Expertise

What is copywriting?

 

Imagine if writing wasn’t a thing. Imagine if as the owner or the manager of a brand you had to individually talk to every prospect, every customer, every partner, and every single passerby. This means that you would have to tell them the name of your brand, your pitch etc.…But not only that, you would have to haggle for attention (even more than you do now). This would equate to a lot of effort, time, and saliva.

 

But of course, writing is a thing. It was invented a long time ago in 3200 BC. Since then, we could say that copywriting was born. Especially if you go by the following definition of copywriting: The ability to use the written word to persuade someone to take action.

 

But wouldn’t you say that it’s the case of all written things?

 

Copywriting has gone through many stages before becoming what it is today.

</p> <h5>Starting with the Cuneiforms:</h5> <p>

difference of a brand red tomato in a bunch of green one

</p> <h5>To our alphabet displayed on that:</h5> <p>

difference of a brand red tomato in a bunch of green one

More commercial perceptions of copywriting may be more suitable for your understanding: The ability to persuade, influence and close sales in print. 

</p> <h5>For your visualization imagine if this man was a text.</h5> <p>

Businesswomen working on their branding on their office checking books to choose

The factors contributing to B2B marketer's increased success over the last year

Content creation (Higher quality, more efficient) 85%
Strategy (Development or adjustment) 72%
Content marketing has become a higher priority 53%
Spending more time on content marketing 53%
Content distribution (Better targeting) 50%
Management/HR (Organizational change, staffing) 43%
Content measurements (The ability to show results) 42%
Different branded elements with the same branding. Homogeneity is the key to be recognized

Copywriting is important for sales of course. Because the writing that you put out on your communication channels will become your voice. But on top of this sales driven purpose for copywriting there is another which shouldn’t be overlooked, and that is the branding aspect of it. Copywriting serves your branding as it is your constant and eternal spokesperson for your company.

 

Like any spokesperson you would hire. He/She would need to be fitting to what your company is and what it’s trying to accomplish the way they present, the way they dress but most importantly, the way they talk. In copywriting, if words are the what of the subject, the tone is the how.

 

When you have decided to build a brand, you had an idea of some keywords you would like associated with it. Said keywords are then conveyed through all your communication channels as part of your marketing plan.

Copywriting doesn’t escape the framework of marketing. And the way the content is written will have to convey those keywords.

 

This is done through many ways such as the choice of words, the phrasing, the choice of pronouns and the type of content itself.

 

Now maybe you are unsure of how exactly a tone of voice is defined or how your brand.

 

is represented through it. One obvious way to find out is by checking out how your customers talk. After all, they are going to be the ones reading your content and acting on it. But they will feel closer to an organization that understands them AND has their best interest in mind with an offer to solve a problem they have.

Different branded elements with the same branding. Homogeneity is the key to be recognized

Here is a spectrum of the different tones your company can adopt

Here is a spectrum of the different tones your company can adopt

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Now you might look at the tone spectrum and say something like “I don’t really need a tone because I’m selling to other businesses” I get it, a tone is something that is polarizing to some extent and that is not something you want when working with other organizations. However, I will argue that this is a good thing. If your content is corporate and bland with no personality whatsoever it will be a mere seconds before your reader hits that return button. Your brand can be a lot of things, but it can’t be boring. Thinking that this doesn’t apply in B2B communication is outright false simply because were all humans communicating with one another. I would even add that we are 21st century humans with a high intolerance to anything remotely boring. So, leaving no impression on your audience is the worst thing that can ever happen to you. If someone hates your tone that’s great, that means it will surely appeal to someone else.

 

This is where the salesy definition of copywriting is limited. It kind of excludes the more psychological approach there is between your brand’s copywriting and your target. Here is a more modern definition of the discipline:

 

The written word of your business’s concept and marketing strategy.

How to do copywriting?

We want words to boost sales, make great branding and push your target to action.

Great!

But first we must listen.

 

We’ll want to know you, your organization, what you do and the essence of what makes your customers.  This might seem unnecessary but if we can grasp who you are, it will be easy to make state-of-the-art content and get your target to care about what you have to offer.

 

Sales haven’t really changed, but the way we do sales has, here is how:

– Past are the days where a buyer would come on a website for the first time and make a purchase.

– Past are the days where product-centric discourses would close the deal.

– Past are the days where aggressive sales and intrusiveness made people buy.

 

Our customers have matured, they know all the sales trick.

It gets worse. They can feel that they are being led and might push you back. This can prove fatal. Because today they have access to countless other offers at their fingertips thanks to the power of internet. If your target’s behavior changes, you need to change with them.

Today’s successful sales are made through self-persuasion more than direct persuading.

“Salesy” text doesn’t make for memorable content. It’s either unappealing or just boring and this means that in time your company loses or doesn’t get trust and authority.

Different branded elements with the same branding. Homogeneity is the key to be recognized

Here is what a good copy does:

It’s honest and clear. Not saying the truth to sell is bad. Respectable businesses know that. However, lots of businesses are guilty of using doublespeak. All companies have their shortcomings. And it might be tempting to cut corners with deliberately ambiguous and obscure language or with tortuous and misleading phrasing. This doesn’t work. Clear and understandable content is more pleasant to read because it flows for the reader. If your text is effortless to read, then your audience will have the feeling that your offer is effortless to purchase.

Different branded elements with the same branding. Homogeneity is the key to be recognized
Different branded elements with the same branding. Homogeneity is the key to be recognized

It’s profitable. It’s not because sales have changed that it became something different. In the end, a good copy converts, always.

Professional services have a conversion rate of 10%, whereas e-commerce websites have a conversion rate of 3%. Copywriting on a landing page can add 2% to those numbers. Or in other words, make 50% more sales.

Different branded elements with the same branding. Homogeneity is the key to be recognized

Interesting. As mentioned before, with the change of consumer behavior worldwide companies must change the way they communicate. Today the road to sales is paved with good content. Said good content can take different forms but let me tell that if you think it’s about your brand and your product you are probably wrong. You must think about your customers. what do they want when they search for things on their browsers? what information related to your industry would they like to acquire? Use your website as a means for direct sales but don’t give the impression that this is what it’s for. Because the internet is first and foremost a means of obtaining information and your company should jump on the opportunity to give it to them. Doing so will make you’re a reference in your target’s mind. They will remember you and come back for more…and probably purchase from you when the time comes. In turn this will increase sales, boost your traffic, give you backlinks and give you better ranking on search engines which will in turn drive even more traffic to your website and increase sales.

What makes great content.

-Good writing. Grammar and all.

-Combined designed and marketing. The writing can be great but if it looks ugly on the page and no one can find it then it might as well not exist at all. Make sure your pages look good (WTZ link)

-Talk about the value not the product. The message will have a much more lasting impact if based on the value provided by the value or service. “People don’t want a toothbrush; they want a better smile”.

-Getting specific. Back up what is said with statistics. Numbers speak louder than words.

-Making it personal. People (usually) read alone, it makes it more natural to write in that matter

-Using the correct tone of voice, we speak the language of our audience to be understood.

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