**When it comes to creating and maintaining a brand, most businesses will happily invest in a new web design or logo. After all, image is everything.**
But what about content? The design may be the first thing someone notices when they land on your website, but it’ll only be seconds before they focus their attention on your words and read what you’ve got to say.
It’s the same for printed material. How many times have you read the first few lines of a leaflet or brochure, before throwing it away out of sheer boredom?
Words are powerful things. They can persuade, excite and inspire. Best of all, they can sell. (link: https://www.superdream.co.uk/writing-quality-content/ text: Using the right words) can be brand-defining. Using the wrong ones can be disastrous. After all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
So what exactly is copywriting? Copy is what’s written on advertising and marketing material – including websites, brochures, leaflets, adverts, blogs and other social media. And copywriting is the art of selling with words. Brilliant copywriting appeals to the reader’s emotions and desires. It’s clear, concise and compelling; grabbing the attention of your audience and giving them a message they can’t ignore.
And in an increasingly digital age, that’s no easy task, because people’s reading habits are changing. The growth of e-readers, tablets and smartphones bring plenty of digital advertising opportunities. But they also mean more distractions and competition – attentions spans are waning and consumers have less time than ever to spend reading advertising copy. So it needs to be informed, well written and effective.
That’s where a professional copywriter comes in. After all, copywriting is a skill. Anyone can write some words on a page, but a good copywriter knows the right words to say – and the right order to put them in – in order to get the right response from an audience. In short, a copywriter uses content to sell – and the more beautiful the content, the more it’ll sell.
Good copywriting is great. Brilliant copywriting is better. Take Innocent for example. Their playful, humorous and wacky way with words has not only helped their brand explode onto the soft drinks market; it’s helped it to stay there too.
Here’s an extract taken from an Innocent smoothie bottle…..
*“We promise that anything innocent will always taste good and do you good. We promise that we’ll never use concentrates, preservatives, stabilisers, or any weird stuff in our drinks. And we promise to brush our teeth twice a day.”*
And now compare it with one from a supermarket own-brand smoothie…
*“No added sugars, flavours, preservatives or colours.”*
Which one made you smile? Exactly. In a few simple words, you’ve associated feeling good with a bottle of mashed banana. Both labels say the same thing. But Innocent say it better, making you more likely to reach for an Innocent smoothie next time you visit the supermarket, instead of another brand.
That’s copywriting for you. It’s powerful stuff. And Innocent have nailed it to perfection, using their magic way with words to give their product personality and to connect with their customers – leading to bigger sales and an even bigger brand.
Any business can emulate Innocent’s success. All you need is a good understanding of your audience, something unique to say and an awesome copywriter to say it for you.