When you’re always being told about the things you can do to help your business grow, it can sometimes be equally helpful to know what not to do too.
If you're building good copy habits like always referring to your brand voice before you start writing and making sure your message is laser-focused on your ideal clients, then that's great. But the impact of all of this good work will be compromised if you're still making mistakes like forgetting to break up large paragraphs into smaller ones or sharing the benefits of your product/ service without the essential emotional transformation. I share more about this below.
I want you to succeed in your desire to write more impactful copy that doesn't just get in front on your ideal clients but captures their hearts too. So, in the spirit of sharing what not to do, I’ve got 5 copywriting don’ts to help you create more impactful messaging that converts.
1. Don’t focus on yourself and start listening to your ideal clients.
You want to strike the right notes with your ideal clients, so that they want to buy what you offer. Listen to what they want. Read the questions and comments they’re sharing on social media, research their background and listen to their frustrations and desires.
2. Don't write about all the benefits. Focus on one. While a short bulleted list of the benefits of your product/ service is great, expanding on each one will be overwhelming for your reader. Instead, pick one main benefit that will fulfil your ideal client’s desires most fully – not only will you be more memorable but it will also do more to convince people to buy.
3. Don't write copy without a goal.
Every time you begin a piece of writing, ask yourself, ‘what’s the goal of this copy?’ For example, main goal of your website is to gain new leads, in which case your messaging should channel users to sign up to your mailing list, send an enquiry or book a call. 4. Don’t write what you think, write what you know.
What do you know about your ideal clients from your research into their profiles and the kind of language/ tone they use? The number one reason for ineffective copywriting is that it’s not client-focused. That means your brand voice doesn’t resonate with your clients and what you’re saying doesn’t capture their hearts in a way that makes them want to buy. 5. Don’t talk about the benefits without the transformation.
You might have heard the phrase ‘benefits over features.’ It means that rather than telling people about the dual setting on your indoor fan, you instead tell them about how it means they can keep their indoor spaces cool from spring through till the height of summer. But now I’m asking you to go further to capture the emotional transformation. What’s the transformation that your ideal clients desire? In this case, it would be from feeling uncomfortable in the stifling heat to enjoying fresh air, a calm mind and cool skin that helps them to feel comfortable all day long.
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