If you’re failing to attract an audience, convert customers, or generally grab your audience’s attention, you might need copywriting help. Copywriting is what converts prospects into customers. In a sense, it’s the 24/7 salesperson for your online business strategy.

Your blog posts and social media are the keys to getting people into your store. They’re an essential part of your marketing plan, but they aren’t the whole plan. Once you get potential customers into your website or online store, you have to convince them to buy or sign up. That is the job of copywriting.

Here’s what you need to know about copywriting and marketing.

What is copywriting?

First, let’s clarify that content writing isn’t the same as copywriting.

Copywriting is writing with the intent of having a customer take a specific action. Your business can use copywriting all across the web:

• On sales material

• On webpages

• In emails

• For social media

• In digital ads

• and so much more

Copywriting can come in the form of short and straightforward taglines and long, in-depth sales pages, depending on your brand’s goals, voice, and demographic.

Related content: the complete guide to content marketing

Let’s look at an example of a company with short, to-the-point copy on their homepage:

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Ipsy’s tagline, “Beauty Picked Just For You,” is an example of copywriting. It grabs the intended customer’s attention and encourages them to read further. Ipsy then allows the customer to subscribe to their makeup curation service if they wish.

Prospects are given the monthly price, in this case, $12. Ipsy’s copywriter also makes sure customers are aware of the cancel anytime guarantee.

If a potential customer doesn’t make a purchase, they’re presented with ads meant to persuade:

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For Ipsy, these short and sweet messages convey everything the customer needs to know to get started.

Products with a higher price point need a different copywriting strategy. Let’s take a look at a sales page at Copyblogger:

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Copyblogger is trying to sell a membership to their education portal for a higher price of $495. A sale at this price point takes much more consideration and persuasion than a $12 product or service would.

On this sales page, the copy is much longer. The copy is intended to connect with its audience, explain the benefits of the service, and highlight its value.  

What Does a Copywriter Do?

Copywriters are writers who are specially trained or have experience writing web copy that converts.

They study the behavior and language of specific demographics on behalf of businesses. Copywriters then figure out how to talk to that audience in a way that relates and converts.

Copywriters can write a variety of different material, including:

• Sales pages

• Website copy

• Social Media

• Google Ads

• Email newsletters

Using copywriting to achieve marketing

goals

1. Powerful storytelling helps build a powerful brand

Good copywriting tells the story of your brand in a way that connects with your ideal customer.

If you’re having a hard time identifying your business’s unique selling point or just don’t know how to articulate it correctly, a copywriter can help.

2. Clear, consistent messaging across all platforms

Imagine you’re in the market for running shoes.

You find a pair you love, but you’ve never heard of the company selling them. You decide to check some customer reviews to make sure the company is legit before making a purchase.

You click over to the company’s Facebook page looking for reviews, and you’re met with nothing but cat memes. Other than the company’s name, you don’t see a single mention of running shoes.

It would throw you off a bit, right?

You might think the company was a little unprofessional, and maybe you’d take your business somewhere else.

While most companies don’t litter their social media with cat memes, inconsistent messaging is a common problem.

A copywriter can help with this.

A copywriter can help you figure out how to talk to your customers across different channels. This messaging can ensure your social media team and writers are all on the same page, using the same language.

3. Increased conversions

A study by Search Engine Land found that brands with the top conversion rates had unique selling propositions that made them stand out from their competitors.

As a business owner, it can at times be hard to view your business from a customer’s standpoint and determine what your offer should be.

A copywriter can.

If you have good traffic to your online business and a solid product but still aren’t converting at industry standard rates, copywriting could be the ticket to higher sales and conversions.

The bottom line: Copywriting and marketing

are a team

While copywriting shouldn’t be your entire online strategy, it plays a huge role in converting prospects into customers.

Working with a copywriter can help you get more results from your digital marketing plan. Finding a great copywriter can be a daunting task however, so if you need help we have a step by step guide on how to go about hiring your first content writer.

If you’re working for a SaaS company then you might also be interested in our comprehensive guide to SaaS copywriting.