Content marketing means creating and sharing valuable free content to attract and convert prospects into customers — and customers into repeat buyers.
Copywriting gets a reader to take a specific action. Sometimes that’s making a purchase, but it can also be subscribing to your email list, signing up for your content library, or calling you for more information.
— Copyblogger
what happens when they collide?
Your content needs to work alongside copy.
Content marketing using copywriting principles is better able to: build trust, leverage social proof and make your readers perform a specific action — whether that’s sharing a post, clicking a link, or downloading an offer.
Conversion copywriting is when great copywriting principles and a human-first content marketing approach collide.
So how do you use conversion copywriting to help your business bring in those customers (and dollar bills)?
Less Hemingway.
Less J. K. Rowling.
More Dr. Seuss.
Simple, clear and engaging is always a win.
Simple
Plays on your customers needs/wants and emotions.
Leaving without taking an offer should feel like they’re choosing to stay poisoned when the antidote is there in your hand, for an entirely reasonable price.
Persuasive
• What makes it special?
• What value does it bring?
• What specific features appeal to different personas?
• What benefits does your customer get when using this product?
• What story does it tell? What persona goals and challenges is it answering?
Understand your product
• What do they want? (to do something good for the environment)
• What challenges them? (doing something good seems really hard)
• What language do they use? (not pretentious, very realistic, casual, direct)
• What are their pain points?
• What objections do they have with your product?
Understand your customers
• What pain points do they address in their copy?
• What messages capture your attention?
• What benefits do they write about?
• What objections do they overcome?
Tip: Create a spreadsheet and copy any memorable phrases, pain points and wants that your competitors use in their copy and marketing
Understand your competitors
• What are you driving towards?
• How does this influence your copy?
• Make sure you only have 1 goal per page (nothing else):
• Example: Get them to click the call-to-action
• ONLY write to that goal
Understand your goals
• Match your headline and copy with how much the customer already knows
• IE. If they know everything about Hubspot, all they need is a little incentive to buy:
• A sale, limited offer, bonus etc..
Know your customers’ awareness levels
Eugene Schwartz’ Awareness Levels:
• Most aware: the customer knows your product, and knows he wants it
• Product Aware: the customer knows of the product but doesn't yet want it
• Solution aware: Knows about potential solutions – but not yours
• Problem Aware: knows of a problem but doesn’t know how to solve it
• Unaware: completely oblivious to a problem and potential solutions
• Value Propositions
• Headline
• Benefits
• Body Copy
• Proof
• Calls to action
Important areas of copy
Value Propositions need to:• Clearly explain exactly what you do and the customer’s
end result
• No wishy-washy “creative” taglines or headlines
• Some conversion tests find that long value props convert better than short — though it’s not always the case
Most value propositions have a subheading and sometimes extra bullet points to expand on the headline
Value propositions
How to rate your value proposition:Write multiple variations and score them /10 for the following characteristics (source):
• Unique / 10
• Memorable /10
• Succinct / 10
• Specific / 10
• Desirable / 10Start your first copy variation with one of the higher scoring versions you come up with (higher score doesn’t always mean better).
Headlines:That really big sentence at the top of the page
• Matches your customers awareness levels
• Know which desire/want/need they want to satisfy the most
• Talks about results
• Gives a reason to continue reading the page
Subheads:The headline beneath the headline
• Expands on the headline
• Can be used to overcome an objection
Headlines, subheads & crossheads
Crossheads:The mini headlines you find down a webpage
• Explains what the page section is about
• Directs the customer down the page
• Allows you to skim down the page and understand what it’s about
Every product appeals to 2, 3 or even 4 mass desires - but only 1 can predominate - only 1 can reach out through your headline - only 1 is key to unlocking the maximum economic power at that particular time.
— Eugene Schwartz, Breakthrough Advertising
Sales/Landing Page Headline formulas:• I want to:
• I never thought it would happen, but:
• Customer quote: “...”
• Get...
• The best way to….
Writing subheads:• Make them visualise using the product
• Use “even if” to overcome an objection
Writing crossheads:• Instead of asking questions, you could answer them:
• IE. instead of writing “who is xyz” - write: “xyz is a …”
I want to: Quickly build landing pagesI want to: Get more conversions
Headlines, subheads & crossheads
Body copy is:• Any copy that isn’t a headline, subhead, crosshead, or
call to action
• Use the “So what? Prove it!” formula
Body copy should only be as long as it needs to be.• This means being as succinct as possible
• It means not talking about stuff the customer doesn’t care about
Body copy
Features are:• Components of your product or service
• What you use to justify charging money for the product or service
Benefits are:• Results from using your product (what happens?)
• How they feel after using their product
• When talking about a feature, ask your self “so what?” 5 times and you’ll get to a really specific benefit
• Now you have to choose how specific of a benefit will work best for your customer
Benefits vs. features
Features Benefits5.5” screen Makes life easier – ease of
looking at web pages, reading ebooks and satisfaction of playing games on a bigger screen
Waterproof casing Peace of mind – not worrying about rain or water, and convenience of not worrying about finding a place to store your phone when playing with water or your phone getting damaged
4GB ram Peace of mind – the phone won’t slow down when a lot of apps are open
A10 processor Be able to handle apps with better graphics and newer technology
Social Proof:• How many people use your product
• Case studies
• Testimonials
• Social Reviews
• Testimonials should tell a story
Backing up claims:• If you make a claim, then prove you’re not lying.
• Use a video, reference a study, reference case study
• Back it up with whatever valid proof you can find
Proof
Calls to action• Asks (orders) the reader to take action through direct
language
Calls to value• Emphasises a benefit to get the reader to take action
Call to action
Calls to value vs Call to action
• Simple Ideas
• Use concrete language (specific)
• Unexpected words & phrases
• Make them feel (use emotions)
• Uses specific numbers instead of words - 7 instead of seven. Or 521 instead of over 500+
• Use action verbs
• Back up your claims
• Make your visitors visualise their life (before and after product purchase and during use)
• Use sensory words (touch, smell, hear, taste, see)
Making your messages stick