Small business marketing can be done in many ways, in many mediums. But all marketing is based on a common denominator: the communication of a message. And the message is communicated primarily through language, spoken and written. Written language reigns supreme, and in the vernacular of marketers, it’s called ad copy.
Ad copy is the wording of your message to sell your product. It is writing to convince and influence, and it is a major industry worldwide and is considered the most important part of advertising.
The best copywriters are a rare breed, and they get paid a lot of money to do what they do. A single letter or web copy written to sell a product can cost a company $20,000 or more, plus a percentage of royalties.
Yes, that’s right, for a single letter or web page.
You may be wondering how anyone could justify an expense of that magnitude for a few words. Do a little research and you’ll learn that a finely executed ad copy can generate millions in sales, and the fee is considered a small price to pay for such a substantial return by companies that can afford it. And here’s my point: If companies are willing to pay that much for writing to promote their products, doesn’t that speak to how important copy is to our marketing?
The answer is a resounding yes. Yes, it is extremely important. Of all the effort you put into marketing, the lion’s share should go into copywriting. A well-executed ad will outsell a poorly-executed one every time, and many times. Now I understand that not everyone is a writer; they might be able to build a bridge over the ocean, but they couldn’t write a shopping list if they had to. Alright. Here I intend to discuss the main points of copywriting for those who feel they have a decent chance of producing good copy to market their products or services.
So how do you produce good copy? I’ll point out some of the main things to keep in mind. But please don’t look at this as a complete treatise on the aspects of quality copywriting. There are courses available for that. But for the purposes of writing well enough to draw attention to your ads, whether they’re descriptions on your website or flyers posted on a bulletin board, here are the essentials:
1. Write dynamically in the active voice.
This means writing in the compelling and moving present tense, using graphic descriptions and explaining the color, feel and effect of every aspect of what you are describing. Consider this real estate ad:
– “Nice 3 bed 2 bath home. 1704 square feet. Updated and clean with new carpet and other flooring. Good neighborhood, good schools. Great price for this home. A real charmer.”
And now this…
– “Drive down a tree-lined avenue between elegant homes to a spacious and open three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch home, a stylish remodel from the hardwood floor to the vaulted ceiling. The 1,704-square-foot floor plan provides space for your every desire. and entertainment.Highly desirable elementary and secondary schools within a five minute walk.Look at this fantastic price!”
Do you see any difference in these two ads? I hope you will. The first is plain, generic, emotionless, and boring. The second… well, you should be able to “see” the house and the neighborhood a bit and that’s what you want a reader to do: SEE THE PICTURE THE WORDS CREATE.
If your writing generates images in the mind of your reader, you are succeeding. People can easily forget a string of letters, but they almost never forget a string of images created in their mind.
2. Write in good English.
This means writing with correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. For an ad to say wonderful things about a product but with misspellings and bad grammar is very silly.
really leaf. She tells an intelligent reader one of two things: she either had trouble finishing high school or she just doesn’t care enough to get it right. Either way, the buyers, sellers, and other business people she deals with won’t appreciate these supposed traits if she’s going to manage their money or property.
You don’t have to be Shakespeare to put together a decent ad, but you do need to be accurate. If writing isn’t your thing, that’s okay because finding a proofreader to edit your writing is pretty simple. Get the services of someone who has excellent writing skills and ask them to clean it up. Who knows, they may have some great ideas to improve your ad anyway.
3. Use accents and resources to attract attention in your favor.
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD A CHILD TALKING TOO LOUD? HE ALWAYS YELLS NO MATTER WHAT HE SAYS… and he doesn’t let up. He doesn’t yell when he needs attention, he just yells because that’s how he talks. Well, if you’ve spent a lot of time with such a child, you’ve probably found that after a while it doesn’t sound like a scream anymore; It’s just his voice. However, if another child spoke at the same volume, he would consider it a yell and might pick up on it. But for the noisy child, it’s just his way of not paying attention. But he even tries not to.
When writing ads, you will find a similar concept. Some people like to use bold letters or capital letters to draw attention and give their ad dynamism. However, if they do it all the time it stops having the desired effect. In other words, if you yell every time you open your mouth, eventually everyone around you becomes numb to the loud volume and forgets that you’re yelling. Even so, if you type in all-caps or constantly use boldface or any other device to accentuate your message at all times, you will destroy the desired effect. Nobody will pay attention.
Care should be taken to only add effects where they are most needed, such as on a special perk, so that it stands out from the rest of the ad. You can even use all caps or bold or even colored letters for an entire sentence, if that sentence indicates something crucial to your ad. But don’t overdo it. Use these devices with reservation and they will add a special touch to your message.
Small business marketing is greatly strengthened through strong copywriting. The written word communicated accurately and effectively will sell and sell and sell again, no matter the product or service. Take the time to develop your writing skills and put them to use and they will give you a return on your investment… this is worth writing about. 🙂