What is copywriting?
Before we get into the whole idea of copywriting and how your copywriting skills can be improved, let’s look at its purpose and intent and why people use it. Basically, copywriters are writers who use their skills primarily for marketing and promotional items, helping organizations to reach out to potential customers or clients. It is present almost everywhere nowadays, from videos to books and even emails and documents. Copywriting undoubtedly plays a major role in the way we perceive products and services and thus has a very straightforward co-relation with the performance and sales of any company or institution. A good copywriter successfully catches the attention of a reader and is able to sustain it enough for the person to choose a service or product of any specific company.
Copywriting and content.
Imagine you are hired by a certain organization to write content on their website in order to boost sales, and you in your naivety end up writing about information that isn’t of any value to the potential customer. Maybe you just ended up stringing a bunch of fancy words together in an attempt to display your creativity. In this scenario you would probably end up being replaced in favor of someone who can deliver the necessary information to the public in a simple way. To make sure you stick around in your new job and publish good content alongside, let’s take a look at a few pointers which can come in handy.
- Content value : This can be achieved in multiple ways and the most common way to add value to your content is to make sure you reach out to the customer’s pain points. For instance, if you are promoting a health based mobile application , the best way to do this would be by mentioning how a sedentary lifestyle causes more health issues and since a majority of the target audience are people working behind a desk, this will compel the individual to read further.
- Grammar : Poor content and poor grammar just won’t cost you your employment but your business and sales as well. As per an UK study, 59 % of people preferred to not use a company with grammatical errors on their website. Similarly, in the US a potential $400 billion are lost every year due to poor writing. So, avoiding grammatical errors is critical to be a successful writer. There are various addons or apps that can help you in writing an error free blog which you can use for a reasonable fee.
- Catch their attention : A great introduction is absolutely necessary for a good blog or an article. Using creativity of any kind to compel the reader to continue reading is something that is done by every successful writer of any type. To achieve this, you can use data or images that grabs the reader’s attention. As they say, the first impression is the last impression and this statement could not be more closer to the truth in this regard.
Increase your sales through effective Copywriting.
As a business owner, if you are not satisfied with your sales even after trying everything under the sun like Google or Facebook ads, a good idea would be to take a look at your website content. Most likely, the content on your website is bland and unengaging resulting in less conversion rates even if you have a healthy flow of traffic. Here are a few tips you can use for your website whether you choose to write on your own or even if you hire a professional writer.
- Know your audience : Understanding your audience can be done by learning about their age, nationality, interests, occupation, and more. Creating relevant content by including their goals is a sure shot way to write a killer content.
- Keep it simple but eye catching: An interesting fact about humans is that our attention span is a second less than a goldfish. 8.25 seconds to be precise. Keeping this in mind, you have to design content in ways that are captivating but isn’t too taxing to read. Failing to do so would result in someone scrolling past your post without caring to read it.
- Keywords : Similar to SEO, keywords are crucial components in website copywriting as well. But keep in mind that google penalizes content that are filled with keywords and thus it is important to not over do it.
- Grammar : As mentioned earlier, avoiding grammatical errors is key to writing a good content. Along with using the right words, it is preferable to use active voices whenever possible as well as correct punctuations.
- Include a Call to Action : A call to action (CTA) is a prompt on a website that tells the user to take some specified action. Adding a link to register or log in is a great and simple way to achieve this.
Copywriting as a career
Copywriting can be a lucrative career as a freelancer or even as a business. Even if you lack experience, you can still write quality content by keeping a few simple tips in mind.
- Follow a structure : It is extremely crucial for a writer, regardless if you are an experienced copywriter or just starting off into your journey, to follow a format while writing. Having a catchy introduction works wonders as it captivates the rea
der which allows you to write more compelling pieces in your main body of the article. Similarly, adding a conclusion is also beneficial as it grabs the concentration of the reader and it could even be a reason for high traffic conversion. - Keep it simple : As mentioned earlier, humans have a low attention span and writing unnecessary long and confusing articles are a sure shot way to drive readers away. A simple and easy article allows the reader to skim through it as well as understand the concept.
- Include images and graphics : “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Graphics are a creative way to grab the attention of the reader as it allows them to grasp the idea behind the written material without actually reading the entire article or blog. Make sure to use them as much as possible without over doing it.
- Proof read : Before publishing, it is very important to proof read for possible errors and goof ups and asking someone else to proof read is an effective way to minimize mistakes. Various websites are also available where one can identify mistakes and alternatives are provided.
- Read books on copywriting : Learning through books or any type of content for that matter is a great tool to improve your skills as a writer. A few noteworthy mentions are “The Copywriter’s Handbook” and “How to Create Irresistible Offers” by long time copywriter Bob Bly.
In conclusion, copywriting is a very important part of businesses of any sort. It has been seen to increase profitability and Return On Investment (ROI) by offering value to potential clients/customers. Whether you are a upcoming writer or someone looking to boost your sales numbers, the tips featured in this article are meant to help you achieve your goals and scale your business and career as a whole.
