Discover 5 tips for writing effective copy that captures your target audience, improves readability, and optimises your communication.
Thomas Haurum
As a business owner, regardless of your size or industry, you are sure to have plenty of great stories you want to share. Perhaps you want to talk about your products, highlight positive customer experiences, or tell the story of how your company came to be.
We definitely recommend doing so. However, when it comes to copywriting, it is not the easiest discipline in the world. BUT it is important! Poor copywriting can, rather than strengthening your business, end up costing you potential customers.
You might have experienced this yourself. You’re looking for inspiration for your next trip, so you search on Google and land on the website of a local travel agency. Their site looks great, and your initial impression of the company is positive. Until you start reading their content.
You are met with text full of spelling mistakes and repetition, endless sentences with randomly placed commas, and points that take forever to appear – or never do.
Poor copywriting does not signal professionalism, and so your perception of the travel company quickly changes. You no longer consider booking your trip with them and return to Google to continue your search.
The scenario above is a real shame, and if copywriting is not your strong suit, here are five tips for writing content that will help strengthen your business profile – and not have H.C. Andersen turning in his grave!
Before you start writing, always have a clear idea of what your copy should cover. Decide what you want to communicate and stick to it.
If you can say something in two sentences instead of four, try to do so. Too much text without substance will only bore your reader. Get to your point – the sooner, the better.
Be mindful not to repeat the same points several times in the same text. Sometimes, you might rephrase the exact same message. Again, this is just filler that your reader does not need.
Every day you can read countless texts where commas are thrown in at random. That little mark may seem harmless, and you might think the meaning is clear enough even if they’re not perfect, right? Perhaps. But for many people – including your potential customers – proper punctuation is a sign of credibility and professionalism. Careless punctuation can be distracting, and in many cases, it can obscure your message.
Decide whether you use traditional comma rules or the newer style and be consistent. Most people use the traditional rules, placing a comma before subordinate clauses. You can read much more about correct comma usage in our blog post here.
Anyone can overlook simple typos, forget a silent letter, or construct a sentence incorrectly. That is why it is always a good idea to have someone else review your text before publishing it on your website. This helps ensure your copy is free from the most obvious errors, which are often the least professional.
If you follow these five tips every time you write new copy for your business, you can hardly go wrong.
Best of luck!
More blog posts from WeMarket:
Facebook text guidelines
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