The world of copywriting can be overwhelming but knowing these 7 different types of copywriting will give you a great start. Here’s how local businesses should be using copywriting to get more website traffic.
7 different types of copywriting:
- Blogs
- SEO optimized website pages
- Public Relations (PR)
- Social media
- Testimonials
- Sales
- Television and radio commercial scripts and jingles
If done properly local business owners will see an increase in revenue.
How long does it take to become a copywriter? “3 months, there’s really only so much you can learn from reading about copywriting. 90% of learning to write copy comes from actually writing copy.” (jacobmcmillen.com)
Blogs
The point of copywriting is to write content that your audience will recognize as beneficial to their purpose, whatever that may be. In short, copywriting is a form of advertising. You are creating text and visual stimulation that will speak to your target market. As stated above, this can be overwhelming. But there are some tricks to blogging you can learn that will help you create engaging content for your local business.
The most important aspect of blogging well is to learn how to optimize your blogs so that google recognizes you as having something worth reading. The best way to do this is to optimize your blog.
Have you ever visited a website you found to be informationally overwhelming and unappealing to the eye? I’ve never stayed long on a site like that, and the reason is simple. It’s too much at one time and seems disorganized.
Here are some tricks you can implement to be better than the rest.
- Use Keywords – Do your research before you write your blog and use the keywords that fit the topic you’re blogging about.
- Answer A Specific Question – Think about the question your reader will have and do your research to offer the most in-depth answer to that question.
- Use Images – Be sure your images are properly sized
- Presentation – Be organized in how you present the writing for your topic. Stick to answering the main question. If you use a platform like WordPress use the SEO tools they offer.
SEO optimized website pages
SEO stands for search engine optimization. What’s the point of writing a blog, hiring a videographer, or recording a podcast if no one can find it on Google? This is why SEO Copywriting Services are essential to your local business.
One of our #localmarketingminute series was about how to do SEO copywriting.
The goal is to choose the right words on each website page so that Google shows your website. But it isn’t good enough to show up on Google, people need to take action when they come to your website.
Public Relations (PR)
This can sound intimidating, but public relations is simply finding a way to portray a company or organization in the best possible way while staying true to its purpose. PR will include any content that is meant to communicate with the public. While this will mostly be in the areas of social media these days, it will also include any press releases, public statements, mailers (yes, I’m talking about ‘snail mail’, and yes, these can still be effective).
These 3 are effective!
Press Releases
This method will usually be used in order to announce and present a new product or another kind of offering. It seems we see a lot of new online courses being offered on a daily basis these days.
Public Statements
A public statement will be made by a company in order to convey an explicit opinion or belief. There has been no shortage of social issues in our world lately and a company may choose to take a specific side in order to appeal to a certain demographic. This next point is an important one. This method can be dangerous as it can backfire and have an opposite effect of the one intended. A company should be sure to think about all the possible repercussions of such an action and be ready to accept any damage that may occur. Take the time to think about this one. You’ll be happy you did.
Mailers
Okay, yes, I know this sounds silly given that all-things-life are now online; why would we ever want to be involved with anything as archaic as ‘snail mail’? But, if you’re a local business for say, my-grandmothers-hot-wings-that-I-want-to-share-with-the-world-but-also-make-money, and you want to increase your brick and mortar traffic, consider creating a ‘locals only’ campaign that encompasses a specific radius. Send out mailers that only locals (or anyone that gets their hands on the mailer), can use for a deal. Shape it like a wing. Maybe scratch n’ sniff? Now I want wings. Have some fun!
Social Media
What a world we live in these days! It seems anything is possible and it seems everyone is taking advantage. Remember the days when you had to hire an agency to do your advertising for you? There was a whole team of people that sat around an oversized oval table and brainstormed ideas. Some of them good, some not so good. Now we have all the tech available at our fingertips with tiny hand-held computers at our beck and call. It’s been a new world for a while but there seems to be no shortage of new ideas. Still, some good and some not so good. But the possibilities are endless!
Some ideas for using copywriting on social media:
Photo Contest
Run a contest. This could be for the best photo of something specific or for the best caption for a photo that you’ve chosen. Just make sure you are detailed in your explanation of the contest parameters and rules. There are some sore losers out there!
Use Your Stories
People love stories and they’re being used bigtime these days to increase sales and bottom lines. String a ton of stories together or use one or two to promote a flash sale with a discount code. Give incentives for people to share. You can be as creative as you want with these. A great story will tell a story from start to finish but will leave the viewer wanting more. That’s the point, right? So take the time to plan out some great ones. You will improve and generate more ideas over time. The time is now, the waters are warm, so jump in!
Use the Tag-a-Friend method
I don’t know about you but I don’t like when a person seemingly tags me just so they can win something online. I’ve had this happen a few times and frankly, it was a few times too many. However, I’ve also had friends tag me for the same reason when the difference has been something inspirational within the content itself. It was relatable and inspirational. Okay, so fine, call me easy. I’m not saying I like fake flattery, but I like it when a friend thinks of me when they run across something positive.
An example of this would be to post an image or video that matches a question you’re asking. For instance, your call to action could be to ‘tag someone who makes you a better person’. Adding a hashtag that you’d like to implement, or that has already been established by you, will boost your efforts too.
Testimonials
It’s best to ask the customers as soon as possible. If it fits your product or service you can follow the customer’s journey. This way you can adjust anything you need to on your end to make for the best possible consumer experience. This way you’ll be more likely to get positive reviews and personal testimonials.
The following is a great tip for generating usable testimonials that you can turn into copy.
Make it easy for your customer!
Create a questionnaire with pointed questions. Ask the same specific questions of all your customers. These questions should point toward the ultimate purpose behind your product or service and lead to the positive result that solves the problem.
Sales
Sales copy is the text that persuades consumers to purchase a product or service. It can be written as a list, paragraph along with an image on social media, or you can overlay it on top of an image. Remember, it’s always about telling the story of how your product or service can help solve a problem for your customer. How will they benefit from buying your product or service? Tell that story to your target demographic and watch your bottom line increase.
Television & Radio Commercial Scripts and Jingles
The point is to get the attention of your audience. More than likely there will be a wide demographic either viewing or listening to your advertisement so it’s best to keep the content as relatable as possible.
Some things to consider when writing copy for television or radio.
Time constraints
You’re under a time constraint of anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds. This is not much time to make an impression but those annoying jingles that love to pop into your head even years after the last time you saw or heard them are proof that it’s possible. Tell your story, succinctly while creating a call to action.
Get them to your site!
It’s rare (and frankly ill-advised), for any company these days to have a commercial or radio spot without any type of web existence. Any copy should have the call to action that somehow directs them to the website so that you can show them all you’ve got.
