Copywriting online with stories
What’s your story?
Not how your company got started. Not how you evolved into the company you are today. Not how you serve your customers better than anyone else (that’s boring anyway.)
Not your corporate story at all.
Your story.
See, online audiences long ago tired of Madison Avenue “ad copy”. They don’t care how great your company is. You can’t write “at” people online. Instead, you have to connect with them.
Online marketing in 2010
One of the best ways to connect with people is with a story. And a good starting point is to make it personal.
Now, if you know a little something about your audience before telling your story, you’re more likely to connect.
How do you get to know your prospects and customers? Read customer service emails and online chat. Heck, listen in on customer service phone calls (probably a good idea anyway.)
Here’s a novel idea – ask your customers and prospects what they value. What’s important to them. What they like and don’t like. (A well-written survey can help accomplish this.)
Once you’ve done some digging, and have a good feel for who your audience is, then and only then start telling your story.
How to tell your story online
3 tips for telling your story:
Make it personal. Get rid of corporate-speak gobbledygook, and make it real. Be authentic, genuine. When people see the person behind the company, they’ll see you in a different light (a more positive light, hopefully) and be more open to what you have to say.
Find areas of common ground. Somehow connect your story with the stories of your audience. This can be tricky, and takes a skillful writer to pull it off without being a blatantly obvious opportunist.
But connect on common areas, and your message will resonate in the hearts and minds of your web visitors. And finally,
Connect your story with your solution to their problems. The main purpose of telling your story is to connect with your readers, but if you’re doing that, why not bring it full circle? Why not let it help your conversion rates?
Isn’t that what good web copywriting is all about? Don’t you want to help more people get involved with your product or service and improve their lives?
The key is to do it skillfully.
Tell your story. Make it real. Relate your story to their story. And tie your story into a solution to their problems.
Easier said than done. Watch for examples in an upcoming blog post. And if you’re not the story-telling type, well, that’s what I do at Web Content Copywriting.
Let’s create some stories for your business.
