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Audience, tone of voice and the K word.
And you’re writing for…?
Make sure you know your audience. It’s very tempting to write about you, your products, your history, your mission statement, your experience and your goals. But what about the poor reader? They, as always, want to know (as I say in my Top 10 copywriting tips) what’s in it for them.
So make sure you know them. Typically, how do they get to your site? Is it your first point of contact with them, or will they visit the site after you’ve been in touch with them (by direct mail, phone or email)?
What sort of first impression does your site make? What’s the very first thing you say to them?
What do you want the site to do? Is it to inform people, or to educate or entertain them? Do you just want to raise your profile? Or perhaps you simply want to use it as a way of disseminating information or reducing customer queries.
It’s the way you tell ‘em
Remember, all writing is telling a story, and web copywriting is no different. You open with an introduction, then elaborate with more detail, then have an ending. And you need to decide what that ending is. You need to figure out what the destination of the ‘customer journey’ is.
Don’t just say ‘this is us, this is what we do, we’re really proud of it, we’ve been doing it for a long time’. Instead, say ‘Hello. We know just who you are and what’s important to you. Here’s what we can do for you and here’s why you need us. And here’s what you should do next.’
Now they understand.
Keywords, keywords, keywords
It’s tempting when you’re writing for the web to pack your copy full of keywords. And to repeat those keywords. And then to use a few more keywords. And if you can squeeze in a few more keywords, that’s good too. Keywords, keywords, keywords.
Trouble is, keyword-heavy copy doesn’t read very well, does it? You’ll get to the top of the search engine listings, but what will people have to read? Nothing but keywords, keywords and … that’s right, more keywords.
It’s a trade-off. You want them to come, but you want to make sure they stay. So watch out that you don’t have too many keywords.
You might just regret it.
It’s not any one thing – it’s everything.
So you’re wondering what the secrets of successful web copywriting are?
Well, you’ve just discovered one of them – starting with a powerful headline. It works on many levels.
First, I’ve used the word secrets. Everybody wants to know a secret, to discover something that is not generally known. We all want shortcuts; if there’s an easy way to get there, we want to know about it.
Then, there’s the word successful. You’re not just going to learn about web copywriting, but successful web copywriting. You’re going to find out how to make your words work hard for you.
But are you? Well, in a word, yes.
But before you write, you need, as ever, to plan. Chances are you’ve got a lot of copy already. Or maybe you have a lot of ideas. You have so much to say, you’re not sure where to start.
Plan, then write
Let’s take an example of a new site. It’s vital to plan before you write.
All too often, people devote considerable time and effort – not to mention expense – to creating a web site that looks great, but says very little. Remember, the purpose of a site is to communicate with people: to tell them about your products, services, company, special offers.
Web copywriting is key to this, and easily as important as the actual design.
Is your site ‘brochureware’ – a site that just duplicates printed material you already have? Many sites are, but they’re not as effective. On the other hand, if they’re just an online backup to offline effort, then brochureware sites are fine.
But good web copywriting can do so much more.
It can help you build a brand. It can make your company seem larger than it is, and even more professional. Even today, a web site still says ‘this is a serious business’.
As Fortune magazine commented back in the mid-90s, ‘if you’re not somebody at something dot com, you’re nobody’.
So you know you need to say something, but how are you going to say it? Well first, move away from your computer and get a pen and some paper. You’re going to start drawing pictures.
You need to decide what pages you’re going to have and what purpose they’ll serve. You’ll also have to decide on a logical navigation structure – one that makes as much sense as turning the page of a book.
And since you’ll probably have way too much to say, you’ll need to start cutting down what you’ve got. Remember, on the web, people are just a mouse-click away from somewhere else.
That means you have to grab their attention and keep it. And since attention spans are shorter on the internet than just about anywhere else, you need to make your web copywriting lively and engaging.
Cut it down, make it clear
The key with web copywriting, as with just about every other type of copywriting, is ‘less is more’. If you can cut something down, do it. If you can make the paragraph shorter, do it. Because of the way people read on-screen, you can’t have paragraphs that are as long as on the printed page.
So you need to shorten sentences, cut up paragraphs and ‘chunk’ information – break it down into easily-absorbed chunks that won’t have people clicking away.
Make the copy easy to read. Use white space liberally. Vary the length of sentences and paragraphs. If you can, bullet-point your information so people can see:
- what you’re talking about
- why it’s a good idea
- what they have to do next
See how it works? Sometimes, it’s good to think of web copy almost as a graphic space. Look at the white, not the black. Does it make nice shapes? Is it visually appealing? Often, the shape of what you say can add to the message.
| If you want to emphasise something, how about putting it in a box? You could even have a pull-quote from a customer testimonial. Variety makes copy easier to read. |
Lastly, don’t forget fonts. Use as few as possible – one for the body, one for headings. And make sure they’re readable. Lots of perfectly good copy is ruined by hard-to-read fonts. Avoid serif fonts (the ones with squiggles like Times) and stick with either Arial or Verdana.
Coming up next week: The secrets of successful web copywriting – Pt 2: Audience, tone of voice, and the K word.
See you then.
In Box or recycle bin – the choice is yours
 Remember the last time somebody sent you a killer brochure?
No, neither do I.
Brochures often tend to be dull affairs – the sort of thing you skim through, decide they’re not worth the effort, and file. In the bin, usually.
It’s a shame, because brochures are a great opportunity to engage the reader, tell your story, make a promise, and move the sales process along.
Next time you plan one (you do plan, don’t you?) try following these tips.
1. Work out where it comes in the sales process
This is so obvious, it’s easily overlooked.
If a brochure is sent out in response to an enquiry, it needs more information than if it’s a leave-behind (which is, not surprisingly, left behind after a sales meeting).
If it’s part of a sales pack, you want to reinforce your message without repeating yourself, so you need to strike a balance.
It’s always worth remembering that marketing collateral often gets separated, so a brochure that did have supporting material may just end up on its own.
So it’s a good idea to make sure a brochure can stand alone, and still make sense when somebody picks it up in six months’ time.
2. Lead with a strong headline
Ask a question, tell them something they don’t know. Intrigue them (but not too much). Tell a story, and make sure you have a good opening.
Often, brochures simply say: here we are. This is what we do. This is how we do it. This is how long we’ve been doing it for (as if longevity was a guarantee of quality). These are all the qualifications/awards we have (ISO 9001, Investor in People – sound familiar?). And these are our contact details.
Would you respond? Yes, but probably by putting it in File 13.
3. Make it an easy read
Pretend for a moment that you’re the reader, not the writer. Look as objectively as you can at your brochure.
Can you scan and get the essence of the message? Is the information nicely broken up into manageable chunks, or do you just see a mass of text? And are you going to commit the time to reading it, or take that split-second (that’s all it takes) decision to dump it?
That’s how a reader reads.
So make it easy – use headings, bold, bullets, boxes and enough white space. Organise your information logically, and in bite-sized pieces.
In short, write like a reader.
4. Balance copy with graphics
Need to tell people how much they’ll save? Show them, with a chart.
Do you offer free delivery within a 15-mile radius? Then include a map. And if you’ve got a difficult process to explain (or even a simple one) include a diagram.
Graphics and photos reinforce the message, and make it easier to get your point across. And to make sure it sticks.
It’s really important here to use relevant graphics. Don’t just go to your favourite stock photography site and download something generic. If you can, use pictures of your offices, your people, your products.
5. Remember the call to action
Can you imagine a salesperson saying, “Well, that’s it. Thanks for listening to me. Here are my contact details,” and walking away?
Of course you can’t. So why is it that so many brochures do it? After all, your brochure is a salesperson on glossy paper.
So get it selling.
Tell people what to do next – call you for more details, get online and have a test-drive, organise a meeting with one of your sales team, take up the offer of a FREE consultation.
Tell them what to do, and at least some of them will do it.
Don’t tell them what to do, and you know exactly what’s going to happen.
…plus the fascinating world of deposits and withdrawals
It’s Copycam time again.
As I mentioned before, going out for me is a verbal assault course. Everywhere I look, there are lessons to be learned – and recorded for posterity.
Sometimes, though, I don’t even have to leave home.
When my system has had enough caffeine, I often reach for a fruit infusion from Twinings. My favourite is orange, mango and cinnamon – the perfect blend of tang and taste.
Or at least it used to be. Because this:
has become this:
It’s a classic case of features and benefits. Orange, mango and cinnamon are just three randomly combined elements. And it was a combination I liked, though I couldn’t tell exactly why.
But now I can – because it gives me a moment of calm in a chaotic world.
I feel better already.
It’s no accident that Twinings has rebranded its fruit infusions. I’ve noticed recently that Tesco’s own-brand infusions no longer just give a list of ingredients, but create a promise: they’re detoxifying (nettle leaves, hibiscus and dandelion root) or energising (ginger, ginkgo biloba and ginseng).
Or even soothing (camomile, lemon balm leaves and aloe vera). That’s my favourite – I wonder why?
Because selling benefits, not features, always works.
Special branch
Sometimes, you can stretch language beyond believability, so you need to be careful that you don’t get carried away on a wave of enthusiasm.
Just the other day, I was in London, and spotted this:
Another HSBC branch – just what Oxford Street needs, I thought. But it wasn’t just any old branch.
I looked more closely:
Exciting. Yes, that’s what it said.
Now if I played a word-association game, I’d bet my very last orange, mango and cinnamon teabag that you’d never come up with exciting.
Practical, yes. Bright, spacious, comfortable - maybe.
But not exciting.
Would you credit it?
Banks have an odd habit of mangling language. In an attempt to reach out to customers, Barclays decided a while back to be less formal.
Now, every time I withdraw cash, I feel a toe-curling embarrassment on their behalf:
If only their straight-talking approach extended to everything they did.
Just last week, I dropped into my local branch of Barclays to bank a cheque.
A young chap in a smart suit was accosting people in the queue. Were they looking to withdraw cash, he wondered? Because if they were, there was a “security issue”.
I couldn’t resist.
“What’s the problem?” I asked
“It’s a security issue,” he said again, without blinking.
“Yes - I know that,” I said patiently, teasing each syllable out. “But what exactly is the problem?”
He looked at me. I looked at him.
He shifted uncomfortably, and his patent-leather shoes squeaked.
“We can’t open the safe,” he said.
Now that’s what I call an issue.
 “It must be so easy for you,” said the barber, as he clipped and shaped my hair.
“I hate having to sit down and write – all that space to fill.”
The truth is that it’s not always that easy. Sometimes, I too stare at the screen and think Where do I start?
So when BPS (blank-page sydrome) hits, here’s what I do:
1. See the big picture (aka think like an artist)
When I was a kid, I loved watching Rolf Harris. He dipped a big household paintbrush in a tin of paint and sloshed it on.
Not for him the minute drawing and millimetric precision of a draughtsman. He just put the color on the canvas and got on with it.
And from nothing, came something.
Suddenly, a painting emerged, and just before it did, Rolf would say those famous words.
“Can you tell what it is yet?”
So if you’re stuck, try starting with the big picture. Forget about the details – they’ll come later. For now, just throw the words on the page.
Start big, work small, and soon enough, the picture will emerge.
2. Begin at the end
Everything you write has a beginning, a middle and an end. But it’s not always easy to see them so clearly when you’re faced with BPS.
Often, you’ll know where you want to end up (you want somebody to call you, order your product, to arrange a sales visit) but you’re not sure how to get there.
So begin at the end, and work back.
Start with your call to action. Now go back one step to the body of your writing – the place where you list the compelling reasons. Give enough detail as you need.
You know you can’t start with that, so take another step backwards. How are you going to say hello, introduce your concept, pose a question?
Now you have the beginning.
Turn 180 degrees and start writing.
3. Work out what problem you solve
Everybody solves a problem.
Tesco saves me two whole hours every week by dropping off the shopping I’ve ordered online. I need more time; they give it to me.
Your accountant saves you the stress of struggling through your tax return. Plus, he makes sure you pay as little tax as possible, so he pays for himself.
Mostly, the problems people solve are to do with time (nobody’s got enough), money (ditto) or hassle (everybody’s got too much).
So what problem do you solve? Focus on that and you know where to begin.
4. Go back to basics
It’s so simple, but we rarely do it. And I’m often as guilty as anybody else.
Who are you writing for? 65-year-old retired men or teenage girls? Married women or divorced single dads? CEOs or technical directors?
What are you writing to them about? A new product, a special offer, a relaunch? How much detail should you give them?
Why should they take action? Have you given them compelling reasons? Are they really compelling? Become that teenage girl or divorced single dad for a moment. Are you convinced now?
Often, just working through these basic questions puts you ‘in the zone’. And then, there’s no holding you back.
5. Just do it
Remember that time you really didn’t want to go to the gym but you were glad you did when you got there? And how good it felt afterwards?
Writing’s no different.
Meanwhile back in the barber’s chair…
“So easy,” he echoed, looking dreamily into the mirror. His scissors were suspended above my hair.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dead fly floating in the bright-blue antiseptic. And I thought of just how difficult it is some days to put the first word on paper.
We all have off days, I wanted to say to him. Then I looked at the hovering scissors, and checked myself.
“Yes,” I said. “Pretty easy.”
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