Words alone have the power to persuade a complete stranger to do something that we desire and this is possible with copywriting.
Copywriting is defined as the art and science of delivering words strategically that gets people to do an action.
The field of copywriting is exploding at recent days as more and more businesses and brands are migrating towards the e-commerce portal and enhancing their online presence.
The Importance of Copywriting:
Copywriting is a form of inbound marketing; more than 70% of the internet users migrate towards search engines to research for the products and services before they make the purchase decision.
Copywriting efforts are also quite effective than advertising methods and with the help of high-quality website content, a business is able to build an online audience base and build its reputation quickly.
Scroll down for some effective copywriting tips so as to get awesome content for a fulfilling website and strong online reputation.
25 Best Copywriting Tips to Write Compelling Content:
1. Research before writing:
It is important to stuff the conscious mind of the writer with information before proceeding to write. The best copy writers are excellent researchers, they should be able to dig and drill the core information on a topic to write, the more the information, more the possibilities to play with words.
2. Keep the content simple and to the point:
The best write ups are those that ditch technical jargon and are written in a simple language, but all technical and important information are to be maintained in the write up. Message has to be made clear and close to the understanding level of the target audience.
3. Be precise and to the point:
Beating around the bush just to build up the word count would not help website to rank on top of the search engines. Include all the points that the audience would like to hear about the product or the service, but be precise. Great content would render the audience exactly what they would want to know about the business.
4. Frame a story:
Instead of simply putting the thoughts in sentences, it would be a great idea to frame them in the form of a story. The real success of content is its popularity and the extent of happiness and contentment that it could bring in the minds of its readers. Saying them in the form of a story should make all the difference.
5. Be unique with the content:
Every writer would have their own style of writing, their unique selling proposition, own voice etc., this unique writing style would help them differentiate from the rest of the competition and gain a large market share through the content. It has to be ensured that before publishing the content, it has to demonstrate the brand personality clearly and it should clearly reflect on the choice of word, writing style, voice of words etc., and most of all match the needs and desires of the target audience.
6. Keep the headline catchy:
If the first button of the shirt is crooked, the rest of them definitely will. Most of the readers get inclined towards the content based on its headline. The strongest phrase from the content should be used as its headline and sub headings. It is important to keep the headline straightforward and not to use tricky ones. The headline has to be useful, unique and ultra-specific so as to give the readers a benefit of reading.
7. Make the content visually appealing:
One of the important guidelines for creating an effective content is to make it attractive and appealing with the help of pictures, charts and other forms of pictorial representations of the content. If the content is not appealing for the eyes, then it is less likely to get shared. Apart from including diagrams and graphs, it should be written in an appealing font, in bulletins or in short paragraphs, also should include quotes and citations etc.
8. Be concise than clever:
It is true that content writers have the ability to play with words, though it is okay for a number of times based on the type of brand they promote, being clear with the content is desired than being clever with it. The selling skill of content should be self-effacing and invisible and not overly proactive as it would damage the entire task.
9. Rules are meant to be broken:
The best content writers advice the novice people to learn the skills on how to break the rules of proper word mechanics, syntax and grammar. Rather than following all English grammar rules while speaking to the prospects through content, it is okay to write improper English and somehow fall in their understanding sphere.
10. Managing a swipe file of all relevant content:
One of the best tips for effective copywriting is to manage the collection of all relevant ads, emails and content that has outperformed in the writing career. This would help the writer to jumpstart their creativity and help them have a glance through their collection in case they are stuck with what they have to write next.
11. Write with a plan and a purpose:
Most of the content writers create content for the sake of writing. But they have to create the write up by putting their heart and soul into it; they need to be creative in crafting an original piece so that it is able to engage the end audience, builds trust and encourages sales.
12. Create engaging content without distraction:
The real culprit with writing is the lack of words and ideas and sometimes even the lack of time in completing a project. To keep engaged with the project and to help words to ponder writers have to avoid distraction from their phone and social media accounts, sit in a convenient place and think about the project deeply. This way, ideas and words would never fall short and the writer would be able to create the best written content for their client.
13. Take the content outside the box:
Copy writers should have the courage to think out of the box and to create something different and new with their words. They have to unzip their rational thought process and provoke their sub conscious mind so as to create connections within their ideas. This would differentiate them and their work from the rest of the pile.
14. Let the content speak the customer’s language:
In order to persuade clients and to urge them make a buying decision, it is important for the copy writer to speak the customer language. The vernacular language should depict the language they use on their daily basis and the language that their brains would process to think. This would not only help the prospects to learn the business better, but would also build their trust and persuade them to make the buying decision. The writer has to put themselves in the shoes of the client and write empathetic content for great customer engagement.
15. Content has to focus on the benefits:
It is important for the content to emphasize the benefits of the business and not its features. John Caples once said, “The best content is those that would appeal to the benefits of its readers”. Demonstrate on what the product does and not what it is so as to be successful in creating prospects and leads.
16. Render gratifications instantly:
It is important for writers to make their audience feel that they are getting something instantly. When readers feel that they are getting something from the writer instantly, they would believe the writer and develop trust towards the brand. Fueling their desires would provoke not just their curiosity but also their actions towards purchase decision.
17. Include questions with a probable ‘yes’ answer:
Let the content be persuasive enough so as to make the reader nod their head for all the questions the content raises. This is probably very effective in drafting a sales copy, where a number of questions are being raised upon the readers with a high probability for them to nod a yes while reading it.
18. Let the write up provoke emotions:
The content has to be packed with a number of proof elements, price justifications, testimonials etc., so as to provoke the emotional perspective of the reader. The trick of incorporating emotions in the writing would provoke the deepest desire of the prospect such as their fear, greed, salvation etc., and is more likely that they get attached to the copy emotionally.
19. Hunt for the right words:
This is perhaps the most age old and common copywriting tips that all writers would advise. Writers have to jot down the most appropriate words to convey the message, use more of adverbs than adjectives and make them invisible and get the content talking to the reader. Use of active voice has a command over the reading than using passive voice, also active tone of writing is easier to understand and convey the message faster.
20. Prove than to lead:
The writer would sound more confident in their words if they are able to prove their point with reliable data. This would help in building credibility and trust in the minds of the reader and wins the minds of skeptic readers as well. Incorporate facts and statistics, methodologies, case studies and testimonials to help the reader believe in what is being said.
21. You Vs We:
People don’t wish to read on websites that talk only about the company or its products portfolio. Write ups that speak to the prospects directly seem to gain more results. It is important to write it on the perspective of ‘we’ rather than ‘you’ so as to make it focus naturally on the desired and needs of the customer. The introduction, body and even the headline of the copy should be benefit driven so as to make it stronger and to invite more traffic and leads.
22. Close the work with a call to action:
After drafting a content that is persuasive, appealing and written to the point based on the needs and desires of the client, it is important to conclude the copy with a call to action. The conclusion is pretty important in a work so that the readers are now completely satisfied with the product or service and would order to use it in the near future.
23. Include tools to build credibility:
People would never choose a brand if they don’t built the trust towards it. So as to create a content that aggravates the credibility of the user, include certain phrases in the copy that declares the brand’s guarantees, return policies, testimonials, statistical track records of the brand, their publications, innovations and awards etc.
24. Keep repeating important points in the copy:
The tremendous theory by Winston Churchill states that there is no point in being subtle with one’s important points. To create a tremendous whack, it is important to keep hitting the ball over and over again. Successful writers keep repeating their important points throughout the copy or at least in the beginning, in the middle and at the end.
25. Make the copy personal for the reader:
When the writer is able to intrude into the personal mind space of the reader, then his writing is a grand success. Writing in a relaxed style and personal tone is the magic of writing as it creates an illusion of one on one communication between the business and the target. It is been proved in a number of researches that personalized content converts better than informational ones.
Conclusion:
The number of businesses is migrating towards the online portal so as to attract more and more customers across geographic limitations. In order to make those customers understand the vision and mission of the business and to generate more sales, they need to rely on words as a means of common communication.
Words not only have the power to convince but has the power to convert as well. It is, in fact, the words that decide the richness of a business.