Copywriting is a tricky beast and one that can leave even the most driven and talented business owners scratching their heads. You know what you want to say, but how to say it so that your message resonates with your target audience? It can be difficult to put yourself
Speak to a friend
Thanks to social media, communications and advertising have taken on a more informal feel over the years. Depending on your industry and who you’re speaking to, you’re likely to have the best results by taking a conversational approach to what you’re writing. No matter which medium you’re writing for, you are going to be up against short attention spans with a lot of distractions. Writing in a conversational format can capture and hold interest.
Read it out loud
A tried and true trick for gauging the authenticity of your brand’s voice is to read your content out loud. Not only will this ensure it flows well, but you can use a gut check to determine if certain points don’t feel true to your brand and values. If you’re stuck on a particular part, get help from someone who is unfamiliar with your brand and ask for their feedback, or where clarification is needed.
Empower the reader
It can be tempting to use every marketing message as an opportunity to talk about how much you rock. And while that may very well be true, marketing content should focus on the person reading it. Get into their minds and consider what they need you to do for them, instead of telling them why you should be the one to do it. A good trick is to tally up how many time you use first-person pronouns and then challenging yourself to edit these so you’re speaking to and about the reader.
Know your audience
Remember that you’ve been immersed in your business for a long time, which means you know the ins and outs of your business. This can make it challenging to get back into a “beginner’s mind” as someone who may be unfamiliar with you. When writing, it’s important to know how much (or little) the reader already knows about your business to strike a balance between telling them something new and not wasting their time with too much information. Meet them where they are in their journey as a customer.
Feeling a little rusty, or need a hand finessing your marketing copy? We can help.