Copywriting is all about the WHY and not the WHAT.
What does that mean?
The WHY refers to the reason why you offer what you offer. Your service or produce is fulfilling a need. It’s there to solve a specific challenge your customers face. The thing is that customers don’t always realise you have the answer they’re looking for, which is why your marketing must focus on the WHY.
How to create WHY marketing
Another word for WHY is benefits.
You create your widget because it saves your customers time, saves them money, makes them more successful – get the picture?
The is the aspect that will push them towards a buying decision. They’ve been searching for the answer to the problem they’re facing, so when they reach your website that’s full of the WHY they’ll jump for joy.
The problem is many websites don’t focus on the WHY because the companies are too wrapped up in the WHAT.
Why WHAT is not the way to go
What does a WHAT focused website look like?
For a start, it will probably start with the word we.
A WHAT site tends to focus purely on the company. It will tell you about their passions, their expertise, where they work and, probably, with whom they work.
What it won’t tell you is how their product or service will be of benefit to you. It won’t tell you about their USP – why they’re different from their competitors. And it will only tell you about the features of their product or service. It won’t give two hoots about the reader wants to know.
The colour, size and other variations of your widget are not the factors that will make people buy. That’s why you should not focus on the WHAT.
What WHY looks like
Getting the WHY across instantly is critical.
Your headline and first paraph must concentrate on the primary benefit you offer your customers. Then, follow that up with other benefits and an illustration of how it works in real life.
You can still add information about the WHAT, but towards the end of your marketing or on the internal pages of your website.
Your home page must be fully WHY focused. Website visitors take just 0.5 seconds to form an opinion on the website they are visiting (ukwebhostreview), so if you don’t start all guns blazing, you’ll lose the battle before its even begun.
Remember…
- Never start your web copy (or any marketing copy) with the word we
- Focus on the tangible benefits you offer not the features
- Give real-life examples of how your product/service benefits customers
- Leave your business information for your About page
If you’re struggling to find your WHY, get in touch with professional freelance copywriter, Sally Ormond.