Easy Copywriting Tips to Improve Your Marketing Guaranteed

Copywriting is in every marketing message your business creates. It affects brand image, your website, your advertising, and every marketing channel you use. So, we've got some copywriting tips for you that work and are easy to implement.

When I started my company website, I thought that publishing content regularly was good enough to meet certain goals like building an email list, growing my social media presence, and bringing in new leads - you know, stuff that could help grow my business - until I realized it wasn't. 

I realized that I needed more than this to achieve my goals. I needed highly effective copywriting.

Copywriting is a business-driven type of writing geared towards selling a product or service. It is used to make people ACT. Copywriting is a task you can do yourself, or you can hire someone to do it for you.

The best copywriters are in very high demand and make a lot of money because what they write creates sales.

In a nutshell, great copywriting can improve your marketing across the board. That's a GUARANTEE!

With that said, I'd like to discuss some simple copywriting tips you can use to help improve your marketing today.

Copywriting Tips to Improve Your Marketing

“Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.” – Leo Burnett

Good copywriting encourages people to ACT - with the emphasis on the word ACT! If your copy makes people take action, then you know you've done it well.

These copywriting tips will help to level up your marketing game.

Tip #1: Forget What You've Learned Previously

If you decide to do your copywriting yourself, then I'd like you to start fresh. Although academic writing is the foundation of all types of writing, copywriting for your business is a totally different avenue.

Grammar and spelling are obviously still very important, but traditional writing techniques, elaborate vocabulary and structural conformity aren't necessary.

Copywriting for business sometimes means breaking the rules of academic writing and creativity will get you the best results!

Tip #2: You Need A Compelling Headline

The first thing that people notice in any type of marketing is the headline. If it doesn't capture their attention the moment they see it, the rest of the content becomes useless.

We respond quickly to attention-grabbing, interesting, and intriguing subjects.

Here are a few samples of compelling headlines:

• "40 Belief-Shaking Remarks From a Ruthless Nonconformist."
• "The Secret to Getting What You Want."
• "How to Find Absolutely Free Images Online."

Check out these headline templates to get your creative juices flowing. I also love this free headline analyzer tool.

Tip #3: Understand the "FAB" of your Product or Service

FAB stands for: 

• Features - What are the characteristics or facts of your product/service? 
• Advantages - What do the features of your product or service do?
• Benefits - How will your product or service make the customer's life better?

Let's say you have a camping business and you're selling a sleeping bag. The feature of the product is a 1-inch insulation layer. The advantage is that it helps retain body heat on cold nights. The benefit is when camping, you’ll have a nice warm sleep and great rest for a day of fun activities.

Clearly defining the FAB of your product or service in all your marketing efforts will make it easy for people to understand what they're going to get.

Tip #4: Find your USP or Unique Selling Proposition

This used to be Domino's Pizza's USP. It's easy to understand and very compelling, isn't it?

According to Neil Patel,

"A unique selling proposition is what your business stands for. It’s what sets your business apart from others because of what your business makes a stand about."

In other words, a unique selling proposition (USP) is the main difference between you and your competition, and why someone should choose to do business with you. USP's are very specific to your business, and will become what you are known for.

Sitepoint put together a simple process for creating a USP. You can check out the article for full details, but here are the steps they outlined:

• Step 1: Describe your target audience.
• Step 2: Explain the problem you solve.
• Step 3: List the biggest distinctive benefits.
• Step 4: Define your promise.
• Step 5: Combine and rework.
• Step 6: Cut it down.

Tip #5: Social Proof Builds Credibility

When you see someone buying a product, endorsing a business, or sharing a video, it naturally makes you feel more confident in checking it out further. 

It's human instinct to follow what others are doing, even if it's completely wrong. 

It's called Social Proof. It ignites human instinct. It commands people to act. Social proof, when presented properly, helps build brand credibility.

Examples of social proof that you can use in your own marketing include:

• Encouraging word of mouth
• Testimonials
• Celebrity endorsements
• Statistics
• Online reviews

Tip #6: Speak Directly to Them

There's nothing more effective than speaking to your audience directly in your marketing efforts just like the Uncle Sam poster above. It's a copywriting trick that really works wonders. 

Speaking directly is very effective in sparking engagement both online and offline.

Here are a few tips on how to speak directly to people in your marketing copy:

• Write from the reader’s perspective.
• Speak in the second person - YOU.
• Try to be more empathetic, less sympathetic, and never apathetic.
• Always focus on the FAB of your offer (as mentioned in Tip #3).
• Use relatable examples and anecdotes.
• Always BE HONEST.

Tip #7: Be Conversational

Copywriting is never about appearing well-educated. 

The more conversational your marketing piece is, the better. High-brow or academic language is good for some types of writing but not for marketing and sales material.

To be more conversational in your marketing copy, try the following tricks:

• Use simple language
• Avoid jargon or technical language
• Abbreviate pronouns properly, e.g. ‘gotta’ vs. ‘got to’

Conversational copywriting is a great way of speaking directly to people and encouraging them to take action.

Tip #8: Target Human Emotions

This one may sound evil, but in the marketing world, it's actually not. Appealing to your customer's emotions is one of the reasons why we need to spend the time getting our copy correct. 

Many people believe buying decisions are based on the external problem a person has, but it's actually the internal problem (i.e., how they are feeling) that motivates them to buy. Tap into emotions and how people are feeling, and they'll take action.

Here are some high emotion words to help you write better copy.

Tip #9: Use a Strong Call-to-Action

Most people will not take action unless they are encouraged to do so.

Always include a call-to-action that clearly tells people what you want them to do...schedule an appointment, get a free consultation, or buy now are some common examples.

Tip #10: Always Use Persuasive Language

The impact of language in marketing is huge. Without compelling, intriguing language, people will not care at all. 

Here are some of the most persuasive words you can use in copywriting:

• ‘You’ – direct and personal.
• ‘Free’ – grabs interest.
• ‘Because’ – provides reasoning.
• ‘New’ – offers something fresh.
• ‘Now’ – means instant.

These words are so persuasive, and they always affect our buying decisions. 

Tip #11: Write with Urgency

Good copywriting always involves an urgent tone. Whether you are offering something online or in your direct mail, urgency is what you need to get people to act quickly.

Here are some tips to create urgency in your copy:

• Use deadlines or time-sensitive language. For example, countdown timers or clocks related to sale items on an e-commerce website.
• Use scarcity. For example, "this offer is good for the first 100 people who respond".
• Create competition. For example, "the first 10 people to respond will receive an additional bonus". 
• Clearly communicate the consequences of not taking action. Avoiding pain is a huge motivator for most people. 

Tip #12: Use a Copywriting Formula

In copywriting, more is less and less is more. It's about applying structure and form on the pieces you are writing.

Did you know that there are copywriting formulas that experts use in their marketing? Here are a few of them:

• AIDA – Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
• QUEST – Qualify, Understand, Educate, Stimulate, Transition 
• Problem, Agitate, Solve

Using a copywriting formula will help you eliminate the guesswork in the copywriting process.

Tip #13: Eliminate All Possible Buying Risks

Writing "100% Money Back Guarantee!" or "With a Lifetime Warranty!" in your copy assures your readers that buying your product is risk-free. It helps build trust and confidence that your product or service is worth the money and the buyer has nothing to lose.

Check out these articles for some additional resources on removing risk:

• How to Boost Your Sales with a Strong Guarantee
• 5 Examples of a Customer Guarantee

Tip #14: Overcome Objections in Your Copywriting

My guess is you hear the same objections over and over again for your products or services.

It's no surprise when they come up. To make your copy more effective, why not include content that helps you overcome the objections you know are coming?

Factors like price, trust, and timing are very common objections for a lot of businesses. You may have others as well. If you address common objections in your copy, the customer will be that much closer to making a buying decision.

Tip #15: Hire a Copywriter

At the end of the day, not everyone has the necessary skills to create great copy. Not everyone has the time to do it either. 

If you run into either of these issues, the solution is to simply hire an expert to complete the work for you.

Expert copywriters are equipped with the necessary skills and tools to create copy for your business.

With that said, don't be shy to ask. Seek help when needed.

Clearly, copywriting in business is incredibly important. The challenge is, writing effective copy can be hard. My hope is these copywriting tips will make it easier for you.

Has this information been helpful for you? Do you have other copywriting tricks you'd like to share?

We'd love to hear from you, so feel free to comment below. We'd also be honored if you feel this article is worth sharing too!

Header image courtesy of Pexels.

About the Author

Tim Fitzpatrick is the President of Rialto Mobile Marketing. At Rialto Mobile Marketing we help take the guesswork out of marketing for small businesses and make it simple. We're the bridge between where you are and where you want to be.