Small Business Tip – Copywriting The Basics
By definition, copywriting is the writing of material that
will be used to sell a product or service. This includes
things like advertisements, press releases, brochures, radio
and TV ads, website copy, emails, a sales presentation, and any
other type of device or media you can use to sell something.
I will be the first to admit to be a great copywriter is
difficult and takes years of training and learning from
experience. Many businesses hire professionals to do the
work for them. As a matter of fact I write copy for other
businesses. However, to get better than average results
it is a skill that can be learned fairly quickly.
Here are the basics of good copy.
When you sit down to write copy, you must first know who
you are talking to.Then you must think like that person thinks.
This person is your target market. Try to put yourself in their
mindset. What kind of questions will they have about your
product or service? What do they need to know in order to
make a decision of whether they need the things you are
offering?
Keep your writing clear and concise. Many people are stressed
for time and they are not going to sit down and re-read
something that doesn’t make sense right away. Use words
that are naturally found in every day vocabulary.
When people sit down to read something, they want to know
the following:
Who
What
Why
Where
When
How
Who is the offer for? This should be your target market, the
reader should understand that the offer is for them.
What is the offer? Are you offering a product, a service, or an
event? Make sure the reader knows what you are writing about.
Why are you making the offer? Is this a new product? Are
you celebrating your first year in business? When will
the offer be available? Is there an expiration date?
Where can your reader find this offer? Do they need to go to a
physical location or do they need to type a URL into their
web browser?
How do your readers take advantage of the offer? Do they
need to purchase something or do they need to register for
an event? Is there a fee gift involved? How much is it?
Give your readers a reason to buy your product or service.
Many people simply list the features and benefits of their
offer. They fail to tell the reader why the reader will
want to buy the offer. If you are selling ice cubes, tell
your readers how much better their life is going to be by
having cold drinks to cool them down on hot days.
Keep things exciting. Grab your readers’ attention with a
catchy headline and keep their attention throughout the
body of your copy.
It is important to include a call to action in your
copywriting. Give your customers an offer they cannot
refuse. Use phrases like “limited supply” or “limited
time offer” to give them a sense of urgency. If you don’t
ask your readers to become your customer, they won’t.
To see an example of what I am talking about go here.
www.copywriting-ebooks.com/ab.htm
Take care,
Blase
