What is Copy,
and Why Does It Matter?
In case you’re not
familiar with the term, “copy” means the words you use to get your
marketing message across. If you can improve the effectiveness of your
copy, you’ll generate more leads and sales.
So with that said, here
are the 7 steps to improve the selling power of your copy…
1. Define Your
Avatar
Before you write a word
of copy, get clear on your target audience.
You might be imagining
a crowd of people, but instead, I recommend you picture a single person
that represents your target audience. We call this your avatar.
In your copy, you’ll
want to try and mimic the style and tone you’d use if you were speaking
1-to-1 with your prospect.
In other words, keep
your language conversational. Conversational language tends to
convert higher because it’s easier for your prospect to relate to and
digest.
(Note that
conversational doesn’t necessarily mean totally casual — your language
could be conversational, but professional. The key is to have your tone
match how you’d speak with your prospects 1-on-1).
2. Get Clear on
the Result You Want
Before you write a word
of copy, think about what action you want your prospect to take when
they read your copy.
To paraphrase a very
sharp marketer, Dean Jackson of the “I Love Marketing” podcast, “If
you could wave a magic wand, what would you have your prospect do?”
In other words, what is
the call-to-action (CTA)?
Do you want your
prospect to call you, or register on your website, or purchase your
product?
Get clear on the CTA,
and then keep your CTA foremost in your mind as you write the copy and
structure the layout of the page (or email).
3. Offer
Something Your Prospect Wants
Your prospect won’t
take action just because you want him to. Your prospect will act in his
own best interest. So it’s important to focus on the result your
prospect already wants.
In other words, you’ll
want to communicate the results (benefits) of your product or
service.
And in your copy,
you’ll want to make an offer to your prospect, so you can
provide that result. For example, if you’re an attorney, you might
offer a free consultation. Or you may offer a free report. Or, your
offer may come in the form of a guarantee or a special low price.
4. Grab Your
Prospect’s Attention
Before you can describe
the results you can provide and make your offer, you’ll need to grab
your prospect’s attention. Without your prospect’s attention, you have
no way to generate the lead or make the sale.
Your headline is
what will grab your prospect’s attention.
In my experience, in
your headline, it’s typically best to convey the one BIG benefit your
prospect is most interested in.
5. Provide Proof
That You’re Legitimate
One of the reasons that
your prospect won’t contact you or do business with you is because he’s
not confident that you can provide him with the results they’re looking
for. Or, put another way, he’s afraid of being taken advantage of.
So, it’s important to
provide proof that you’re legitimate and you have a track record of
getting results.
Here are some different
types of proof you can use in your copy:
- Testimonials
and/or reviews from past clients, customers or patients
- Endorsements
from peers in your industry
- Press
mentions
- Awards
- Certifications
Also, if you sell
products online, then including e-commerce security logos can provide
reassurance that your website transactions are secure.
6. Keep Your
Copy Skimmable
Some people will read
all of your copy, but most people will skim. Make it easy for your
prospect to get the gist without having to read every word of your
copy.
In practice, this means
to break up your copy with sub-headlines, bold text and bullet points.
7. Make The
Call-to-Action Obvious
In Step 2, we focused
on the call-to-action. And we’re focusing on it again in this final
step.
Once you’ve written
your copy, you want to take another look at it and make sure the
call-to-action is as clear and obvious as possible. Leave no doubt
about what you want your prospects to do. You can think of this as like
improving the signage on a road.
On a landing page, this
might mean moving the Contact Form so it’s at the top of the page
instead of at the bottom, or adding more than 1 button on the page, or
increasing the size of a button.
In an email, it might
mean bolding a link or including more than 1 mention of the
call-to-action, such as adding a second CTA in the PS.
Here’s What You
Should Do To Improve Your Copy
Take a second look at
your website, ads, emails, and other areas in your business where
you’re using words to convince prospects and customers to do business
with you, and make sure you're hitting all 7 key areas from this
checklist.
And the next time you
prepare a marketing campaign, ad, or email, use this checklist as your
guide.
Good luck, and let us
know how it goes!
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