Posted by Craig Maloney | November 6, 2017 | Filed under: Uncategorized
Frankly, a lot of online marketing professionals have got copywriting all wrong. The text on a page isn’t meant to be an SEO keyword dump, nor should it always be a straight-up sales pitch. Online consumers ultimately want to be educated, entertained, and engaged; they want their pain points to be recognized and solutions to be offered. Good copywriting will accomplish all of that—and if not, it’s simply not going to move your sales needle.
What this means is that your standard elevator-pitch copywriting—a relic of the bygone days of traditional advertising—just won’t cut it any more. Compelling online copywriting has to be more dynamic and user-centered than that. We’ll show you what we mean: In this post, we’ll offer a few practical copywriting tips that are proven not just to improve your content, but to improve your sales, as a result.
Copywriting That Moves the Sales Needle: Our Tips
Cut the Crap
We don’t mean to be needlessly blunt, but in all serious: An awful lot of sales copywriting is just pure rubbish. It’s meaningless text that does nothing to lay out the specific value proposition that
your brand offers.
Here’s an example: Our company offers world-class products. What does this mean? How can you prove it? How does it meaningfully differ from the products made by your competitors?
It’s a hollow phrase, totally generic and pointless. Ditch it in favor of something more precise: Our products are made from 100 percent carbon fiber, which means they’re both lightweight but also three times stronger than products made by other companies. Now something like that would really persuade!
Be Specific Whenever You Can
In keeping with that point, remember to use numbers, stats, and metrics wherever possible. After all, any company can say something like, clients everywhere love our software! It’s not a provable or meaningful point. It doesn’t do a thing to separate you from your competitors, who would doubtless make the same claim.
To say more than 300 clients have rated our software with a perfect 5-star rating, or something similarly concrete, is much better.
You Don’t Have to Be Subtle
There’s a time and a place for politeness—and chances are, your marketing copy ain’t it. That’s especially true when it comes to your call to action.
Consider these two variations:
- If you are interested in learning more about our company, we welcome you to contact us today.
- Contact us today for your free consultation.
Which one is more forceful? Which one packs more of a punch? Which one do you think is more likely to get the phones ringing? It’s the second, more direct appeal, no question.
Focus on Value
The big problem with a lot of online copywriting is that it’s all about the company, product, or brand. It should be all about the reader/customer. It should focus on what’s in it for them.
Always make your content focused on the benefits you’re offering. Don’t settle for buy our product today. Instead, say, buy our product today and watch as your leads grow by 30 percent, or what have you.
And likewise, give people a good reason to engage with your brand. Call us to learn more is okay. Call us to receive a free consultation, and learn how to transform your lead generation efforts overnight is more compelling.
Turn Negatives into Positives
There may be some things about your brand that are less than appealing—but that doesn’t mean you should ignore them.
For example, maybe your product is a little bit on the expensive side. Don’t try to pretend like it isn’t. Instead, play up the value and prestige of your brand.
Consider it this way: Jaguars are more expensive than Toyotas, but you never find Jaguar trying to pretend like their products are cheap. Instead, you see them embrace their status as a truly high-end, premium, luxury brand.
Do the same thing in your copywriting. Turn negatives into positives.
Avoid Superlatives
Here again, our advice boils down to this: Be specific.
Saying that you offer the fastest turnaround times in your industry isn’t very powerful. Saying that you guarantee turnaround in three hours or less can pack more of a punch. That’s what will get people to pick up the phone and call you!
Get Copywriting Done by the Established Pros
Copywriting is a critical component of online sales, lead generation, brand enhancement, online reputation management—you name it. You can’t allow it to be sloppy or haphazard.
EverythingOnline employs a team of copywriters whose work is based on proven, data-backed principles. In short, we know how to write copy that moves the sales needle. Get our orange county digital marketing experts working for you, and start increasing your sales through the power of words.