7 Writing Tips For Effective Marketing Copy

CLICK—WINDOW CLOSED.

Do your customers really read your text to the end? Or are they reaching for that x at the top of the screen before they’ve finished the introduction?

If you aren’t sure, ask yourself this question:

Are you still talking about your product? Or are you writing for your customer?

Many businesses make the mistake of writing marketing content from the wrong perspective—their own.

Uh-oh. You’ve got the wrong perspective? I can relate. I used to be the same. It may seem trivial, but the results certainly aren't.

Your customers will carry on reading elsewhere. They’ll be off quicker than it takes you to click on that clickbait article.

Lost the reader? You can't afford to let that happen! That’s why right now, I’m going to show you how to easily shift your perspective so you can write for your customers.

HOW TO WRITE FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS: 7 WRITING TIPS FOR BETTER MARKETING CONTENT

Flipping your perspective is actually quite easy. With these tips in your arsenal, you’ll be writing texts that feel much more personal and connect with your customer better in no time.

WRITING TIP 1: HEY THERE YOU! LOOKING THE CUSTOMER IN THE EYE

No matter what words or register you use to address your customer, address them directly. And we’re talking customer—singular.

Don’t direct your writing at a group of readers. Instead, write to just one person. This will make your customers feel like you are speaking to them. After all, when your customer is browsing online and comes across your website, they usually won’t have a couple of friends looking over their shoulder.

And do you know what else? Addressing people directly comes with an added bonus.

Humans are pack animals. They want to be where the action is. So don’t party without your customer! When you address them directly, they feel like part of the action and form a connection with you. It’s like saying: welcome to the club!

WRITING TIP 2: YOUR CLIENT'S PROBLEM IS YOUR BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY

Every text you create should solve a problem. My copywriter colleague Daniela Rorig recently wrote the following in a newsletter:

Your text doesn’t solve a problem? Then scrap it.

When you solve a problem, you offer your reader something valuable. And that’s precisely what makes it worth it for them to read your text.

Here’s an example (I can’t help but make it about food—occupational hazard!):

The glass bottles that True Fruits Smoothies come in are great to re-use. With the help of a special accessory, they become stylish soap dispensers. A blog post like this—containing upcycling instructions—addresses a specific problem among a particular group of customers. These customers are always on-trend and are looking for stylish interior accessories that make them feel at home.

Your brand’s USP can also solve a customer’s problem. Here’s an example:

Your company makes preserved vegetables. Peas and carrots. What makes your product special? You know which field each and every pea and carrot in the can came from.

Mrs Smith wants to know where her food comes from. Your cans not only show where the product came from, they also have a photo of the farmer. So Mrs Smith can rest assured that your product is good because you have clearly shown her its background.

WRITING TIP 3: MEET YOUR CUSTOMERS IN THEIR “UGH. TYPICAL.” MOMENT

Tell your customer’s story. This is connected to the problem that you are going to solve. Paint a detailed picture. Like this, for example:

The secret life of a fridge: a half-eaten chocolate bar, two shrivelled tomatoes and 13 bottles of nail polish.

It's always the same. Because you never know what to cook.

At the supermarket, you throw things in the basket on autopilot and then at home you realise that you don’t have the ingredients you need to make proper recipes—again.

What if there were an app that lets you tag your favourite recipes and then makes a shopping list of the things you need to make them at the touch of a button?

No way? Way.

End of example. I’d like to get a hold of that app.

WRITING TIP 4: NO ONE LIKES BUSINESS-SPEAK

How do you talk to your colleagues in the cafeteria?

Do any buzzwords come to mind? Of course not. And these aren’t the words that connect with your customers either. Drop the business speak and start speaking your customer’s language.

For example, does your typical customer know what a cooperative is? No? Then hold the explanation on the “about us” page. Instead, say:

We are Superfresh Veg: 50 farmers who bring you local, organic veg every day.

WRITING TIP 5: QUESTIONS MAKE CONNECTIONS

Loosen up your content with some questions. This will get readers hooked and eager to keep reading. For example:

Does the same thing happen to you?

How do you like to start your Saturday mornings?

WRITING TIP 6: HAVE A CHAT OVER COFFEE WITH YOUR CUSTOMER

Imagine you and your customer are having Salted Caramel Lattes at Starbucks (and you just nabbed the last free sofa).

Now read out what you've written in a loud voice. How does your writing sound in that Starbucks with your customer?

Artificial? Are you stumbling over some of the phrases? Then it’s time for a re-write. People don’t want to read artificial texts that are hard to understand any more than they want to hear them.

WRITING TIP 7: THE DEVIL IS NOT IN THE DETAIL

Not in marketing content anyway. Details actually make your texts more vibrant and help them stand out. They make them as exciting as a Joy Fielding thriller.

So sprinkle them generously throughout your content. Just like I did with the Salted Caramel Latte at Starbucks. After all, you know your customers. You know their needs, worries and passions, so use that.

Which of these sounds more appealing?

Imagine you are having a coffee together.

Or:

Imagine the two of you are having Salted Caramel Lattes at Starbucks (and you just nabbed the last free sofa).

See?

Now I need a gingerbread latte to go with this blog post. And something for you? How about a short but sweet summary?

CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND WRITE FROM YOUR CUSTOMER’S POINT OF VIEW!

What does this do for you?

· You keep your readers hooked.

· You get your message across.

· Customers believe in your product.

· You get new business.

YOUR NEXT “TO DO” FOR MARKETING CONTENT: USE THE CHATTING OVER COFFEE METHOD

The next time you are confronted with a blank document on your screen, write: “Having a coffee with [insert name of your best friend or someone you know well].”

That will get you right into the “chatting over coffee” frame of mind.