Copy is your most powerful persuasive tool, don’t underestimate it. Understanding how to create effective and unique copy is an essential skill as it drives profitability, return on investment and lead generation. The primary objective of copywriting in digital marketing can vary, however generally, it is used to convince your target consumer that your product will provide them with a solution or opportunity. So when writing copy you need to ensure you are speaking the language of your customers.

Identify With Your Customers:

Successful brands understand who their current and potential customers are, their challenges, needs, and wants. This helps them tailor their copy accordingly. Think about your customers through the lens of their lives; What patterns can you see? More importantly, what are some of the shared challenges they seem to face. In understanding and identifying with your customers, you can effectively answer some critical questions.

• What is the purpose of your copy?
• What is the driving force that brings your customers to your business?
• Be direct and identify the problem you are addressing upfront. How does your product or service address this problem?

Use Appropriate Language:

It’s time to use your newfound understanding of your audience appropriately. It’s time to write. Ensure you use the appropriate language for your audience and message. Some factors to consider are:

• Learn how they speak and incorporate their language into your copy.
• Try to avoid jargon, this type of language can alienate potential customers.
• Be straightforward.
• Write with an appropriate level of formality. Every writing situation requires you to make a judgement regarding the formality of your writing. Among other scenarios, this can depend on your audience, the situation and your brand guidelines.
• Ensure you have a strong call to action.

Do A Plain Language Check:

Copy is worthless if your audience does not understand it. Again, this comes down to understanding your audience and using language that is appropriate to them. Conducting a plain language test will ensure your copy is understood. Big words and elongated sentences are a barrier. They create a wall of text. By writing in plain language you avoid confusing your audience or alienating potential customers. The best test is to open up your copy, instantly look at it and answer, “If someone sent this to me, would I read it?”

Copy can make or break your business. Understanding how to communicate with your audience will make it easier to persuade them of the service or product you provide. There is no ‘perfect’ example of copywriting, but there are some that come very close. Look at some of the most successful brands, how do they communicate with their audience? Exchange advice with other marketers and speak to your audience. This will help you find your brand’s voice and create copy that resonates.

Learn more about how to develop your brand and drive more sales here.