Copywriting Basics Lecture Note

COPYWRITING BASICS Copywriting is an important element in marketing activities. In order to become a reliable copywriter, you must know and master the basics of copywriting. Because, good copy can encourage audiences and consumers to buy your product. So, using effective strategies and techniques can increase the success of your marketing efforts. 1. Know what's selling When creating copy, make sure you know what product or service you want to advertise. If you are familiar with aspects of a product such as its features and services, you will be able to create authoritative copy. You can also do product research by looking at testimonials or product reviews that prove its effectiveness. Quoting from AWAI, the following questions can help you identify the product you want to copy. • What are the features and benefits of this product? • How does it work? • what will this product do for its users? • What makes this service better than its competitors? • is there any evidence to support the claims about this product or service? 2. Get to know the audience or target market Build a customer profile through a survey process and referring to customer data owned by the company. Also pay attention to the copy, language used, images, and layout of content from competitors with a similar target audience. By having information about your audience, this can help you create good copy. 3. Write copy according to the purpose Knowing the purpose of each copy can help you adjust the paragraphs or sentences you create. As reported by Indeed, there are several goals that a copy generally wants to achieve. • make sales • collect demographic or consumer information • register consumers on your mailing list • increase brand awareness • create leads • educate consumers and build authority • build relationships with the community around your product 4. Start with a sentence that attracts attention To attract attention and get your audience to read your copy, start with a sentence that catches their attention. Starting from the title, headline, phrase, to the first sentence in a copy. As reported by Indeed, here are several things you can include to attract your audience's attention. interesting facts about what the product can accomplish. • a piece of data such as statistics • the main benefit of a product or service • things that touch a consumer's value • things that touch a consumer's emotions • a promise that can be proven 5. Focus on product advantages When writing copy, it's a good idea to focus on the advantages of a product. Show the value and benefits that consumers can get from your product. That way, consumers know why they should choose your product over competitors'. So, think about what elements make your product or service the best choice from the competition. You can use language that touches a consumer's feelings or values, such as security, comfort, luxury, pleasure, and others. 6. Know your competitors' weaknesses Another basic in copywriting that you must pay attention to is knowing your competitors' weaknesses. Like the previous point, this is because consumers want to know why your product is better than others. However, make sure that you can make honest comparisons and claims, OK? Because, the goal is to educate consumers about your product, not bring down competitors. 7. Make copy like a conversation This means that when creating copy, try to use a tone that is friendly and easy to understand. Although your brand persona changes depending on your target audience and product. This is because the audience will not be interested if the copy does not arouse their emotions. Therefore, a friendly tone can make it seem as if the audience is talking to you. Here are some tips that you can try. • make sure sentences and paragraphs are not too long • use everyday language rather than complex, industry-specific language • explain all acronyms and abbreviations used • focus on providing additional information rather than using meaningless words 8. Think about the platform used Your copywriting strategy can change based on where you want to show your copy. For example, you will tend to write detailed information when creating copy on a blog rather than a billboard. Choosing a strategic location to display your copy and products must also be considered so that the target audience can see or read it. 9. Create an explicit CTA When writing CTAs for your copy, tell your audience what they should do clearly. Use verbs like "buy" or "sign up" so potential consumers know what to do after reading your copy. You can also tell your audience what will happen if you carry out your CTA. That way, they can know what benefits they can get. 10. Review and revise Reviewing and revising copy is one of the basics of copywriting that needs to be done. This is because the audience can see your copy as a reflection of the quality of the product or service. Therefore, make sure there are no typos or other writing errors in the copy you create. Even when revising, it's a good idea to take a short break. Having some distance from the process of making copy and revising can help you revise your copy with a new perspective. 11. Be honest Make sure the strength of your product is true. Don't create or provide false information, okay? Also pay attention to superlative statements such as "cheapest product on the market", "best product", and other claims. Of course, if your claim turns out to be false, this will damage your brand reputation.