One of my former students made me realize something important.

In fact, his point was so well made because he drove it home using the very idea he was illustrating. While his comment was general in nature, I realized how beautifully it applied to copy … Particularly web copy.

But before I explain it to you, let me put the story in context so you can understand. In my Personal Selling class, we were discussing the natural human inclination to illogically and unconsciously assume that there is a parallel between a part and its whole — even when the two are totally unrelated or irrelevant to each other.

I call this tendency “UPA,” or “unconscious paralleled assumption.” It means that people will unconsciously assume there’s a parallel between one part and another (or its whole), even if the two are totally unrelated.

For example, you visit a department store and notice that the shelves are dirty, cheap and unprofessional-looking. You will naturally assume, at an unconscious level, that the business behind it or the products it sells are just the same…

… Poor, Unprofessional, Cheap, and so on.

The psychology behind UPAs is simply this: it’s based on the fear of making bad decisions. Why? Because human nature dictates: we have a tendency to seek out the negative in whatever it is we are considering so to ensure that the decisions we are making are good ones.

For instance, when we are contemplating an offer on the web, we’ll likely skim the website and the copy entirely (or at least a good portion of them) in order to make sure that the offer is legitimate. Is it telling us the truth? Is it trustworthy? Is it devoid of any “fine print?”

Anything contradictory in the slightest will push us away.

If something appears to be out of place for any reason (even if it’s just a little thing like a typo, and goodness knows I’m guilty of making errors, too), we’ll tend to leave the site quickly or in the very least feel uneasy.

I call this the “Ketchup Principle.” It’s the fact that you will remember the ketchup stain on a salesperson’s tie during a lunch meeting more than you will his impeccable sales presentation or appearance — let alone product or offer.

But appearances aside, UPAs, and especially poor ones, can also be the result of people not fully understanding the meaning of what is being communicated to them on a website. We can certainly read the text, understand the message and learn about the products.

But the question is, do we truly understand the meaning behind the message? In other words, does the message mean anything to us specifically? Is there a bad “meta-message” (i.e., a subtle nuance or indirect message that contradicts the sales pitch)?

Too many websites describe the products they are selling or use a language that only the sellers understand. More than likely, buyers in these cases do understand the content but they do not fully grasp what these products can do for them specifically.

Why? It’s because the mind thinks in relative terms. Specifically, the brain processes information by visualizing what it’s being told and comparing the given information to things it can relate to or understand.

Words are not messages.

Words are only symbols that are used to encode and deliver a message, with the hope that the message will be decoded in the way we hope it to be by the recipient. That’s why our choice of words are so crucial.

OK, now that I’ve cleared that up, let’s go back to the student’s point mentioned at the beginning. At the end of my lecture, he turns to me, and then pulls out a chair and places it beside a class table. He asks, “Mike, what’s the difference between this chair and table?” I said, “One is to sit on and the other is to write on.” “No!” he shouted. “Not at all.”

I was puzzled. “You’re thinking in relative terms,” he adds. “You are describing each individual product and its respective function, not the difference. The difference IS their function. Get it?”

Noticing that I was still perplexed, he continues: “What’s the difference between a tennis ball and a soccer ball? Not that one is small and the other is big, or that one is yellow and the other is black-and-white, which is what most people will say.

“… The difference is SIZE or COLOR,” my student said.

At first, I was still a little puzzled. In fact, just like I was at first, when I first published articles about this a reader of mine rightfully emailed me with the following headscratcher:

“I read your latest article with great interest. I understand most of it, except for the point you were trying to make with the chair and table, as well as the point with the tennis ball and a soccer ball. Quite frankly, I’ve read it over and over again, but I simply don’t get it. You seem to be saying that the difference is not their size, it’s their size? This makes no sense to me, and whatever the point is that you’re trying to make to me is less than obvious. I’m feeling cheated, like I’ve missed the joke that everyone’s howling over. It’s leaving me so uncomfortable and baffled that I’m moved to write this inquiry for further explanation.”

Here was my answer…

Don’t feel cheated because in reality you are proving my student’s point. You are thinking in relative terms, which is how most people think. (As a matter of fact, you just did it, yourself, when you said, “I’m feeling cheated, like I’ve missed the joke that everyone’s howling over.”)

If I’m describing two different sizes (or colors or whatever), I’m not directly answering your question but merely implying the difference by simply describing two different characteristics. I’m only relating the difference by making a comparison between the two, in other words.

Essentially, by “difference,” I want to know WHAT makes them different and not HOW they are different. If I use a comparison, at best responding in such a manner can only imply the difference.

“One is this” and “the other is that” is not the “difference.” I’m only implying it. Rather than say “color,” “function,” “size,” etc, I am relating it by describing what one is and other is (or isn’t). I’m not outright stating the difference — just implying it.

Here’s a really simple example. If I asked you what color is the sky, rather than telling me “blue” (which is the direct, logical answer), you’ll probably answer with “it’s the same color as my car,” “it’s not red,” etc. In other words, you are relating it to something else.

You’re thinking in relative terms.

Most of us do. And most of your prospects and visitors do, too. You were baffled, which is the point I tried to make. We think in relative terms. And your copy must work to appeal to this behavior. The last thing you want to do is confuse your prospects. If they are, they’ll click away. Fast.

Many websites have copy that only the seller or webmaster understands — content that may be understood by only one segment of the population but is harder for others to understand. So, use comparisons, analogies or metaphors so that the mind can understand what it is being told.

Let’s say you sell real estate. You want to convey to your audience the sheer size of a piece of land you’re attempting to sell. But if your copy only says “140 acres of land,” this is only a logical measurement — the mind may still not grasp the meaning (or the value) of “140 acres.”

The reader may ask, “What’s the size of 140 acres, anyway?” The mind thinks in pictures, not in numbers. And since it thinks in relative terms, it will try to compare 140 acres to a visual equivalent, which will be difficult.

It will be easier for your reader’s mind to relate it to something it already knows and to which it can compare it. For example, if you added to your copy, “140 acres is like 200 football fields back-to-back,” your mind will now understand because it can relate it to something it knows.

Here’s another example. Instead of, “Skin-So-Soft has a complex, lubricating hydra-dermic formula to reduce the symptoms of skin disorders, like skin sensitivity, eczema and psoriasis,” say…

“Skin-So-Soft makes your skin silky smooth and soothes nagging itchiness, lubricates unsightly scaling and relieves pain, which are caused by eczema, psoriasis and sensitive skin. Rub it on, and it’s like wrapping your skin with a warm blanket that relieves, protects and replenishes your skin.”

So my student made an excellent point.

That’s why it’s important to use picture words, comparisons, metaphors and analogies with your copy so that the mind of your readers can easily interpret and fully appreciate what is being communicated to them.

I call these UPWORDS (which stands for “Universal Picture Words or Relatable, Descriptive Sentences”). With the use of UPWORDS, people will understand and retain more. And of course, UPWORDS will also persuade visitors more effectively.

So, use analogies to which your audience can relate. Say that you’re selling a computer backup device. To explain the main benefit of using a computer backup device, you can say this:

“This backup system will save you a lot of frustration and time if your computer ever malfunctions, which may lead to the loss of critical data you worked so hard to create and compile. It’s like watching your favorite movie you waited for days to rent at your local video store, when suddenly your VCR dies and destroys the videotape, especially when an important scene in the movie was about to unfold. Now you have to return to the video store and perhaps wait again for the next time the movie becomes available. It’s frustrating!”

Above all, think of your visitors, readers or prospects. Does your copy truly communicate in THEIR language? Does it explain the product you offer — and particularly its benefits — in relative terms?

If not, then the UPA you will create for your prospects will likely be one that will lead to disinterest, misunderstanding or frustration. They will unconsciously assume that there is a parallel between the quality of your message and the quality of your product let alone customer service!

Remember that the Internet lacks touch and feel. People cannot inspect products. Therefore, your copy has a great responsibility — to replace the feelings your offer lacks and visitors want.

You see, since we think in relative terms, if your copy doesn’t cater to this natural human propensity your readers will make assumptions that might not work in your favor.

So make sure the UPAs your visitors or prospects make are good ones. If you want them to assume that your business has good customer service and has a great product that’s easy to use, then make sure your sales copy indirectly communicates the same.

The long and short of it is this…

Is your website confusion-proof? Is your copy describing your product to your target market in relative terms? Are you speaking in their lingo, using stories, analogies, metaphors and vivid mental imagery they can easily and instantly relate to? Do you describe your offer with something they can understand, appreciate and visualize?

Since your visitors will make unconscious paralleled assumptions (or “UPAs”) with your site or product, you better make them good ones.

About the Author

Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker, consultant, and CEO of The Success Doctor, Inc. Visit his blog and signup free to get tested conversion strategies and response-boosting tips by email, along with blog updates, news, and more! Go now to http://www.michelfortin.com.

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