Write Savvy Self-Study Articles
We hope some of the following tips and advice will help you understand more about successful copywriting and web content.
Why You Should Use Active Voice
As a general rule of thumb, wordiness clouds your writing. Often times, your message gets lost in the mix of articles, adjectives and prepositions. One of the best ways to avoid wordy passages in your writing is to replace passive voice with active voice.
When you write in passive voice, the action in a sentence (the verb) loses its impact. Instead, the subject is "acted upon," resulting in a much weaker statement. With active voice, the subject of the sentence performs an action, thus giving it more emphasis and impact.
You can often identify passive voice by the presence of any form of "to be" (will be, was being, is being, etc.) or by the use of phrases such as "by the..." after a verb.
If you make a conscious effort to engage in active voice, your writing will be more direct and concise. Better yet, your message will be clear and accessible to readers.
At Write Savvy, we can help you identify problems with passive voice and offer you advice on how to emphasize active statements.
The Importance of "Benefits" in Sales Letters
Sales copy is an important asset for any business. To get the best sales response from your customers, your sales copy should focus primarily on one essential element: the benefit. Your headline, subheadings and call-to-action statements should all revolve around your product's benefits to the consumer.
Ultimately, you want your customers to see the benefits of your product or service as the ideal solution to their problems. Put yourself in your customers' shoes, and ask yourself how your life could be improved by the benefits of a given product. Your sales copy must recognize the customers' problems and recommend your services as a worthwhile solution.
So how does one identify a product's benefits? Start with a list of its features. Identify, in detail, what your product or service actually does. Once you have your list of features, it's easy to translate them into important benefits to the customer. Consider this: your sales copy will only be effective if you are correctly identifying your target market. Not everyone is a viable prospect, so it is important to tailor sales copy to meet the needs of a specific demographic.
At Write Savvy, we can turn a simple list of product features into an effective and attention-grabbing piece of correspondence.
Adding Value and Urgency to Sales Copy
One of the most important elements in effective sales copy is that final call-to-action statement. You may not even realize it, but you probably hear several of these statements every day, whether on a radio ad or a television commercial. They may sound cliched to you, but the fact of the matter is that call-to-action statements give sales copy urgency.
By including urgent messages in your sales copy, you're motivating customers to hurry up and buy something from you. Without that sense of urgency, your sales copy will fall short because your customers have no reason to respond. After reading your effective sales pitch, your customer's first priority should be to take advantage of your limited-time offer or special savings.
In addition to expressing urgency, your sales copy should show the customer the value of your product or service. Your goal is to persuade customers that you offer the best value among the competition. How do you achieve this? Appeal to their emotional needs and emphasize your strongest selling features. Be sure you play up the value in the first few paragraphs. Testimonials from satisfied customers can add value and credibility to your sales copy, but use them carefully to produce a subtle effect.
Write Savvy can transform your sales copy into a persuasive selling tool with tastefully crafted call-to-action statements.
Writing for Your Business Blog
Blogging is a wonderful marketing tool for your business, but in order to be successful, there are a few basic guidelines to follow. First, stick to the rules of grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax and structure. Writing, even for a blog, is about conveying a clear message to the reader. To maintain clarity, you have to follow the rules.
Your first instinct might be to write in first person, but that point of view isn't always the ideal choice. If your own personal experience is not absolutely relevant, remove the "I" from the blog entry altogether. That's not to say that you shouldn't use a friendly, conversational tone.
Your writing should be brief and to the point, while providing interesting new information. Nobody wants to read a wordy rehashing of something they've read many times before. Use expressive words and lots of details; don't be afraid to use some personality.
Lastly, you want to make a lasting impression so that your visitors return frequently to read more. It's easy to gain readership if your titles are accurate and engaging. Furthermore, providing good, relevant links can be highly beneficial.
Writing for a blog is very similar to general business writing, but with the popularity of RSS feeds, the constant need to provide your customers with fresh content is growing. At Write Savvy, we can help your business develop a whole new marketing tool through high-quality, frequently updated blog entries.
Find out more about our services.