You might often realize that the articles or captions that are calls to action in an advertisement are not created haphazardly. Yes, these persuasive writings are crafted by those who specialize in marketing writing.
Those who work to create short but catchy phrases, concise yet memorable, are known as copywriting professionals, and the writers are often called copywriters.
Their role is quite vital as they serve as the link between the seller or advertiser and the buyer or consumer through written, audio, visual, video, or other types of content.
Especially in today's digital age, copywriting has become one of the essential elements in the field of digital marketing.
For some, the term copywriting may still sound foreign. However, this position plays a significant role in the marketing field.
Below, we will discuss what copywriting is and its role in boosting sales in business.
What is Copywriting?
Copywriting is the activity of writing marketing or advertising text with the goal of persuading consumers to take an action in line with the desired goals.
For example, directing readers to purchase a product, click, download, donate, subscribe, and more.
An advertisement with powerful copywriting can turn someone who initially didn't want to buy into a customer, or from unaware to curious and clicking.
For instance, you're scrolling through a marketplace and see an ad for a shirt with a buy 1 get 1 free promo. Even though you don't need a shirt, the ad copy is so appealing that you end up making a purchase.
In essence, copywriting can be defined as a writing technique used to produce a piece of writing that can prompt readers to respond as desired. The goal of this writing technique is to generate conversions.
To create attractive copy, a copywriter must skillfully play with and arrange words that resonate.
The criteria for good copywriting technique lie in the choice of engaging diction that directly targets the audience.
Read Also: 5 Examples of Food Product Descriptions That Attract Customers
How to Learn Copywriting
Copywriting can be learned by anyone. However, to be more effective, there are some tips that need to be understood for learning copywriting, as follows:
1. Start with the basics
At its core, copywriting is the process of creating persuasive writing intended to influence the actions of a target audience. That's why copywriting is called a universally beneficial skill.
The application of copywriting is not limited, regardless of the type of job, role, or industry, creating persuasive sentences must be done. Therefore, learning the basics of persuasive writing is an effective first step to becoming a copywriter.
2. Learn the structure and types
Copywriting has a structure. There are also various types. The structure of copywriting consists of a headline, body, and conclusion. The headline, for example, must quickly capture the audience's attention.
Remember, audiences are bombarded with promotional messages every day.
So, a good headline is one that can make a persuasive message and be easily remembered by the audience. Then, the 'conclusion' should be accompanied by a call to action or invite the audience to do something after being hit with a persuasive message.
Copywriting can also vary depending on its type. For example, there is copywriting for emails, advertisements, or through social media. Each requires different copywriting skills.
3. Get to know your potential customers
A copywriter is responsible for informing potential customers about what they do or sell. So, they must highlight the benefits of the service or product and convince potential customers that it meets their needs.
To understand customer needs, a copywriter must know who their audience is. Therefore, they need to conduct some research so that the product or service offered can be a solution to the 'pain' of potential customers.
4. Be brief and clear
Today's readers tend to dislike long writings. So, aim to get straight to the point of the message. This is where the importance of the editing process comes in. The key when writing copy is to make it concise.
5. Flexibility
A copywriter is somewhat like a 'tone' composer for various brands. Today they might be selling smartwatches, and the next day, they could be writing copy about software. Therefore, a copywriter must learn to adapt to new 'tones' according to the brand.
Value the reader's time. It's not easy to get people to read long, rambling writings. It's exhausting. Engage them as soon as possible with effective and persuasive word strings.
6. Use powerful words
Avoid powerless words and use strong (powerful words). Powerful words are the main 'weapon' of a skilled copywriter. Strong words are those that experienced copywriters use to trigger a psychological or emotional response from the audience.
An e-commerce platform, Teespring, increased their conversions by 12.7%, simply by adding a few strong words to the call to action section of their content.
7. Practice continuously
Learning and applying good copywriting takes time. The more you practice, the better. Practice makes perfect. This wise saying applies to copywriting.
A beginner copywriter must practice a lot to hone their copywriting skills. Observe, imitate, and modify examples of good copywriting—even those that have won competitions or received awards, if necessary.
Copywriting Techniques
There are actually several copywriting techniques. To simplify, here are three techniques for writing good copywriting: using the 4Cs (Clear, Concise, Compelling, and Credible) and AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action) and PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solution). Here's a breakdown of each.
1. 4Cs
The 4C technique consists of clear, concise, compelling, credible, which in English means clear, concise, compelling, and credible. This technique can help you focus on the purpose of the copy you create.
Clear (Clear): The copy should be understandable to everyone. Use simple words, short sentences, headers, and bullet points.
Concise (Concise): The copy should convey information with as few words as possible.
Compelling (Compelling): The copy should be engaging for all audiences to read. The key? Focus on the readers and their needs, problems, and desires.
Credible (Credible): The copy should be credible. Include whitepapers or customer testimonials.
2. AIDA/AIDCA
Attention: Attract the target audience's attention with headlines written in larger sizes.
Interest: Generate consumer interest in the product by offering something they need, value proposition, and other benefits.
Desire: Make consumers want the product being offered even more. You can insert words or sentences that can influence the emotional or rational side.
Action: Direct consumers to take action according to the goal (call to action). For example: Download now, Try free for 3 months, Donate Now, and so on.
3. PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solution)
Problem: Market or offer products by highlighting problems experienced by consumers. Reach them with issues that relate to their daily lives.
Agitate: Dramatize the problems experienced by consumers and make it seem as though they need to be resolved immediately.
Solution: Provide a solution to the consumer's problems by offering the product or service being sold.
That's a review of how to learn copywriting for business marketing. In addition to applying copywriting to promotional content, you can also take advantage of the Opaper app.
Opaper is a business application that can help make your F&B business operations more effective. With Opaper, your business can be marketed online because Opaper has a customer database feature that makes it easy for you to share discount programs or promotions with loyal customers.
So, register your business or venture with Opaper. You can also download the app for free through the Play Store and the App Store.