James Martini, deputy editor at PracticeWeb, believes most businesses need professional copywriting if they want their website to generate business and develop a brand.
Copywriting is a marketing term most commonly associated with the bold slogans you see on billboards or catchphrases seen on TV adverts. Think of ‘best a man can get’, for example, and it usually conjures up images of grooming giant, Gillette. To men of a certain age, that is.
The content on your website should be helpful, engaging, unique and optimised to match the search intent of potential customers in terms of what they are putting into Google.
While we provide engaging content for ambitious accountants all over the UK, the same sound copywriting principles can be applied to equal success in other sectors, too.
1. Where do you place copywriting in a content hierarchy?
Professional copywriting sits right at the top of the tree. It sets the tone for the rest of your brand and is more important than blog posts and social media content because it has a longer lasting impact.
Take a post on Twitter or Instagram, for example. As soon as you press send, a tweet has a shelf life of around 18 minutes while Instagram posts receive most of their interactions in 48 hours.
Website copywriting lasts a lot longer than that. It’s among the first things people see when they go to your site and it has clear intent - to help buyers find your website and hopefully become a customer.
2. What does polished copywriting look like?
I think it involves a collaborative approach with web designers to enable a full creative process to take place, with copywriters and designers putting their heads together to create a stunning site with stunning copy.
Visual design shapes the content, and content shapes the design. For example, headlines that lead a customer’s eyes into the subhead are principles that I learned through almost a decade of sub-editing newspapers. They also make the content readable, so it can easily be scanned.
Adopting a tone of voice, addressing customers in the second person, can also resonate with your target audience, while paying full attention to white-hat SEO principles helps this great copy get found online.
3. Can you share any tips to improve my copywriting?
Web content should have impact, and there are ways you can polish your existing copy without paying the professionals to do it for you.
Think about who you want to attract and the language they use. The chances are they want to be spoken to in a language they understand, which is free from jargon. Basically, write for your clients not your peers.
Don’t be afraid to brainstorm ideas on paper or online. Come up with a dozen or so different ways of saying what you want to say, whether that’s the H1 and subhead on your homepage.
Put your ideas into a slide deck and seek feedback from others. These could be existing clients, colleagues or maybe even friends. Ask them if it stands out from rival businesses and reflects your image of your business.
4. Will I see return on investment for buying copywriting?
Depending on what line of business you operate in, it can be of real value. For example, all accountancy practices will have clients that need their tax returns done each year. That’s recurring revenue potential.
Copywriting for them is a no-brainer as one client who returns year after year could provide lifetime value that far exceeds the modest cost of getting their content written for them.
If you’ve got too much business and don’t want to take on any more clients, you probably don’t need it. If, however, you’re ambitious and want a bigger slice of the pie, this can certainly help you achieve it.
You might find our eBook: Content marketing for accountants useful in helping you to take the next step in producing content for your practice’s website.
Alternatively speak to us here at PracticeWeb, we’re always happy to help.