Every single business HAS A STORY

January 30, 2021 2:07 am | Posted in Features | Share now TwitterFacebook

Your business has a story. It’s probably a great story, right? You gallantly fought a dragon to rescue a prince/princess who gave you the secret to the problem that you now solve for your customers.

Copywriting, in its most simple form, is the art and craft of storytelling. When we talk about copywriting, we’re talking about the story and message that your business is sharing with your audience across many different mediums. This will include your website pages, blog posts, emails that you send, social media posts and more.
The story that you share helps prospective customers to understand who you are, how you can help them and if you’re the type of business that they want to work with.
When people visit your website or social media page, it’s your job to engage them and capture their attention. A user who is engaged will spend longer on your website, and there’s a greater chance of them taking the desired action. The desired action could be to call your business, book an appointment, fill out a contact form or purchase a product.
If you don’t engage the user, your chances of getting them to take any desired actions on your website are close to zero. They are far more likely to head back to the search engine and visit one of your competitor’s websites.
The copy you create is important to the search engines too. Search engines such as Google will rank websites based on the relevance of the content on your website. If a user performs a search that Google feels your website is relevant to, you will appear higher in the search engines.
Let’s look at some simple tips on how you can improve the copy that you create, not just for your website, but for the whole message that your business shares with your audience, whichever medium you choose.

Who Is It For?

The very first thing you need to think about is who your website is for. The obvious answer is “my customers”, yes. But… who are they?
When you’re creating copy and sharing your story with your audience, you need to have a clear idea of who they are, what motivates them, what type of content they engage with and where they hang out online.
Here are some initial questions and ideas that you can consider when thinking about defining your audience and your ideal customer.
• What are some key demographics? (age, gender, location)
• What are their interests/hobbies?
• What are their values?
• What problems/needs do they have that your business is solving?
• What motivates them to seek out a business like yours?
• What type of content do they engage with? (blog posts, emails, videos, social media etc.)
• Where would you find them online? (video sites, social media, search engines, etc.)

Once you have a clear idea of who your ideal audience is and how you can find them, you can share your message in a place that they will find it. Your message will be crafted so that it captures their interest and speaks to the specific problems that they have.

What Are You Solving?

Every product or service that you sell solves some type of problem or need that a potential customer has. They’re looking for the solution to their problem when they look for a company like yours.
Think about the problems that your customers face. Are you effectively communicating your products or services as the solution to these problems right now?
It’s easy to make the mistake of bombarding your audience with the features of your product or service. Sure, these are nice if someone wants to compare technical specifications on a laptop or camera, but for the majority of your customers, they want the solution to their problem.
It all comes back to the simple question of “what’s in it for me?”, which is something that your potential customers are thinking about when they visit your website.
Instead of talking about features, you should consider focusing on benefits instead. Benefits speak to the desires that your customer has, such as saving time, reducing costs, being healthier, making more money or being more productive.
The easiest way to turn features into benefits is to use a method called “so what?”. Let’s take a closer look at this and how it can help you.
For every feature that you have on your website, you can ask yourself “so what?” and find the real benefit for your customer.

Here are some examples:
• We have an internationally trained chef – so what? – Dine with us for a guaranteed delicious and memorable meal
• Our company has been in Vanuatu for over 30 years – so what? – Benefit from our strong connections and unparalleled knowledge of our specific sector
• Storage for 5Gb of MP3s – so what? – 1000 songs in your pocket (Note: This one is famous from Apple’s Steve Jobs when he first introduced the iPod in 2001).

Telling your customers what they will get AFTER they purchase your product or service is extremely powerful. You want to sell them a better future. This is the basis of great persuasive copywriting. TIP: Look through the copy on your website and pay attention to where you are talking about features. For each feature, ask yourself “so what?” and find the real benefit to your customers. Now you can have a persuasive copy that powerfully speaks to your customer’s future.

Simplify

Copywriting doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, you should keep your
copy simple, clear, concise and easy to read. Short sentences and paragraphs will keep your visitors engaged when they are learning more about your business.

Avoid using “we” or “I” too much on your website. This creates a disconnect
with your audience as they want to know what they will get from your
business. They want to know what is in it for them when they’re reading your content.
Don’t forget to use conversational copy, just as if you were sat on the other side of the desk to your reader. When a reader feels like you’re talking
directly to them, it captures their attention and makes them want to read
more of your content.
If you would like to get more tips on effectively using storytelling to share
your business message and attract the right customers into your business
be sure to download the full Polinet guide on Copywriting here https://
www.polinet.website/copywriting/ Written by Polina from Polinet – on a
mission of advancing Vanuatu digital development.