode book\u201d: certain phrases and words mean certain things to us, and carry certain connotations. We have built up our individual \u201ccode book\u201d over the course of our life.<\/p>\n
The problem is, everyone has a different codebook.<\/p>\n
And it gets worse: hardly anyone realizes we\u2019re all using different codebooks!<\/p>\n
So I might think the phrase \u201cthat really lights my fire\u201d means \u201cthat creates enthusiasm in me for this project\u201d \u2013 while you might think \u201cthat really lights my fire\u201d means \u201cthat really makes me angry\u201d. And your co-worker might think the same phrase means \u201cthat gets me romantically excited\u201d.<\/p>\n
By now you\u2019re beginning to see how this mis-matching of \u201ccode books\u201d leads to miscommunication in general, and puzzlingly ineffective sales copy in particular?<\/p>\n
So how do we make certain our message doesn\u2019t get lost in translation?<\/p>\n
The most effective solution is simple: have a wide variety of people read your copy and give you feedback. But not just any feedback. You\u2019re not looking for praise or literary criticism. You want to know some very specific things from your sampling of readers:<\/p>\n
1. \u00a0 \u00a0 Can you summarize the message of this ad in your own words? What does the ad want you to do?<\/p>\n
2. \u00a0 \u00a0 Is anything confusing?<\/p>\n
3. \u00a0 \u00a0 Is there anything you don\u2019t understand?<\/p>\n
4. \u00a0 \u00a0 At any point did your \u201cBS Alarm\u201d go off (did anything seem like a lie or exaggeration)?<\/p>\n
5. \u00a0 \u00a0 Did you notice anything that was simply incorrect?<\/p>\n
Choose your evaluation panel carefully \u2013 three to five people who are very different from one another would be best.<\/p>\n
If all your panel members can summarize the ad and accurately identify the ad\u2019s intent, and they don\u2019t find anything confusing, offensive, unclear, unbelievable or just plain wrong\u2026 you\u2019ve probably got copy that is easily decoded using the \u201ccommon codebook\u201d that most of us share.<\/p>\n
Of course, now that you have an ad everyone can understand, it remains to be seen if the ad will convert.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s another article.<\/p>\n
– Ray<\/em><\/p>\n