Your Copywriting: Turning Over Sales, or Turning Off Customers?

January 3rd, 2008 Dina at Wordfeeder.com

The history books don’t lie; there’s great power in the written word. That means as much for advertising as it does for any type of communication. And whether you have a brick and mortar business, an e-commerce site or a combination of the two, your marketing and sales copy can either make you a success, or put you in the dump.

It’s worth being choosy about the way you convey yourself when pitching your products and promoting your business. Next time you have the occasion to write some copy, don’t just make it “good” - make a bold statement that your readers won’t soon forget. To get warmed up for your business copywriting challenge, ask yourself these questions:

What’s the main benefit for the customer? What do they get out of knowing you and doing business with you?

Too many businesses toot their own horn and then just stop there. I’ve seen brochures and websites that drone on and on about how old the company is, how many employees they have and so on. When was the last time you read details like this and thought, “Wow, I’ve got to sign on with these people pronto?” Sure, state the facts, but DON’T forget to add the hook. Tell your customers how your company or product is going to make their lives better. Your copy must first convey benefits to the customer BEFORE it does anything else.

How does the copy look - aesthetically speaking?

You can usually spot a company that’s not confident in what they’re saying by the way it looks. You’ll see an unhealthy amount of bold, italic, underlines and enough colored words that make the page look more like a circus flyer than a serious piece of business communication.

These devices can be effective, but only when used sparingly. The idea is that the force comes directly from the verbs, adjectives, and the actual ORDER of the words you write down - NOT because you’ve emphasized every other ordinary word or phrase with some fancy type.

And here’s another tip that many people fail to apply. Don’t ever make your headlines in all caps, unless its a stylistic element that’s used tastefully throughout the entire campaign. All caps is a big turn-off because it “shouts at” and distracts the reader in an annoying way that does not facilitate understanding or interest. I surely don’t enjoy being screamed at, how about you?

Is the copy easy to read?

Legendary copywriter Bob Bly states that simple words are easier to understand. He’s right. Your copy should effectively communicate a message to your customer in as few words as possible. That means making your points in a straightforward and clear way, not repeating unnecessary words or ideas over and over, and doing your best to clarify instead of confuse.

Remember, you’re not writing to demonstrate your command of the English language, you’re writing to get a result. If people are forced to “translate” your fancy terminology or decipher cleverly strung-together plays on words, you can bet they won’t bother. Instead they’ll be moving on to the next guy’s site who knows how to get a point across in just a couple of seconds.

Are there any typos?

I’m always surprised at how much marketing and sales copy I read that contains misspelled words and inappropriate word usage. Using “your” when you really mean “you are” (you’re) is one of the most common, but there are many more. You’ll find some in-depth articles on the topic of grammar and spelling mistakes on the Wordfeeder.com copywriting website.

It pays to have a professional writer handle your copywriting duties. The capacity in which you use said service provider can be entirely up to you. Some businesses run every last drop of their marketing through the “copywriting machine” that is their hired writing expert. Others would rather save some money and do the initial drafts themselves, letting their copywriter “dress up” the message later.

At the very least, have someone with a decent command of the language proofread your words before they go out to the public. It’s like your mother told you; you only have one chance to make a first impression.

Snap up some killer copywriting from Wordfeeder.com - email dina@wordfeeder.com for a project quote today.

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Posted in Brochure Copywriting, Business Writing, Copywriting for the Web, Direct Mail Copywriting, Marketing Communications, Newsletter Copywriting, Persuasive Copywriting, Wordfeeder Copywriting |

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