How Copywriting Can Transform Your Business

How Copywriting Can Transform Your Business: The phrase, “I’m not a writer” is so common amongst both university and business office hallways, you’d think that it was a badge of honor. Writing is one of the skills many think of as needing a special gift for, like a pro athlete or artist. However, like sports or graphic design, writing is a skill that can be taught, practiced, and then successfully interwoven into any career or industry.

You don’t have to want to write books or even white papers to hone your skills in copywriting. The best copywriters are the ones who not only know how to string words together, but are also experts on their industry. And as a business owner, copywriting on behalf of your own business can help you be more articulate, persuasive, diverse, and competitive.

Articulately Describe What You Have to Offer

When a piece of writing isn’t very strong, most customers will find themselves getting distracted or losing interest in the main points of what the words are trying to say.

These two sentences say the same thing, but you can instantly tell which is weaker and thus, more likely to lose your potential customer’s interest:

We offer hand-woven rugs from around the world for under $500.

Our intricate, hand-woven rugs from global artisans are something that can never be duplicated, all for under $500.

By going into more detail about what is unique about your product, the customer is going to be more interested in what your business has to offer. Anyone can simply say what you have. It takes a talented copywriter to point out what is unique and thus, why a customer should choose one business over the other.

 In this example, pointing out that these rugs are from talented artisans and that they can’t be duplicated makes the customer feel like they can’t miss out on this deal. Think about your business from the perspective of your customer—what is so special about your business that would convince them to chose you over someone else?

Easily Rise Over Your Competition

No matter what industry you’re in, there are likely tens (or even hundreds!) of competitors out there that are offering a similar or related product or service. One of the biggest struggles of business owners today is how to compete with others in their market to get more of the customer base.

Good copywriting is an overlooked aspect of basic business practices that many organizations gloss over on their way to be the best. However, being able to succinctly and persuasively write about your business and the industry is likely something not many of your competitors have even thought of.

When it comes to creating website pages or collateral about your business (like a pamphlet or newsletter), it helps to outline the bare bones before giving it that special “wordy flair” that makes all the difference. Write down the main points of what you want to say, then create a mind map or bulleted list of how you can uniquely prove your points.

Copywriting Goes Beyond Your Website Pages

What’s more, good copywriting is a necessary skill for other types of content besides website pages. Email marketing campaigns have, on average, a median ROI of 122 percent—more than 4 times higher than other forms of marketing, and good copywriting is the only way you can make an impact in the short time it takes for customers to scan their incoming email.

From testing email subject lines to writing persuasive landing pages for special promotions or packages, the best copy is clean while also evoking the right feeling. If you can make customers feel like their lives or their business can only be improved by buying your product or service, you make it hard for them to resist and say no to what you have to offer.

Once you’ve written out your pieces of content, try reading it out loud to yourself to check for grammar, flow, or syntax issues. You can also ask a copyeditor or trusted (and well-written) colleague to review it for you as well. Good writing takes practice and lots of edits.

Better Business Deals

Finally, studies have shown that readers and writers have better language skills, which leads to better conversations and interactions with colleagues and potential clients. In fact, having anything to do with the written word (whether creating it or just absorbing it) has been found to have several beneficial effects.

Many successful businessmen throughout history (like Warren Buffet) have found that writing helps them clarify their thoughts more clearly, whereas reading has been shown to make people more empathetic, increase memory and brain function, and help decrease stress.

All of these benefits can help you become a better entrepreneur, as a more poised business owner is sure to translate to more business deals, whether it’s in person, through an email campaign, or even on the phone. Work on your copywriting skills regularly to help your business flourish and you’ll see lasting results, both in your business and in yourself.

Author: Kelsey Jones

Founder & Chief Marketing Strategist, Six Stories

Kelsey Jones is a writer and digital marketing consultant, specializing in content-driven strategy that can increase engagement and traffic. She was executive editor of Search Engine Journal and a judge at the US Search Awards for over three years and has worked with brands and industry experts like Guy Kawasaki, Salesforce, Intuit, and more.

Disclosure: I am an independent ClickFunnels Affiliate, not an employee. I receive referral payments from ClickFunnels. The opinions expressed here are my own and are not official statements of ClickFunnels or its parent company, Etison LLC.