It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword. That is so true especially in internet marketing where there is very little face-to-face interaction between the marketer and the prospective customer. Therefore, it is imperative for internet marketers to 'speak' to their prospects through what they write. Successful internet marketers have learned the art of communicating through powerful, compelling copy that almost hypnotizes their prospects into buying their stuff. How do they do it?

Successful internet marketers employ certain tried and true principles of sales psychology in crafting their copy. Here are some of those principles.

1. Personalization

People respond to friends more than to acquaintances. The exception is with someone so well-known in his field of expertise, like Tony Robbins in self-improvement. Then people would readily trust in such an expert rather than their close friend but only when it comes to that expert's area of expertise. In every other situation, all things being equal, people trust their own friends more than mere acquaintances.

Thus successful internet marketers know how to befriend you to gain your trust. They do so in their sales copy and subsequent follow-up messages. For example, the tone of their words would be friendly, informal and personable, using personal pronouns as much as possible. You get the feeling they are talking to you as if you have known each other for decades. So their emails would contain your first name rather than 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Madam'.

Another way successful internet marketers befriend you is by identifying with you in the problems or issues you might be facing. If you are reading a website about improving your golf swing, the marketer might tell you how terrible his own swing was not too long ago. He speaks as though he were you! Or supposing you are reading a website about internet marketing, the marketer may well tell you that he is very fed-up with all those gurus who mislead newbies like you and that he knows how you feel because he was once misled also.

Bear in mind that at times the words you read are actually ghost-written. Obviously no one internet marketer can be experienced or knowledgeable in so many fields (niches). That's why all marketers use pen names at times. This way, they assume different identities according to the different niches they market to. All these methods are not wrong, as long as the marketer delivers useful content in a sincere, non-manipulative and respectful way in all his correspondences with you.

So be aware of what the marketers are trying to do. There are times you might need to take their words with a pinch of salt. This leads to the second principle.

2. Engagement

A good novelist always starts by setting the scene of the story. He gives you the big picture first before thickening the plot and going into details. The successful internet marketer is no different, except that the marketer does not have the luxury of wasting words. He knows he only has 5 seconds to engage with you otherwise you would move on to another website at the click of your mouse.

So the first step that every internet marketer makes in engaging with you is to write an attention-grabbing headline. Headlines using the words, "How to....", "Discover the ways to...." or "Who else wants to know the...." are very effective in engaging with you because it arouses your curiosity. By doing so, the marketer quickly tells you what's in it for you. All this is well and good but you must be careful of one thing.

Be careful to analyze the claims of the marketer. They must fulfill two criteria. It must be believable (not just hype) and it must be fair (minimum or no risk for you). Successful marketers make their claims believable and fair through various means. For example, they use testimonies of people who have benefited from their products in the past. They may also show you statistics of their own records (such as their income) or 'before and after' photos of themselves. To make their offer fair to you, most marketers give a money back guarantee or include lots of bonuses with their main product.

3. Action

Everything the marketer has written thus far is geared towards getting you to take action. It would be either to buy the product or give your email address or some other form of action. Successful marketers use two time-tested methods to do so. They are urgency and scarcity (or a combination of the two). The urgency method is by saying that there will be a price increase after a certain time. The scarcity method is by saying there will only be a limited number of units of the product sold. There are modifications and combinations of these two methods.

With all this information, you can see through all the gurus' methods of making you buy their stuff. This will help you be more selective in buying as well as equip you to make your own offers to your prospects as well.