You’ve probably seen and heard the regular “Guru” pitches about how copywriting is the most important skill you’ll ever use in your online business.

If you’ve been a follower of this blog (or any of my other small or home-business sites and articles) for any length of time, you’re also aware that my typical response to such claims is a blunt “hogwash” or “horsefeathers!”

Those claims are ALWAYS made by someone who wants you to BUY something from them… usually an over-priced copywriting ebook, course or program of some kind.

I realize that the word “ALWAYS” may seem a bit of a stretch, but after 40 years as a professional copywriter, working in the trenches in ad agencies, media organizations and for my own marketing clients, I can tell you, unequivocally, that NO professional copywriter with any degree of honesty and integrity will make that claim about copywriting. And anyone who does make it falls into one of just two groups:

• They don’t know what they’re talking about.
• They DO know what they’re talking about — and they’re willing to LIE to you in order to get you to BUY from them.

Neither of these groups inspires me with enough confidence to part with any money to learn from them. I suggest that holding onto your money when these characters pitch their copywriting courses, reports, etc, at you is your smartest move.

Why is copywriting NOT your most important marketing skill?

The advertising industry has been collecting data about advertising effectiveness for close to 100 years now. One of the most important results of that research has been the identification of the Four Performance Factors that determine the success or failure of every visual advertisement. In fact, we even know by what percentages each of these Four Performance Factors can improve your results when you know how to get them right:

1. Audience targeting — up to 2,500% better results.
2. Your Offer — up to 2,000% better results.
3. Copy — up to 250% better results.
4. Layout — up to 50% better results.

Can you see why this claim about copywriting being your most important skill is utter nonsense? (Getting your offer right is up to EIGHT TIMES more important than your copy, and targeting the right audience is up to TEN TIMES more important than your copy. Layout? Forget about it. At only 50% potentially better results, it’s worthwhile having, but it pales into insignificance against the first two factors in importance. And I say that as an experienced advertising art director, too. The figures don’t lie.)

Can you spot the real problem here?

It’s also why copywriters so often claim that copywriting is the #1 marketing skill, especially online. It’s not that they’re all liars and charlatans. It’s because they belong to that first group I mentioned above: the ones who don’t know any better!

The answer is exquisitely simple, when you know it.

Take a close look at those Four Performance Factors again. The first two — Audience and Offer — are about MARKETING.

The last two — Copy and Layout — are about SELLING!

Copywriting is commonly defined (by copywriters themselves) as “salesmanship in print”.

Most sellers don’t really understand marketing. They think “marketing” is just a less objectionable word for “selling”.

WRONG! (Big time!)

By their definition, their claim that copywriting is the most important skill is actually right: the most important selling skill.

But that’s a very limited context. It’s like claiming that the most important medical skill is getting the instructions for the patient on the medication pack right. It ignores more important skills like…

• accurate diagnosis of the illness, disease, condition or injury
• effective prescription for treatment of the illness, disease, condition or injury

The difference?

One set of criteria applies to a DOCTOR. The other criteria apply to a PHARMACIST.

Pharmacists are prevented by law from diagnosing causes and prescribing treatments.

In the marketing context, the Marketer is the doctor. The seller is the pharmacist.

So it’s hardly surprising that a SELLER will claim that copywriting is your most important online skill. (Copywriters are SELLERS, remember? They’re very rarely trained marketers.)

So what should you focus on?

At 8 and 10 times higher potential than copywriting, respectively, your OFFER and your AUDIENCE TARGETING are where you should devote your time and effort. The right offer, to the right target audience, will deliver far more profitable results than the best copy and layout will ever produce from the wrong offer or the wrong audience.

Like to learn more about these critical differences?

Download these two FREE Insight Reports right now from http://marketingmasterclass.net.

They apply just as much to network marketing as they do to conventional businesses.

Then pay a visit to http://copywriting4homebusiness.com and register for our mailing list for information, insights and ideas to use to get faster, more measurable and more profitable results from your promotional activities.

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http://mypearlmaker.com

Author Profile  Consults to managements of direct selling companies, small business and home business owners. Writes regular columns and feature articles for various business media, online and offline. Author of several best-selling business books. Presents seminars and workshops, webinars and other training programs. Creator of Fourth Generation Thinking, Selling, Business Systems. Read more from this author