Copywriting for Online Marketing: Tips and Tricks

So you want to get more leads, but it is proving more complicated than you had imagined.

And the ones you have, you are struggling to find the words to convert them.

Getting your business up and running in the digital world requires a careful mix of strategies that need to be blended from a variety of disciplines.

Like a scientist working in a laboratory testing different formulas, it can end in a big boom for your brand, or it could go up in smoke.

Copywriting is one of these elements.

It is the voice you use to talk to your customers. It is the conversations that you have with them, the way you inform them and convince them that your product or service is the one they need.

You may have heard the phrase ‘content is king,’ and in the land of content, copywriting reigns supreme.

It is a part of marketing that comes in a collection of flavors. From website copy and blogs to search engine optimization (SEO) to social media, the application for copywriting in the digital marketing world is vast.

And when done right, copywriting for online marketing can make the difference that sees you beat the competition to secure more sales, generate more leads, and cement your position in your industry.

Here is how you can create the magic of good copy.

The difference between copywriting for online marketing and content writing

First, it is important to distinguish the difference between copywriting and content writing.

While both of them are crucially important, their intentions are tailored towards very separate outcomes for your customers.

Let’s take a look at what they are and what they do.

What is copywriting?

Copywriting for online marketing has one intention. To sell and convert.

These are the words that tell your customers the benefits and features of your product or service and what they need to do to make their purchase.

So what are some examples?

All the words on your landing pages and website
The promotional emails that you send to your customers
Any words that advertise your business
Your product descriptions
Your social media posts and ads
Any scripts that you write for audio or video content

What is its purpose?

Who you are
What your product or service does for your customers
What benefits they will get from purchasing them

What is content writing?

The purpose of content writing is to educate, inform, and bring awareness to your customers about the nature of your business.

Where copywriting for online marketing is sales-driven, content writing is in the part of your sales funnel where your customers need to be nurtured to be reassured that you know what you are doing and to engage them outside of sales-driven conversation.

Here are some examples:

Blogs
Ebooks
Podcasts and video scripts
Case studies
White papers

Why copywriting is so important for your business

Copywriting for online marketing is critical to your business for a number of reasons, and it is the modern representation of one of the oldest and most effective means of selling.

Here are some reasons it is so important for your business:

Better brand representation and understanding of your niche
Enhancing your brand image
A method of communicating with your customers
Converting and boosting sales
Getting new customers through SEO copywriting

Tips and tricks for copywriting for online marketing

There are some golden rules when it comes to creating your awe-inspiring copy that your customers love.

These principles have long defined how businesses like yours communicate effectively with the people who are interested in what they have to offer.

Know who you are talking to

Before you say a single word, you need to know who you will say them to.

Finding out who your customers are is one of the fundamental building blocks of writing good copy. Copywriting is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Your customers have different needs, dreams, and personalities, and you need to speak their language if you are going to persuade them effectively.

So, you need to create what is known as a ‘persona.’ A representation of your ideal customer. This process of copywriting for online marketing determines things like:

Their age
Location
Goals
Occupation
Their preferences
Hobbies
Pain points (what your product or service will help them fix)
How and where they like to communicate

Once you have created this ‘person,’ you can speak to their wants, needs, and goals. Speaking directly to this person and purposefully in the ways and places that resonate with them gives you the best chance of tailoring your communication to suit them.

Make your headlines catchy

These days, people’s attention spans are short. And that is an understatement. You will only have a few seconds to grab it and to hold it.

Anywhere between 10-13 words in your headlines will mean twice as much traffic to your website.

This is why your headlines are such an essential element of copywriting for online marketing.

Your headlines will work better when you follow the laws of ‘U.’

Useful
Urgent
Unique
Ultra-specific

Your headline is your chance to tell your audience what they stand to gain from what you sell. Why is it the product or service they need? What makes yours better than your competitors’? Why should they choose you?

Answer these questions in your headline, and your customers will take the actions you want them to.

Use storytelling to your advantage

Since the dawn of time, people have told stories to project meaning.

You see, your customers don’t buy products. They buy the solution to their problems. They buy the things that bring them closer to their dreams. It is their emotions that define their purchases.

When you use the magic of storytelling in your copywriting for online marketing, you are tapping into these emotions.

Here is why storytelling is such a potent selling technique:

It builds trust
Makes your brand unique
Creates content that is memorable and shareable
Boosts loyalty and engagement
Drives more conversions and sales

Be conversational

One of the secret ingredients to creating copy that sells is not to make it sound like you are selling anything at all.

Nobody likes when you talk to them like you are selling them something. It comes across all wrong, and as people, we are constantly being bombarded on the internet by salesy language that is impersonal and insincere.

Be human, and you will be remembered.

Even personalizing your call-to-action can increase your chances of conversion by 200%.

To do this, you must be very clear on your brand ‘tone’ and what your brand would sound like if it had its own personality.

Follow these guidelines to connect to your customers and make them feel understood:

Analyze the competition and how you can say things differently to them
Define your benefits according to the ways your customers need them
Use full sentences (not long ones)
Use fewer syllables when talking about your product or service
Make sure you know the core emotion you are trying to convey and stick to it

By eliminating the jargon and the buzzwords in your industry and speaking your customers’ language, you immediately create an emotional connection that sets you apart from the competition.

Show them how your brand fits into their lives and how you care about them. They will appreciate it more than you realize.

Get to the point and solve their problems

Now, just because you are being more human and driving a conversation with your customers does not mean you need to waffle or say too much.

The goal here is to be short and sweet.

Show your customers that you understand their problem, then show them how your business solves that problem for them.

Be clear on what your benefits are and how you can change people’s lives who are interested in what you are selling. In doing this, you are forging and nurturing trust that will make them loyal to your brand.

Keep coming back to your core messaging. If you need points and information to supplement that message, ensure you stay connected to your identity.

It is easy to get carried away talking about how amazing your brand is, and it is always a good idea to enrich your copy with words that have impact and meaning.

But when it comes to copywriting for online marketing it is just as vital that you keep reworking the words to say as much as you can with as few words as possible.

Give your brand a voice and start communicating with your customers more effectively than ever before

Now more than ever, ensuring that your copywriting is tailored, personal, and strategic will give you the edge over your competition, bring customers into your sales funnel, and drive conversion rates.

You may have been tempted to use generative AI tools like ChatGPT. But the future of marketing is to be more human.

Not less.

At PROVEN 360, we know the value of words. We know they are more than just characters on a screen. We know that they can create an emotional connection to your customers that lasts. And above all, we know people.

Talk to us about how our copywriting solutions can build your brand, help your customers find you, and grow your business.