Web marketing and advertising is so different from traditional marketing and advertising that many people with expertise in traditional marketing find the concepts employed in copywriting for websites and internet marketing to be unusual. Many even deny the reality that web marketing and advertising on the internet is different from traditional marketing and they attempt to apply traditional marketing techniques rather than proven copywriting techniques that are successful for web marketing and advertising.

The main difference between traditional sales copy and web copy for web marketing and advertising is that traditional sales copy is usually deemed to be more effective if it is brief and to the point. Copywriting for web marketing and advertising; however, is unique in that it is not intended to simply captivate the audiences' attention and prompt them to take action such as picking up the phone or visiting a store.

Copywriting for web marketing and advertising actually serves to fulfill the entire advertising and sales process. Because internet business is generally automated, the sales copy is much more than material for web marketing and advertising, it is the "sales person" that introduces website visitors to your products and services, highlights the features and benefits of your products and services, counters objections, asks the reader to act, and closes the sale.

Because the role of sales copy for web marketing and advertising is so much more involved than that of traditional sales and marketing materials, being brief and to the point is not usually the best approach to preparing your web copy. Short web copy can be useful if you have an online catalog and you are simply providing product descriptions through your web copy. However, most ecommerce businesses need long copy to persuade website visitors to become customers, to make sales, and to generate ecommerce revenues.

Crafting useful web copy for your web marketing and advertising using long sales copy techniques begins with planning. You must know your target audience, prepare a unique selling proposition that will appeal to that audience while setting you apart from the competition, develop a pricing strategy and bonuses that give customers the perception of value, and identify keyword terms and phrases that your customers will use when searching for your products or services.

Using the information from your research and planning efforts, you can begin to write sales copy for your website which will be the base for your web marketing and advertising as well as your storefront. Start your copywriting with the creation of a headline that grabs the attention of website visitors and a subheading that sparks their interest. Be sure to focus on benefits to the customer and to build credibility throughout your sales copy by including testimonials and credentials.

Use bonus items and freebies to add value to your products or services. Create urgency to prompt action by offering "limited time" discounts or special offers. Finally, set your website visitors' minds at ease by providing a strong, no-risk guaranty and ask for the order.

Another technique that is useful for web marketing and advertising sales copy is to offer a free newsletter or a free report somewhere within your website copy. While this doesn't contribute much to the actual sales process, it will provide you with an opt-in list of customers and potential customers so you can continue marketing to those website visitors that do not convert to buyers on their first visit. If you don't get the sale, at least you will get a lead if website visitors subscribe to your newsletter or request a free report.

Be sure that a disclosure is made or an option is given that makes it clear to website visitors that they are agreeing to be placed on your opt-in list to receive communications from your company if they subscribe to the newsletter or request the free report. Using the techniques suggested here in creating your sales copy for your web marketing and advertising provides a strong foundation for building your internet business.