This article has been contributed by Rhonda Martinez.

Marketing copy is a term that is used when talking about different types of content delivered through printed or online materials. Sales copy has a number of distinctive features that help tell it apart from other types of content. For instance, it always has a specific purpose: it is used in marketing and advertising to persuade readers to take a certain action or to simply increase brand awareness.

Copy is just text, and many businesses forget that the success of this text depends on a number of important factors. For example, if you’ve been good at writing essays in school or college, it doesn’t mean that you can write effective copy. Quite often, businesses realize that all they need is just a few simple words, and then they understand that choosing the right words can take a lot more time and effort than they anticipated.

The reason why writing compelling copy can be difficult is that it can be completely different, depending on the company’s goals, brand values, the type of audience, industry, etc. The way you deliver your copy also influences its length and style. For instance, you may create copy for a press release, brochure, website, white paper, email or blog. All these types of copy are quite different, and you should understand their unique features.

No matter what kind of copy you’re dealing with, the main thing is to make it persuasive. After reading your copy, the audience should want to take action. Your copy may be informative, entertaining, exciting, controversial, creative, concise or long. You should be able to not only choose the right style and format but also make sure that the copy will fulfill its purpose regardless of the format and medium.

Speak Their Language

On the one hand, there is no universal approach that would enable any company to create outstanding copy in any situation. One piece of advice, however, can help you create copy that actually sells. You should always choose the right tone and voice that will resonate with your audience. Your copy should be trendy yet authentic. The language of your copy should reflect your brand personality and make your brand more attractive for your target audience.

Although there are many businesses that offer different products and services, some common principles work effectively when used by different companies from different niches. You should determine your brand values, research your target audience and match your copy with their preferences.

We recommend that you keep in mind that bad copy can have a very negative impact on your business. Poorly written copy can undermine your reputation, and copy that doesn’t provide value is just useless.

Why You Need Seductive Copy

Create Long-Term Relationships With Your Audience

Strong copy can help you improve relationships with your customers, by responding to their needs and helping with any issues. No matter what people want to purchase, they want to be on the same page with the seller. They want to see that they are important to you.

High-quality copy can help you not only sell but also build relationships with your audience, addressing things that are important to them and proving that you care about them. Therefore, high-quality copy can bring you more profit in the long term, as some of your loyal customers might become brand advocates.

Increase Your Revenue

Obviously, the main reason you need an effective copy is that it sells. Good copy tells a story, resonates with your audience, entertains them and encourages them to take action. Thanks to effective copy, you can promote your products to more people who are interested in your products or services. The main thing is to find copywriters who know how to write compelling copy and are familiar with different selling tactics

Get Measurable Results

Good copy delivers measurable results so that you can determine what marketing campaign is most effective and plan your budget. Effective copy has nothing to do with generic pitches. It’s tailored to specific goals of a specific business so it enables you to measure its effectiveness by monitoring your conversion rates and engagement on different social media platforms.

Turn Your Products Into Must-Haves

What makes your product unique? Why should your potential customers choose you instead of one of your competitors? One of the main differences between mediocre and high-quality copy is that it highlights the advantages of your products and services so that your target audience immediately understands why they should buy from you, and why they need this exact thing. Your target audience should not only understand that your product is good but also want it.

Different Types of Copy

To create effective copy for your business, you should determine your objectives and make sure that your copy will help you achieve them. Therefore, you need to be familiar with different types of copy and understand what type is most effective in a certain situation. Here are the most common types of copy that you should know.

• Plain copy — this type of copy describes the main advantages and features of a product. It doesn’t include strong calls to action and doesn’t tell an engaging story, neither is it intended for starting a conversation.
• Conversational copy — this type of copy builds a conversation between the target audience and the brand, addressing potential customers’ needs and concerns.
• Storytelling copy — storytelling copy has four distinct parts: the opening section, conflict, dialog and the solution to the problem described in the conflict section. This type of copy requires the copywriter to use creativity and to do nice research. Usually, such a copy is used in email marketing and for landing pages.
• CEO-inspired copy — quite often, an opinion from an expert can help potential buyers make their purchasing decision. This is where CEO-inspired copy can be very useful. The target audience gets an opportunity to get to know your CEO and to understand that they’re dealing with friendly, down-to-earth individuals who care about their customers’ best interests.

There are also many other types of copy that might combine different features from the types described above. For instance, copywriters may combine storytelling with calls to action or experiment with other creative approaches.

How to Write Good Copy That Sells

Let’s consider the writing process in more detail so that you can come up with a compelling copy that will help you achieve your specific goals.

1. Begin at the End

One of the most common problems for copywriters is that they may just stare at a blank sheet, with no idea of what their copy should look like. Quite often, the most difficult thing about copywriting is writing the very first sentence. Experienced copywriters know it so they often start to write at the end.

You may be writing copy for a home page, about page or sales page. Before you start to write the first sentence, think of the purpose of the copy and what your readers should do after reading it. Once you’ve determined the purpose of your copy, start to write, and ask yourself, does a particular sentence serve the general purpose?

2. Describe Your Target Audience

It will be easier for you to create effective copy if you describe your ideal reader and imagine their persona. This way, you’ll be able to make your copy more personal and authentic. Think of what our audience is excited about, what their common problems are, think of their environment, goals, income, gender, education, etc.

You should know what your audience is most likely to agree or disagree with, as well as how to start the conversation. You must create a copy for real people, and they should immediately understand that this copy was written specifically for them.

3. Write a List of Features and Benefits

All companies like to talk about their products’ features and the latest improvements. Given that businesses put a lot of effort into developing new products, there’s no surprise that they want to highlight their features and eventually build their copy around features. However, it’s important to understand that consumers don’t care about your products, their features, and your company, in general. What they care about is their problems, and they want to find a solution.

If you want to create a successful copy, you should make it valuable for your audience. Describing the features of your product will only make sense if your potential customers understand how these features can benefit them. We recommend that you write down a list of your features and turn them into benefits. Explain what problems your products can solve, and don’t forget to address possible objections.

4. Find a Great Idea

So, you know the purpose of your copy, and what exactly you’re going to write about. However, if you want your copy to be successful, it should also have a central idea that will make it unique and memorable. Usually, the idea is expressed in a strong headline. For example, the main idea of an ad can be the main advantage of the product. No matter what your central idea is, the headline should focus your audience on something specific. Don’t try to highlight too many things at once.

The idea of your copy is the key factor that defines its effectiveness. When you have a great idea for your copy, everything else becomes much easier to do. Come up with an idea, and write a headline that makes the audience curious about your product or your brand, in general.

5. Write the First Draft

Once you’ve figured out the idea of your copy and written a strong headline, you should get into detail and start a conversation with your reader. The main content of your copy should both describe your product or service in the context of your potential customers’ needs and persuade them to take action. For instance, you may want readers to buy your product from you, sign up for your emails or download a free trial version. They will only do it if you give them some solid reasons to do so.

Use your list of features and benefits to plan the structure of your copy and to decide in what order you’re going to present them. Write a comprehensive draft, addressing both the benefits of your product and possible objections. Your copy just starts the conversation, and its ultimate goal is to make your readers want to take the next step in their customer journey.

6. Make it Easy to Read

Your copy should be concise and simple. We’ve already mentioned that the success of your copy depends on its idea, your ability to persuade, and many other factors. However, even if you have outstanding copy that addresses your potential customers’ needs and describes all the benefits of your solution, it won’t be effective if your customers don’t actually understand you.

“You should communicate your thoughts in an easy to read way. Avoid any complex terms and lengthy sentences. Your audience won’t keep reading if they find your copy difficult to read,” says Adam Simon, content creator and editor at LegitWritingServices, paper writing services review site and education blog.

You should express your ideas coherently, and your readers should understand what you mean immediately, with no need to read a few other sentences first. To make your copy easier to understand, you can use vivid adjectives and draw analogies with things that are familiar to your audience. Avoid technical terms and jargon. We recommend that you only include such words if there’s no easier way to convey what you need to say.

7. Use Your Imagination

Never underestimate the power of imagination. If you approach the writing process creatively and use your imagination, you will have limitless opportunities to engage your readers, persuade them, and build trust. Make your readers imagine things they can do with your product. Make them think of how your brand can change their lives. If people imagine your product and understand how it can help them, they will want to own it.

To boost your readers’ imagination, you should use descriptive language. Use your imagination when describing the benefits of your product, mentioning details that will help your readers imagine not only the product itself but the whole experience associated with it. You should tell your audience how your product can make their lives easier and deliver satisfaction.

8. Don’t Be Afraid to Compare

Let’s be honest, your potential customers may have already seen many similar products or even used them. The only reason they’re reading your copy is that they want to know why your product is better.

People always compare similar products before making a purchase so there’s nothing wrong with helping them to compare. For instance, you may say that you’ve noticed some great features of your competitors’ products, and then explain why your product is superior, or what features your competitors cannot offer.

Be specific and provide the necessary details that can help your readers appreciate your offer.

9. Write a Strong Call to Action

First of all, you shouldn’t be annoying. We recommend that you always respect your audience’s decision, and they may or may not decide to buy your product. Nevertheless, you must make sure to write a strong, persuasive call to action so that your readers can purchase your product immediately. You can also include more than one CTA. For example, you can offer your readers an opportunity to not only buy the product but also add it to their wishlist, or read more about it.

10. Edit Your Draft

First of all, you should fix any grammar and punctuation mistakes. However, editing is not only about fixing mistakes but also about improving your copy and making it more persuasive, engaging and credible. For instance, you may add subheadings and bullet points to make your copy easier to read and to optimize it for search engines. You may also get rid of any unnecessary sentences to make your copy more concise and straightforward.

11. Optimize Your Copy

When creating web copy, you should make it attractive not only for humans but also for search engine robots. Your copy won’t fulfill its purpose if it appears at the end of search results. To optimize your content for search engines, make it easy to read, create a clear structure and use relevant keywords. We also recommend that you put some effort into your content strategy, writing blog posts about your industry, answering your audience’s questions and driving more traffic to pages with your sales copy.

Wrapping Up

Writing effective copy isn’t an easy task. Sales copy always has a specific purpose, and you must make sure that it will fulfill its purpose. It must resonate with your audience, not only describing the advantages of your products but also explaining how your products can help people solve their problems or make their everyday lives easier.

When writing your copy, you should take into account the specifics of your audience and your niche. You should choose the right tone and make your copy easy to read so that you can communicate your message effectively. Although there’s no universal guide that could help any business write effective copy for any occasion, our tips address some of the most important aspects of copywriting that will be appreciated by different businesses. We hope that our simple guide will help you write a seductive copy that will increase your profits in no time.

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About the author: Rhonda Martinez is a marketer, blogger and former Head of Customer Support at an edtech startup. Rhonda is passionate about creating, executing and managing results-oriented marketing campaigns.