Hello My Friend, quick question – in your opinion, what is Copywriting?
According to the AWAI, American Writers & Artists Institute:
“Copywriting is the process of writing persuasive marketing and promotional materials that motivate people to take some form of action, such as make a purchase, click on a link, donate to a cause, or schedule a consultation.”
When we’re talking about marketing your local business, copywriting takes on many forms. Many people think copy is just for an ad or a brochure, but copywriting is possibly one of the most important parts of marketing your local business.
Do you have a website? You need copy.
Do you write emails? You need copy.
Do you have a make social media posts? You need copy.
And, yes, if you create ads or a some kind of postcard or brochure, you’re certainly going to need copy for those as well.
But for today, I just want to get you thinking less about the “what” copy is for and focus more on the “why” copy is so important.
I might have already mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating. Your copy is the way you communicate with your customers. Sure, what you say is important, but how you say it will determine if your customer will read something you write…a second time.
Let that sink in just a bit because it’s waaay too easy to think about the sale right now and forget that creating a connection with your customers is about today, tomorrow, and the tomorrows after that.
Your town isn’t big enough to get by with one sale from each person. And we know that’s not going to happen anyway.
You and I are playing the long game here, and our goal is for our customers to know us, like us and trust us enough to buy from us…and tell others they should buy from us too.
You can do all that with your words.
Yes, Mom was right. “Use your words” might have sounded weird then, but now, since your customers can’t see or hear you, your words can tell them everything with a quick read.
Let’s start with what I think are the top three things to focus on when it comes to copy for your local business.
- Your Story – No one tells it better than you. Who are you? Where you came from? Why are you here? What are you selling us and why we should we care about you are all valid questions.
- Your Brand – You’re doing this business thing for a reason. You’ve invested your time, talent, and treasure into this business, which means more to you than anyone. Now you can tell them.
- Your expertise – You might not feel like an expert, but you know more about what you do than 99% of people out there. Tell them.
Remember that any video starts with a script. Any website starts with a mission statement, and any social media post, website, blog, podcast or email starts with the words you choose to share with your customers.
We’ll talk more specifically about how to write some of these things, but for now, jot down a few things you’d like to pass along to your customers.
If it helps, go back to the old advice of creating an elevator pitch. I found a nice article from Masterclass on creating one. Click here to read it.
If you need any help with your writing, give me a shout. We can talk.
Talk soon!
