Tag Archives: communication

What is Copywriting – The function of Copywrite

Increasingly there are many people wanting to know what is copywriting. It is the art of selling through print. It has nothing to do with just putting content into your website or blog. This article is not copywriting. First of all, your starting point is having a product of service that you offer to a particular market.

Hopefully that market has a particular need or they have a problem. And your product or service fulfills that need. Communicating to that market is what copywriting will be about. You will try to sell that product to your market. There are many people who are involved in the noble profession of selling, as salesperson. This is one way to reach to your customers.

For those who are good at selling, there is certain the possibility of making a tremendous amount of money . But selling is a tough activity. You have to work long hours and face the possibility of rejection. This is why people want to know what is copywriting. Because it’s an activity that allows to sell without necessarily the drawback of live selling.

Many people want to know what is copywriting

To find out what is copywriting, you need to start by the beginning which is your headline. It should reach out to your prospect. The headline is the first sentence of your copy and it should grab your reader and bring him to continue to read. This is why selling with the written word is something entirely different from live salesman.

In finding out what is copywriting, you learn that fact that your headline should have four critical rules called the 4 U’s. Use them, and you will write a great headline. Don’t use them, and your headline will problematic. However, keep in mind that practice makes perfect and so you will get better over time.

One of the U’s that your headline should have as an expression of your desire to know what is copywriting is, usefulness. Your headline needs to give a reason to your prospect to keep on reading.

Freelance Copywriter in the World of Marketing

Freelance copywriter has become an expression that is nearly meaningless. Many use the word copywriting to mean anything that has to do with writing. This demonstrates a lack of understanding between writing and copywriting, which are two different activities, albeit close to each other. This is very evident on the Internet, where this lack of correct understanding has cheapened this very noble profession.

Could anyone call the legendary David Ogilvy, a freelance copywriter who would just create content on demand? What a debasement of the value of this great genius! Who is this man? Why talk about him? Was he one of those graduates from an elite school of journalism? No. He was a Scottish-born French Chef. Yes, you heard me, a chef.

Yet, David Ogilvy was among the greatest freelance copywriters in the industry. A simple man, he was Amish and a door-to-door salesman. He found a job in his brother’s advertising agency. He revolutionized the advertising philosophy.

Interestingly enough the expression “freelance copywriter” is composed of two distinct expressions with different meanings. A freelancer is someone who sells their work or services rather than working for a salary. In another word, he is an independent contractor.

The freelance copywriter is the marketing mouth of the product

The work of a copywriter is to sell print. Whether the print is offline or online, it has to do with marketing communication.  As, Ogilvy is so famous to have said, “If it doesn’t sell it isn’t creative.” This was a revolutionary idea. The world of writing encompasses many specialties. For instance, a journalist writes news, but may not be able to do copywriting. Editorial writing is another activity very much different from the above two. The characteristic of a copywriter is someone who writes to persuade a reader to take action.

Copywriting motivates someone to purchase a product or opt-in into a mailing list. But what distinguishes such writers from content copy, is the action. His or her work is measurable. It can be tested. He may write a brochure, a website or an email in order to ultimately bring a sale.  

It is rather amusing to observe many companies who are looking for copywriters with qualifications like a master in journalism or whatever lofty eligibility they may conjure.
The reality is that there is no such thing. Journalism is not copywriting. Someone with a degree may not be able to write persuasively to close a sale. It is interesting to note that the world’s highest-paid copywriter says that his education is the School of Experience.

Writing for content has its place in the marketing strategy of any business. Presentations, explanations and so on, are necessary. Having a blog is important from both an SEO perspective and a social approach. But the sales letter online or offline is  what drives your business and brings it to financial success.

Having a freelance copywriter working for you means not being burdened by salaries, tax, and legal obligations. By contracting someone to work for you, you simplify your marketing staff and you get copy that guides your leads to the sale button. Keeping in mind that nothing happens in business, until a sale takes place.

A copywriter will be able to write, for instance, two difference copies for the same product. The purpose is to test which copy is better. Both will run simultaneously, but competitively. This is called an A/B split test. This can also be applied for two versions of a web page. As a business owner or corporate executive, you want your visitors to convert.

You can see that the freelance copywriter has a definitive role in the marketing strategy of a business. One that is different from the content marketer or the press release writer.

 

Achieving Web Copywriting

Web copywriting is an exciting thing to do. But it can also have its challenges. What am I talking about when I use the phrase web copywriting? Well, first let’s define what is  copywriting. It’s not just about writing. Meaning a copywriter is not someone who writes. There is more to it than that.

There are different kinds of writing. For instance, you can write novels or romance, detective stories, books of non-fiction such as economics or politics. None of these are copywriting and they certainly aren’t like web copywriting.

Web copywriting is closely related to copywriting which is a form of marketing writing. You need to have a product or service to offer. You’ll need also a market to whom you can sell that product. Your copy is directed to that specific audience. In copywriting, you write in such a way that it persuades the reader of your market to purchase your product.

Web Copywriting needs to motive your reader

Besides persuasive writiWeb trafficng, you will need to guide your reader to take some action. Whether in print  or doing web copywriting, it is the same. You want your reader to click the button, to write down his name and address, and to pay you.

This is the call to action. Sometimes, it may not be the purchase of something. It can be to receive a free book or report or become a member of a list. But web copywriting always ends up with some form of action. You may see things like “limited supply” or “the offer is available only for a period of time.”

Such limitation is to give the reader a sense of urgency. Let’s face it, if the reader doesn’t take action now, he will never do so. Say the person is interested but thinks to himself, he’ll do it later, after feeding the dog, or after dinner.

After feeding the dog or after dinner, he might forget your offer and never buy it. So when it comes to web copywriting, there needs to be a sense of urgency in your piece.

Writing Web Copy – What Should You Know

 The Internet has completely changed the way business is being done. The web is the place where content became king. Writing web copy is an essential part of having a website. Today, mass marketing is affordable to both small and midsize companies.

The reason why writing web copy has become so important, is because the intensity of traffic is determined by the value offered by the website. The more traffic a website receives, the more supply of prospects the web copywriter will be able to tap into.woman writing web copy

Writing web copy is a valuable way of attracting an unlimited number of prospects who will either buy your product or service or will get the information that you provide. Content in a website needs to be constantly updated. And various kinds of writing web copy can be done such as email, case study, sales letter, etc.

When you write a web page, for example, a post in your blog, this is not writing web copy. It is “content”. This is a different kind of writing. This article is content. So what does writing web copy mean? It is a kind of writing intended to sell something with a call to action.

Writing Web Copy Is Writing In a Different Media

Some people believe that there is a difference between the traditional direct mail copy and writing web copy. This is an attempt to create a hype about the Internet. The fact is that writing web copy is exactly the same as a “sales copy” in a different media.

Once upon a time there was only one media, the print media. Copywriting was done in the print media. Then came the radio. Another media. Television, the web and so on, are other media. Writing web copy intends to sell a product to someone. People buy products.

If you want a TV, whether it’s advertised on the web, in your local paper, on radio, on TV, if the offer is interesting you will purchase it.

 

Introduction to Copywriting

Generally there are two reasons why someone would have a website. One is to sell a product or service and the other, is to provide information. In both cases copywriting is necessary.

There are different kinds of copywriting depending upon your purpose. A very traditional meaning of the word copywriting applies to sales letters or otherwise known as direct response letters.

You will find sales letters both offline and online. In fact the Internet is a media of communication. In the offline world, copywriting is done for mail sales presentation. A product or service is being presented with features which are characteristics of the product. And then benefits are introduced.

The Art and Science of Copywriting

The sales letter is the sales pitch for the product. It usually is a pretty long letter that ends by a call to action. This is where, in the copywriting piece, you are asked to make an order. You have been given a numerous amount of benefits of the product, and now make an order.

CopywritingDoing effective copywriting is an art and a science. You can read many books about copywriting. The great ones in the industry have written much about it. Reading about copywriting is certainly helpful, but will not make you a writer. You might want to think in terms of science.

Reading about copywriting is a presentation of how to do copywriting. The author will point out to you general elements. It’s like reading about driving, it will not make you a driver. To be a driver you’ll need to get behind the wheel and be guided by a mentor and drive away.

The reality of copywriting is to sit and write. In fact, can anyone become a writer? The answer is yes. It doesn’t matter your gender, color or age. Everyone can write. It all has to do with practice.

The 3 Tips on How to do Copywriting

How to do copywriting is a question that many people ask. Content is an essential part of the search engine optimization. This is specially true if you are new in business.  There are millions of websites in the world of Internet. Your website is like a match in the Atlantic ocean.

Writing skills is certainly a part of how to do copywriting, but it is not the only one. Your writing has to address a specific audience.

Market Research is critical to How to do copywriting

The first tip, is to know your customer. How to do copywriting is a matter of communication. You need to write to a specific target. What are you selling? I am sure you can answer that. You know all about your product.rose

But good marketing is not about your product. It’s about your marketing. That is the needs of your customers. This is what defines how to do copywriting. In copywriting you communicate with your market, providing what they need.

Sales Letters

The second tip, is about providing your potential customers what they need. One easy way to do that, is to ask them. Surveys can be a very effective way of knowing your customers. This is how to do copywriting. It’s about answering their needs and wants.

Sometimes, you know your customers need something. But that’s not what they want. They will always go for what they want.

Persuasive copywriting

The third tip on how to do copywriting is to be persuasive. Writing persuasively is essential to motivate your prospect to own your product.