Especially after the last couple of years we’ve had, is there anything more exciting than busting out a new calendar? With a new year comes a fresh opportunity to take your business to new heights!
Some business owners may make 2023 the year to prioritize marketing for their websites. And what better time than now to brush up on your copywriting knowledge? If that sounds like you, you may be wondering:
- How to complete copywriting for your business
- How to complete copywriting for your website
- How to outsource copywriting service
If this was one of your new year’s resolutions, we’ve got some great tips! Read on to learn more about the most important copywriting information you’ll need in the coming year.
WHAT EXACTLY IS COPYWRITING FOR A BUSINESS?
Before we get to the good stuff, we must fully understand copywriting and its main benefits.
Copywriting – also sometimes referred to as content writing – uses words (i.e., copy) to persuade a target audience to take action, provide education on a product or service, or build brand awareness. Great copy speaks to a target audience’s pain points and provides solutions for their needs and wants. It can also provide value or entertainment to form successful relationships and help a brand become an industry leader.
Regularly writing and publishing copy keeps you fresh in your target audience’s minds. Without it, forming relationships with new customers, or nurturing relationships with current customers, would be next to impossible.
A specialized type of copywriting, search engine optimized (SEO) copywriting, uses keywords and other writing techniques to help a business show up on Google search engine results pages (SERPs). Website copywriting creates digital content for pages, including blogs, landing pages, product and service pages, and staff biographies. It combines relatable, helpful content with best practices, like strong calls to action (CTAs), attention-grabbing headlines, and short paragraphs.
Big or small, all businesses need amazing copywriting. Otherwise, your target audience would have difficulty finding you online and may even form a poor first impression of your business. That’s not something you can afford at any point as a business owner!
HOW TO COMPLETE COPYWRITING FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Whether you’re putting together a sales flyer or product descriptions, there’s a certain way to write copywriting that will get results. Here’s how:
#1) Get to Work
Since copywriting involves targeting a specific audience, you’ll need to start by doing some research.
Learn as much as possible about your target audience, including its demographics, content engagement preferences, and informational needs and goals. Put together audience personas from the information you gather through your website analytics, industry blogs, profiling data, and personal experience.
Completing your audience research is a part of your content marketing strategy, which needs to be a priority if you haven’t done one yet. Doing so gives you a window into the type of content that will best meet your prospective customer’s needs and help you increase engagement – and increase sales conversions.
#2) Generate Ideas About What to Write
Next, you’ll need to determine what you want to convey to your target audience.
Always write content with a goal in mind – otherwise, what’s the point? Your content should help your business stand out from competitors and contribute to your compelling brand story.
#3) Write the Content
Now that the background research is done, it’s time to get to the actual meat and potatoes: the copywriting itself.
When putting fingers to keyboard, you constantly need to remind yourself that you’re writing to your target audience (that audience persona you put together in step number one). Use copywriting to address their pain points and demonstrate how your product or service will improve their lives.
Create valuable content – otherwise, readers won’t stick around for longer than six seconds.
#4) Choose the Best Content Marketing Method – and Hit Publish
Depending on what you want to communicate to your target audience, you’ll need to find the right way to do it.
There are over 100 types of content available, and most B2B marketers use approximately eight different tactics. The most popular ones include social media, blogs, email newsletters, and eBooks.
To figure out which one to use for your business, consider where your target audience most likely hangs out online. LinkedIn may be a great place to publish if they’re professionals, whereas high schoolers are more likely to be found on TikTok or Instagram.
Then, think about what type of content will best tell your story. For example, if you have a product, you may want to include a captivating video tutorial to demonstrate its benefits.
#5) Review the Results
After publishing your work, you’ll need to see what worked and what didn’t. This can help you make improvements to get better results next time.
If you’ve posted to social media sites, check out your social media sharing metrics to review what content is the most popular to share and on which platform.
HOW TO COMPLETE COPYWRITING FOR YOUR WEBSITE OR BLOG
Website copywriting is a little bit different than regular copywriting. Our steps below outline tips on how to do it well.
#1) Get to Work
Completing a content marketing strategy and researching your target audience is still crucial, but you’ll need to do more than that.
Topic research is also necessary. It helps you determine what website traffic is currently searching on Google. Once you have a few topics in mind, you can complete keyword research to generate a list of terms to incorporate into your writing.
Having keywords in your website copywriting helps tell Google what your content’s about, and as a result, you have a better chance of getting clicked on SERPs.
#2) Generate Ideas About What to Write About
Now that you have some ideas about what’s trending – and the keywords to use – it’s time to determine your unique angle.
What can you offer to the topic that hasn’t already been discussed elsewhere online? How can you tie your target audience’s pain points to what is currently trending?
Remember: Google frowns heavily upon duplicating content, and doing so can hurt your rankings greatly.
#3) Write the Content
You have only seconds to impress a website visitor, so write as clearly and concisely as possible.
Make your information easy to find and understand, and always, always, always write to your audience. Whether you’re writing a website page or blog article, address your target audience’s pain points throughout your writing.
#4) Publish the Content
When you publish content online, you want to keep readability in mind. Big, bold headlines, lists, and lots of white space are great ways to help readers quickly find the information they want.
#5) Review the Results
Seeing how your content is doing is easier when you have website analytics to review.
Check out the number of visitors on your most recent published post or page, and compare it to past content.
Are visitors spending longer on this page compared to others? How long is a session – i.e., how long is someone spending on your site before leaving? Which countries are website visitors located in (and are they where your target customers live)?
Reviewing valuable data such as this (known as Average Time on Page, Bounce Rate, and Pageviews) can help you create even better, more targeted website copywriting for the future.
As for content that’s already published? Be sure to keep it up-to-date. Rewrite any content that’s no longer current, replace irrelevant content, and fix broken links.
HOW TO OUTSOURCE COPYWRITING SERVICES
If you’re like many business owners, adding copywriting to an already never-ending to-do list is not an option. Yet, you recognize how valuable copywriting is. That’s when outsourcing your copywriting services to an experienced freelance copywriter is especially helpful!
But, it’s only beneficial when you find the right person to trust with writing your copy. You need someone who’s experienced in your niche, has a strong portfolio, asks the right questions, acts professionally, and is dependable. Knowing what to ask when hiring a copywriter for your business can help ensure who you choose is the right choice.
Once you’ve signed a contract, you’ll want to provide your copywriter with details about your project. Give them any background research, access to website analytics, and anything else that will make their job easier. Remember, the fewer rounds of revisions you have to read, the less work you end up doing yourself.
After giving the writer the information they need to start the project, let them go to work. Be open to questions or clarification and provide timely feedback on drafts.
Sometimes, a copywriter will have angles you haven’t thought of or different ways to word concepts. Let them explain their reasoning and seriously consider implementing their suggestions – even if you don’t initially agree with them. They are the expert, after all!
Throughout the revision process, provide the copywriter with constructive feedback. Building a relationship takes time, and keeping the lines of communication open throughout is key to a successful partnership!
THE KEY TAKEAWAY ON HOW TO COMPLETE COPYWRITING
Like most other things, copywriting is not a simple skill to learn. It typically takes time (and lots of drafts!), patience to see results, and ongoing learning.
But when you get it right? It’s allllll worth it!