Let’s Write Copy – Where to Start?
No one knows your business as well as you, right? Although that’s likely true, many people find it difficult to put their business into words and write copy for their website. What’s the main goal of your business? What value do you provide for your customers? What makes your business different? These seemingly straightforward questions can unravel into a web of thoughts and ideas that can be hard to sift through to come up with a clear message for your website.
Your website acts as both the digital face and voice of your company. Great content will speak to your visitors, build trust, and provide value. Poor content will do the exact opposite.
So where do you start?
Let’s go over some handy copywriting tips that will enable you to get your message out there in a clear and effective way.
Put Your Main Point First When Writing Copy
I hate to break it to you, but the written copy on your website is not a page-turning novel that we can’t put down. There’s no reason to build up the suspense. Visitors on your website are there to gain value. The quicker you can provide that to them, the happier they’ll be.
Leading with your strongest point may seem backwards, but it actually creates more scannable content. Scannable content allows users to gain value more efficiently. Like we mentioned before, users are probably not hanging on to every word of your content, excited to keep digging in. They want to get what they need and move on with their day.
The longer it takes for a user to find the information they want to know, the more likely they’ll give up looking for it. Put your crucial information first. Then take time to break down the point, adding more detail and explanations that may be good to know but aren’t critical. This ensures users get what they need, and also allows them to learn more if they choose.
Make it Personal
Let’s all take a vow to avoid the gimmicky, pushy car salesman voice on our websites. The best-written copy reads as if it’s a simple one-on-one conversation. So put the thesaurus down, and relax. If a customer walked into your business today and asked “what do you do?” how would you answer them? Probably not with a long meticulous monologue.
Thinking in this manner is a great way to approach copywriting. It shows your personality and also keeps your copy concise and clear.
Evaluate Your Copy’s Ratio of “you” Vs. “we.”
Remember, the point of your written copy is to provide value to your audience. Instead of phrasing copy around “our company”, “we are”, think more about what the customer gets out of it.
Let’s look at an example:
Our company has 30 years of experience in the field. We are a leader in the industry.
Vs.
Rest assured, knowing you have an industry leader with over 30 years of experience in your corner.
The first statement is good information to know as it gives you credibility. However, writing copy in a way that makes it about the customer, will give them more value while also establishing that credibility.
Write Copy Focusing on Benefits
Unfortunately, most people aren’t super interested in the history of your company. After all, how does that affect them? What value do they gain from that information? Focusing on benefits goes along with the previous section in that website visitors want to know what they’re going to get out of it.
Refrain from the traditional “About Us” page and instead use that space to relate your company to benefits it will provide for your potential customers. You can still tell your story, but frame it in a way that will mean something to the customer.
Oh you have 30 years of experience? That’s great but what difference does that make to your customer? Answer that question and you’ll be on the right track.
Don’t Try Too Hard to be Clever
There are about 2 ways to do clever right and about 1,000 ways to do it wrong. Your best bet is to not force it. Write copy naturally, just as you would speak to a customer standing in front of you. If you force wittiness and puns, they likely won’t land well and may come off as gimmicky or unprofessional.
Writing naturally how you would speak to customers, will be more comfortable for you and appear more confident to your website users. If you’re a naturally clever “punny” person don’t be afraid to add some personality into your writing, but be cautious and don’t go overboard.
This is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
The opportunities to improve your copywriting skills are endless. Not only is it a great skill to have, but it can have a huge impact on your website. Well-written copy turns your website into a dynamic resource that can be used to surpass your goals and grow your business. One of our favorite resources for learning to write copy is Treacle. Not only does Treacle have an awesomely written site, but they are also a company focused on copywriting and have tons of services, resources, and blog articles to help you on your way.