Copywriting 101
These questions come up a lot. Most people assume copywriting has something to do with copyright laws and trademarking. It’s a common and justifiable misconception because the average person won’t ever need a copywriter.
Businesses are another matter though. For them, a copywriter is an absolute priority. Customer growth, giving sales a boost and a solid marketing strategy are where copywriters come in.
Let’s dig in a little further though. What is copy and what does a copywriter do exactly?
Copy is all the writing that a business needs. It’s the writing on your website’s homepage, the emails that you send to your clients and customers. The information that you print on your brochures.
Here are 10 types of copy that a business might need:
Website copy
Blogs
Customer and client emails
Ads
Social media posts and ads
eBooks
Actual books (ghostwriting)
Brochures
Sales letters
White pages
If you look up the word ‘copywriting’, dictionary.com will give you the definition, “A writer of copy, especially for advertisements or publicity releases”.
This definition doesn’t quite get to the bottom of what a good copywriter does though. Because most importantly, a piece of copy is about persuading its audience to take a certain action. This call to action is pretty much the single most crucial thing a copywriter can do.
Call to Action
The main difference between a copywriter and a content writer is the call to action. A content writer might write about their experiences and share information, but there’s no push or request for the reader to take further action.
So, how does a call to action work?
Say, you’ve opened a health practice. You start an online blog, telling people what it is you do and why it might help them. You add a call to action to join your email list at the bottom of your blogs. They join your email list and you pack your emails full of valuable information. You nurture and provide your audience with helpful tidbits and suggest your service as the perfect solution to their health problem…
And bingo, you’ve got a client!
It can be that straightforward. But, it’s important to remember that calls to action aren’t always about sales. Calls to action can also nudge a person to read another blog, download your eBook, join your email list. They’re about growing your business in some way.
It also goes without saying that good copy should never give off that ‘icky’ feeling. You know, the one where you can tell when a company just wants your money, no matter if your product or service is right for them.
Good copy is ethical and all about connecting services and products with the right clients and customers.
How Can Copywriting Benefit Your Business?
This is a bigggg question but let’s go through some of the key ways a copywriter can support your business growth.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Many types of copy focus on giving your SEO a big boost. What’s SEO? Search engine optimization is all about giving Google what it wants so that it will rank your website high in searches.
You know when you want to buy something and you do a quick Google search? Those results at the top of the page are prime online real estate. All businesses want their website to be at the top.
The reason why is obvious. The higher you rank, the more people will find and choose your business.
So, if you follow good SEO practice in your copy, you’ll rank higher.
An Edge Over Your Competitors
Now, this isn’t to throw shade at anyone or any business BUUUUT the number of websites that don’t have good copy, a blog or anything compelling on their homepage is the vast majority.
One doesn’t need to go above and beyond however small things can make a big difference.
An interesting homepage that makes people want to read more is a good place to start. Be specific about addressing the pain points of your clients or customers so they know you understand their situation.
Write a weekly SEO blog that is 1200+ words and use researched keywords that work for your business.
Give your opt-in a makeover so that people actually want to sign up to your email list and are happy to part with their email address.
A Clear Strategy For Getting Clients and Customers
Copywriting isn’t just about your one off blog post, newsletter or improving your webpage. It’s about deciding which marketing strategy or sales funnel works best for your business.
A lot of businesses don’t want to pay for ads, so they go down the organic growth route. This might include weekly blog posts, regular newsletters and making sure your website is full of the right keywords. Hello, first page of Google.
It might mean perfecting your website’s SEO, creating an eBook opt-in and finishing with an email sales sequence.
Or it might be about posting consistently on social media, using social media ads and having a killer landing page that will finish the sale for you every time.
Copywriting To Grow Your Client Base
Whatever strategy you choose, copywriting is a long term plan. A lot of businesses only prioritize having a polished social media. Or a fancy website with an innovative logo. While all those things might help, copywriting dives past the surface level and is the bread and butter of marketing.
Famous copywriters are known to send out emails with nothing else on the page but their writing. No pretty colors, no branding, no eye-catching banners to get clicks. Simply just words on a page. Imagine getting an email from your mum or dad - that’s what it would look like.
But somehow their copy and emails do extremely well. People respond, click on their links, and purchase what they are selling. Because the copy speaks to them on a highly personal and emotional level.
So, if you’re running a business and your marketing strategy isn’t working for you, consider that good copy might be the missing piece. Maybe it’s time to invest in a good copywriter and watch it all grow.