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3 Tips for Writing Compelling Marketing Copy

Our expertise at Acquirent isn’t just limited to outsourced sales – our outsourced marketing helps companies through video content, campaign targeting, and marketing copy. Our focus today is on writing copy that pops off the page. It goes without saying that most copy goes largely unnoticed.

We see copy on the sides of cereal boxes, restaurant menus, company websites, and subway advertisements. Some copy is subliminal, some copy is instructive, some copy prompts you to buy now. All copy is designed to disseminate information and provoke a response.

For marketing purposes, a great deal of the copy we do revolves around generating qualified leads through targeted campaigns. This typically involves sending out emails to targeted companies directing them to a service that gathers their information to determine interest in a product or service. However, this is not the only way to find good leads – it also means directing the correct kind of traffic to your website. What are the best ways to get these types of leads, and what are the best practices?

Marketing Copy Should Have a Clear Objective

A common mistake in writing copy is not knowing your call to action. What is the purpose of what you are trying to write? Start from the objective of your copy and work backwards from there. If I were selling a product aimed at solving a particular problem, I must address that the problem exists. This is especially important if the person you are selling to doesn’t realize they have a problem yet.

Consider the case of a pencil holder. I might recognize that my desk is messy and have inefficient methods of organizing my possessions, but not think to use tools to optimize my cleanliness. Good copy would address my inability to organize my desk and promote efficiency through proper storage solutions. It would also prompt me with the ability to learn more about pencil holder technology, or prompt me with a link to purchase the product.

It’s a silly example, but it illustrates a point. Your customers are busy with their hectic day-to-day schedule. They may be struggling in multiple ways that need your solution, but lack the bandwidth to consider a fix. Your copy needs to disrupt the pattern of their work and propose a meaningful solution. Without having a purpose to your text, your copy will only serve a decorative purpose.

Marketing Copy Addresses an Attention Deficit

We’re all busy people! Effective marketing copy has to address the fact that most people don’t have a lot of time. In a world of robocalling and spam emails, your message has to stand out in a sea of mediocrity. There are several ways to approach this.

Keep your sentences and paragraphs short and simple. Paragraphs should rarely be longer than six lines. Use lots of headers, and make them easy and compelling to read. Titles that begin with “How…” or “Why…”, bold statements, and listicles draw attention to your subject. If the person you are targeting receives 60 emails a day, why are they going to click on yours?

Throughout the body of your text, use positive messaging. This has been found to be more psychologically compelling than putting someone down. Don’t be afraid to insert some personality into your writing, but never lose focus of your intent. When they reach the end of your writing, give them a reason to share their information.

Target The Right Candidates

The aim of a product or service is to generate as much revenue as possible. This is accomplished by finding customers who are willing and able to purchase it (qualified leads.) Where many businesses stumble is this balance between “willing” and “able” – and this means finding the right customers.

Let’s get technical. Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is a popular term for discussing how customers find you through a search engine. Intuitively, you might want any word relating to your product or service to direct to your web page first. Let’s say I’m selling an outsourced sales service. You might think, then, that you’d want the word “sales” to bring up your company first.

This is going to flood your company with awful leads. The people googling the word “sales” might come from all walks of life. It lacks focus, and isn’t what you’re actually selling. You want something like “outsourced sales” – the people looking for this might not know what that phrase means, and are seeking alternatives for hiring salespeople internally. This is the demographic we are looking for. Refining the search for “outsourced sales and marketing” is even better – these are people looking for an all-in-one solution that we happen to be experts at.

Conclusion

When you’re writing copy for a product or service, make sure it effectively grabs the attention of the correct audience. You are looking for leads that close, meaning you must check off all the boxes to get the correct ones. Know your audience, know your product, and know your purpose. Good leads will follow.