Aiming for high-converting content for your brand? Use these messaging tips to help you! [Tuesdays: “Write with the Pen of the Masters”]
Long sentences or short sentences.
Creative writing or technical writing.
Create a rough draft first, then edit or create one paragraph at a time, then edit per paragraph.
Every writer has a different writing style and set of techniques.
However, when it comes to writing content for a brand, no matter what the differences are, there is ONLY ONE goal:
To make an impact through your copy and make people remember your brand.
In our previous articles about Joanna Wiebe’s CopyHackers Book 1 titled, “Where Stellar Messages Come From,” we discussed different copywriting tips such as:
- Documenting your product’s features and benefits
- Knowing your target market first before writing a copy
- Finding the appropriate marketing message for your brand
If taken seriously, these tips will help you, as a copywriter, write content that will effectively connect your brand with your target market.
In today’s article, here are a few more tips to help you create compelling and interesting copies for your brand.
Write Positively.
As a copywriter, you have to write your marketing messages in positive ways, even though most marketing messages are centered on the idea of solving customer pains, which seem “inherently negative.”
That means you have to avoid these words below in your copy as much as possible:
- Don’t
- Never
- Avoid
- Banish
- Get rid of
- But
For example: When you see someone who’s about to touch a hot kettle without his or her knowing, your normal response would be to say, “Don’t touch that!”
In a marketer/copywriter’s perspective, instead of saying “Don’t,” divert your target market’s attention to your product by saying, “Only touch this (because my product does not overheat, or it’s better, etc).”
Although there is no exact rule or formula as to how you should compose your marketing message, the best rule of thumb is to stay away from any negative associations that could affect your brand’s reputation.
By doing so, you also encourage your target market to “feel good” about your brand and help them choose your brand regardless of competition.
Some examples of positive slogans from famous brands that resonated in the public’s minds include Nike’s “Just Do It,” Maxwell House’s “Good to the Last Drop,” McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It,” and US Army’s “Be All that You Can Be.”
Remember that customers will buy what they WANT to buy.
Your target market has always bought―and will continue to buy―the products and services they want to buy.
As long as these products and services will make them look younger, slimmer, richer, more powerful,or satisfy their other desires, your target market will believe that your brand has the solution they’re looking for.
Take advantage of this “emotional pull,” but not too much as this might also cause you to write things in your copy that are not true about your brand.
Just keep your brand’s solutions relevant to your target market’s demands. That way, you’ll avoid giving them any “false hopes” or “empty promises” about what your brand can do for them.
Positioning is important.
As a copywriter, one of the most important decisions you will make for your brand is how you position your solution.
Take for example what advertising company Ogilvy and Mather did for its clients. When it was tasked to create advertisements to improve the reputation of investment management company Merrill Lynch, Ogilvy and Mather positioned the company not just as a stockbroker but as a “total financial services center.”
Aside from Merrill Lynch, Ogilvy and Mather also positively positioned financial services company American Express’ Travelers Cheques as not just for foreign travel but for domestic travel as well.
How you communicate your message through written words is important. It will help shape how your target market will see your brand.
With the right tools and knowledge, coupled with a skill for writing, you’ll be able to position your brand well as one of the competitive brands in its field.
When writing starts to feel difficult for you, that means you’re in the right path.
German novelist Thomas Mann once wrote:
“A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”
You have to keep this in mind every time you write your copy, your brand’s slogan, or marketing message.
If it starts to feel difficult for you, it’s maybe because you’re really putting your time and effort into writing captivating and compelling messages for your target market. That means there’s room for you to get better at your craft.
However, if the copywriting process becomes too easy, it may imply that you’re not pushing yourself hard enough to choose the right words, edit unnecessary parts in your content, or position your brand or product well.
Writing is truly not an easy task. Especially if you’re writing for a brand, there are a lot of factors to consider such as a product’s features, benefits, target market, branding, positioning, and a whole lot more.
Take note of these tips when you write your next copy.
Remember: Filler and fluff in content are easy to write. High-converting copy is hard and time-consuming―but it’s worth it!
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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