Effective copywriting is at the core of any brand and marketing strategy. Clear, crisp copy attracts attention, supports your key message and supports your brand identity.
While many people use these terms interchangeably, content and copy are not the same:
- Content is informational, used to reach customers through blogs, social media, eBooks or email.
- Copy is advertising text created to draw the potential customers’ interest and engage them.
Copy should speak in a very direct way to your audience. When properly crafted, copy can create an actual emotional connection with your customers, inspiring them to make purchases because they feel invested in your brand.
The key is to give your customers a sense that you understand them and how your product or service fits into – and enhances – their lives. When potential buyers feel that you know them on that level and you are able to clearly and consistently communicate the value of your product or service to them, you create advocates who will regularly purchase from you.
Create engaging brand copy with these tips:
1. Features tell, benefits sell: You might pride yourself on the features of your product or service and what you have to offer. But copy that creatively describes the benefits – the “what’s in it for me” that all customers want to know – will be much more likely to convert shoppers to buyers.
2. Have a distinct brand voice: Think about the brands you like and trust. Their ads, commercials and other marketing pieces have a distinct feel; when you see them, you immediately know whose they are. Brand voice utilizes specific key words and a consistent style to resonate with audiences.
- Effective brand copy is written in such a way that each new message reinforces – and is reinforced – by previous ones.
- If you work with others to market your business, develop brand guidelines so that all involved maintain the same brand voice.
3. Create a sense of urgency: A call to action is vital – a sense of urgency can often compel customers to respond. Whether it’s a deadline (for example, a holiday), a temporarily lowered price or simply an “act now” banner in an ad, the right language can motivate customers to act and not “miss out”.
4. Determine and leverage your distinct differences: Chances are, no matter what you market to the public, there are other companies in competition for those same customers. Take a look at how they are selling themselves, than ask: what makes your business unique? What makes you faster/easier/better to work with? Those differences can help you create your ideal copy platform.
5. Use the AIDA framework to build a connection: Once you know your customers’ interests and needs, this part becomes much simpler. The “AIDA” framework is a basic template to create brand awareness and sales by connecting with customers; it can be used everywhere from your website to print advertising or email copy.
- Use an engaging hook to grab the reader’s attention and pull them in.
- Increase their interest with the sales message presented in the appropriate brand voice.
- Use language that evokes an emotional connection to the product or service.
- Call the reader to action by giving them a reason to buy.
Effective copy shapes the perception of your brand in a way that inspires people to buy. Messaging that showcases and reinforces your brand’s personality is vital to creating a lasting image in the public’s mind. Carefully crafted brand-based language is a powerful tool to present your firm’s unique value in a way that connects with buyers.
Simply put, good copywriting is a form of storytelling. Consciously or not, your customers are exposed daily to stories of all types that build upon – and shape – their understanding of their lives and the world around them. Your “copy stories” demonstrate to them exactly how your company fits into their lives…and why you are the right choice to meet their needs. Copy that communicates on this level can help to make your profits soar.
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