Guest Post – How Great Marketing Copywriters Think

This post is on OfficeSkills.org

How Great Marketing Copywriters Think

Copywriters don’t just string words together. They have unique skills that can transform selling a product into a campaign that grabs a buyer with an overwhelming desire. A desire beyond wanting what a company is selling but mesmerized as a passionate consumer.

It is imperative for a copywriter to know the consumer’s profile. The profile is provided by the business. Without knowledge of the profile, the copy is wasted. Impossible to sell ice skates to someone who refuses to go on the ice.

Sure, you can say, buy it today before they are all sold out. And it will make sales if a person has done their homework on the product and wants it.

To reach someone on the fence, especially the higher cost of an item, is more complicated.

A copywriter sells them on the benefits first. Only then can they be persuaded to consider the possibility of buying.

The benefit isn’t what the item is capable of doing; it is how the product makes a potential customer feel.

Examples of advertising are all around us. Car ads are flashy, with people seeming to have fun. Showing us adventurous scenes. Depictions of young, vibrant men and women.

It gives the impression if you owned that car, life would be a blast. Lots of friends, lots of admirers, endless fun, and you will feel youthful, even if you are middle-aged.

And they throw in at the end, no payments for 60 days, giving the convincing argument you can surely afford it.

Is the appeal of admiration persuasive enough to purchase? Perhaps for some, but not for most.

Copywriter’s Job is to Justify a Purchase

Features are used to accomplish this. The profile of the ideal customer comes into play during this process. What do they consider as extremely important?

Back to the car scenario. Guys are curious about what’s under the hood and how fast it goes. When it comes to cars, women look for parallel parking ability, color, comfort, and space for kids and friends.

The copywriter reeled them in with how buying a new car makes them feel. New car smells are intoxicating. Can be very convincing. This is where the features become important; traction control, engine size, 0 to 60 in seconds, auto-parking, lane warning, etc.

A buyer needs to justify their purchase not only to themselves but to family and friends. If they can’t justify with conviction, they will have buyer’s remorse. This isn’t good for a company.

The benefits are what the buyer craves. Perhaps insufficient to elicit opening their wallet or to sign on the dotted line.

Necessary to follow up with features. Higher the price, requires more features revealed to be convincing, leaving no doubt in their mind.

Best Practices of Marketing

The basic needs of everyone are food, clothing, and shelter. Beyond that are wants.

A copywriter helps a company market their products. A service with a purpose for the business selling products and keeping people employed.

For the consumer, it gives them information to make an informed decision on a product they want. This is the real reason to list features available, to not only justify the purchase but to help evaluate what’s important.

An educated customer is an asset for a company. They are the ones that help promote a business by word of mouth. Good publicity helps a business thrive.

As with any marketing, the words ring loud and clear. “What’s in it for me?” A copywriter needs to answer that question efficiently for both the hiring company and the consumer.

It is the job of a copywriter to research the product a business wants to sell. The research process involves asking profound questions beyond the product’s features and functions.

The copywriter needs to find out who is the company’s ideal customer. Based on the customer profile, the copywriter can create a benefits and features strategy.

The secret is finding what makes the product unique. What do competitors claim, even if there is no difference in one companies’ product from another?

Finding those gold nuggets is not privy to the average consumer but is standard manufacturing procedures. Not a secret, but not normally talked or shared. Information from another company may have never been disclosed because they never considered it important. This can become a unique selling point. Product value and quality may be enlightened for the customer by this information.

Digging deep to find those treasures brings perceived value to a product. If a customer is convinced one product is superior, they will be willing to purchase at a higher price if faced with two equal products.

For example, both companies put their products together with stainless steel bolts. The competitor doesn’t mention that feature. The copywriter includes the information, believing the ideal customer will find it valuable. Or it was pressure tested to withstand 1000 lbs. The standard test for those products, but the ideal customer might be unaware. The copywriter again puts that information in the copy. The perceived value has escalated in the eyes of the potential buyer.

Business-to-business products need detailed feature information. These are usually accomplished by a white paper.

High-priced equipment necessitates an explanation of its details to assist the buyer in assessing its value to their company. Purchase occurs only after they are convinced the product meets their business needs. The white paper can help expedite the sale.

The copywriter’s main job is to help a company make a sale. It doesn’t matter if it’s business to consumer or business to business. The same principles apply. Not by trickery, but by honesty, using their skill of writing great copy.