When you see good copy, it’s hard to overlook. All at once it is compelling, engaging, informational and entertaining — how do they do it?
What makes great copy, and how can you start to write great copy that your audience will remember?
You don’t have to be born an excellent copywriter to write great copy. There are several strategies you can learn and characteristics of great copy that will help your brand stand out from the crowd and make your audience remember you.
But first,
What Is Copywriting?
It is any written or verbal wordage used in marketing and advertising. It is the bread and butter of your marketing message and how your customers will remember you.
A Call-to-Action is something that entices a prospect or customer to take an action like purchasing a product or service, signing up for your newsletter, downloading your eBook and so on. Copywriting is like one big Call-to-Action.
Marketing Can Be Boiled Down to One Thing: Happiness.
No matter what you’re selling or what your business is, you are essentially selling happiness to your customers. How your product, service or solution provides happiness for your clients depends on what it is you’re actually offering.
For example, at Content.First Marketing we help business succeed by improving nurture marketing and sales automation.
It’s easy to see how this makes business owners happy — they can build authority in their industry, increase sales and form long-lasting customer relationships.
What’s not to be happy about?
We can use the same example with any brand; for instance, Target. Their message is: “we have everything you need and can get it to you quickly online or in-store.” In this example, happiness is achieved through convenience and abundance.
Here are four steps for writing copy that makes your customers happy and that they won’t forget:
1. Target Their Biggest Desire.
You know your customers; so what do they want?
For example, if you’re a Financial Planner, your clients want financial security, high investment returns and low risk, among other things.
Identify 2-3 of your customers’ biggest desires and center all your copy on those objectives. State their desires plainly, repeat this desire in synonymous terms and make it sound feasible.
Making your copy sound realistic is of the utmost importance. If your wording comes across as too gimmicky or promises more than you can actually provide, you’ll lose your prospect.
2. Make It Look Credible.
Some of the greatest marketing tools we use are free lead magnets, such as eBooks, white papers, free downloads, user guides, etc. The great thing about these examples is that although they are marketing materials, they don’t look like it.
Consider what format your audience most responds to; is it video, audio, text? Once you’ve decided on a format, create something of value for your audience.
For example, whenever someone lands on the Content.First site, they can score a free copy of my book, Content First Marketing: The Ultimate Guide to Building Authority, Establishing Trust and Creating Lifetime Customers or https://old.contentfirst.marketing/FreeBook
Both are marketing tools and combine the same basis of information, but to the prospect’s eye all they see is value and information.
3. Make It Understandable to Offer the Most Value
You know what your prospects’ values are because you have the solution to their happiness: to solve a current problem or in some way to improve their life or business.
Now, bring that value to life in your copy by highlighting it and make it clear. Copy that is digestible and easy to follow includes bolded phrases, italics, headlines, subheadings, lists and bullets.
We always want to avoid “word walls,” in favor of text blocks that are preferably 1-3 sentences. This helps the reader scan your copy, pull out what they need and still get value.
Keep your wording simple and concise. You can still be effective and credible without using big, flowery, technical language. The simpler your message, the more people with whom you’ll connect.
4. Make It Actionable.
You’ve shown your prospect the gateway to their happiness; now how do they get there?
Tell your prospect EXACTLY how to take action; whether it’s to schedule a consultation, call your office or make a purchase directly. All the information and value you’ve shared is only as good as the follow-up action.
Use your copy to essentially “hand-hold” your prospect to their happiness.
If you want to learn more about how to create great copy and content that your audience will remember, while increasing your sales and improving automation, get your FREE COPY of my book.
Or, if you want someone to do this all for you, Schedule a FREE Business Growth Call where we can discuss how to grow your business through the power of nurture marketing.
