Are you struggling to make your marketing materials stand out? Copywriting is an art that can take your marketing strategy from good to great. The ability to articulate your company’s message in a way that resonates with potential customers is vital when developing an advertising plan.
Whether you’re writing a press release, a blog post, or something else, concise and compelling copy will help customers see the value of your business and encourage them to purchase your products or services. These copywriting tips will help you improve your marketing materials and drive more traffic to your website.
📣 Start with the end in mind
Before you even open your word processing software, ask yourself why you’re writing this piece in the first place. What is the goal of this article? What do you want your readers to do after reading it? Knowing your end goal will help you determine what you should and shouldn’t include in your copy.
If your goal is to generate leads, you’ll want to focus your copy on convincing readers to take action, such as buying your product or signing up for your email list. If the goal is to increase brand awareness, you aim to get readers interested enough in your company to remember your name. Knowing your goal will help you identify which copywriting tips will help you achieve your desired outcome. Remember to start with the end in mind, no matter what type of marketing materials you’re creating. It will help you stay on track and ensure your copy is focused and effective.
📣 Define your target audience
Let’s say you own a local bakery. You’re not just baking treats for the locals; you’re baking for the world. You want everyone to know your name and what you offer. You decide to post a photo of your daily special on Instagram.
The photo’s caption is, “Today’s special is Boston Cream Pie. Come in and try it before it’s gone.” While you want to inform your customers about what’s for sale that day, your caption is too vague for anyone outside of your hometown to pay attention to. You’ve just turned off potential customers in other countries who have no idea what a Boston Cream Pie is.
Before you begin typing up a blog post or creating a social media post, take a few minutes to define your target audience. Ask yourself whom you want to read your copy and their interests. If you can’t pinpoint your target audience, you risk wasting valuable marketing dollars.
📣Know your selling point(s)
Every business has one or more selling points that make it different from the rest. Think of selling points like the headline of your marketing strategy. It’s the first thing your customer reads, so it better be good.
If your bakery’s selling point is that you only use all-natural ingredients, that’s what your headline needs to be. You don’t want it to say, “Bakery specializing in old-fashioned desserts.” Your headline must entice readers to click on your link or drive to your store.
If you don’t know your selling point, you need to sit down and do some soul-searching. Ask yourself why customers should purchase from your company instead of the competition. If you can’t come up with at least one selling point, you’ll have difficulty marketing your business.
📣 Use adverbs and adjectives
Adverbs and adjectives are your best friends when it comes to copywriting. They’re like spices; they give your copy flavor, making them more appealing to readers. It’s best to sprinkle them into your copy rather than adding them in chunks. Remember, less is more when it comes to adverbs and adjectives. If you overuse them, they become cliche and lose their impact. Here’s an example:
❎ Wrong: Our selection is the best in the city.
✅ Right: Our selection is unrivaled in the city.
In the first example, “the best” is a cliche adverb that could be applied to almost anything. In the second example, “unrivaled” is an adjective that gives a reader more information without being over the top.
📣 Write in short sentences
Long sentences can be tedious to read and difficult to understand. When composing your marketing materials, keep your sentences short and sweet. You’re not trying to win a Pulitzer Prize here. You’re trying to sell your product or service.
If a sentence is longer than five or six words, see if you can break it up into two sentences. If you’re struggling to find the right words to convey your message with short sentences, try reading your copy out loud to see if it flows. If it doesn’t, you might want to review it again.
📣 Mention benefits, not features
People don’t care about what you do; they care about how it will impact their lives. If you’re selling a phone case, for example, customers don’t care that it has a tempered glass shield. They care that it protects their phone from damage when they drop it. If you’re creating a blog post or social media content, mention benefits, not features.
If you’re trying to sell a new product, don’t say, “Our new GPS device has a larger screen and better resolution than our previous model.” Instead, say something like, “Our new GPS device helps drivers find the fastest route, even when traffic is snarled.”
📣 Be conversational
Writing in a conversational manner will help your readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend. It’s also a great way to connect with your audience. If you’re writing a blog post, don’t try to be formal and stuffy. Write like you’re talking to a friend or colleague. If you’re writing a press release, you don’t want to sound too relaxed and casual. You want to sound professional and knowledgeable. That said, don’t try to be too stiff and serious. Remember, you’re trying to sell your product, not scare people away.
📣 Don’t over-rely on marketing speak or buzzwords.
We get it. You’re enthusiastic about your products and services and want to convey excitement in your marketing materials. While terms like “best-in-class,” “paradigm shift,” and “disruptive” may make you feel like a marketing genius, many of your customers won’t understand what you’re trying to say.
When choosing your words, keep things simple. Don’t go overboard with industry jargon. While terms like “click-through rate” and “conversion rate” are important metrics to marketers, they don’t do anything for a layman. Don’t be that person who uses too many buzzwords or industry terms. Your copy will turn off readers, and they’ll click away before they even finish reading your article or blog post.
Summing up
Anyone in business will benefit from being able to write clearly and quickly. It’s important for marketers because many customers find out about a product or service for the first time through marketing materials like sales pages, email campaigns, and social media posts. You can make any marketing plan better if you know how to write good copy. With the tips in this article, you’ll be well on your way to improving your marketing strategy and making more money.
