Copywriting is one of the key skills in running an online business. Communication in any form of business is a critical issue. A shop owner will meet his customers face to face on his shop premises. Someone who lives in an office or workshop will often meet clients face to face or possibly over the phone. Service engineers dealing with household problems will meet with their customers in their own homes when they call to perform a repair, service equipment, or install new components. Internet marketers will probably never meet or have phone conversations with their customers; Your only form of communication will be the words on your websites, in emails, articles, or sales letters. Without the ability to use those words in the right way, running an online business will be very difficult and probably not profitable.
Copywriting is the term we use for any content writing in our marketing, wherever it may be. A little research on the Internet will produce many sites, reports, e-books, etc. offering advice on how to produce copies for an Internet business. Some of these tips are produced by experienced copywriters and marketers, but many are not. If you can find information from a quality source, you can certainly learn from it and gain the skills you will need. There is always the option, especially if you are new to the business, to ‘outsource’ your copywriting through companies like “Fiverr” or “Upwork” which will cost very little. However, it is a good idea to learn the skill of copywriting so that you can produce your own content, articles, and sales letters.
I am not going to try to give a full review of the entire spectrum of copywriting within this article, there is neither the time nor the space. However, here are some tips that are worth considering when it comes to writing.
First of all, you are not writing a novel. I love the work of Charles Dickens, but he would have been a lousy copywriter! All copywriting should be concise and to the point. Avoid flowery language and lengthy explanations. Remember, your reader will generally have a very specific idea of what they are looking for and will ask themselves the question when faced with a copy: “What’s in this for me?” Always try to anticipate any particular questions your readers want to ask, and answer those questions in your writing, before they ask. Think from your prospect’s point of view all the time. Unless you have a particular experience that you feel you need to share to reinforce the information you are discussing, keep the words “I”, “I” and “My” out of your writing. “You” and “You” are the words to use; This is not because your readers are selfish, but rather because they are looking for something very specific to meet their own particular needs.
Always, but always, focus on the benefits of your offering rather than the features. However, they may find the features of your offer exciting or impressive, remember that readers want to know what is in it for them, in other words how it will benefit them. Only write about the features if they add to the value of the benefits in any way. Copywriting is not as difficult as some people try to do, but it requires thought and research to really engage with your potential customers.