6 Reasons to Invest in a Dynamic Copywriter

Great! You’ve created a dynamic product or service that’s primed to explode on the market and your marketing strategy is robust. Now how do you implement your ideas?

Copywriters, of course!

Think about this…how many successful businesses don’t have a sales department? Companies need to move products and services, but this doesn’t happen when left to itself. Salespeople come in to carry out the plans of the marketing department, move product, and generate income. These masters of the human psyche roll up their sleeves and engage the targeted customer base to make the product or service profitable.    

Like the salesperson, a great copywriter delivers your brand’s marketing strategy to the public, creating opportunities for purchases and strengthening your company’s relationship with its clientele.

Copywriting is the science of delivering words that provoke actions. The highest form of copy is that which directs a customer from total apathy to purchase ready, so the actions provoked is the purchase.

The task of the copywriter can be tough to nail down, but, ultimately, it boils down to moving the customer towards a relationship with your company. Their words represent your company, selling the customer on doing business with you. Nick Usborne, the author of Net Words, says, “Go to your favorite Web site, strip away the glamour of the design and technology, and you’re left with words­­­­­­–your last, best way to differentiate yourself online.” These words provide direction, cause reflection, and create desire. The more skilled the writer, the greater your ROI. A copywriter is basically a salesperson who uses written word as his medium.

Here are six ways that great copywriters can create purchase ready customers.

1) They Empathize with Your Customers

Unsure how to market your product? Tap into the customer’s mindset. Understand what keeps them up at night, what makes them tick, and then address those needs, desires, dreams, and fears through your advertising. Empathize with your customers.

Your product has the ability to make a tremendous impact on a person’s life. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in business right now. Businesses are inherently solution driven. Working backward, think about the benefits your product delivers. How does it improve quality of life and provide value?

But wait! You haven’t gone far enough. Keep those customer shoes on and walk another mile in them. Why might they say “no” or choose a competitor’s product?

The beauty of this approach is that it’s a win-win. You make the sale and your customers invest in a quality product with a great company. Ultimately, you take care of each other, which is the best route to securing customer loyalty. Empathize with your customers; take a customer-first approach and they will reward your commitment.

2) They Paint the Picture

Copy must paint the picture of a better future with your product. They have a problem, you have THE solution. Human beings have a basic desire for improving their quality of life.

If you went to college, think about why you made that decision. For the vast majority of people, it was to earn qualifications that would lead to a quality career. They traded four years of earning and experience for tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Between the lost income and student loan debt, that sets college degree holders back over $100k! Why doesn’t that deter the number of students on the degree track? Because college degree holders make significantly more money than those who jumped ship after high school.

A study by Economic Policy Institute shows that college degree holders earn, on average, 56% more annual income than those with only high school diplomas. Those crazy kids who sacrificed additional years of income and experience to earn a Master and Doctorate are earning at the highest rates.

Sounds like a better future, right? Picture. Painted.

Are your advertisements painting that picture? Is life with your product both necessary and better than life without it? Your copy must create a picture of a better, more successful future with your product. Your product will impact the customer’s life. Give them a glimpse of the life they will have when they work with your company.

3) They Provide Value in Content

The internet has revolutionized the purchasing model. The old days of going to the general store, corner market, and convenience megastore are disappearing. Even Wal-Mart is offering online shopping and free two-day shipping. One reason this model is losing customers due to the research ready model of online shopping (another is convenience, but we’re not there yet).

Robert W. Bly, in The Copywriter’s Handbook, says, “The Internet has made consumers more savvy, training them to shun promotion, more easily detect hype, become increasingly skeptical, and prefer educational-type advertising material: advertising that respects their intelligence, does not talk down to them, and conveys information they perceive as valuable in solving their problems or making a purchasing decision.”

Education is a greater part of the sales process than ever before. My wife and I bought our son a balance bike for Christmas. I put two or three hours of research into this purchase. Although I liked many of the high-end bikes, we ultimately decided they didn’t offer enough value to justify the difference in cost between themselves and a mid-tier model, one that I could have purchased either online, at a local bike shop, or megastore. The two top-end bikes I considered didn’t do enough to sell me on their merits, but the mid-tier bike answered all my questions and made my “yes” really easy.

What lesson did I learn? Quality sells, but not if the standard of the copy doesn’t match that of the product. It’s not enough to be the prettiest girl at the dance. Draw your customers in with product quality, then end the search with your persuasive copy.

4) They Frame the Problem

This is a massive tool to use in great copy. The person who frames the problem controls the solution. Granted, the problem must be realistic and common, otherwise you have no grounds for your solution, but honing in on the known issue, anticipating and dramatizing the next problem, and directing these conundrums towards resolution are vital aspects of the sales method.

Whether your clients are searching for you or you’re finding them, you must direct the sales process from the get-go. You’re the expert. Anticipate their problems, frame them in your advertisements, and then win the customer over with your solution.  

5) They Create an Expert

Psychologically, we love being experts. It’s an indicator of knowledge and intelligence. Think of the number of people you know or dealt with in the past who gave away unsolicited advice. Whether they were an expert or not, they genuinely believed they had the answer to your problem and that they were qualified to make the judgment.

Oddly enough, we hate to take unsolicited advice, preferring to make an educated decision and stick with it, regardless of the consequences.

Potential customers are actively turning to your copy for research purposes. They want to learn. They want to understand how your product can benefit them. They want to claim a slice of your expertise. They want to make a decision for themselves and stand behind it.

That’s your company’s opportunity to stand out! Educate the customer. Make them an expert in their problem and the solution (your product!). If they know the benefits of your product, how it can solve their problem, and better their quality of life, then you’ll have no issues justifying the value of your product or service. Experts understand value. As the customer build more value into your product, the more likely they are to accept the price and make the purchase. They now know better than to further neglect the issue.

6) They Know Your Prospects are Busier than Ever

Think about the number of people who wince, maybe even bellow, when they purchase a product online and it doesn’t come with two-day free shipping (or two hours for some). Convenience is a master closer. If your customers understand the time and energy you will save them, you already have one foot in the door.

We live in an Amazon shopping based world. 60% of Amazon customers say that slow shipping deters them from purchasing an item. 31% of consumers are buying their groceries online. We are a society of convenience based consumers.

The less time and energy your customers have to put into the decision-making process, the more likely they are to buy. Now, that’s not to say that they don’t want details, but rather that they want to be sold on the benefits of your product or service. Top copywriters know that each web search is an opportunity to help their clients earn business. A well-measured delivery of the convenience factor helps customers solve new issues in their lives and increases the likelihood of a purchase.

Actionable steps:

1) Review Your Marketing Plan­ – Is it ready for execution? If so…

2) Examine whether you have the resources to match your ambition? Is the information ready? Are your finances in order? Do you have the infrastructure to handle greater success?

3) Find a copywriter who understands your goals and has clear ideas to help you achieve them.

Open and honest feedback is greatly appreciated, as is your contribution to furthering this discussion. Comment below to join the conversation.