Generating leads online in the UK

The key to successful online lead generation in the UK lies in the emotional nature of the copy. British audiences tend to resist traditional persuasive techniques that work well in other markets.

Under the skin, human beings have essentially the same needs, desires and drives. But we approach those needs from a different emotional perspective. In particular, I've come to believe the general prevailing cultural expectation here in England is a sense that things won't turn out as promised.

That provides anybody writing response copy with a real challenge. How do you convey the benefits inherent in your product in a way that a UK audience will take seriously?

If you grew up in another country, as I did, this general attitude is a little mystifying at first. Having now lived here for a few years, it's easier to understand. Sometimes, it can seem like nothing works the way it's supposed to.

It certainly explains the general underlying resistance to being persuaded. The question is, what can you do to get past this and run successful online marketing campaigns from your website?

Impossible feats #217: Persuading the UK market

I now have a problem on my hands. I've offered to explain how to write copy that can persuade even highly resistant UK audiences. If you're British, the very fact I've offered to share this information with you has primed you to resist what I'm about to say.

Is there no hope for your own copy in the face of overwhelming cultural entrenchment? Yes, actually. There are several ways around a persuasion-intolerant UK audience...

Irony:
Brits consider themselves masters of irony. I've used it in the lead up to this very point, and deliberately so (now risking everything by pointing it out). British advertising often conveys positive benefits via irony.
Self deprecation:
Self-deprecation is ingrained in English culture. It can seem (to an outsider) as if people here both expect and delight in failure. Self-deprecation and irony work well together in advertising in this country.
Patriotic pride:
In a typically ironic twist, patriotic pride also works well here. This is still the best country on earth, despite the general feeling that 'nothing works and we're rubbish at everything'. I get the feeling British audiences take a perverse pleasure in being proud of all the things that are otherwise frustrate them.
In humour lies danger:
English audiences love to laugh, but this doesn't necessarily translate to advertising. Avoid humour, unless you're a professional with years of experience writing successful response copy for this market.
Casual copy works here too:
By 'casual', I mean writing in a conversational tone. I started out writing copy for a New Zealand investment company. I was told the market required formal copy. The opposite was true (both off and online). It's worked for me with Australian, Canadian, US and UK audiences. I think it works because it's easier to read.

Do you feel like you're up against it? If you grew up here, there's a good chance you'll instinctively know what's likely to work. What you need to do is find a way to get your benefits past the cultural filters set up to resist them. This is easier to do for online lead generation, than it is offline.

My advice is to write two ads. One should be conservative, and the other an attempt to explore an adventurous method of getting benefits past UK cultural barriers set up to resist persuasion. Run the two ads in an A/B split test, and see which generates more response. Over time, you'll build an instinctive understanding of the market you're writing to.