Is your corporate brochure a complete bore?
Do you cringe when you send prospects outdated material because you know the message just isn’t right? Perhaps you, like many marketers, have fallen into a comfort zone with your marketing or you don’t have the time or resources to develop new materials.
Here’s the good news …
You probably don’t need to rethink your entire marketing strategy. Some easy tweaks to your copy can translate into big gains.
Below are 3 tips for putting some spice into your communications:
1. Think of Your Copy as a Conversation
Imagine you just met someone interesting at a party and want to start a conversation. If you talk about all your accomplishments, your new acquaintance will look for a way to escape.
Many marketers make this same mistake in their copy. They “dominate the conversation” by describing everything about their company and failing to connect with their reader. If you want someone to read your content, you must engage them in a conversation. To do this, you can:
- Discuss an issue that is important to your reader.
- Ask thought-provoking questions.
- Use the word “you” often.
- Show your reader you have something in common.
2. Have Fun with Headlines
According to copywriting legend, David Ogilvy, “On average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money.”
Change your headlines to increase your readership and response rates. You can:
- Begin your headline with “how to.”
- Share a secret with your readers.
- Use the word “discover.”
- Ask a question.
- Give a command.
- Use a testimonial as a headline.
3. Be Ruthless with Your Red Pen
Sometimes it’s not what you add to your copy that piques a reader’s interest, but it’s what you remove. Here are 3 things you should avoid:
- Long sentences and paragraphs that make your copy difficult to scan. Up to 80% of readers scan copy. Break up sections with headers and use bullets to help readers locate key points.
- Adverbs. Powerful verbs can pull your reader into your copy and encourage them to take action. Just resist the urge to add descriptive words that end in “ly.” Adverbs are often unnecessary and can slow down the pace of your copy.
- Geek speak. Jargon can confuse your readers and make them feel alienated. If your message gets lost under layers of complex technical talk, your prospects will look elsewhere for answers to their problems.
What about you? What are some of your biggest B2B copywriting challenges? Feel free to share your comments below.
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