Everyone's after more sales and profits but only a few seem to achieve it.

Language has always been a potent tool in business marketing and when used properly it can do wonders in increasing your business sales.

Some people argue that marketing has moved to a more visual, multimedia-rich mode using images and sound rather than printed words, yet language is still a strong weapon you can use in online marketing – and it might even be the strongest.

That's why using powerful and effective words in your copy can generate leads and increase sales.

We've put together a list of of powerful marketing words that you should include in your copywriting. After we go through those words, we'll introduce a concept first shared by Celine Rogue at Crazy Egg, namely the idea of “filter words.”

But first let's look at the 9 key words for copywriting success:

You

This tiny but all-powerful word instantly breaks down any walls between you and your customers. The brand, be it product or service, is no longer a vague, irrelevant notion - it's one that addresses you, a specific individual, a single person.

Think about the well-known L’Oreal slogan, “Because you’re worth it”. The company takes a commonplace concept, beauty, and makes it a personal matter, telling every woman individually, how much she deserves, beauty and glamour.

Even momentarily, it makes a person feel they’re of importance. Their value is acknowledged and their needs recognized. It might be nothing more than an illusion, but it’s strongly felt by the consumer.

Because

It really doesn’t matter what reasons you present your customers with, just as long as you give them something to support your statements. It might even seem like the most obvious fact, but if it’s phrased as giving a reason, then your customers are already halfway convinced of the truth of your statement.

The L’Oreal slogan, applies here too, not only is the company implementing the filter word, “you” but the compelling word “because”, giving consumers another reason to consider a purchase. Reebok has also used “because” in one of its most successful older campaigns; “Because life is not a spectator sport.”

Take another example: “It will blow your mind.” Then this: “It will blow your mind, because the underlying graphics tools provide amazing visuals.”

The visuals here might be fairly standard in quality, but because you've primed the customer to be “blown away” they'll consider them to be top quality.

Now

Nobody likes to wait, especially for something they can get from a rival right away. Using the word “now” in your copy ensures that the customer is seduced in taking action immediately, partly because this is a possibility you’re offering, and partly because this is what a customer wants, instant gratification.

New

Consumer society is driven by the pursuit of the new. People strive to be ahead of their peers and in line with every new trend and cool product. Bringing this aspect into the game makes the consumer jump with joy because they will get their hands on this “new” thing.

Love

Whenever love is associated with a brand or product the connection is more likely to be instant, enduring, and efficient. Love reassures the consumer that their purchase decision will be emotionally rewarding and that’s all you need to achieve, isn’t it?

McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it” and “We love to see you smile”, and eBay’s “Buy it. Sell it. Love it.” Are two other examples to consider.

Need

Effective copywriting is attributed to one simple idea: targeting the customer's perceived inadequacies, insecurities, or everlasting desires.

Turning desires and privileges into needs is a timeless tactic in marketing. People need to be convinced what you’re selling them is not a luxury, but a need.

“Need” is a powerful word as it instills in people a sense of urgency and imperativeness to take action.

Guaranteed/Proven

“Guaranteed” and “proven” are words packed with meaning; they reassure your consumers that their purchase will be a smart, efficient, and wise one - even if it’s the most extravagant, unnecessary and ridiculous purchase they’ve ever made. But it doesn’t really matter. They have your reassurance that the product has been proven to be the best, because you vouched for it.

Success

This is another trigger word. It resonates with people’s innermost fears and desires; it takes them by the hand and lures them into a world where success is feasible and oh-so-near. This is a foolproof word simply because it’s so adaptable.

Everyone seeks success, whether that's at a professional, personal, romantic, or intellectual level. Everyone wants the best. That’s what Porsche perfectly understood and leveraged with the “There’s no substitute” slogan.

Secret/Exclusive

These words are all about cajoling the consumer, making them realize that your product or service is tailored to their demands and lifestyle. It reassures them that your product is for a few discerning customers, not for the masses. It’s an exclusive product, for select individuals.

This last word leads us to a concept we brought up at the introduction, that of “filter words” and their power to bring in just the right customers.

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Control Who Your Copywriting Will Resonate With

Filter words are those words you strategically place in your copy and other marketing content which help your customers identify with your brand.

If you’re selling a vintage egg beater and you describe it as:

“A caring mother’s secret for fluffy pancakes”

You immediately exclude groups that don’t fall under this category (or think they don’t). On the other side of the coin, you are forcefully targeting the mother, who would do anything to be the perfect mother, and making the fluffiest pancakes is one definition of that, isn’t it?

Filter words is a concept worth considering. Remember that words can have a double function. They can attract one individual while driving away another, simply due to each person's self-perception, identification, or sense of difference.

People learn to love certain brands and products because they see shared aspects between themselves and the brand, or because the brand is exclusively catering to their lifestyle, values, and philosophy.

The best way to get people attached to a brand or product is to help them identify with it at a deep level and also make them feel that they are in an exclusive group, due to the fact that this identification only applies for some and not all people indiscriminately.

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