Have you ever been to a party and got stuck next to a rambler whose talk you could make neither heads nor tails of?
Or have you ever had too much to drink and started a conversation with a stranger about the stock market only to wind up discussing how wormy cheese is an illegal delicacy in some Italian villages?
Okay, maybe this type of conversational wandering would fly at a party where booze flows like a river but it does NOT belong on your website, your blog, or in your email correspondences.
Just like bad cliches, rambling does not contribute to the making of great copy.
AND the foundation of your sales and marketing efforts is best built on great (clear and compelling) copy.
AND good content is profitable.
- “Per dollar spent, content marketing generates approximately 3 times as many leads as traditional marketing.” according to Strategic Copy.
- “B2B marketers who reported high levels of content marketing success (extremely/very successful) said the top two factors contributing to that success were the value their content provides (83%) and website changes (60%),” as stated in the Content Marketing Institute’s 11th Annual Report.
How do I generate great copy already?
First, know thyself.
You must dial in your brand voice and identity.
There are more processes to do this than there are clouds in the sky. However, one of our preferred foundational approaches includes using the StoryBrand 7-part framework. It’s one of the most straightforward and easiest ways to uncover both your voice and your story. It helps ground your role as a “guide” that aids your client, the “hero,” towards their goals.
Once you clarify your brand voice and story, take the following suggestions to heart.
- Clarity comes first. Clever comes second
- This goes for your brand’s messaging as well as your website, email, blog and social media copy. Making an outline of what you’re trying to communicate before you start will help ground you.
- Use a little personality and humor. Humor is a balance, so don’t drown your message in the spicy marinara. No one likes to fish for their pasta in a sea of red hot sauce.
- Ask a colleague to read, summarize and correct any grammatical. If your team member can’t succinctly repeat what you’re trying to say, you’ll need to rework your copy. Bad grammar is, well, a turn off. So, best to avoid this as well. If you don’t have a willing partner to review your writing, you can always turn to Grammarly or the Hemingway App.
- Keep your SEO and keywords in mind. This is especially relevant for website and blog content. Your prospects are searching for you and your services, so figure out which keywords and terms they’re using to find you in the SERP’s results.
As I’ve said before and will say again, your sales and marketing dollars should be working harder for you by producing tangible, revenue-generating ROI.
Lastly, if you’re trying to write great copy and are not getting any visible ROI, please contact me for an audit.
It’s time you learned how to spend your sales and marketing dollars in a way that increases your revenue.
Want your IT business to grow, using tactics like these and others? Look no further. Fill out the form on this page to get started.
Based in Minneapolis, MN with offices in Fargo, ND.