A Copywriting Starter Pack: Know how you can sell to more people, more often, and at higher prices! [Tuesdays: “Write with the Pen of the Masters”]
Sergio Zyman, Coca-Cola’s former Chief Marketing Officer, once said:
“The sole purpose of marketing is to sell to more people, more often, and at higher prices. There’s no other reason to do it.”
Practically speaking, consumers will almost always want to buy cheaper products to save money…
… but have you ever thought about why others still choose to stay loyal to one brand, even if its products are expensive―and getting more expensive?
One of the reasons for that is because customers are able to witness how the business delivers its marketing promises and produces good quality outputs.
Here’s another strategy that will help you, a business owner or marketer, win your target market’s trust and loyalty:
Good copywriting!
We’re all aware that effective copies have the ability to:
- Increase a brand’s sales conversion rates
- Leave a positive impression on readers
- Give businesses an edge over their competitors.
… just to name a few.
As a copywriter, what guidelines can you use to ensure your outputs “hit the mark?”
Here are some characteristics of good copywriting that content writers in different industries can benefit from:
Purposeful
Before you start a writing task, it’s important to first answer these questions:
“Where will this copy go?”
“Who are my readers/is my target market?”
“What should my copy achieve?”
Good copywriters ask―and answer―the right questions that will help gather additional information to produce effective content.
By knowing the purpose of your copies, you’ll be able to write about the most interesting and relevant information for your target market… and write in an engaging manner.
What else?
A clear vision leads to a more focused writing, which can also help you save a lot of time!
Chameleon-like
Chameleons are famous for their ability to camouflage or change color depending on the type of environment they are in.
Just like these creatures, good copywriters must also be able to mold their writing style, tone, and language to the nature of the brand or client they are writing for.
In other words…
Even if you’re asked to write different copies for different websites or clients, you always make sure that the overall tone of the content you produce is consistent and fits the brand that’s represented.
Original
There are 2 main reasons why being original is important in copywriting.
First, if you’re writing about a topic that’s been covered a lot by other writers too, you have to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of industry clichés.
Second, as much as possible, don’t repeat information found on a lot of other writers’ copies on the same topic. If prospects read your write-up and see a line they’ve already read a few times, there’s a chance they will instantly move away from your article and look for something else.
Remember: You must always offer your readers a fresh perspective into a particular subject matter.
As a copywriter, it’s a big NO-NO to be aware that your topic has been talked about a lot before and yet you don’t make any effort to provide your readers with something else that’s unique and new.
Tip: To make sure you’re writing something original about your brand, check out how your competitors describe themselves and put those words into a “banned list” so you won’t be tempted to describe your business the way they do.
Applying this technique will help you identify your brand’s unique value proposition and inform your readers about what makes your company different from your competitors.
Balanced
It’s okay to have a word count in mind, but doing so should never compromise your copies’ quality.
Keep your content balanced―not too short that it lacks necessary information and not too long that it contains even the irrelevant details.
Especially if you’re writing content for the Web, being concise yet accurate and relevant in your copies is an important skill. This is because a lot of online users skim articles and instantly click away once they see dense writing.
If you want your readers to continue reading even up to the bottom of your copy, make sure you write in a manner that captures their attention, piques their curiosity, and compels them to welcome the message you want to convey.
Another thing to take note of in terms of balance is meeting deadlines.
As a copywriter, you have to learn to get the most out of your time to search for useful information that will help substantiate your claims and at the same time, deliver your outputs in a timely manner.
This is because no matter how succinct and well-written your copy is, it has to be at par with the standards for timeliness and relevance.
Clean
By “clean,” we mean your copies must be free from errors―both in sentence structure and logic―and presentable and neat so readers won’t cringe while reading your article.
Having clean outputs will also prevent your target market from doubting your expertise.
What are some of the factors that help establish consumers’ trust in your brand?
Correct spelling and good grammar!
If your copies lack these things, it will make your readers think that you don’t value quality and consistency that much.
In terms of formatting, you should also consider how your articles look.
For example: If your copies contain big blocks of texts, you may break them into shorter sentences or paragraphs so readers won’t feel immediately overwhelmed.
You may also want to add subheaders for clearer transitions on new topics that you want to discuss in the content.
Be mindful of the margins, font sizes, styles, and other technical aspects of your copies too!
Another tip to make your copies cleaner: Be unswerving when it comes to tone and formality!
If you start the content with the inclusive pronoun “you” to address your readers, you have to stick to it until the end of your copy.
Avoid abruptly referring to your target audience as “holiday makers,” “insurance buyers,” “Gen Z’s,” and other generic terms as this will confuse them about your sudden shift in points of view.
In the marketing and copywriting industries, always keep in mind that your words matter.
Every. Single. Time.
What you’re doing is more than just a repetition of keywords and creating calls-to-action. You also engage with your target market and compel them to take a desirable action that leads to good results for your brand’s business and marketing efforts.
Every time you sit down to write an ad, web page, video script, or other types of content for your brand, you have an opportunity to speak to people and make an impact.
Use these opportunities well and make the most out of them!
Once you establish your target market’s trust in your brand, you’ll also understand why even if your products or services are selling at higher prices, customers will still choose to buy from you.
Take note of the good copywriting characteristics stated above and incorporate them in your next writing projects!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Tuesdays: Write with the Pen of the Masters”
Who doesn’t find content writing to be a skill that requires a lot of practice and effort?
In fact, many people may even find copywriting very intimidating.
However, you can be a good writer as long as you have the right tools. You won’t always get things right the first time, but with enough time and practice, you’ll get the hang of it!
When you write a copy for any brand or for your company, your aim is to make an impact and…
…to get people to remember.
Getting people to remember means getting consumers to buy your product or to avail of your service.
And when you get your content to deliver the results you want, THAT is a great copy!
Every Tuesday, we publish content based on tips and insights from the masters of content writing, copywriting, and storytelling.
Become more familiar with ways to write great copy that helps you gain ROI from your efforts, drive profitability, and achieve your business goals.
Learn time-tested tactics that better capture the attention of your target audience, and maximize the benefits of great copywriting.
Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s “Write with the Pen of the Masters!”
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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