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Insight15 October 2012

Copywriting Techniques to Use and Traps to Avoid

Copywriting Techniques to Use and Traps to Avoid

There are a number of pitfalls copywriters can fall prey to when developing effective copy for websites. Long and Concise Copy? You might expect long copy

  • paragraphs stretching to over 1,000 words
  • to bore readers. But studies have shown that long copy is more effective than brief copy... if it is written well. You need to proof your copy, and test it with potential customers to gauge its effectiveness. While long copy can be more effective, you still need to be concise. Get to the point. You probably think fluent prose filled with excessive adjectives and imagery might be good for selling, but try to use it sparingly. This is a website, not a novel. Layout Style What's your layout style? Multi-column layouts provide you with the ability to fit as much copy onto a space as possible, but it doesn't always guarantee that it's actually read. In fact
  • single column layouts drive the viewer to read whatever is in front of them, whereas multi-column layouts let the viewer choose, meaning that they may miss potentially lucrative copy. On a single column layout, you can still use images, subheaders, and other visual aids to break up the text. If you wish to a use multi-column layout, an effective technique involves placing one column of text per row, interspersed with images: As well as being visually appealing, this also increases the chances of the viewer actually reading the copy. Try it out, it works! Use of Negatives If your product or service offers solutions to an issue, then use that negativity to your advantage. Explain how the customer would be worse off without your product or service, and offer the solution. Don't just simply talk of your product in the active voice, concentrating on the product as the subject
  • focus on the PROBLEM. Expressing Percentages Up to 50{06e29518e582b1cc2da09f8f2ea316dadc41c520023bcca83a4deb5e6ad0a3c6} more free, whilst not the same bargain as 50{06e29518e582b1cc2da09f8f2ea316dadc41c520023bcca83a4deb5e6ad0a3c6} off, still sounds just as appealing to customers. Most customers don't see much difference between these two offers, despite them being completely different numerically. Using this simple piece of copy advice, you can use percentages to promote 50{06e29518e582b1cc2da09f8f2ea316dadc41c520023bcca83a4deb5e6ad0a3c6} extra free on your products or services. Don't concentrate on what customers will save, rather on what they can get extra for their money. The Psychology of Copy At the risk of sounding like an academic essay, I'm going to talk about a psychological study to back up my next point about effective copy. Chanowitz, Langer, and Blank tested the power of using reasons to explain requests. In this case, a request to cut in line to use a photocopier (in the 1970s office, no less). In instances where no reason was provided, 60{06e29518e582b1cc2da09f8f2ea316dadc41c520023bcca83a4deb5e6ad0a3c6} let someone cut in line (people are just too polite), but with reasons, a whopping 90{06e29518e582b1cc2da09f8f2ea316dadc41c520023bcca83a4deb5e6ad0a3c6} did. The moral of this story? Always provide reasons. If you cannot do returns, explain why. If you manufacture locally, explain why. People respond to it well, and it takes the edge off something that might make for an unpleasant customer experience, and adds a positive and personal spin to company copy. As immortalised by Simon Sinek, "People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." This became a mantra of sorts for online marketing experts, especially those specialising in social media.

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