Your new product or service is ready to marketed.
You’ve designed your website and marketing materials and found the perfect copywriter to work with you on the content.
Your brief to them is detailed and contains everything they need to know about your offering.
There’s so much to say, and you tell them all the benefits you want to concentrate on, but they look confused.
You know they understand what you’re selling, so why are they looking so lost?
The reason is you’re trying to say too much.
Learning to focus
They know that to grab your readers’ attention you need to hit them with one benefit that will stop them in their tracks.
Your copywriter explains this to you; the content needs to start with a mind-blowing value statement that will show the reader why they can’t live without your product or service. Then they will use the other information to expand on that idea.
But you can’t decide on one benefit because, to you, they are all valuable.
That’s why it’s essential you work with an external writer when creating your marketing content.
Coming from ‘outside’ your business, they can see your product or service as your customers see it. They have an uncluttered mind that can work through the main benefits to pinpoint the one that will make your content shine.
If you try to write content without this focus, the result will be a confused dilution of the real message you’re trying to get across.
It’s far more efficient to concentrate on one benefit than to list them all. Your reader’s understanding of your offering will become clouded with uncertainty as they try to make sense of the numerous benefits you throw at them.
By giving them one, stand out benefit on which they can then hang the additional advantages and features, you’ll help them clearly understand how you will make their life easier.
It’s as simple as that.
So next time, think before you either write your copy or criticise your copywriter’s first draft.
You just need one idea in your initial statement that will knock your readers’ socks off. Make it the most valuable benefit for them and then follow it up with secondary benefits and features.
One idea makes for a strong message.
Sally Ormond is a copywriter who works with clients around the world. If you are interested in having her as part of your virtual team, get in touch for a chat.