You have a product. Maybe you’ve got a physical product such as a book, a recipe, or an appliance. Or perhaps you’re an online store, and you’ve got lots of digital products, such as apps, e-books, or websites. Regardless of what you sell, you’ve probably already got written content to promote it.
Along with your product come a set of features and benefits. These are what you’ll use to convince people to buy your product. They are also what will make up your copywriting content.
Features
Features are simply the additional advantages your product offers over its competitors. For example, does your new mattress offer more comfort than the one you currently own? Features give the reader a good reason to choose your product over the others. They make it more appealing.
So how do you go about researching and developing these features? You could do a lot of research and development simultaneously. Or you could take a more phased approach and try tackling one feature at a time. It’s up to you!
Differentiation
Differentiation is the process of drawing a clear distinction between your product and its competitors. When you write your copy, you must make sure the reader understands what makes your product special. To do this, you need to develop key differentiators. These are the key aspects or attributes that make your product special. For example, does your mattress have a five-star rating on Amazon, or is it a four-star product with a few one-star reviews?
Differentiation is all about the little differences that make a big difference. So when you’re writing your content, be sure to focus on the aspects or attributes that set your product apart from its competitors. For example, does your product come with a free sample box, or can you give it away for free? These are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself to understand what makes your product special. When you develop key differentiators, you’ll also discover the elements that make up your product, which will help you develop an idea of its strength and weakness.
User Generated Content (UGC)
You’ll notice that sometimes, the most valuable content doesn’t necessarily have an originator or an author. Sometimes, the value is purely due to the fact that it was generated by a real person, rather than a machine. For example, take a look at these two blog articles. One was written by a machine, and the other was written by a real person. While the first one provides great value to anyone, the second one provides even more value because it’s from a real person. As you can see, the second blog article is more useful because it’s got valuable information, imparted by someone with intimate knowledge of the subject matter.
So how do you generate this kind of content? One way is to ask real people to share their opinions and experiences with you. For example, you could set up a survey, and offer participants credit for completing it. Or you could contact people you know, and see if they’d be willing to contribute. Generating content this way provides you with a steady stream of new material, all without having to work hard at it. The key is to find a way to value this content, so you can attract and engage an audience.
Strategic Considerations
Now, you may be wondering what type of information you need to include in your copy, given that you’ve already got a product, and you’ve already decided what makes your product special. Well, it’s a good idea to look at it from a strategic standpoint. Here are a few of the things you may want to consider:
- Are You Putting Your Product In The Right Place
- Who Is Your Target Audience
- How Important Is This Product To Your Bottom Line
- What Action Does Your Product Take
- How Do You Measure Success
What does that mean? Well, you’ve got your product, and you’ve got a place online or off-line to promote it. That’s a good place to start. But now you want to find the audience that is most likely to buy your product. Once you’ve got them, you can figure out what to say, and how to say it, to make them act on your behalf.
Remember: If you’ve got a physical product, you may also want to consider creating a brochure, putting together a digital booklet, or developing a series of videos to further promote it.
Once you’ve got your product and you’ve got an audience, you can develop strategies about how to grow and engage that audience. For example, you could try sending out a weekly newsletter, or establishing a blog where you can consistently post new content. You could also consider looking into sponsored posts, or accepting guest posts from influential individuals in your niche. These are all ways to generate more leads, and eventually, sales.
As you can see, there are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to copywriting. But don’t fret! Just remember to take your time, and try working through each piece one at a time. That way, you’ll be able to see what works best for your product, and your brand.