5 Copywriting Strategies That Drive Audiences to Act Now
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Copywriting strategies are all about getting the reader to do something. Whether that’s making a purchase, booking a demo, or subscribing to an email list, the copywriter will be employing persuasive techniques with the intention of getting you to act.
In this way, copywriting is a form of content marketing that pushes for conversion, turning casual browsers into active buyers. The results it sets out to achieve are therefore more quantifiable (when compared to content writing, which is more interested in educating and building a relationship with the reader). Both have value, simply different priorities.
Now, it goes without saying that, with today’s sheer saturation of online content and all of us being bombarded and fatigued by constant advertisements, writing compelling copy that can rise above the noise isn’t easy.
But there are certain techniques you can employ to make your efforts way more effective, as well as proven copywriting strategies that up your chances of converting.
Before we get stuck into these strategies, remember that Embryo has a team of content writers who use revenue-driving methods that help our clients achieve their business goals – be it leads, sales, or website traffic. So, if you’re persuaded by the power of copy but don’t have the time or team to carry out content marketing strategies then get in touch with us today by phone at 0161 327 2635 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, hit the contact us button below! With all that done, let’s get into these strategies!
5 Copywriting Strategies Marketing Pros Use to Trigger a Conversion
Whether you’re a marketing pro with bags of experience, a business owner, or an aspiring wordsmith, understanding the art of successful copywriting is a valuable skill that can lead to getting the results you want.
At Embryo, we’re a digital marketing agency with a reputation for building award-winning strategies. Though there are countless copywriting strategies, we’ve pulled together some of the best tried-and-tested picks to get you started.
Here they are:
1. Research Your Audience (& Map Their Personas)
This old chestnut and it’ll come as no surprise, but understanding your audience is the foundation of any successful marketing effort, making mapping their personas a priority copywriting strategy.
There will always be a gap between who your target audience is out there and what you deliver as a business. Bridging this gap to put your business on their radar is therefore key.
By defining your audience and mapping their buyer personas, you can more effectively ensure that your copy is relevant to them, resonates with them, and registers a desire to act within them.
How to Build Your Buyer Personas
- Identify your target market – This is down to key demographics like age, gender, stage of life, location, spending power, etc.)
- Research the customers’ goals and pain points – What motivates your customer? What obstacles do they face in reaching their goals? How could your product help them?
- Identify behavioural trends – Where does your customer spend their time online? Which social channels or email lists are they subscribed to? What content are they typically looking to consume?
With this information in hand, you can then begin to get a clear profile of who your copy should be resonating with.
When building your audience personas, it’s also a good idea to split them into primary and secondary audiences (note: this may differ from campaign to campaign) so you can prioritise who to target each time.
2. People Buy People First
As the old sales quote goes, ‘People buy people first’. By this, the way that a salesperson interacts with a customer and makes them feel is a major factor that impacts the likelihood of a sale going ahead.
Though, in the traditional sense, this saying is largely applied to face-to-face sales, it too is an effective copywriting strategy to leverage.
Research by Gallup shows that customers who like their salesperson are twelve times more likely to go ahead with a purchase. This is important when deciding the lens through which to frame your own copy. As a brand (and having built your customer personas in strategy 1), these questions can help you become more than another corporate knockoff and, instead, more of a brand personality that customers can connect with.
Ask yourself:
- Does our brand personality align with our audience’s preferences and values?
- Are we effectively communicating the human aspect of our brand in our copy’s messaging?
- How can we improve our brand’s relatability?
- Have we done enough to showcase the people behind our brand – think employees, founders, customers, etc. – to strengthen trust and authenticity? (Investing some time into client case studies and testimonials can be useful here).
- Do we actively engage with our customers on social media and other platforms to foster a sense of community?
- Are we leveraging customer feedback and reviews to continuously improve what we sell and demonstrate our commitment to customer satisfaction?
3. Craft an Unignorable Headline
Your headline is the first impression your copy makes, and it’s crucial in getting the reader’s attention. An attention-grabbing headline that simply can’t be ignored should be clear, concise, and create a curiosity gap that entices the reader to continue reading.
Things to consider when crafting your headlines:
- Use emotive (or trending) words, statistics, and intriguing questions to pique interest
- Highlight the main benefit or solution your copy provides
- Don’t bury the lead – though teasing, the headline should still give the reader clarity on what they can expect
- Experiment with different headline variations and gather feedback from neutral parties who represent your target audience (or have at least been briefed on whose shoes they’re filling)
Remember, a captivating headline sets the tone for the rest of your copy and can significantly impact whether your reader even makes it to your content beneath it.
4. Features vs Benefits (List the Features but Emphasise the Benefits)
When it comes to writing sales copy, it’s easy to state the features of a product or service simply and hope that they, alone, will be enough to sell the product. You see this everywhere on the internet – and is it effective in converting customers? Unfortunately, not as much as you’d hope.
Though your products’ features are important for the customer to know, they often do little to excite emotion in your customer.
This is especially the case if your products are ones that don’t vary too much from what else is on the market – say you sell refurbished phones or office supplies, for example, the features you list are unlikely to offer many variations from your competitors.
Therefore, highlighting the key benefits as well – ones that resonate with your target audience – can give your product the edge.
As with almost all of the copywriting strategies on this list, this once again goes back to the target audience you have defined. To decide which benefits will best register with them, start by identifying their pain points or desires and demonstrate how your product solves or fulfils these.
Use vivid language to paint a picture in the reader’s mind, allowing them to visualise the positive impact your product can have on their lives. This will make for a much more persuasive copy.
5. Create a Sense of Urgency
Copy that creates a sense of urgency motivates readers to take immediate action. By emphasising limited availability, time-sensitive offers, or impending deadlines, you compel your audience to decide promptly. This increases the chances of conversions and drives faster results for your business.
Imagine you’re shopping online for a service that, frankly, you could live without. It’s something you do want – say a personal trainer, for example – but getting it right now isn’t necessarily a priority and you can bank on that service still being around when you eventually do decide to buy.
In this scenario, chances are that you’ll put off purchasing and wait.
Now, if there was a time-sensitive offer attached, it would probably be a different story. If buying now meant half price for the first 3 months (and you’ve only got till midnight to make this decision), you’d be more likely to act now so you don’t miss out.
How to Build a Sense of Urgency to Motivate Your Customers to Take Action
- Put a fixed deadline on when your sale will end (adding a countdown timer to your website can help to get this message across)
- Promote limited edition or seasonal products that are available for a short duration
- When stock is getting low, display how many units are left
- Send out email reminders when vouchers are due to expire
Copywriting strategies like these push the customer to take action sooner rather than later, reducing the chances of them simply moving on and deciding ‘it can wait’. If you can leave them thinking ‘There’s a chance I’ll miss out if I do’, then naturally you’ll have greater ROI on your digital marketing efforts.
However, you must be careful not to create a false sense of urgency. We’ve all seen those stores that seem to be permanently having a closing down ‘Everything Must Go’ sale or be spammed by ‘Last Chance’ emails on the exact same deals weekly.
Ad fatigue has a major impact on audience action so ensure you’re creating a sense of urgency only when it makes sense to, so as not to cause scepticism or disinterest.
Looking to Enhance Your Marketing Efforts? Talk Copywriting Strategies with Embryo
Creating copy that resonates with your target audience and leads them to act isn’t easy. With so many factors that come into play, there’s a lot to get right, which can be time-consuming to say the least.
Here at Embryo, crafting high-quality content that gets results is what we do. Whether you need to boost traffic on your website with effective SEO, increase conversions on your landing page with better CTAs, or raise engagement on your social media channels, our team of professional copywriters is here to assist you.
Remember, effective copywriting is the key to driving engagement and turning prospects into loyal customers. If you’re looking to connect with your audience on a deeper level, contact our team today and we’ll talk you through our proven copywriting strategies to get the ball rolling on what’ll work for you.
