A friend recently asked me for tips on how to improve what they’re writing for their small business. Here’s a summary of what we covered in our discussion.
Powerful copy is vital for business survival and long-term success. It’s about reaching and attracting the right people and then persuading them so they take action.
Rather than creating random marketing collateral as you go, you need a solid plan that states how you’ll:
- identify your target customer
- monitor how the market is changing or shifting
- build competitive advantage for your business
- generate creative ideas to make your business sustainable
- collect data and use it to your advantage
- use your business strengths to improve your copy
- attract and win new customers
- maximise conversions
But where do you start? How do you do this?
First, set a new rule for your business copywriting…
Your new copywriting rule
From today, every piece you write must focus on the following:
- the ideal customer
- your competitors and their marketing strategies
- current market trends
Next, identify where you sit in the market. Today’s market.
This is important if you want people to know, like and trust you, and if you want to fulfil their service expectations so they maintain their relationships with you. It’s also important if you want to consistently show them that you can deliver what they need.
So, whether you’re producing copy for a new website, brochure or email, your process should start with understanding where you sit in the market and what makes people buy.
Understand your fiercest competitors
Do you really know who you’re trying to beat? If you want to stay competitive, you need to understand who your direct competitors are, what they’re promising, what they’re offering, how they’re writing their copy, what their customers are saying (good and bad), and whether what they’re doing is working.
Why?
It’s simple. You need to know how hard you need to work to beat them!
If their copy is really strong and converting but their offers are beatable then you must up your game. Either write better copy or hire a copywriter who can.
If the competitors’ copy is weak, then perhaps you don’t need to do much. Perhaps all you need do is insert what’s missing, such as testimonials and promises you can keep.
Understand consumer buying behaviour
One of the first steps in creating effective copy is to understand your customers’ needs. You have to. Because the competitive landscape is forever changing.
Not only do you have to compete with your direct competitors but you also have to compete with other industries that are trying to get money out of your customers.
And with social media also dramatically changing, consumers are better informed about their choices, how to spend their money and where to spend it. They seek opportunities to satisfy ALL their wants and needs, not only the ones you can satisfy.
This means you should be exploring what inspires them to buy what you’re selling and how to appeal to the group of people more likely to order it.
So, how much do you really know about them? How well do you know about their lifestyles?
Do you know their dreams? Do you know why they have these dreams?
What are their biggest challenges?
Do you know what they already consume? Do you know what they’re likely to order?
Do you know basic details about them such as their suburbs, birthdays or ages?
Have you asked them why they chose you and why they came to you? So many questions!
With their permission, you could find out over time by simply asking the right questions. Either when they order from you or through a single consumer survey. With all that information in hand, you can write copy that converts.
If you want to start generating better results for your business, ask me how I can help you.
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