“Copywriting is the art of researching any topic, writing, and selling a concept, all combined to be the bridge between you and your prospects. There are different types of copywriting, but they all depend on one thing; using the power of words to communicate your message.” – Abeer Allan
Our world is all about choosing—starting from who delivers your groceries, which book to read, where to spend your time to which company you work for. With these abundances of alternatives, we have to choose something every minute.
As a result of which, it is no longer enough to tell your customers where you are and what you do. We live in a rapidly changing globalized economy. Now customers have to be educated on why your specific brand is better than others, why should they hire you and mostly, why should they keep coming back to you.
Here’s where the art of copywriting and content writing comes in. It is all about finding the most natural way to communicate with the audience. Every business’s single aim is to earn profit. The copywriting agency does that by writing clear, easily understood messages that target the defined audience. All that while urging the reader to do something for the client.
In the following blog, we will be talking about the foundations of effective copywriting.
“Great copy that gets good results can sometimes be so simple and clear that it looks as if it’s written itself.” – O’Reilly
Cast yourself away
There is no room for the copywriting agency or the copywriter’s personality in the copy that they write.
- A copywriter is simply a channel for the brand voice.
- Their job is to deliver the message of the brand clearly.
- Setting aside their ego and forgetting about themselves—they step into the shoes of the company. Their task is to think from the brand’s perspective. In the process they will let go of their own opinions and prejudices.
“If you are a writer of novels, or plays, or poetry, you can write and take your own time, generally speaking. But in advertising, you’ve got deadlines, you’ve got to have the idea, and it’s got to be a great one, and you’ve got to have it Tuesday morning.” – David Ogilvy
Targeting the right people
- There are some people who are firm in their thought process. They take no incentive to understand the message of the copy. They don’t want to be told anything. These are the closed off readers.
- And there are others, who already put the brand on a pedestal. No matter how badly written the copy is, these people are fervent supporters of the company.
The common things with both of these types is that their mind is pretty much already made up. The copywriting agency cannot do much in these cases.
Rather than focusing on these audiences, a copywriter should put their efforts towards delivering the message to the “floating audience” i.e. the people who are interested in the brand but need a little push from the copywriter’s side before they take an action.
How do we do that? A copy when written by a compelling content writing agency will be able to hold their attention by strategically placing the content in front of the niche audience. Also, by constantly promising, delivering and reminding them about the brand.
Being Consistent
Consistency is a general hard and fast rule. You can never go wrong by being consistent whether it is in your daily habits or the tone of your copy.
- The finished copy should follow a consistent language and style from top to bottom.
- This will make sure that the readers do not feel that the content is abrupt around say the middle and they trust that the copywriter is a professional.
A good start is when the reader is given a glimpse into what is awaiting them in the following paragraphs. Remember: This does not mean you should disclose all the information at the beginning. No, you should only tease the main content in the introduction.
Creating a structure for the copy is the best way to ensure consistency. The copywriter will have a harder time to deviate if they have a hidden structure in place.
It’s important to not go overboard with facts and figures and keep the message concise in your copy.
If the copywriter keeps up with the reader’s expectation and delivers on the promise, they will come back. It will be a start of good relationship with the readers.
Tip: Remember to not be forceful to your audience. A well-written copy will have a warm and subtle tone.
Simplicity
A copywriter’s role is to express ideas and concepts in an easily digestible format. That does not mean they have to dumb down the message instead they should be precise. Anyone should be able to easily comprehend the language. Having simple language would include a variety of readers from different backgrounds. Also, if the readability of the content is high—it will take lesser time to comprehend and read. The copy will be able to catch the attention quickly which is the main goal.
Here’s a checklist for making sure your language is simple:
- Avoid long and complex words.
- Be consistent with your style.
- Check for any spelling errors.
- Get your punctuation right.
- Have a specific style for the use of initial capitals, paragraphs, dashes and so on.
- Be clear in your message; don’t be repetitive.
- Use short sentences.
Brief
“Great copy comes from a great brief; receiving a brief is an active process, not a passive one.” – Mark Shaw
Here are the questions to ask during a brief.
- What are your clients like?
- Is there a specific brand style that needs to be followed?
- Are there any examples or guides of past work?
- What is the suitable tone of voice?
- How should the finished work look like?
- When is the work due?
Answers to these questions will help the copywriter head towards the right creative direction. Other things such as word count, number of pages in the copy, room for headlines, introduction paragraphs, subheading and summary in an article are noted at the end of the creative brief.
Feedback
It is important to realize the importance of feedback.
- Remember that the client will be able to tell in depth about the target customer and the products or services being promoted.
- Don’t keep the copy hidden away until the final stage. Get your content reviewed and make the necessary improvements.
