A small-business owner’s guide to copywriting

As a business owner, understanding the basics of writing a sales-oriented piece can put you on the path to success as, at its core, copywriting is a great business marketing tool. A well-written copy can make or break your marketing campaign as it can be either the best or the worst investment you ever made. However, many people often misinterpret how different copywriting is from article writing, with many article writers thinking they can make the shift with their existing abilities. While it comes naturally to some, it is a skill that most need to learn, and these steps can show you how.

  • Exploit the benefits of your products and your competitor’s weaknesses

Your product’s benefits or its value to the customer and what makes it different from the rest should be the foundation of your advertising campaigns. In other words, what’s in it for the customer, or how can the product help them? Answering these questions and how your products are better than your competitors based on their benefits requires that you fully understand what your products offer. According to this post, you must relay the message to your audience clearly and stay true to your brand’s identity and voice in all your copy, whether it’s newspaper ads, television spots, or online ads.

  • Understand your audience

Every ad has its target audience, and it’s a marketer’s job to identify their target audience, and the best way the ad will reach them. For instance, an advertisement for skating gear placed in a real estate magazine will not garner a lot of sales. It’s a waste because the intended audience is teens or young adults, so using a teen magazine would work better. Employ the 80/20 rule, which states that in most businesses, 20 % of its customers are responsible for 80 % of the sales. To identify this 20 percent, put together a profile including age, gender, family status, occupation, and so on. This will help you in crafting the right message.

  • Understand your medium and include a call to action

Ads can be placed in different mediums, and for each, it requires a different tone or style. Are you placing your ad in a newspaper, women’s magazine, or a billboard? To effectively communicate, you must tailor each copy to its medium. Don’t forget that the goal of every ad or marketing campaign is to get your audience to respond. The call to action aspect of a copy tells the audience how you want them to respond to your ads. For instance, it can be to try out your product or visit your store. Your designed copy should make it easy for your audience to act upon your message.

A well-written copy doesn’t drown you in, bold typefaces, design elements, or feature salesy language. The message stands out on its own, devoid of all these embellishments. If you do your research, prepare well, and follow these tips, your copy will shine, rewarding you with a high return on investment.

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