How to write a marketing copy that converts?

The Internet is changing the way we think, we read, and we remember. Our brain is responding to the disruption. Every element on the internet is optimized to gauge attention, from the text to the images to the videos. As a result, humans are now 'skimming machines' instead of ‘reading machines’.

The greatest link which piques the reader’s interest is the copy! It’s the duty of marketers to make their copy from drab to fab. Why?

Because in this digital era, a copy converts. A copy creates billboards, brochures, websites, magazines, email, newspaper advertisements, social media posts, taglines, and other marketing communications.?

However, marketers must strategically craft copy that drives sales and increases conversion rates. It should be both functional and psychological; functional for the brand benefit and psychological to reduce drop-off while reading. Well-written, benefit-driven copy will often combine these two to both tell and sell, using this simple: feature + benefit = an irresistible proposition.

Check out these two Instagram pages before we get into marketing copy devices essential for your brand -

• Finshots
• Kraftshala

Analyze their carousels to find a pattern.

OR

Check out this awesome Apple Macbook Advertisement. (Yes, Apple is using these formulas way before)

Found the pattern?

Here are the 5 literary devices essential for your marketing copy -

a) The tricolon - A tricolon is a rhetorical device that includes three parallel words, clauses, or phrases. It is derived from the Greek origin - ‘tri - three’ & ‘colon - section of the sentence’. Several famous examples of tricolon can be found in, “Vedi, Veni, Vici” & “Of the people, By the people, and for the people.” How are brands using this rhetorical device in their copy?

• Apple Macbook Pro - More power. More performance. More pro.
• Apple AirPods - Wireless. Effortless. Magical

Also, check this recent carousel by Finshots to lure the eyes of readers! Did you notice, 'Weird, Whacky, World' words used to increase your intent to read the post? It sends the reader in a state of 'I don't know this, Let me Swipe'.

Tricolon not only captures readers' attention but also helps the audience understand the product's functionality -?in just three words!

b) Parallelism - Parallelism is a persuasive literary device in which parts of a sentence are grammatically the same, or are similar in construction. It can be a word or phrase or an entire sentence ‘repeated’. Several famous examples of parallelism can be found in, “No pain, no gain”, “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Again parallelism can also be explained as a succession of two or more syntactic identical constructions that are connected with or without conjunction.

How are brands using this rhetorical device in their copy?

Here is an example of Nivea’s social media post caption →

"We cannot turn off the winter. But we can turn up the care for your skin."

c) Metabasis - Metabasis is a rhetorical device that consists of introducing a concise statement that summarizes or recalls what was discussed earlier and anticipates what is to come. For example, “Before you say email marketing is dead, check out lead scoring” by Kraftshala.

d) Hypophora - In this literary device, the speaker poses a question and then answers it. It makes the taglines more believable and catchy. If a question is asked first and then answered, it becomes too satiating for the reader, thus engaging him/her.

How are brands using this device?

• Burger King - Trolling your competitor & selling your burger at the same time. It’s difficult but Burger King has mastered it.

• ?Pears - How do you spell soap? Why P-E-A-R-S, of course??

e) Pun - A pun is a form of speech in which a phrase or word unexpectedly combines two different meanings. A lot of brands make their copy punny. This helps them to outsmart other competitors and gain a competitive advantage. How?

• Dollar Shave Club

Dollar Shave Club’s tagline is an excellent example of intended pun + functional benefit which ultimately results in an irresistible proposition to consumers.?

• Amul’s International Yoga Day Campaign -?

Conclusion -?

Individuals or Consumers or Readers are short of time and concentration. Every word must have a reason to be included in your final copy. The literary devices must be used consistently by brands to garner attention and pique interest in the minds of consumers. Not inculcating these in your brand strategy can make the final output dull and disinteresting.?

What do you think about this? I'd love to hear from you.?