What is copywriting?
Copywriting is a combination of words and/or phrases used in advertising to persuade the reader to take a certain action or perform a certain task. When used in advertisements, copywriting is known as ad copy or marketing copy.
Spell it out – why is it important to know how to spell copywriting?
Let’s begin with the basics. Knowing how to spell and use the correct grammar will not only make you sound smarter, it will also make you look smarter. No one wants to appear stupid in front of a senior member of the company they work for. However, everyone makes mistakes. Knowing how to spell helps you prove that you are smarter than you look. Additionally, proper spelling helps reduce the number of typos and grammatical errors that appear in your writing. A high caliber of spelling and grammar help establish your confidence and professionalism.
Include the right words – when you are writing copy for advertising or marketing, you want to avoid using words and phrases that are overused, or that have overstayed their welcome. You want to make sure that the words you choose reflect the target audience and reflect what the product is offering. When someone visits a website or lands on a social media page that uses marketing or advertising words and phrases, they are more likely to leave because they feel like they are fighting against the language even though they may not understand what they are reading or hearing. Finding the right words for the job is essential.
The Importance Of English
If you are writing copy for native English speakers but you are not 100% sure how to use correct grammar and you make a mistake, you can be sure that your readers will notice. They will notice because English is the international language and everyone understands it. If you are not writing in English, you are likely losing the opportunity to reach a large audience. Even if your intended audience does not speak English, they will surely notice that you are not a native speaker and will have a negative impact on your credibility.
If you are worried about whether your English is good enough to create effective advertising or marketing copy, take fear away by learning how to spell. Spell check is your best friend. Before you start your first draft, run your words and sentences through a spell checker. This will help you find and fix spelling errors as you go. Remember, English is a beautiful language and it is easy to express yourself in English. Even if you make a mistake, you will not sound or look like a foreigner.
Words That Work
An advertisement or marketing piece that contains only the right words can be highly effective. When done well, the perfect words will grab the reader’s attention, make them feel confident in taking action or completing a task, and help establish your credibility. When done poorly, you could end up sounding pompous or like you are exaggerating to make your point. Knowing how to spell helps you avoid this issue by giving you a fighting chance at sounding intelligent.
There are many words and phrases that you can use to create effective marketing and advertising copy. Below, we have compiled a list of some of the most popular words and phrases used in the industry along with a few tips on how to effectively use them. Take a look and see if any of these words and phrases resonate with your audience.
Keywords
Keywords are words and/or phrases that you input into a search engine to find websites that match your needs. When someone types in a couple keywords into a search engine, they are looking for websites that fit their needs exactly. For example, if they are looking for a travel agent in their area, they may enter the keywords “travel agent” and “my area” into the search engine to find websites that offer this service. Entering these keywords into the search engine will bring up hundreds or thousands of results because people are searching for these phrases all the time. When someone clicks on one of these keywords, they will see something like this:
- An airline website that offers flights to my area
- A website for a travel agent in my area
- A map with my area marked
When someone clicks on one of these results, they are taken to a page where they can find out more information about the product or service that the website or app offers. In this example, the person using the search engine is looking for a travel agent and finds two results – one for a travel agent and one for an airline that serves the area. Both of these websites contain valuable information that they could use to further their search. Keep in mind, though, that just because someone enters your keywords into a search engine does not mean that they will automatically click on your ad or website. Sometimes it takes an engaging piece of content to draw the attention of a person who is actively searching for information.
Buyer Personas
An important thing to do before you start your writing is to develop buyer personas. A buyer persona is a description of a person (or group of people) who has (or will have) a specific need or problem that you aim to solve with your writing. The idea is to create a character who is representative of the group you are trying to reach. Therefore, you want to find out everything you can about this person (or people). Think of a time when you were in the process of purchasing a product or service and you were provided with information about the product (or service) that was very superficial. Maybe you were told that the product was “good” or “bad” but you were not provided with any other information. By creating a buyer persona, you can ensure that you write with the appropriate language that will resonate with this specific group. This will help you identify specific words and phrases that you can use to describe this particular group.
Action Words
An important thing to do when you are writing is to include action words. An action word is a word or phrase that will make the reader take some kind of immediate action. Some examples of action words are “click here,” “download now,” “visit this site,” and “order this product.” If you want the reader to visit your website, you can use words like “click here” or “visit this site.” If you want the reader to download a file, you can use words like “click here” or “download now.” Actions like these will make the reader take some kind of immediate action. This type of language will keep the reader engaged in your piece because they want to get the story or information as soon as possible.
The words “click here” or “download now” are not enough on their own. You need to tell the reader exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. For example, “Click here to view our pricing list,” or “Download the free app now to get started.”
Conclusion
Writing is a form of communication that is not always easy to do well. Many people who write find it difficult to use correct grammar and they make a lot of mistakes. This is why you should be careful when you are writing – you never know how others might interpret your words and whether or not you are being completely honest. Knowing how to spell can help you avoid these issues and give your writing the best shot at being effective.