These days, copywriting is everywhere. From blogs to email campaigns, websites, newsletters, Google Ads and social media, copywriting is a vital component of any digital marketing strategy as it helps to persuade people to think a certain way about a brand or product and motivates them to take action.
The internet is now flooded with advertisements from companies trying to catch the attention of consumers and hoping the value they offer will be enough to convert them into paying customers. Most readers tend to only give content a few seconds of their attention before moving on to something else. This means, as writers, we need to think of new and creative ways to engage consumers with our copy, otherwise we run the risk of letting our competitors take the lead.
If you feel you aren’t getting the conversions you deserve, it may be because your website lacks quality copy. Here are five simple tips you can integrate into your writing, to boost the quality of your copy and as a result convert more of your traffic into loyal customers.
Communicate the benefits
This may seem like an obvious one, but many people have a tendency to write about features instead of focusing on the benefits. Although features can be helpful in detailing what’s included with the product or service, it is the benefits that convince customers to take action whether that be making a purchase, signing up to that newsletter or subscribing to your platform.
Your copy shouldn’t talk about how great your product is but instead highlight the value it will contribute to your customers life. It’s important to remember that your business exists to solve a problem and, in some way, make a consumer’s life better or easier.
Speak the language of your audience
To maximise the impact that your words have on your audience, it’s important to use the same language that they use. For example; you wouldn’t use words like “slay” and “turnt” when targeting a B2B audience on LinkedIn, and words like “perfunctory” and “elucidate” probably wouldn’t be very receptive to a teenager on Snapchat.
Over 45% of Australians have reading skills below the ‘minimum required to meet the complex demands of everyday life and work’. As a general all-rounder, we recommend writing at a ninth grade level or less to ensure copy isn’t too complicated and can be easily understood by most readers.
Another important writing tip to ensure readers engage with your copy, is to write in second person. Writing in second person helps to make your audience feel as if they are being spoken to directly. If you address them in third person using words like “he”, “she” and “they”, you are creating a barrier between yourself and your potential customers and suggesting that the product is aimed for someone else other than them. The fastest way to create a connection is to address your audience as if they are right in front of you.
Play on emotions using power words
Most people think that it is logic which helps us make decisions. In fact, we are heavily influenced by our emotions and ultimately in the end that is what drives us to buy those jeans, choose that restaurant or like that Facebook page.
Since people buy based on emotion and not logic, it’s a good idea to create an emotional connection as quickly as possible. This is done through power words. Power words are words that influence the way people feel and think and can be used to trigger emotions such as fear, encouragement, anger, curiosity and comfort. The more emotion your writing evokes from readers, the more engaged they will be resulting, in increased conversions.
Examples of powerful trigger words are “captivating”, “secret”, “painful”, “forbidden”, “money” and the list goes on. Using powerful words in your copy not only keeps the reader engaged but it increases the likelihood of them remembering your brand. When writing, try and remove meaningless words such as “almost”, “so” and “about” and replace them with words that provoke emotion or paint a picture. Meaningless words can weaken your copy, making it less compelling and engaging for your audience.
Put an emphasis on urgency
The fear of missing out, also known as FOMO, is a type of emotion consumers feel both in person and online which can drive them to take action if you express urgency in your copy. Urgency in copywriting is a persuasion technique that pushes a consumer to make a purchase or sign up to whatever it is you are offering because they are given a specific amount of time to do so and believe that it is the best option for them.
This can be done by stating that there is a limited number of units available, or products and services are only available for a limited time only. This persuades the customer to act immediately as they fear missing out and losing the option to buy entirely. Examples of copy that emphasise urgency and promote action include “open this before midnight”, “order today to receive 20% off” and “only 4 left in stock”.
Test your copy
Finally, you will want to test your copy to find what works! Not everything you write will result in conversions because it’s impossible to know how customers will respond. Practice makes perfect, so no matter how many conversions you are getting, there is always something you can do to further improve your writing.
If you still feel like copywriting is not your strong suit and you would rather leave it to the professionals, then you have come to the right place. At Digital Freak we are experienced in creating content that is compelling, engaging and persuasive, so if you want to generate and convert your traffic into loyal customers that love your brand, contact us today and mention this blog.
I take a spark and turn it into a fireworks show! From internal client communications to LinkedIn authority articles, social media, and blogs, I write it all. My aim is to represent clients authentically with high-quality content that Google loves. I’ll show consumers why you’re the business they want to work with, buy from, and follow for life!
