Copywriting: Because Word-of-Mouth Advertising Only Goes So Far

Anyone who owns a business knows the importance of word-of-mouth advertising. Gaining customers via personal referrals is great, but it’s usually not enough to make your business grow as fast as you’d like. You need a way to broaden your reach. That’s where copywriting comes in.

Good copywriting can promote a person, business, opinion or idea. Think of copywriting as doing the sales job you would do if you were meeting prospects in person. It communicates the important points and also tells them what to do next. Whether it’s a web page, brochure, ad or direct mailer, you need to engage readers and persuade them to take action.

Quality Copywriting Attracts New Customers

You can choose from an endless array of marketing materials. The one thing they nearly all have in common is they require some form of copywriting to be effective. Let’s take a look at some of the most common promotional tools.

• Websites – Using a friendly, conversational tone, you want to tell visitors about your product and services. The beauty of a website is that you have no space limitations. As long as your navigation is clear, your information is well organized and your design is uncluttered, you can make your website as big as you’d like.

When people search the web, they’re seeking information. If your website delivers, it will garner the attention of the search engines and will convert visitors into customers.

• Brochures – Printed brochures have always been an excellent sales tool. Although fewer brochures are produced these days as more companies put their advertising budgets into online promotions, they still have a place in marketing. They can provide the highlights about your product and encourage the reader to visit your website for more detailed information.

Brochures are ideal for distributing to prospects when access to the internet is limited or inconvenient, such as at a trade show. They are also a great “leave behind” after you have met with a prospect and want to be sure he recalls your company’s name and best selling points.

• Sales Letters – Also called marketing letters, sales letters introduce prospective customers to your product and ask them to take action such as to click on the product page, request an appointment or buy the product.
   
• Direct Mailers – While the high cost of postage has made direct mail less appealing, it can still be a worthwhile promotional tool to use in conjunction with the rest of your marketing materials. Effective copy in a direct mailer can help drive traffic to your website, get prospects to call, and also generally inform your target audience about your product or service.
   
• Press Releases – Press releases are used to give news about your company. Perhaps you’re introducing a new product, you’ve won a prestigious award or you’re opening a new location for your business. When you have news to share, a press release distributed to the media and also posted on your website is a great way to capture attention.
   
• Landing Pages – On the Internet, landing pages are where you are taken when you click on a link from some outside source, typically an online ad. They usually promote a specific product or service. You craft the landing page to be simple, clear and most importantly, to have a call to action.

While your home page must appeal to everyone who visits your site, your landing pages can be narrowly focused. You can have multiple landing pages, each one targeted to a specific type of visitor.

• Product Descriptions – The goal of a product description is to generate sales. The most effective product descriptions include features and benefits. That is, they don’t just describe the various components of the product; they also tell how these features will be of value to the user. For example, this clock radio has dual alarms (feature), which means you can set the alarm to go off at two different times, perfect for him and her (benefit).

If you’re looking to promote your business online or in printed materials, then you need to become proficient in copywriting or hire someone who is.  No matter what marketing tool you choose to use, the right words can make can make the difference between a promotion that has little or no impact and one that captures the attention and makes the cash register ring.