Good News, Bad News
The Good News
Did you know that words were originally used as Magic? There are rocks and stones thousands of years old, carved with words as spells.
Words can still create amazing effects when they are used well. They can be soft as smoke or hard as rock. Words can injure and words can heal. Just think back to when you were young, and someone’s words made you proud or happy.
And The Bad News
Selling depends upon emotions. Human communication was studied at UCLA in the 1960’s to learn how emotional impact was transmitted (Mehrabian, 1967). The study concluded that about 90% of the emotional impact of communication comes from body language and tone of voice. Only a small percentage of the emotions were conveyed by the meanings of the actual words used.
For us in the Internet world, language is the only way we have to reach out and touch our customers. We have only our words, which makes up less than 10% of the emotional impact of human communication.
We are sitting at our computers and walled off from our customers by the hard cold technology of cyberspace. We can't see their smiles or frowns, or whether they lean forward or look away. We have to write blindly, and most web writing is just arm-waving and empty noise.
Word Magic, a way to be different…
Your readers are people like you, conditioned by the same overload we all experience. If you know how to use them words can trigger feelings and inspire action from your readers, even at a distance and over time. You can move your customers hearts with words when they are delivered in the right way.
When you discover how words actually work they will become your magical spells over your readers, building interest and trust and excitement. And sales.
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