Copywriting tips from a hopeless romantic

Confession time: Long before I became a strong copywriter, I wrote good love letters.  My beautiful and talented wife will attest to that.

I’d go so far as to say my love letters closed the deal.  12 years of marriage later, they’re still creating magic.

Want to create some “marketing magic” with your prospects and customers?  Follow these 3 simple rules in your web copy (or hand them to your copywriter).  My love letter web copy tips will help you grab your prospect’s  interest.  Keep her engaged with you longer.  And ultimately, close the deal.

3 web copy tips

1.  Stand apart from the crowd

Why does a well-written, thoughtful love letter make such an impact?  Because hardly anyone does it anymore.

Likewise, so many websites don’t say anything original.

“Customer service is our focus.”

“We value our customers.”

“Service and quality are # 1 at…”

Can you get more white-bread generic than that?  Sounds like they were done by a bad Yellow Pages ad writer.

You wouldn’t grab the very first Hallmark card you see to give to your Valentine sweetheart, would you?

Try crafting your own “love letter”.  Write some original web copy that actually says something different than your competitors.  Not sure what to write?  Hire a professional.

2.  Kill the clichés

Is your web copy communicating a clear, concise, straightforward message?

Along with writing “stand apart”, original content, make sure your message is specific, not general.

One of the biggest copy killers?  Clichés.  Avoid them like the plague (there’s my attempt at irony.)  If you’re writing a love letter to your soul mate, you wouldn’t say, “I love you like the plants love the sun…” or whatever.

Seriously.  Read your copy through, and make sure every sentence conveys something meaningful.

And finally,

3.  Write to one person

If you’re writing a love letter, this tip is obvious (I hope.)

But think about it in your web copy, too.  I often see websites with copy that sounds like this:

“Attention: Small business owners…”  or

“Many of our clients had the problem of…”  or

“We often hear people asking about…”

Good copywriting always sounds like it’s speaking directly to you.  Not to a group of people, or an ambiguous “they”.  But you and you alone.

The above phrases could be changed to:

“As a small business owner, you know…”

“Have you ever experienced…”

“If you’ve ever asked…”

Web Copywriting Simplified

There you go.  Three simple web copy rules derived from the lost art of writing love letters.

Next time you write some web copy, or any marketing piece for that matter, ask yourself:

Does this sound different than what everyone else is saying?  Is it creative and original?

Are the clichés gone?  Am I avoiding broad, general statements and saying something meaningful and specific?  And,

Am I writing to just one person, not a group?

Answer “yes” to all three, and you may have the beginnings of a new romance with your prospects.