5 Tips on Writing To Sell
We often say the power of a pen is mightier than a sword.
There is enough truth hidden in between those words. And, words can move mountains, not strength or technology, rhetorically speaking.
It is the right choice of words that can make or break a business as well. So irrespective of how sane your marketing tricks may sound or how well you optimize the power of digital marketing, the outcome boils down to the right choice of words.
That’s the reason why companies spend dollars on content marketing. This is because the words typed by your writers eventually convey the message correctively to your end consumers.
And, creating influential content that sells is no rocket science. Anyone can master that art, so can you! How?
Well! You can start by –
#1: Stepping into Consumers’ Shoes
Yes! This should be the first step towards building a sound content marketing strategy that can sell.
To understand this point, you need to take a step back and understand why your customers will buy your products or avail services for a price?
Unless your products address their pain points, they might find your service pointless.
So, as a writer, one should sport many hats –
Play the Role of a Detective –
No, we are not asking you to develop the art of deduction like Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot. But, you can learn a thing or two from these classic characters, like read between the lines or capture information from a stream of data.
Time and again, we say know your target audience first. If you do, you can understand what their pain points are? Or, what is their demography, gender, age, preferences, and so on?
Such details are necessary because customers belonging to different demographic groups, genders, or ages will react differently to your product or service. Also, their reception of your messages will be poles apart.
A clear idea might help you develop relevant messages that can directly approach the specific user group and eventually convince them to take the Call-to-Action in your messages.
Become a Psychiatrist –
Not literally, of course! But having a good understanding of how human brains work will help you pen down a perfect and persuasive business copy.
Yes! Sherlock Holmes can guide you through. So, will the star marketeers.
How do you think sales associates manage to meet their targets?
They understand the psychology of their customers and know the exact words to say that will fetch a BIG FAT YES from them.
Or learn from the big and successful business brands. For instance, we love our Cola and do not hesitate to pay the price for a bottle knowing that consumption of the same will not benefit our health.
Or, treat ourselves to a bucket of chicken legs from KFC even though eating out might not be such a great idea during the ongoing pandemic.
Why do customers do that? Is it to satisfy their whims? Or the brands who play on their minds by pushing the right message at the right time.
That’s like creating a psychological effect on a prospective buyer and cash on him.
See, you did not require a degree to master the art and science of human psychology.
#2: Leverage the Power of Social Media
Since you have already perfected the art of analyzing your customers, it is time for you to rule Social Media.
How can you keep aside this platform from your marketing strategy? That will be nothing short of digging your own grave. Or, your business, for that matter!
Yes! Involving social media is a must since we are all living, eating, breathing, and sleeping on these platforms. And, how do you think they flourished?
With the help of content, of course.
Your Facebook is filled with posts, either in the form of words, images or videos. These are contents that users interact with almost every day.
As we said, there are different ways to leverage social media to your brand’s advantage. But, if you are well aware of the ongoing trends, then your priority should be to focus on stories more. Why?
This is because Stories Sell!
Stories can resonate with your audience on a much deeper level. For example, in 2019, Insta stories had reached 500 million daily user counts.
That answers your question.
#3: Newsletter Subscriptions
Newsletters and mailers can always work for your brand. But, here, a lot depends on the content again.
When did you last check your inbox? There are probably thousands of emails lying unopened.
Why do you think we ignore them? – Mostly because they are SPAMS or their Subjects did not entice us enough to open them.
And, yes! This is where you are right. Content and, most importantly, the subject line should be your primary focus. This is because if your subject is not catchy enough, no one will bother to open the email.
What a waste of time and resources, just imagine!
For example, Bonobos gives out simple and interactive email campaigns that easily inspire customers to action –
“Last Day Select your size and get 25% off all shorts Use code SHORT25”
Or,
“Kit for successful email marketing Download it now”
No major brain effort went behind penning these lines. All you need to know are the words that will convey your message briefly and compel your readers for CTA.
#4: Rewrite Your Product Descriptions
If you haven’t, it’s time to check and rewrite. This is because if your messages, product descriptions, emailers, and social media posts talk only about what features you are providing, customers will not relate to them.
They are looking for products that will benefit them.
For example, Bounty is an American household brand for paper towels. According to Statista, “151.75 million Americans used Bounty in 2020.”
Do they care whether or not the paper used in the towels has been sustainably procured?
Do they care what other features this product might have?
All they are concerned about is its usage and how it can benefit them.
The whole purpose of picking this brand as an example is that customers care more about what your products can do for them.
Like David Ogilvy said, “Consumers do not buy products. They buy product benefits”, which is exactly what your content should focus on.
David Ogilvy is known as the ‘Father of Advertising.’ So, maybe, we should all follow his advice.
#5: Stay Brief But Honest
No one is asking you to become a Bestseller Author here! Instead, you have to be smart enough to understand what type of words you should focus on while prepping your copy.
Choosing the right words will help you win half the battle!
And, your focus should be to ensure your every sentence has one CTA – to get the next one to read. But, of course, other factors play a crucial role, too – the size and colour of the fonts, quality of the images, correct spacing used, the design of your website, your adverts and other marketing collateral.
But, at the same time, the choice of words will speak volumes and bring or scare away customers.
Added to this, there is another factor you should keep in mind – staying honest throughout. This is because flamboyant words can serve your purpose so far. If your message doesn’t convey trust and integrity, then customers will catch you red-handed.
After all, customers are not stupid. They are likely to respond to copies that speak their language and are honest about their story.
Someone who is just putting on a show will catch the attention of serious buyers for all the wrong reasons.
You don’t want your brand to face a similar fate?
The bottom line is ….
Any amount of tips, suggestions, and advice can never win your brand in the audience’s favor. It is you and only you who can make that happen. After all, it is your baby, and you can decide what works best for the brand.
The mentioned five tips are just the tip of the iceberg. There are zillion other tricks on the Internet. But, if you want to create a copy for your brand that sells like hotcakes, you can begin by referring to the mentioned five.
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So long, happy reading!