Entries Tagged 'copywriting tips' ↓

It’s not the first time I’ve addressed the subject of how to write clear copy and it won’t be the last.

Why?

Because of all the terrible content I see.

One point a lot of marketers miss is that good copy is simple.

Working as a copywriter, it amazes me how often clients expect their copy to be a literary masterpiece that makes them look super intelligent.

Communication is all about clarity. Your message must be simple and so should the language you use to convey it.  And don’t even get me started on the pedants who love nothing more than to scream and shout at the slightest divergence from what they class as correct English usage.

At the risk of causing an uprising I would like to point out how, over the years, English has evolved. It’s changing all the time (whether you like it or not) and if you want your copy to resonate with your readers you’re going to have to get with it.

That doesn’t mean you can ride roughshod over basic grammar rules, but if a slight deviation helps you get your meaning across…

Anyway, back to the point. Simple language will always win when it comes to copy. So here are a few basics to bear in mind.

1. Stop using big words

Once upon a time, usually during your teenage years when you were desperate for people to start treating you like an adult, you would use ‘big’ words to make yourself look intelligent.

The problem is if you use that approach in your copy you’ll lose readers like there’s no tomorrow.

Always use the simplest form of language to get your ideas across.

2. Keep things brief

Have you noticed how journalists always use short sentences? They make the story easy to follow, but having said that it’s always good to mix in a few longer ones too – variety will keep your reader interested for longer.

The same can be said for paragraphs. Make sure they’re no longer than 2 or 3 sentences.

Why?

Huge blocks of text will scare your readers off (remember those tedious novels you had to read in English Literature and their page after page of continuous text?), whereas short paragraphs look far more inviting and readable.

3. Front heavy

Eh?

Your readers like to get the information they need quickly, so by placing it at the start of your sentences (headlines, sub heads etc.) they will get the important information even if they skim the rest.

4. Cut to strengthen

When writing your content you will add extra words that aren’t needed – for example “get to the point as fast as possible” is more powerful when written as “get to the point”.

A lot of the extra words will be modifiers such as fairly, totally, very etc. Again, they don’t add value to your copy so cut them.

The same goes for sentences that use “if/then” and “in order to”:

• If you want glossy hair, then our latest smoothing shampoo if ideal for you
• Want glossy hair? Try our smoothing shampoo

Once you’ve written your first draft, read through and cut any words that don’t add value.

5. Metaphors and similes

Both of these help add the important emotional connection to your writing. They help your readers see, hear, taste and feel what you’re talking about.

When used effectively they will multiply the impact of your words, lodging them in their brain, making your message very difficult to forget.

How about you?

Do you have any other writing tips you’d like to share?

What favourite tricks do you use to get people to take notice of your copy?

Leave a comment below.

Author: Sally Ormond

Are you as sick as I am of politicians?

It doesn’t matter who’s in Government, it’s always the same old, same old.

Political programmes are all about point scoring with the usual response to any question being:

“Well we inherited the mess from the previous Government”

It’s all “they did this” and “they did that” when asked about current policies. We all know what they did; we want to know what you’re going to do.

The problem is, regardless of how persistent the interviewer, a straight answer is never given because they are more intent on highlighting how bad the previous lot were.

You’re probably wondering what this has to do with copywriting, well quite a lot actually.

The one thing that should never be in your copy

How do you convince your customers you are the company for them in your marketing materials?

I’m hoping your response is to show them the benefits of using your service or product, the excellent service you provide and that you’re a trustworthy, dependable company to deal with.

But, there are still come companies who opt for the ‘easy’ option.

They think that by putting down their competitors their readers will think: “Wow, they’re right, all those other companies are really bad. Isn’t it great they pointed that out to us.” It’s perceived as being ‘easy’ because they don’t have to think too hard about what they do, or find a way to convey it in words.

But by trash-talking your competitors you’re really saying “we don’t actually have anything positive to say about what we do, so we thought it would be easier to tell you how bad everyone else is to make us look good.”

The problem is it doesn’t make you look good. All it does is show you have nothing to offer.

If you want to gain trust, you must show your company is honest by highlighting what you can do for your customer. Your words must persuade them you are the company they want to deal with. If you just harangue your competitors, they’ll walk away.

Perhaps if our politicians took this advice the country would have more faith in them.

Your takeaway

The dos and don’ts of copy are simple:

• Do write about the benefits
• Do write to your reader
• Do focus on the needs of your reader
• Don’t slag off the competition

Over the past 18 months or so, I’ve noticed that more and more of my clients are first time copywriter users.

As such, I have been explaining how the whole process works several times over, hence this post.

If you’re considering working with a copywriter, but aren’t too sure about what that entails, what follows is a brief outline of the process (at least the way I work) so you know what to expect.

Before I get started I just want to stress a couple of things:

• It is a collaborative process, so you will have to be involved
• You will have to provide information and direction to your copywriter

It doesn’t matter how highly recommended your writer is, he or she isn’t a magician or a mind reader, so you’re going to be the primary information source about your business, market and customers they’ll need to tap into.

Briefing your writer

The first step (once you’ve chosen your writer) is to brief your copywriter.

Just saying ‘we’re a financial services firm that deals with professional people’ isn’t going to cut it. You must to tell your writer everything:

• What your business does
• Who is does it for
• What’s unique about it
• How your products/services work
• What the main benefits are that you offer
• The background of your business
• Why people want your product or service
• What the factors are that stop them from buying from you
• What is your offer?
• What do you want your website visitors to do?
• Who your customers are and what they need

Once you’ve gone through all of that, you must also think about the style of the writing – do you want it conversational, professional, something that makes you sound approachable? A great idea is to provide links to examples of the tone that you want to achieve.

Oh, and before you start rambling in your industry jargon, don’t. You’re copywriter will not write in jargon. Instead they will adopt a plain English approach because that works.

This process may take a while and may involve several conversations, but bear with your writer because it’s in your best interests that they get all the information they need and have a firm understanding of your business. Trust me, there’s nothing more frustrating for a copywriter than to get as far as the first draft only to be told they’ve missed out information that they were never party to in the first place.

Also, if there is a style that you really hate, provide examples so your writer knows not to go down that particular avenue.

Research

You’re probably thinking that they’ll now go away and write something for you within a day or two.

Wrong.

It’s at this point they go away and do some research into your industry and your business. Plus, there’s a lot of thinking that has to go on – creating eye-catching, powerful copy doesn’t happen overnight.

Only when they have everything they need will they begin to plan and structure the first draft.

First draft review

OK, let’s get one thing straight right now, this is the first draft – it’s called that because it’s not the final draft.

You wouldn’t expect your web designer or graphic designer to hit the nail on the head straightaway, so give your copywriter the same chances.

Writing is very subjective and, because the copy is being written for your customers, it may take you a while to ‘get it’. The copy is not about you, it’s about what you can do for your customers; that’s something a lot of clients have a hard time dealing with.

I’ve lost count of the number of clients who say ‘oh no, our website is there just for information, we don’t want to sell through it’ when they read the first draft, worried that it’s not talking about them enough. Firstly, a website is there to sell (otherwise what’s the point in having it) and secondly, the writer you are using has years of experience so trust them – they know what they are doing.

Once you get the first draft, read it through several times to get a feel for it. Resist the urge to attack it with red pen if you find a typo or two (these will be gone by the final version). Remember, this is a first draft; it’s used to test the water.

Frequently, I’ll be asked for an informal, conversational tone, but when the client sees it they decide it’s too informal. You see, everyone has different ideas about what a style should mean and it’s only when it can be seen for the first time that decisions can be made as to whether it’s the right approach or not.

Ideally, when reviewing the copy, go through and highlight the areas you like as well as those you don’t to give your writer a clear idea of how you want to proceed. Also, this is the time to check facts and content to make sure everything is covered from the brief.

Provided you’ve given constructive feedback that is clear, your writer will have enough to work on to produce the second draft.

Second draft

Having taken on board all your feedback, your copywriter will now go away and produce a second draft.

This will incorporate your comments about the tone, content and layout, shaping the copy into something that you will want to use on your website (brochure, case study etc.) and be proud of. It’s also the time for thorough proofreading to banish any typos or grammatical errors.

Once ready, this new version will be sent back to you for your review. Assuming every thing’s now exactly as you want it, congratulations you’ve got great copy. But if there are still a few changes to make, these can be easily sorted and a third draft sent to you for your sign off.

As you can see, the whole process is very collaborative, which means you must talk to your writer.

The chances of hitting the right tone and content straight away are slim, so you shouldn’t be surprised if it’s not quite right. If the first draft is not working for you, pick up the phone (or send an email) to talk about it. They can’t work with you if you don’t talk to them.

Author: Sally Ormond

It’s well known that your copywriting should be full of benefits if it’s going to be successful.

But it also needs to do something else.

The triggers that make people buy tend happen within their subconscious, so that’s where your copy has to hit them.

Bear with me this makes sense.

There are 3 main aspects to selling to the subconscious that can easily be weaved into your copy.

1. Social proof

Someone is more likely to buy a product if someone they know, respect or admire uses it.

How many shoes, bags or items of clothing have you bought because your favourite actor or singer has been seen wearing/carrying them?

How many bottles of aftershave or perfume have you bought because of a celebrity endorsement?

The reason why you dash out and spend your hard earned cash is because you trust their judgement.

Trust is a huge factor in the buying process. You can promote trust in your products by using case studies, testimonials (especially video testimonials) and endorsements. Even displaying the logos of some of your clients will have a subconscious effect – “if they’re good enough to work for BT, they’re good enough for me.”

2. Scarcity

There’s nothing more motivating than knowing something is in scarce supply, or that an offer is available for a limited period only.

No one wants to think they’re missing out on something.

3. Sensory language

Using words that stimulate the senses will have people falling over themselves to buy from you.

Think carefully about the words you’re using to describe a product; can it be said in a more sensory way, using words that will tease the senses into action. Images are also great for this, especially those that depict a look, life style or image the reader wants to emulate.

These 3 factors will enhance your copywriting measurably.

Think carefully about every word and phrase you use – would it make you buy? If not, think of something that ‘speaks’ to your senses.

Author: Sally Ormond

“We don’t like the first draft, it’s too marketing; it sells our services too much.”

That is a real life response from a copywriting client.

Yes, I was stunned too.

Apparently, the copy had to be more ‘jargonised’ and in the language of ‘high business’ and not focused on what they can do for their clients.

No. That’s not how it works.

Your website is your sales tool

Your website is available to people all over the world, 24/7/365.

It exists for one reason only – to tell readers what you can do for them and how their lives (or businesses) will be richer by using your products or services.

How do you do that?

Through high quality website copywriting that focuses on your reader and tells them the main benefits of what you do.

If your website focuses on you and is full of jargon, at best it tells the world your company exists, but that’s it.

Great, you exist. So what? I’m going to use these other guys who have taken the time to tell me about how their service is going to help me.

You are missing a trick – a potentially very lucrative trick – if you ignore this advice.

How to market through website copy

As mentioned earlier, you have to remember that:

• Your website is a sales tool
• It exists to tell people what you can do for them
• It is not a soap box from which you can rave about your company

The copy that you write has to be:

• Focused 100% on your reader
• In the second person so it ‘speaks’ to your reader
• Focused on the benefits you provide
• Engaging and interesting

And it should all be topped off with a strong call to action telling the reader to get in touch, buy now, sign up, or whatever action it is you want them to take.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking your website is there to tell the world about you. That type of thinking is lame, boring and a disaster waiting to happen.

Please, please use your website as it should be used. Make it all about your reader and not about you.

Thanks for allowing me to get that off my chest. I feel much better now.

Author: Sally Ormond, copywriter at Briar Copywriting Ltd

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Image courtesy of Clare Bloomfield/FreeDigitalPhoto