Most businesses are still unsure how to go about advertising their services to potential customers. They’ve never really had to think about it before, but now that they’re in need of a change, they’re realizing that they have to come up with a strategy to ensure that their target audience knows who they are and what they offer.
To bring their audience closer, companies are looking for ways to engage with them on a personal level. This is where copywriters and content strategists can help. A copywriter’s job is to take complex ideas and phrases and make them easy to understand and memorable. When an idea or product is presented in simple and innovative ways, it is much more memorable and easier for the consumer to retain.
The following steps will guide you through the process of becoming a successful copywriter:
Step one: Define your target audience
First things first, you need to identify who you are trying to attract with your ad. This is known as your target audience. You should review the demographics, psychographics, and digital behavior of your current customers, as well as those audiences you are trying to reach out to.
You can use a tool like SEMrush to easily find key words and phrases you should incorporate into your content strategy. The software scans over 150 sources including Google Analytics, Amazon, Pinterest, Instagram, and more. Finding keywords is as easy as typing in a niche or industry and selecting “Content Ideas” on the left side of the screen. From there, you can see a long list of ideas that match your search.
You don’t have to run every idea by a potential client before you pitch it. Selecting 10–20 ideas that you believe will be the most effective and relevant to your target audience is a good place to start.
Step two: Create personas, journey maps, and user stories
If you’re new to the industry, you might not be familiar with these terms. A persona is a fictitious character designed to represent a group of people. In other words, a persona is a type of customer that you’re aiming to attract with your ad. A journey map is a visual representation of a customer’s experience throughout their interaction with your product or service. This can be broken down into multiple steps.
A user story is a short narrative that captures the essence of a product or feature. For example, “As a consumer, I want to have products that I can easily identify with. So, if your product is designed for women, I would want to read about how it affects my life as a female consumer.” A user story can be used to map out the steps a customer might take to achieve a certain goal, such as purchasing a product.
Creating personas, journey maps, and user stories will help you identify what you need to focus on in your writing. You can use tools like UserTesting.com to get real-life user feedback on your product or service. This way, you can find out what is working and what needs to be changed before your target audience even knows that you exist.
Step three: Create key compelling headlines
The headline is arguably the most important part of any ad, whether it’s a PSA, an Instagram story, or a blog post. A good headline will draw attention and encourage the reader to continue exploring the content further.
You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find the most competitive terms for your product or service. If you’re worried about your headliner not being compelling enough, you can always ask a potential client for feedback or read through customers’ reviews before you pitch.
When you have a clear idea of what you’re trying to achieve with your ad, it’s much easier to create an engaging piece that will compel your audience to take action.
Remember: less is more. Keep your headlines short and to the point while still keeping your text simple and uncluttered. Furthermore, you can use the space below your headline to write a brief description of the content.