Anyone can write copy. Writing clear, concise and compelling copy - well, that’s a horse of a different color. You see, writing copy is more than just stringing random words together. To become a successful copywriter, you’ll need to invest time and energy into studying the craft.
Copy is the heart and soul of your company’s marketing strategy. Effective marketing copy will engage your readers, convey your branding message and drive website traffic, leading to (yup, you guessed it!) an increase in customers. Now, you may be thinking, that’s nice and all, but how do I create copy that converts? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Check out our tips and tricks for crafting compelling copy!
Get to Know Your Audience
Who is your target audience? This is a question you need to answer BEFORE you write any copy. Whether it’s a landing page, a sales email, a radio broadcast, a billboard advertisement or a YouTube video, you need to tailor your copy to a target market. Ask yourself, who am I writing for? Who will be reading this email or brochure? What are their interests, motivations, challenges and characteristics? The more you know about your ideal customer, the more effective and targeted your copy will be.
Think Benefits, Not Features
Chances are you’ve seen advertisements along these lines:
- Check out our nifty new gadget; it has flashing buttons and does stuff.
- We’re awesome…buy our merchandise!
- We just upgraded our product! Look how shiny it is!
OK, maybe, we’re exaggerating a little bit, but you know what we’re talking about. This copy is all about the company and their products, and doesn’t take into consideration the customer and their needs. If you want your content marketing to succeed, you need to mention how the product benefits the customer instead of describing its features. Essentially, why should your target customer purchase your product or services? What’s in it for them?
You want to write to your customers and not at them. Your copy should be customer-focused (“you” and “your”) instead of company-focused (“we” and “us”). For example, how do your fluffy frog slippers make their lives easier? And on that note, why should they choose your fluffy frog slippers over the competitor’s? Yes, we all love talking about ourselves, but the customer is looking for a solution to their problem and not your company’s life story. That’s what an “About Us” webpage is for.
Include a Powerful Call-to-Action
A call-to-action (CTA) lets the customer know what they need to do next. Without a clear CTA, your customer may not realize the next steps to take to subscribe to your blog, purchase a product or register for an event, and may leave your website without completing the task.
When used effectively, CTAs can guide your users through the buying process and increase your conversion rates. Coax customers to click on your CTA button by using action-oriented language, such as “Download,” “Subscribe” and “Learn More.” Make sure the CTA stands out on the page by using contrasting colors and making it larger than the surrounding text.
Your CTA should clearly state what will happen when the user clicks on it. If you just say, “Click Here,” the user has no idea what they’ll find when they click on the button. Let them know what to expect by including more descriptive copy, such as “Download Your Free Guide.”
Edit Your Copy
Editing is more than correcting grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. You also need to cut out any unnecessary sentences and words to ensure your copy is engaging, persuasive and clear. Your copy should be short and sweet. Your customers have a short attention span, and the last thing they want is to be reading a novel when idly browsing through their emails.
After you’ve written your first draft, read your copy out loud and find passages that may need tightening or reworking. Chop your copy up into digestible sections, including subheadings and bullet points so it’s easier to read. Also, it’s always a good idea to seek an outside perspective. Ask someone else to read your copy and see if they understand the marketing message and call-to-action.
There’s no magic formula for writing copy, but this helpful advice can help you transform lifeless copy into engaging, compelling content. Even minor tweaks to your marketing copy can have a huge impact on your lead generation and conversion rates.
