When you hear the term copywriting, you probably think back to the 1950’s or 1960’s and long-form advertisements in a magazine or a letter you get in a stamped envelope.
But, in reality, you use copywriting all the time. It’s merely using words on a page or text on a website to sell or convince others.
We recently came across this article called Seven surprising places you’re using copywriting (and you probably don’t realise it) (Notice the “s” in realize? Yes, British.)
You’re not alone in thinking that, but the fact is, copywriting is more than just sales messages. As a business owner, most of the content you produce could be called copywriting at least in some sense.
After all, if you’re creating content with the ultimate goal of selling something that is, by definition, copywriting. Copywriting is the skill — and field of work — where people write sales promotions and other marketing materials for products, services, fundraising campaigns. It’s the craft of writing persuasive messages that prompt people to take action (buy something, inquire about a service, download a free eBook, donate to a cause).
While you might like to hang out on Facebook and chat with friends, catch up on the latest funny videos, and enjoy a mindless “quiz” or two. Facebook is much more than that. It’s a place to connect with potential clients, and that means that when you’re sharing your latest blog post or program with your business friends, you have to keep good copywriting in mind.
What makes you stand out from other businesses in your niche? Your LinkedIn profile is where you share what makes you and your business the best option to solve your ideal client’s problems. Think of your LinkedIn profile and Company Page like a resume, and make sure you outline the benefits that address your clients’ pain points.
About Page
It’s important to know that the About page is often the most visited page on a website, so it’s a critical piece of your overall brand and message. The purpose of your about page is to entice people to want to learn more about your services, so be sure to include a call to action on the page.
Blog Posts
All blog posts have a job to do. Maybe they’re meant to lead your reader to a sales page. Perhaps you’re asking for readers to subscribe to your mailing list. Maybe your blog post is designed to start a conversation. Or maybe it’s just sharing great content and inviting readers to learn more by clicking on related posts. Whatever the job, it’s how you write that leads your reader to take that next action.
Even though Twitter has increased the length of tweets to 280 characters, it is still precious little space for creating compelling content, yet that’s exactly what you must do if you hope to use Twitter as part of your overall marketing strategy. Think of tweets like email subject lines, and craft them to convey as much information as possible while still motivating readers to take action.
Whether you’re sending an email about a new product or service or simply letting readers know you have a new blog post up, your email definitely qualifies as copywriting. In fact, even the personal emails you send to prospective clients contain copywriting.
Should You Hire A Copywriter
Since you ARE doing copywriting whether you realized it or not, the next question you have to ask is if it is worth it to hire a copywriter? This article, by Express Writers, gives some insight on why you might consider hiring one.
1. More Time for Your Morning Coffee (Or Anything Else You’d Rather Be Doing)
One of the main reasons why you should consider hiring a copywriter for your content needs is simply because you will have more time. This means you can spend your time drinking your favorite cup of coffee or tea in the morning, or spend more time on another aspect of your business. Creating consistent, engaging content can take up a significant amount of time, and copywriters are a great way to save that time. Expertly trained copywriters are able to write excellent copy quickly while still hitting the mark that you want every single time.
2. A Professional Copywriter Can Perfectly Capture Your Services
When you hire a professional copywriter, you aren’t just getting someone who can write amazing pieces, you’re hiring someone who can capture your services. Copywriters are trained to learn as much as they can about various industries to make sure they write quality content. In addition, there are many industry-specific copywriters out there that have special training in different industries, making them perfect to write for you. When the copywriter writes about your services or industry, you will see just how well he or she can capture things, making it exciting and engaging for your audience.
3. Never Worry if The Dress is Blue or Gold
A few months ago, the Internet was taken over by the viral phenomenon known as “The Dress.” No one could agree if the dress was black and blue or white and gold, and many articles sprang up about it. Several businesses also used this viral sensation as a way to market to audiences and create a fun atmosphere. However, during this time, I am quite sure there were a few businesses that were a little too worried to join in because they weren’t entirely sure how to handle trends. The great thing about hiring an expert copywriter is that you will never have to worry about that again. You can give a copywriter the freedom to utilize the current trends to create excellent, fun content for your blogs and social media channels. This will help you boost your chances for viral content amongst your existing evergreen content.
4. Grammar Issues, Bygone
Not everyone is skilled with grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and that is usually perfectly fine. However, when you are writing web content, you want to make sure every aspect of your copy is perfect for the big Google machine. You will know if you are a strong writer or not, and it is a good idea to make sure you hire a copywriter if you are not strong. Copywriters all have various degrees in fields that require great grammar, perfect spelling, and understanding punctuation, which means they will be able to craft expert material for you, Google, and your readers. In addition, many copywriters will also have copyeditors who can then look through the content to catch any little mistakes that do make it through. Grammar is vital when it comes to having great SEO, and you can make sure you always have excellent grammar simply by hiring a copywriter.
5. A Copywriter Knows How to Write Persuasive Content
When it comes to web copy, you want to make sure that it is persuasive, right? Of course! However, not everyone has the talent to create persuasive content that helps makes sales without coming across like a 1970s used car salesperson.
Copywriters know the importance of creating persuasive content for their clients without focusing heavily on sales-speech because we know this can make or break a sale for you. When you write your own content, it might come across as far too sales-like for your readers or it may not be persuasive enough. Beat the doubt on whether or not your content is persuasive by hiring a writer that can create expert copy that will turn readers into customers quickly and easily.
6. Sometimes There is Such a Thing as Being “Too Close” to a Topic
You might think that being very close to your industry is helpful when it comes time to create copy, but this can actually become detrimental.
First of all, when you’re too close to your industry, you might not realize just how confusing your jargon is to those who aren’t.
Second, when you are writing about your own business and services, you might find it hard to be objective enough. We all think we can be until it comes down to it, and then we begin questioning and doubting, which you don’t want reflected in your content.
When you hire a copywriter, you are able to have someone write about your services in a great light without focusing heavily on jargon, making your content easy to understand and enticing.
7. Copywriters Know the Importance of Variation in Content
Writing content means that you need to know the importance of variation, especially when it comes to content length. While longer content is still the most popular with SEO, you should also have different lengths such as a short piece or medium length to give clients the ability to choose the content they consume. Someone on a commute might be more likely to read a short content piece and read a longer one over lunch or after work. You need to let your readers choose. A copywriter can make sure that each and every piece of content is written in different lengths to provide that ability.
8. A Copywriter Will Know How to Help Craft Different Content Formats
Creating copy doesn’t just mean writing blog posts and web content, but also creating ideas for multiple formats. You can find copywriters that have training in helping create infographics, videos, and images that help drive engagement on your social channels and blog. In fact, a copywriter can easily write a blog piece that can then be broken down into different formats, repurposing your content and getting it out to a wider audience. This is a great way to cover all of your bases, and provide people with the ability to choose how they wish to consume their content. You can find copywriters that have training in all areas of content formats, or ones that specialize in different ones to make a greater impact. Whichever way you go, a copywriter will be able to help you create a content format for all of your readers.
9. Copywriters Keep Up-to-date With Every Single Google Change
Google is a great place when it comes to people finding your business and boosting your revenue. However, it can be a difficult place due to every single change the search engine giant makes. There seems to be a new update every month or so, and lately there have been some mega changes that everyone needed to be prepared for. Whether it is the large mobile-friendly update or something a little smaller, a copywriter will know all of these changes. This will help you get the best, most up-to-date content and SEO to better your copy and website.
10. When it Comes to Hitting the Target, Copywriters are Regular Katniss Everdeens
Hitting your target audience can be trickier than it seems, and no matter how much you do, you still might be missing the mark. Professional copywriters are great at making sure they hit the target audience each and every time, bringing in great, organic traffic from Google and your social media channels. When you bring in more traffic, you have a higher chance to convert visitors into leads with even more content. Hiring a copywriter to write copy for you is like hiring Katniss Everdeen to hunt for food or to support your side of the rebellion.
11. You Will Get Fresh, New Content All the Time, Avoiding Duplicates
Fresh, new content is a vital part of the Internet world, and you need to make sure you always have it. It can be easy to use the same content across your website, making it feel streamlined and taking up less time. This, however, looks sloppy and many of your readers will not appreciate duplicate content. In fact, Google doesn’t appreciate it either. As I mentioned earlier, hiring a copywriter will save you time, and this is one of the many ways that can happen. A copywriter can write consistently fresh, new content for your web page, keeping duplicates out of circulation and making your site a high quality, Google-approved page.
12. A Copywriter Can Make Anything Sound Exciting
I’ve had a few clients come to me and ask about how a copywriter can make their boring subject or niche market sound exciting and enticing. They don’t believe it is possible, but it never hurts to try. When you hire a copywriter, however, it becomes more than possible to create engaging, exciting content for a yawn-worthy topic. The good news is that not only can a copywriter make your product or service interesting, but also all businesses do have exciting aspects that can be found. You can trust a copywriter to locate and use the exciting elements of your industry while also coming up with great, new ideas for incredible, impactful content.
13. Copywriters Can Help You Generate Organic Traffic and Bring in Sales
Organic traffic is something we would all prefer to have instead of needing to pay a lot for ads. While ads are still an important aspect of any online presence, if you generate more organic traffic, you will find that you are likely to have more legitimate customers. In fact, organic traffic can lead to quick sales, as well as helping you keep the clients you bring in.
Copywriters can help create content that drives organic traffic such as creating content for social media, and then creating content on your site that keeps visitors once they reach your landing pages. When you get organic traffic, your revenue is likely to bump up significantly, and you will really enjoy getting to meet all of your new, wonderful clients. Remember, build the relationship with them once they get there to keep them coming back!
Being social is yet another vital aspect to any online presence, and in our blog linked in the above paragraph, you can see just how important it is to your SEO.
A copywriter can help you create a perfect social media presence by creating engaging, epic social media content that drives clicks and interaction with clients. If you hire a social media copywriter, you will begin to notice that you have more interaction with your clients, which will help when it comes to word of mouth marketing.
Leave it to the Wizards of Words
As you can see, a copywriter is a great idea for every single business when it comes to creating excellent web copy.
Leaving your content in the hands of capable word wizards will help improve your copy and website, bringing in great traffic and clients.
