The ability to produce persuasive copy is a critical component in every brand’s marketing arsenal. Engaging, well-written copy on your main website, business blog, social media channels, press releases and other content marketing collateral is essential if you're looking to successfully convert eyeballs into customers. But how do you ensure the content you create is compelling and representative of your brand? Regardless of some marketers’ best intentions, it’s sometimes easy to fall into dangerous copywriting pitfalls and conversion-killing blunders. Join Wordsmith as we take a look at some of the most common copywriting mistakes and how best to avoid them.
1. Strike a balance between writing for SEO and human readers
Hitting the sweet spot between pleasing Google bots and your target audience has been an ongoing issue for copywriters since the advent of web crawlers. Teetering on either side of the spectrum, using too many SEO tactics (or not using enough) can be a real conversion-killer. It may feel impossible to keep on top of emerging SEO trends and new Google algorithms being introduced every year, but Google is now embracing content that is more informative, conversational, and natural in tone, meaning that they prioritise content that appeals to real, live human beings.
Elaine Connolly, Marketing Director for Alpha 3 Marketing Group explains, “Online marketers and copywriters may get caught up in writing content for search engine optimization (SEO). While SEO shouldn't be ignored, don't forget that a human being will ultimately be reading your content. Always focus on creating valuable copy that your target audience, clients and peers will want to like and share. Include those keywords in your page title and headers, but don't overdo it.”
However, since the pandemic began, daily internet usage across the world has soared, and so it’s important not to overlook the benefits of SEO if you’re aiming to climb Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) to increase the likelihood of getting your copy directly front of your key readers. Marketing and Communications speaker, Charlie Riley, comments, “As more and more copy ends up online, copywriters should remember the basic search engine optimization (SEO) rules when crafting their words. It may mean a slight tweak to how you phrase a paragraph, but using the search term for how someone may look for your product can help create a sale or a web visit, as opposed to missing out if you don't understand how people look for you online.”
To find out more about how your words can stay top of mind and search, click here.
2. Avoid writing from an internal brand perspective – it’s all about the customer
Nothing pushes customers away more than copy that focuses solely on what the company wants to project, rather than what the customer actually needs. Your product or service could be the best in the industry, but if your copy is too boastful, self-centred and company-focused, you will be losing conversions right, left and centre. You shouldn’t be writing with the perspective of “how good we are”, you should be writing with the sole purpose of explaining to customers “what’s in it for them”. It’s essential that every piece of marketing communication takes a “customer-first approach” to effectively boost your brand’s conversion rates. Looking from the “outside-in”, companies begin with an external market orientation that vigilantly studies and applies customer trends and data insights in order to design a content marketing strategy that ticks every box in their customers’ psyche.
Andrew Caravella, Vice President of Content and Communications at Sprout Social, agrees, “Too often, marketers write from their internal brand perspective rather than removing themselves from the picture and focusing on the wants, needs, desires and direction of their customers and community. Regardless of how a program or product is conceived in-house, copywriting using sentence structure, word choice and even witty banter that resonates with the end-user is essential.”
Leela Brennan, Vice President of Brand, Communications & Engagement also encourages copywriters to steer clear of self-important adjectives in their marketing messages. She says, “Let your fans, followers, media partners and customers do that for you. Too many lofty descriptors can feel disingenuous and actually promote negative sentiment. Be candid in offering benefits and stay focused on value statements. Remember, most people want to know what’s in it for them.”
If you’re looking to write spelling-binding content that captures and keeps your customer’s attention, we’ve got three conversion growth techniques.
3. Don’t get bogged down on product descriptions and adspeak – promote customer value instead
Customers are always looking for value. When they percieve value, the chances of them making a purchase increase dramatically. However, product-led copy that focuses solely on product descriptions and promotional sentences trigger customers’ anti-marketing defences. No one wants to be sold to. But they do like to connect with a brand that aligns with their own values and aspirations.
You’ll find that the most successful companies and copywriters obsess over improving their brand offerings, up-skilling their people and delighting their customers through their copy. Purchase intent increases when customers connect with a brand that represents who they are, what they admire, or what they would like to become. And once you convert that customer, the likelihood of brand loyalty increases as well, which can lead to them being a brand ambassador – one who leaves 5-star reviews and recommends your brand to others.
Amanda Hinski, Chief Marketing Officer for Frost Valley explains, “Marketing copy is the hook, but it's often confused with product description, which is for a later stage in the customer journey. First, address the problems to be solved or jobs to be done. Ignore product specs and features. Focus on the value proposition. How does your product make life easier or more delightful? What unexpected issue does it solve? How is it better than anything else out there?” Joann Ollila, Director of Marketing at MD² International agrees, “Writing copy that captures the attention of potential customers, clients or patients is what all good content marketers are after. The biggest pitfall we can make is to focus too much on the "thing" (the product or service) and not on the emotional connection that people crave with the brand and their tribe. It’s essential to focus on aspirations versus attributes.”
It’s time to stop selling and start serving – and this all begins by crafting copy that truly resonates with your target audience. Take a look at our top 4 tips on how to create content your audience will love in lockdown to convert your readers into engaged customers.
4. Watch your tone – create a consistent brand voice
Establishing a consistent brand voice across every online and offline marketing channel is essential for marketers who are looking to create memorable connections with their customers and increase their overall conversion rates. When it comes to customer messaging and brand storytelling, your tone of voice must align so you can continue to build a relationship and create rapport with your target audiences. To make an impact, your brand’s voice must be authentic.
Director of Marketing at Alarm Grid, Joshua Unseth, emphasises that “One of the greatest mistakes in copywriting is selecting a voice that is inconsistent with the brand. My company uses a casual but authoritative and informative voice. Our copywriters all sound very similar because we spend so much time making sure that they understand our brand voice before putting pen to paper.”
For some quick tips to get you started on building a consistent brand voice, click here.
5. Don’t make assumptions about your customers and refrain from using industry jargon
One of the most common mistakes copywriters make is using insider language, industry jargon and sophisticated acronyms. If your audiences don’t understand what you’re talking about, you’ve already lost them as a potential customer – not to mention missing out on higher conversions, and repeat purchases. 55% of customers spend less than 15 seconds scanning a page, so you need to ensure that your copy is clear, concise and easily digestible for your readers to become invested over that crucial 15-second mark.
Megan Gagon Cagle, Director of Communications at New American Leaders, was quick to comment, “Your mom was right – never assume anything. When reaching out to new audiences, it is important to keep this in mind and not assume that your audience is an expert on your messaging or technical jargon. Always use language that is accessible and inclusive. By doing this, you'll be more approachable and help your audience easily understand the value you and your company bring to the table.” Ashely Deibert, VP of Marketing at iQ Media, echoes her statement by saying, “It's all too easy to get wrapped up in your company's internal language and style. Using too much jargon or writing copy without a true understanding of what your target audience cares about can easily alienate readers.”
We’ve mentioned before that one of the biggest drivers in holding onto “sticky” customers, (i.e. those who intend to purchase, continue to purchase and recommend your product/service to others), is “decision simplicity”. More than ever, customers want clear and concise information from sources they deem as trustworthy to make informed, confident decisions, and this begins with clear copy, that’s void of industry jargon. However, this doesn’t mean that your copy can’t have flair! To find out how to strike the right balance between clear and clever copy, click here.
6. Make sure your headline sparks curiosity
Let’s face it, in this increasingly digitalised world, your headlines can either make or break your content’s success. Eye-catching, curiosity-sparking headlines, like those favoured by American libertarian business magazine, Fast Company, not only encourage people to click and comment but also share with their friends and followers, which ultimately increases the reach and conversion rates of your brand’s product/service. On the other hand, poorly-worded, lacklustre headlines won’t get much traction, meaning you’ve essentially spent time and resources creating content that doesn’t speak to your intended audiences.
Holly Chessman, VP of Marketing at Glance Networks Inc. says, “You can write a snappy, pun-filled headline, but if no one reads it, who cares? When writing headlines, you must use keywords and phrases that people will search on, make sure your title gives enough information about the article's content to be useful, and use headline tools to make sure your title has the right level of urgency.”
Read our blog to find out how to write clickable headlines that Google and your audiences will love, so your next headline packs a punch.
7. Writing for everyone converts no one
You may be able to create the pithiest, well-articulated and humourous article, but if you don’t have a specific audience in mind when you’re writing, the piece may fall flat. Why? Because you can’t please everybody – writing for the masses doesn’t work. These days, customers expect personalized content experiences that are catered to their own specific needs. From Spotify-curated playlists to Netflix recommendations and Amazon algorithms that customise your shopping recommendations, we’re surrounded by extreme personalization every day.
Not having clearly-defined buyer personas in mind when you’re communicating your marketing messages may result in you losing out on those vital conversions. You need to take time to understand the different segments of your target audience and tailor key messages to that specific group of people by developing a strong content marketing strategy.
Award-winning content strategist at Forbes Council, Adam Giffi, explains, “When the goal is copywriting for business communications, this often translates to writing something boring, likely to try to appeal to a mass audience by being completely safe as to not spark any sort of negative reaction in the reader. However, that also means you aren't sparking a positive one, either, and will instead be ignored altogether. Don't write for everybody; write for your target audiences.”
Once you understand your customer personas and start using the verbiage your core customers tend to use and think the way they think, they will naturally find your brand more relatable, thus increasing the chances they will buy.
Jessica Marie, B2B Technology Marketing and Organizational Consultant for Check Point Software adds, “I find that many marketing teams do not have clearly-defined personas, and if they do, their targeting methods aren't data-driven. Your copy should speak directly to each persona, instead of blanket statements. You should also have data that shows the success/failure of the messaging you're using. Stop guessing and shooting in the dark, and your copy will have a bigger impact.”
If you’re looking to build a robust content marketing strategy to effectively generate leads, click here.
Producing high-quality copy that converts more leads is the raison-d’etre for copywriters. However, regardless of whether you choose to create your content in-house or hire a friendly expert copywriter, you should always ensure that every piece of online communication is optimised for SEO, has the right tone of voice, adds value, and most importantly, meets your customers’ needs because that’s the key to conversion.