Apr 20, 2017

Copywriting Tips

Hosted by Justin Shoup and Vince Ventura

Goals:

How to lay the groundwork for good copywriting.  Find tools to help you write compelling copy. Where do we use copy? Final steps in writing good copy.

SnapRetail's 15 Copywriting Tips

1. Determine your voice. Who is your target audience? Write in a style that will relate to your audience.
   1. Write to that person rather than at them - in other words - replace We, Us, Our with You (or You’ll or You’re). Instead of: We’re having a 50% off sale. You’re invited to save 50% off. Instead of: We have the perfect prom dress. You’ll find the perfect prom dress.
2. Write like you are talking to ONE person - this is why it is so important to determine your target audience. Also, this is why it is important to segment your emails (and targeted landing pages) if you have many different target audiences.
3. What is your ONE end goal - write to lead to that ONE conversion action you want.
4. For email and social have ONE simple Call-to-Action that will lead to that conversion. Consider testing your CTAs - Buy Now vs. Get Mine. Register Now vs. Join the Event or I’m In.
   1. How will this product or service or attending this event solve a problem or make their life better? What’s the promise you are making in the copy and how are you going to deliver on that promise? Your neighbors will be envious of your garden with this decor. You’ll look stunning in this prom dress.
5. Focus on Benefits of your product or service or benefit of taking action on the CTA rather than Features.
6. For email or web start with a headline then have body copy below. Think about a newspaper headline. Consider using bullet points, bolding, or numbered lists to guide the reader below the main body copy
7. Avoid large blocks of text. If necessary, separate into smaller paragraphs.
8. For creative writing review a word list or something else like a Pinterest board to give you inspiration before you write.
9. Start a draft, take a break and come back to it
10. When you come back to it look for words or phrases that can be eliminated to make the copy shorter and easy to digest. Examples : Very, really, just, simply
11. Are there any words that are repeated or could be stronger? Use a thesaurus to find alternatives for those repeated or weak words. “Great” is a good example of a word to replace.
    1. There may be others - what terms are your customers using when they are talking to you, filling out surveys, answering on social, replying to emails. In your Google Analytics what are the search terms they are using to find your website. This will help you write your copy in THEIR language.
12. Are there words that are used in your industry, but customers might not understand or recognize? Replace them! Ones I hear all the time: Vendors - use brands instead, most customers probably think of you as the vendor and will be confused. Going to market or a buying trip - customers won’t know what this means - simplify things -you are going to find new products for the store.
13. PROOFREAD! Consider having a second set of eyes on your writing.
14. Find your best time and atmosphere to write. Is it in the morning as you drink that cup of coffee, in the evening as you are relaxed, or in the afternoon after you’ve had an energizing lunch? Do you write better in silence, listening to music, or maybe the hustle and bustle of a busy area gives you inspiration.
15. SnapRetail makes it easy by giving you a starting point for both email and social.

Keep in Mind:

• Write to one "ideal" customer
• Use word lists for inspiration
• Remove unnecessary words
• Find the words your customers are using
• Always use a Call to Action
• PROOFREAD!