Freelance Copywriting, marketing and social media tips

It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, you need great copy if you are going to have an impact on your market.

Whether all your marketing is offline, online, or a combination of both, your sales writing must be active, interesting, persuasive, creative and compelling if it is going to attract potential customers.

As a freelance copywriter I am approached by numerous companies from all industries looking for great sales copy. The majority of  these appreciate the skill that is required to craft copy that will attract, promote and sell their products. They understand the power of professionally written copy and therefore see it as an investment.

They don’t look at my quote as an expense – they see it in terms of what the copy will produce. By investing in my services they will achieve x% higher sales and greater market visibility.

If you needed dental work, you wouldn’t get a quote, scoff at the cost and then decide to do the extraction yourself with a pair of plyers. You would know that you need a professional to ensure the best results possible.

Admittedly that example is a bit extreme, but I think it illustrates my point.

Your marketing materials are your company – they are what your potential customers will judge you on. If your brochures, website copy, newsletters, emails and reports are wishy washy, bland, boring and badly written your company will come across as that too. Utilise the services of a professional copywriter, and you will be seen as dynamic, customer centred and professional.

A copywriter knows that to get their readers to do what they want they have to get inside their heads and understand what makes them tick.

Psychology is therefore a big part of the copywriting process.

Understanding how your reader feels, what they are looking for in life and what problems they are looking for solutions to is the real key to effective copywriting.

It sounds rather daunting, but it is something that can be easily achieved.

Put yourself in the shoes of your reader – why would they want the product you are selling? What will they get out of it? What problem could they have that would be solved by it?

OK, that may seem too much like guess work for many, so how about doing a bit of research. I am sure you know people from all walks of life, many of whom could be prospective buyers. Talk to them; ask them their opinion on the product. Tell them about it and see how they react. Ask them:

• What would make them buy?
• Why they would buy?
• What they would hope to achieve from buying it?

Armed with your newfound insight in to why they would buy, you now need to incorporate into your copy some psychological triggers that will encourage them to get out their credit cards:

1. People love surprises – tell them they’ll get a surprise free bonus when ordering.
2. People want an easier life – make ordering easy and give easy product instructions.
3. People like security – tell them you provide a secure ordering process and privacy policy.
4. People like compliments – praise them for considering your product.
5. People are curious about how it will affect their lifestyle – use ‘Secret’ and ‘Confidential’ to pick their curiosity.
6. People like to invest in their future – use the words ‘invest in your product’ rather than ‘buy’.
7. People like to have the newest or latest things – use words like ‘new’, ‘just released’.
8. People want their problems solved – tell them what problems they have and how your product will solve them.

For many people buying is an emotional action rather than a rational one. By utilising these psychological triggers you can persuade them to buy your product.

The result? Happy customers and a happy copywriting client.

Sally Ormond is a professional freelance copywriter. She has worked with numerous companies spanning a wide range of industries. Her comprehensive range of copywriting services helps her clients save time and money while increasing sales and their market visibility.

You may recall a post on this blog a little while ago called “Proofreading – 3 Simple Steps to Perfection” in which I mentioned a letter I’d received from Google. It was offering £50 of free advertising with Google AdWords but they’d made a blunder:

1. You control where you ad is showing – by country, region or town

Argh! How could a company like Google make such a mistake?

Well, this morning I received another letter from them with the same offer. Guess what?

I opened the envelope with baited breath…had they heeded my words?…Had the letter been properly proofread this time?…

The answer is…YES!

The entire letter is blunder free. Well done Google!!!!!

Everyone knows what a metaphor is. Every work of fiction that you pick up is jam packed with them. By transferring the qualities of one object to another can enhance that object’s emotional impact and change the way the reader sees things.

Metaphors simplify complex principles into imagery that the reader can relate to, break down and fully understand. They enable them to picture the scenario you are describing in terms that they can relate to.

You may be asking yourself why a copywriter is writing about a literary aid such as this. Well, metaphors also have a place in business writing – they can be one of the copywriter’s most persuasive and powerful devices in their literary armoury.

When people ask me how to write good sales copy I always employ a metaphor – write as though you were having a chat over a coffee. Picture yourself sat telling your best mate about this fantastic product and what it has done for you. By employing this method you are steered away from using descriptive language and start to use figurative speech.

Emotional Logic

Buying decisions are always based on emotion and logic, and metaphors can be powerful in attaching emotional significance to the seemingly mundane. When they are used creatively and with imagination, metaphors will colour your writing with feeling and paint pictures in your reader’s mind.

If you use tried old clichés your writing will sound tired – try to be original. I know that is often easier said than done but it will help your writing sound more imaginative and add vibrancy to your persuasive argument.

By employing metaphors you will be adding a while new dimension to your writing. It will become vibrant, vivid and vivacious. Your readers will be able to connect with it. They will be inspired.

I know, I’m a freelancer so I’m bound to say that you should outsource your copywriting.

But don’t just dimiss it. Take a few minutes to think about it.

What happens to you when you are exposed to the same environment continuously?

1. You become totally enveloped by your surroundings and the culture of your business.
2. Before you realise what is happening, you are speaking a different language to the mere mortals that exist outside your work realm.
3. Your products are fantastic (in your eyes anyway) and you can’t think of a single reason why someone wouldn’t by them.
4. You love every feature of it.

Well, there are 4 very good reasons why you should get a freelance copywriter in to write your web copy, brochure copy, newsletters, email campaigns etc etc etc.

You see what a copywriter will bring to the table is:

1. A fresh pair of eyes.
2. Copy that isn’t littered with jargon and techy phrases.
3. An objective view of your product.
4. An ability to identify and sell the benefits of your product.

Now doesn’ that sound like the perfect solution? Find a great freelancer and you’ll develop a relationship that will see your sales soar, an increase in your targeted web traffic and greater visibilty in the marketplace.

Everyone thinks they can write well, and to be fair, some people can. But assuming you can write great sales copy just because you are literate is rather like me assuming I can handle an F1 car just because I can drive.

Just as you would get in a professional if you have any electrical, plumbing or IT problems, why not get in a professional to ensure your sales copy is as strong as possible.