Do you constantly wonder how people come out with these mind-blowing copies you see all over the internet? Will you believe me if I tell you that you can also put out copies like these if thread the right path? This is because writing a copy is a process, not magic.
The right process is what you need to follow when crafting that scroll-stopping copy. That process begins with RESEARCH.
A good copywriter knows how to create compelling copy that connects to the audience and research is the backbone of every good copy.
Yes, when I say research, I mean going deep on the what, why, where and how of your idea before putting a pen on paper.
Research is a sword that every good copywriter sheathes whenever they want to write a copy. The Pareto principle aka the 80/20 rule implies we should spend more time researching than writing which confirms that taking your time to research will give you more leverage over others in connecting rightly with your audience.
Whether you want to write a landing page, a full website copy, a sales page or an email copy you need to embark on thorough research before proceeding.
Always remember that every good copywriter is a good researcher.
As a beginner, you may find it difficult to know the right way to do your research, that’s why I have written this to walk you through. If you’re doing these consistently, with time you will get the drill.
Knowing and Understanding your Target Audience:
There’s no copy without an audience. Your audience is important; they are the people you spend hours crafting a copy to convince. You need to understand their pain points, challenges, fears and a lot to be able to find them.
Once you have studied the kind of people you want your copy to persuade, start implementing the knowledge in your writing, you will begin to reach them faster than you could ever imagine.
Your audience matters then, now, and will in the future, so start writing with them in mind.
Create a customer persona for your brand, or the business that requested a copy may provide you with their brand voice guide that has a detailed analysis of their ideal clients-It’s okay, if they don’t have this prepared, you can always have a meeting with them, get a picture of their ideal clients and work with it.
The point is for you to define who you want your copy to serve and help.
Understanding your audience helps build a connection. When there’s a connection, conversion is not far-fetched.
The following questions will help you in determining your target audience:
What are their demographics?
What are their interests?
What are their needs?
What do they struggle with?
This will help you cover the ‘what’s in it for me (WIIFM)’ successfully in the copy. They are only concerned about what they will gain and not what it is all about.
Pro tip: Try to be specific when determining your audience, there is a reason why it is called a target audience.
Just like the famous saying, writing for everyone is writing for no one.
Doing a proper keyword research
If you just got acquainted with SEO, you should know that keyword research is one of the basics that has been widely spoken about.
Knowing the keywords that your audience is searching for will give you a start at your copy because you will be hitting the nail on the wall. Ubersuggest is a great and free tool to use for researching words. Once you type in the keyword, you will also get an overview of the keyword and the keyword variations.
But be careful not to spam them, keyword stuffing will reduce the quality of your copy, avoid this by all means. Use the keywords judiciously according to the type of copy you intend to write.
The spotlight locations for keywords
Headlines: This is where you grab the attention of your audience; you need to input your keyword to get them to stop and read. If your headline doesn’t have the necessary keyword, your entire copy is at risk of losing its deserved recognition.
First sentence: Include keywords here. Your headline has successfully hooked them, now, make them continue reading. Having keywords reassures them that they are in the right place and have not fallen victims to the deceitful headlines aka clickbait.
Body copy: Use keywords appropriately in your copy. Don’t just throw in a few keywords and think it’s going to convert your audience; you need to use it in a meaningful way. Remember people are not searching for keywords but answers.
Other places you can use the searchable keywords are subheads, section breaks, etc.
Market research
We shouldn’t get so swamped in our creativity that we forget that we are marketing in the first place with our copy. An all-time great adman by the name David Ogilvy once said:
“When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me that you find it creative. I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.”
Exactly, this is the entire point of your copy
Research without market research is incomplete; you need to do thorough research on what is in the market. Find out what your competitors are doing, analyze their strategies and techniques, be at the top of the game by implementing them and making them better.
Both direct and indirect competitors, direct competitors are the ones that sell the same idea to the same target market while indirect competitors are the ones that sell a different idea to the same target market.
This way you will know proven methods that you can use to attract your target audience in the market.
Content research
You need to understand the product or service you are trying to sell before you can sell it. It’s beyond features, you need to know what problem it solves, the benefits it gives, the unique selling proposition it offers, the pain it alleviates.
Study your concept (product & service) like the back of your palm and bring it to life to your audience
There are credible resources online you can refer to give your concept more authority.
Get information that complements the value of the product or service and review it for you to know how to sell it in a way that will entice your audience.
Yay... Now you have resolved to do these kinds of research properly, you can now proceed to write that amazing copy.
When you write a copy based on research, it becomes what your audience needs to see before crossing over to being a client.
The goal of every copy is to persuade the audience to take action, to make their journey worthwhile, to ensure they do what is required from them-TAKE ACTION
About the Author
Mary Richnwankwo is a freelance copywriter who is passionate about improving businesses’ reach with words and increasing their sales on the go. When she is not brainstorming, she is on her Instagram interacting with great people and putting out interesting content.
Like to know more about her? Visit her Instagram here.