Copywriting is the art of writing marketing copy that sells products, services, or ideas. It’s a task that can seem impossible, but if you have the right mindset and learn the right techniques, it doesn’t need to feel like an uphill battle. As a copywriter, your role will vary depending on your company and brand.
You might be given complete creative control over your marketing copy and images. Or, you might be expected to work closely with designers so that everything looks consistent from layout to imagery to colour scheme. As a general rule, you’ll have more influence on marketing content than other roles such as PR writers or digital marketing team members.
Write good content
You’ve probably figured out by now that marketing content is important. But why? What’s the point of writing sales copy? What’s the best way to approach this task? First, let’s talk about the importance of content. Content is the foundation of any marketing strategy. Without content, a company is nothing more than an advertisement. Instead, by creating content, you’re giving your company a more personal feel.
It’s the difference between reading a press release and reading a letter from a friend. That’s why writing marketing content is so important. It’s how you’re going to tell your brand’s story. It’s how you’re going to get your message across to your audience. And, it’s how you’re going to build a relationship with your customers.
Always test your copy offline
This may seem like common sense, but we often forget to do it. To know if your copy works, you have to see if it works outside of your computer screen. If you’re going to write anything, you need to be able to test it. You can do this by writing out your copy and taking it to a few people who are not part of your team.
These might be your customers, ex-boyfriends, a few friends, and family members, or even strangers you find along the way. Depending on what you’re writing, you may want to write out your copy on paper and take it out to a few different people. If you’re writing about a product or service, you may want to take your copy and see if it works for anyone other than yourself.
You may want to test your copy against people who don’t even know the product you’re selling. If you’re writing about a process or how your business works, you may want to take your copy out to a few different people and see how it works for them. This can give you valuable insight into what your customers want and help you improve your business process.
Know the rules of good writing
Now that you can see if your content works, let’s talk about the rules of good writing. The first is that you never start with a conclusion. Instead, you start with a problem. And, once you’ve identified your reader’s problem, you can offer a solution or an improvement. As you’re writing your copy, keep this idea in mind. Your reader’s problem is your solution or improvement.
Be strategic with your words
A lot of writers are lost in the details of a sentence or lose sight of the big picture while they’re writing. As a writer, you need to keep your reader’s problem in mind at all times; otherwise, you could end up creating content that doesn’t sell. To avoid this, keep your reader’s problem at the forefront of your mind as you’re writing.
Know what you don’t know
Here’s the thing. If you’ve been working in the content marketing industry for a while, you’ve probably figured out a lot about what works and what doesn’t. But, there is always something new to learn. You can’t know everything, so it’s important to be willing to learn new things as you’re working in your industry.
Even if you think you know everything about your industry, there’s always more for you to learn. One thing you can do to help you learn is to research other writers in your industry. What do they write about? What are their favorite topics to write about? What do their top posts and articles look like?
Help people solve their problems
As a copywriter, your role is to help people solve their problems. There is nothing more important than this. Every other detail will fall out of place if you fail to address this issue. To understand your reader’s problem, you have to spend time with people.
You have to talk to as many people as possible and see what problems they have. A lot of times, these are the kind of problems that you can solve through content. You may be able to write an article or create a video that addresses a problem that your audience doesn’t even know they have.
Offer a solution or an improvement
As you’ve just seen, your content has to address a problem. This is where you have to use your brain to think about what you’re writing as a solution or an improvement. The best way to do this is to identify a problem and then identify a person who has that problem.
Let’s say, for example, that your audience is trying to build their brand. What problem are they trying to solve? What problem do they have? What problem are they trying to solve but can’t? What solution can you offer that addresses their problem?
Conclusion
Marketing content is important. It can help your business grow, improve retention and even increase sales. If you want to thrive in this industry, you need to learn the rules of good writing, write good content and always test your copy offline. With these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a successful copywriter.