There's a fine line between motivating someone and manipulating them. We marketers tend to cross this line often. At times, I've crossed it too, but I honestly don't do it intentionally. Sometimes my copywriting gets the better of me! In fact, it's hard to know where this line really is sometimes. This is because motivation by its very nature involves the subconscious mind. And since manipulation also involves the subconscious mind, it's difficult to figure out their meeting point.

If you find this a little heavy, let me simplify things – when you write copy, you generally try to put yourself in your prospect's shoes. (If you're not doing this, you should. Else, your copy won't be “effective enough”). The more you try to become like your prospect, think like he thinks, understand the common frustrations, fears, desires, etc, the better you can write copy. The trick to avoid crossing the dreaded line is to ask yourself this question – Are you attempting to influence someone just because you want their money, or you genuinely want to help them?

If you use hypnosis or any type of hypnotic writing, or you use NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) on unwitting folks to get them to buy something, it is manipulation and not motivation.

Having said that, let me tell you something – hype sells. Manipulation also sells. NLP and hypnotic copywriting sells very well. But for how long? Remember, whatever you use in your copy, if you do not deliver “value” in your product or service, you're heading for disaster. Sure, you can get some customers now. But as some point, they will realize that you have been manipulating them and they will soon stop buying from you.

So how do you compete with all this and keep a moral and ethical standard at the same time? Through pure motivation! You need to have good copy and you need to be honest about it. Stick to the essentials and remove the fluff and filler. Begin with who you are. Then say what you have to offer. Then say why your product or service should be bought. If your offer is “too good to be true”, it is important to mention “why you're making this offer”. Finally, simply tell what your prospect should do next – “the call to action” step. For more free copywriting tips, visit http://www.bharatbhasha.com/copywriting.php.

Sprinkle your copy with the right dose of copy boosters, at the right places. This includes and is not limited to - benefits of the product, testimonials, USP, credibility, guarantee, and bonuses if any. Long copy is fine, as long as you can maintain the attention of your prospect. If they lose the slightest interest even for a moment, you've lost the sale. At the same time, don't keep it too short that your prospects miss out important points. Compare your copy with a mini skirt – it should be long enough to cover the subject, and short enough to make it interesting!