Every business, no matter what they are offering, needs to continuously provide well-written, engaging, and relevant copy. It also doesn’t matter what the marketing message is being carried by, social media, press releases, blogs, or a company website. The content also needs to be updated on a regular basis to keep customers coming back.
Having an experienced marketing firm, like Marbury Creative Group, help you with copywriting for your business is going to keep you ahead of the competition.
Here are the 7 copywriting mistakes that possibly are decreasing your sales.
#1. Forgetting SEO
The three things content needs to be is discoverable, engaging, and on the brand. If you have hired a copywriter, they typically get two of these right and forget about one of them.
Most written content is on brand and engaging, but it is hard to discover. The discovery part is the search engine optimization or SEO portion of the equation. It is a must-do to create a content strategy that includes SEO-focused keywords and integrating the verbiage used by the targeted audiences.
Viewing the top searches already on various search engines will give you an idea of which keywords are used most often. Reading through other’s content can also give you an idea of what type of high-quality writing you want from your copywriter.
#2. Focusing Too Much on SEO
At the other end of the idea of incorporating SEO is using it too much. And then forgetting there are human readers, and customers, looking for your products and services. Yes, there is a certain formula and algorithm being deployed to rank your website and collective digital media through a computer for SEO. However, ultimately, a human will read your content.
You want your articles to be written for existing customers and potential customers, not for some computer ranking system. This can be difficult when you are trying to fit too many keywords into a single 500-word article.
Focusing on value content rather than packing an article with keywords, will have your customers liking and sharing your articles, which will help spread the word of your business.
#3. Don’t Over-Write
The long sales copy has become a thing of the past. No one reads content longer than 1000 words. Skimming is the new reading because the average person has so much content to get through in a day.
This doesn’t mean you can’t throw out a random longer word article, just don’t do it too often. As long as it is relevant, well-written, and of value, go for it. Add appropriate and significant photos and or graphs to longer pieces to break up the written text.
For short content, be careful with every word. Make sure there is no “fluff” in your articles. Short and crisp is the way to go for today’s articles. No one has time for anything but what they are looking for and therein lies the key to a successful copywritten article. A writer that can produce this type of copy is one you should use again and again.
#4. Using an Overly Promotional Tone
Well-written and effective content will drive customers and sales to your website. A copywriter needs to include a clear “call to action” without sounding overly promotional or even like the content is an ad.
Consumers see right through this type of blatant advertising. Good copy shows the benefits of a product and the value of something versus trying to sell something.
#5. Being too boring or formal
Creating the best marketing advertisement does not require you to write like a former or the next literary giant. Creativity, correct grammar, and not so many big words are going to be everything needed to bring in the customers looking for what you have to sell. Short and to the point is better than having to read through large, long prose that barely makes sense.
By the same token, don’t talk down to your audience. No one likes to be talked to as if they are too stupid to understand something. Remember, the content should make sense, have value, and if it is entertaining, so much more the better.
And stay away from negative words as much as possible, even if you need to make a point, try to do so with positive words. People subconsciously pick up on negative wording and this will turn them off when it comes to association with your products or services. Keep things as upbeat and light as possible.
#6. Not Writing from The Customer’s Perspective
Often, a marketer will write from their internal perspective of the brand, rather than removing themselves from the context. A writer of marketing content should focus on the direction, needs, wants, and desires of the customers they are trying to attract.
Irrespective of how a product or service is conceived, copywriting should be used to engage the reader and ultimately, have them want what you are offering.
This is a fine line to walk when writing engaging content. To sell something without sounding like a sales letter or promotion is the best way to write copy in today’s competitive world.
#7. Including Trade Terminology
A common writing mistake is to use trade terminology in your content. Marketers use acronyms, insider language, and jargon that only other insiders would understand, and this turns off “regular” readers faster than anything.
Your audience needs to know what you are talking about or you will lose them. The best way to keep your customers, and attract new ones, is to have an outsider write your copy for you. Then, you or someone on your team could read it over for continuity and to make sure it is what you want to project for your business.
By paying close attention to the quality of your copy, you will ensure your product and/or services stand out from the many others. Hiring a creative marketing group will help you get the upper hand and allow you to concentrate on your business and not only the advertising.