Copywriting Tips

Not Focusing on the Consumer

One of the biggest mistakes copywriters make is not focusing on the consumer. Naturally when we speak or write th tendency is to speak about what we have to offer, how good our business is or how awesome our product is.

With all of these we's us's and our's the reader can begin to think that they are not the center of attention and the reason you wrote the article in the first place.

Anytime you rite copy do the "we check". If you find you are talking aboiut you more than the reader it is time to rethink what yyou're writing.

I mean...who really cares about you anyway.

Know Your Audience

One of the keys to successful marketing (let's not forget that copywriting is marketing) is understanding what your audience wants and what it will take to convince them they can get it from you.

A great way to learn more about your audience is to create "buyer personas". Karen Goldfarb offers great tips on creating buyer personas on her blog.

When you understand your audience you will be better equipped to provide them the content they desire and in turn, lead them through the buying cycle.

Here is the link to the Karen Goldfarb blog post:

http://karen-goldfarb.com/marketing-strategy/21-tips-creating-buyer-personas

Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep

"This writing tip is the absolute best you will ever use!"

"This acne cream removes zits instantly!"

"You will gain 2 inches instantly!"

People are tired of haughty promises like these that probably won't deliver. When writing copy it is important to not make promises that you can't deliver on.

When people get your "whatever it is" home and it doesn't perform like it should you will end up with refund requests and possibly even lawsuits depending on the severity of the claim.

You want to make money with your product and your advertising but making promises you can't keep is not the way to go about this. Up-sale the true benefits you offer without all the fluff.

Your readers and your bottom line will thank you.

Be Clear with your Intentions

What are you trying to sell?

It's a question you should be asking yourself constantly when writing copy - whether it is for print or online distribution.

Does your copy lead the reader to want to buy what your selling?

While you may not actually be "selling" a product or service, at the very least you are selling an idea. If your copywriting efforts have not made that clear throughout the content you write your really just chasing your tail. This is not to say that you need to hard sell the entire time - just make sure that what you write leads the reader in the direction you need them to go. There is a definite art to the soft sell - it's almost a Zen quality - but even Zen masters have intention behind their methods.

The Art of Closing

Just because you have a product or service people need does not necessarily mean they need to buy it from you. You have to make them want to buy it from you. One of the biggest mistakes copywriters make when writing content is forgetting to actually ask/tell the reader to "click here" or "buy now" (though I wouldn't use those phrases exactly). Before tossing your fresh copy to the Interweb gods as a sacrifice make sure that you have instilled a strong "call to action" - definitely at the end, hopefully throughout - so your reader knows that you are not just a great source for information. You are the resource where they can get the product or service of their desires.