Do You Wear Hats? Help Your Customers Envision the Future

I   L O V E   the new Target commercial.  Have you seen it?  A lady is standing in the accessories section of her local Target.  She’s having a mental conversation with herself as she considers the hat she’s placed on her head.  “Do I wear hats?” is the question she ponders.

As she thinks, a little daydream takes place.  “I’d wear hats if I took place in hat-type things,” she says to herself as she envisions an afternoon of strolling through an orchard.  Her handsome husband picks apples while her perfect kids frolic around a blanket set for a family picnic.  Who wouldn’t want to participate in that scenario?

The end result?  The customer smiles smugly, puts the hat in her shopping basket and says, “I totally wear hats!”

This method is not just for TV copy.  It’s easy to accomplish this effect with your online copywriting as well. I refer to these “imagine the possibilities” moments simply as end results. While they don’t work for every type of copywriting and every buying decision, they are a powerful tool to use whenever possible.  This commercial is a perfect example.

Most women actually do struggle with whether they should/can wear hats.  Many women love hats … on other people.  But they aren’t sure whether they can carry the look off with style.  If you have an ecommerce site that sells hats (or practically anything else for that matter), you can help your customers envision the end results of life after buying this product.

Think 3 months into the future.  How – specifically – will your customer’s life change after buying this hat and wearing it?  This goes far beyond mere features vs. benefits.  This is the next step.  For example (based on the Target commercial):

Feature:  tweed material

Benefit:  fashionable fall look

End Result:  get lots of compliments, partake in new activities, spend more time on family outings, boost your confidence

See the difference?

But what if we’re dealing with something “boring” like a blender?  What will happen in the kitchen of this particular customer 3 months after she buys and uses her new Kitchen Aid blender?

She learns to make scrumptious fruit smoothies in a flash that she can pour into a cup and drink on the way to work.  She loses 6 pounds and her clothes fit like they should.  She feels healthier and begins to make other lifestyle changes to support the improved self image she has.  She shares her healthy and delicious new recipes with her family who now think mom is a rock star cook.  Etc., etc.,

What a difference from basic tweed hat to memorable family outings and 12-settings with a 12-watt motor to a healthy, gourmet cook.

Do you wear hats?  Just imagine the possibilities.  And help your customers imagine them too!

Karon Thackston reveals the secrets to ecommerce copywriting in her latest book Ecommerce Copywriting from the Wordtracker Masterclass series. Develop stellar copy for your ecommerce website with Karon’s proven 7-step process for writing product descriptions and much more.

By Karon Thackston © 2010, All Rights Reserved

.