Clever copywriting as opposed to what?

Well, a while back I was asked to take part in an online Q&A session with The Guardian about copywriting as a career. During this discussion the question was asked whether copywriting should be clean or clever.

Clean copywriting is all about producing very tight, concise and compelling sales copy. Where as clever copy is there to impress.

Which is best will stem from personal experience and what your audience dictates. As a copywriter, my career to date as mainly seen me involved in creating copy for commercial print or web based media, so here is my point of view.

Always short and sweet

When I receive a copywriting brief, the resulting sales copy generally follows a tried and tested formula which is designed to give maximum impact.

There is one fact about an audience that is true regardless of how my copy reaches them – through SEO website copy, brochures, emails, newsletters, direct mail etc. They all lead busy lives.

Not only that, but we are all bombarded with sales messages. They are in our newspapers, on the Tube, on buses, in magazines, on the internet….Every day our minds become saturated with these messages, so if yours is to get through, it has to be powerful, memorable and concise.

The secret formula

Before I divulge my winning formula there is one thing you have to remember. Every audience you write for is different. An approach that wins one group over would fall flat on its face with another. So always think about who you are addressing before you begin.

Creating your copy is just like writing a story – you start at the beginning…

1. Headline

Your headline is the hook to entice your reader. If your headline is weak you’ll lose your audience before you start. If you are stuck for ideas get inspiration from magazines, adverts and even the home page of Digg.

Your headline must grab their attention and draw them in.

2. Beginning

Once you have their interest hit them with the benefits of your product or service. Tell them precisely what it is going to do for them (don’t confuse these with your features). The main thing your reader wants to know is what they are going to get out of your product/service – what’s it for them?

3. Middle

By now your reader is interested in your product, so now all you have to do is make them want it. Helping them to visualise how it will change their life will tip the balance in your favour. Use testimonials and case studies to drive your point home.

4. Finale

If they’re poised and ready to buy but you don’t tell them how, they’ll walk away. The final step is your call to action – call now, buy now, email now.

If you want your copy to work – keep it tight, keep it strong, keep it simple – remember:

Headline + benefits + want factor + call to action = SALES

Are freelance copywriters the only people who can write persuasive copy?

I would love to answer that with a yes, but anyone can write persuasively if they have the time and inclination. But as time is a rare commodity these days it is often more cost effective to use a professional copywriter.

Creating a magnetic force in your writing uses 9 techniques. Used in isolation they’ll have little effect, but combine their power and you’ll produce captivating copy that will make your reader buy.

I guess you want to know what the 9 elements are…

1. Be direct

I don’t mean write “Buy it now!” – that won’t work. I’m thinking more of the tendency to over write.

For example, rather than saying “The majority of Primary School pupils almost certainly believe that Santa really exists.”

Oh boy, how long winded is that?

Instead, say “Most Primary School children believe in Santa”  - simple, direct and to the point.

2. Repetition

If done well, this will create a rhythm that will carry your reader and drawn them in.

3. Active

Use of the passive voice creates copy that sounds as dull as ditch water e.g. the cat was stroked by the girl. But by swapping around the subject and object of the sentence you make it active – the girl stroked the cat.

4. Brief

Less is definitely more. Most people don’t have time to read reams of copy and their concentration begins to lapse after the first few sentences. Therefore make sure that’s where your important copy is.

5. Short sentences

These are easier to read. They are easy to understand. If you begin to get complicated, which we all do from time to time, people will begin to tire of your copy and you run the risk of them deciding it’s really not worth reading your overly long copy especially as by the time they’ve reached the end of your sentence they’ve completely forgotten why they were reading it in the first place.

6. Debate

Don’t answer everything for them – leave them wanting more.

7. No adjectives

Adjectives will leave your writing dull – be ruthless and banish them.

8. Story

Relate your product to a real life situation through case studies to get your reader hooked.

9. Informal

Conversational writing is the most effective.

These simple techniques are very easy to use, and when combined will produce some powerful copy – are you ready for the flood of orders?

The chances are, if you’re reading this you have a website and do a fair amount of online marketing – or at least you’re beginning to.

Local search is becoming a very important tool for many businesses.

Twenty or Thirty years ago, if someone wanted to find a local service provider, they’d look in the Yellow Pages or local press.

Today more and more people are turning to Google and the other search engines to find local businesses.

Which basically means, you need to make sure your website and online marketing activities are geared up to make the most of these local searches which means owning more of the web.

Boost your share of the web

There are many facets to search engine optimisation – website structure and design, back links, seo copywriting, internal linking – all of which need to be a constant part of your marketing activities.

A great way to help your SEO and boost your online presence is by increasing the number of web pages you have. That doesn’t mean you have to rush out and pay your designer to add stacks on new pages on your website – why not utilise the power of other websites such as BT Tradespace and Myprospot.

Both of these websites offer you the opportunity to boost your online reach by having your very own micro site for your company. They each offer varying degrees of service (through Myprospot you can also host your own website and still use all the functionality it offers its members).

To give you an idea of what these micro sites look like, here are mine:

So now, not only do I have my main website for my freelance copywriting business, but I also have these web pages too.

These micro sites are great for local businesses. The increase you web presence and therefore local search capabilities and they offer facilities like customer feedback and ratings.

With 40% of small businesses without a website these services are invaluable. Even if you don’t have the budget for a website, you can get a profile and web page up on the internet for next to nothing.

So give it a go – whether you have a basic free profile or you invest in a higher membership (which is well worth it as it is a fraction of the price of any off line marketing you’re doing and will reach a wider audience) – get yourself seen.

There definitely is one – an enormous one.

To give you a clue, it is something you should be thinking about even before you pick up your pen or strike a key on your keyboard.

Have you worked out what it is yet?

Purpose

Everything you write must have a purpose. If it doesn’t, what’s the point writing it?

Every piece of copy you write – website copywriting, newsletters, brochure copy, advert, case study, press release…everything has a purpose – it’s there to generate something – sales, leads, interest, traffic…

You’ve put a lot of time and effort into it (and quite possibly money if you are using a freelance copywriter) so you must make sure it actually does something.

Before you begin to write (or give your copywriter their brief), ask yourself:

1. What will this piece of copy do for my business?

It may not necessarily be there to sell. It may be to raise awareness or generate leads. If you can’t define its purpose it’s not needed and creating it will just be a waste of time and money.

2. What do I want the reader to do?

It could be to buy a product, sign up to a mailing list, make an appointment, visit your website. Whatever it is, your copy must be persuasive enough to make them carry out that action. Also remember to tell your reader what to do within your call to action.

You might think that if you are producing a case study, article or feature, you can ignore this advice. Well, you can’t. Even if it is ostensibly an informational piece, it should still be designed to encourage future contact. An interesting article will be remembered so when that person has a need for your product or service your name will be in the forefront of their mind.

Why you need to know this

Every piece of copy produced by or for your company must have a purpose. Every word will build a relationship with your reader. Even if it doesn’t lead to an immediate sale, when the time is right for your reader, it could.

Remember to look at the bigger picture.

If you are scratching your head trying to come up with the answer to that question, I can confirm it is not…

“Once upon a time…”

(Just in case you were wondering)

Copywriting is sales and marketing writing. It is designed to persuade the reader to buy a product or service.

But when I asked ‘how does copywriting start?’ I was thinking more about the process a copywriter goes through.

So what do you reckon?

• Copywriting begins when you start writing? Or…
• Copywriting begins when you get an assignment?

It begins from the very first phone call, email or conversation with your client. The process of copywriting begins well before a word is written.

Start from the beginning

When you win a new client, if you pick up the assignment, read it and then start writing – you’ve missed the point. In fact, you’ve not just missed it, you’ve over shot it by a mile.

Before a single word is written, the real work begins when you take time to get to know your client, their business and their products/services. If you don’t fully understand their business how can you persuade a reader they are the right company to deal with?

You need to begin by thinking about:

• What is the product or service?
• What does it do? (the main benefits for the customer)
• What makes it different from competitors?
• Why is it desirable?
• What is the company’s ethos?
• What language and voice is associated with the company?

There’s more…

Once you’ve taken time to fully understand the company and its product/service, you have to turn your attention to your customers. We all have different motivations for buying things, so a firm understanding of what makes your target audience tick is essential if your copy is to persuade them to hand over their credit cards.

You will need to consider:

• Who they are?
• What they are looking for?
• What is going to make them buy?

Why you need to know this

Too much copy out there calls itself sales copy when really all it does is generate self promotion. True, your reader will want to know who you are (mainly so they know they have landed on a website that is relevant to their search) but they are more concerned about what you are going to do for them.

Effective copywriting is about knowing and understanding your product and your customer. Once you have a clear understanding of these, you will have a wealth of ideas to draw on for your copy.

OK you men out there – we know what’s on your mind. Don’t try to deny it, I read somewhere that you think about sex every six seconds so it must be true.

The problem with that is, as a copywriter, it causes a bit of a problem. No matter what I write, there’s a fair chance your mind is going to be elsewhere.

For example, if I write a sales letter  that takes about five minutes to read, my beautifully crafted sales pitch will be interrupted by your carnal thoughts fifty times!

The point I’m trying to make is that when anyone picks up your sales letter, there’s a good chance they’ll be focusing on something other than your sales message.

Getting your reader to focus

You have to get to know your reader. That’s not easy when you’re letter is likely to have an audience of hundreds or even thousands.The only way to do that is to work out the psychological profile of your target audience.

Think about:

• What sex they are
• Their age
• What are their values?
• What are their aspirations?
• How do others see them?
• Do they buy with their heads or their hearts?

By understanding what makes them tick you’ll be able to create copy that will resonate with them. Of course, that doesn’t mean to say every person who gets your letter will feel the same way about your product, but by taking the time to get to know them you stand more chance of creating something that they’ll read.

As a website copywriter I know how difficult it can be to create text that is appealing, interesting and that converts readers into customers.

So if you insist on going it along and writing your own web copy, I can sympathise with you.

But sadly, when companies do write their own copy they start by singing their own praises. But, guess what, that’s not what your readers want.

They don’t care if you’ve been in business for decades or how many staff you have or whether you operate from state of the art premises. There is only one thing they want to know – and that’s what you are going to do for them.

There’s something else self-written websites tend to have – jargon. It is vital that you write simply. And that can be a challenge because so many people believe…

“I’m writing for the public so I’ve got to use really big words and complex structures to show how clever I am. Then they’ll be really impressed and want to do business with me.”

Oh boy – if you do that your website will be a very lonely place because no one will be reading it.

Be true to yourself

Even if you manage to avoid the above horrors, you still have to be very careful about the words you chose to portrait yourself.

Getting good rankings for local searches on the internet is big business. Normally these keywords and phrases (which incorporate your geographical location) are less competitive than the more generic terms so a business can rank much quicker.

But there are a lot of businesses out there that actually want to make themselves look bigger than they actually are. So they drop the localisation or faceless national identities. But if you do that you’ll be competing with the big boys that have bottomless marketing budgets.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go after more generic terms, but do so whilst also competing for the local phrases. At least that way you’ll get good local rankings while you’re working on national ones (which will take longer to achieve).

Size isn’t everything

You can still use words to create an illusion of your company’s size. If you use the word “I” (especially if you’re a sole trader) you will come across as a one man band. But simply using “we” instead and other words such as “fleet” and “team” you’ll give the impression of being larger than you really are.

But before you get carried away, there is a reason why people search for local businesses. Small, local businesses conjure an image of high quality, personal service. If you try to show yourself as a large company you could inadvertently be conveying negative connotations – expensive, inferior service, customers not being treated as individuals etc.

Why am I telling you this?

I want to illustrate some of the pit falls when writing your own website copy. It can be very easy to get carried away when writing about your own business.

If you have the budget it really is worth getting a good freelance copywriter to write your content for you. They aren’t directly involved with your business so can distance themselves from it and write what the reader wants to know – what’s in it for them. Plus, they will also be able to create great SEO copywriting which will help your local and national search results.

The humble press release is one of the most effective ways of promoting your business online.

Being online it will hang around in cyberspace for a long time. So if you’ve written it including your keywords it could potentially send targeted traffic to your website for eternity – or at least for as long as it appears on the internet.

But many people don’t issue press releases because they don’t know how to write them. Well if that’s all that’s holding you back it’s well worth learning.

There’s a vast amount of information on the web about how to write a press release, but to help you out I have listed below some common press release writing tips.

How to write a press release

• Make sure your press release reads like news not an advert
• Send it to websites and media related to its topic
• Keep it brief – one page of A4 is ideal
• Make sure your heading and contact information are at the top
• Keep your language and sentence structure simple
• Use the opening paragraph to grab your readers attention
• Proofread it thoroughly before sending out

Also, check out these ways of giving extra clout to your press release

How do I know if my news is ‘newsworthy’?

This is a big part of why businesses don’t utilise the potential of the press release. How do they know if what they want to say is really newsworthy?

The following list shows you a few instances when a press release should be issued. Take a look and see how many of them relate to your business right now.

• The launch of a new product or service
• Results of a customer survey
• If you are attending a trade fair, or speaking at a seminar
• The launch of a new or revamped website
• Announcing that you’ve won, or been shortlisted for an award
• A free e-mail newsletter you are launching
• Any free trials or offers you are making
• An endorsement from a famous/well known person
• New business venture
• Involvement in a fundraising event

This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means but I hope it gives you an idea of what is classed as being newsworthy.

Take a look at your business – has anything happened or is about to happen that would fit the bill? If there is, write a press release, get it out there and start driving some traffic to your website.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter

Does it seem like everyone else is blogging except for you?

There’s an exclusive club out there and you’re not part of it.

So what is blogging all about anyway and why are so many people doing it?

What on earth do they have to write about? What on earth would you write about? Does any one really read blogs anyway?

The answer to that last question is yes – after all, you’re reading this one!

What is a blog?

A blog is quite simply a web page that’s full of articles – known as posts. They can be on a variety of subjects from personal inane ramblings to industry specific topics.

The posts are arranged in chronological order (with the latest one appearing first) and each carries a permanent link which can be referred to by others who want to link to your post.

They are a great communication tool and give you a platform from which you can write about anything. For me, I use this blog for copywriting and marketing articles. But others can be used as tools to review new products, personal diaries…all sorts of things.

For search engine optimisation they are a great way of producing back links to your website. Just add in your keyword and use it as an anchor text link. Although it has to make sense within the context of your post.

Why you should blog

Anyone who’s tried to get something published will know how difficult it can be. But a blog will allow you to publish anything you want, when you want. And that’s pretty powerful.

There is also a lot of freedom with blogging. Most blogging software (such as WordPress) offers numerous designs and layouts and its structure makes it really simple to get it looking just the way you want.

But more than aesthetics, blogging is a great way to promote your business online. I’ve already briefly mentioned its SEO capabilities. If you write your posts with your search engine optimisation strategy in mind, you will attract readers and drive traffic to your main sales website.

Blogging software

A blog is free to set up using tools such as WordPress or Blogger. But if you want your own with your own domain name, you can get one set up and hosted for not a lot of cash.

With a very intuitive WYSIWYG editor, even the most technically challenged person would be able to use one.

All you need is a stream of ideas to get started. Whether you want to blog daily, weekly or monthly you can publish anything, link it to your website and enjoy more targeted traffic.

Why not set one up today? Who knows, you might enjoy becoming part of the blogging community.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter and blogger