Copywriting is one of the most essential elements of effective online marketing. The art and science of direct-response copywriting involves strategically delivering words (whether written or spoken) that get people to take some form of action. As a content writer, one of the most important skills you can have is writing effective copy – copy that converts.
It is therefore important to develop this skill. The word is “develop” because believe it or not, we all have a creative side within us – and, like almost everything else in life – we can improve it. The good news, however, is that it just needs to be ignited and this can be done by learning.
There are seven of the most important copywriting skills that you absolutely must have if you are going to turn prospects into customers with your copy.
The Art Of Listening: The first skill you should have as a copywriter is the skill of listening. You need to listen to what your audience is saying. The late Steven Covey said it well in his best selling work Habits of Highly Effective People when he stated that you should first seek to understand before being understood.
If you don’t listen, you can’t understand. And if you can’t understand your customers, how can you meet their needs? Usually, this results in the creation of weak copy which ultimately gives you no leads and no money. So learn to listen and listen with the need to help not to gain.
Do this and you gain the trust of your prospects and build relationships that will leave a positive impact on your bottom line. Here is a list of tools you can use to survey and find out more about your customers!
Crazy Egg – This heatmap software will show you exactly where your customer/visitor clicks/scrolls on your site.
SurveyMonkey – This software allows you to send out surveys to your customers.
iPerception – This allows you to survey visitors as they land on or leave your site.
Ethnio – This pop up allows you to gather usability test users. This is super helpful when you are trying to fix a gap in your sales funnel.
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How To Say It Well: Skill number two is the skill of “saying it well.” All successful marketers have a way with words that will literally get their prospects ready to buy in an instant – we could sell ice to an Eskimo, you know the term. This doesn’t only mean writing good copy but writing in way that is guaranteed to bring you results.
A good way to do this is by using the right language. Now, you can only learn this by expanding your knowledge – this is easily done by becoming a student of the top marketers and learning from them. Remember, this is a skill that once you learn and continually develop, will be responsible for a great profession.
Say It Quick: The third is don’t beat around the bush, Be brief! In short form copy, forget about the stories and deal with the facts. People are very impatient. Just look at how cranky people get when that traffic they ran into looks horrible but probably only lasts about 10 minutes.
So say it well, but also be brief. Moreover, being brief shows that you have done your research. Note: There are different instances when long form copy is more successful.
Be Creative: The difference between prospects who convert and those who don’t depends entirely on how creative you are. Again, as mentioned above, this is a talent which many possess however; the problem lies in getting the creative impulses going.
Sell, sell, sell: It’s easy to forget that the whole point of developing your copywriting skill is so that you can sell more stuff. To be honest, there is no right way to sell and wrong way to sell. There are a few principles that you should use, but there isn’t a specific method that you can follow that is guaranteed to make you tons of cash. Everyone is different and everyone’s style of selling is unique.
Here is where persistence comes into play. You have to be willing to test to find out what works and what doesn’t. However, once you find that sweet spot, everything becomes easier. It’s almost like minting your own money. So take the time to learn effective selling strategies.
You need to understand SEO: So here is where things get a little technical. SEO is one the most important skills you can develop not only as a copywriter, but also as an online marketer.
It would be pointless to write effective copy without understanding how your content will be indexed by the SERPs and found by your target niche right? SEO is the bridge between your content and prospective leads.
Authenticity: Be real! Nowadays, it’s hard to find real people – especially on the Internet.
Don’t pretend to be someone you are not. Sooner or later, people will know the truth and believe me, it won’t be a very nice experience. So avoid the hype, fake screen shots and bank details and focus on sharing your story. Your story is more powerful than you think!
There You Have It. Use these key skills and you will be on your way to becoming an unstoppable copywriter.
It is therefore important to develop this skill. The word is “develop” because believe it or not, we all have a creative side within us – and, like almost everything else in life – we can improve it. The good news, however, is that it just needs to be ignited and this can be done by learning.
There are seven of the most important copywriting skills that you absolutely must have if you are going to turn prospects into customers with your copy.
The Art Of Listening: The first skill you should have as a copywriter is the skill of listening. You need to listen to what your audience is saying. The late Steven Covey said it well in his best selling work Habits of Highly Effective People when he stated that you should first seek to understand before being understood.
If you don’t listen, you can’t understand. And if you can’t understand your customers, how can you meet their needs? Usually, this results in the creation of weak copy which ultimately gives you no leads and no money. So learn to listen and listen with the need to help not to gain.
Do this and you gain the trust of your prospects and build relationships that will leave a positive impact on your bottom line. Here is a list of tools you can use to survey and find out more about your customers!
Crazy Egg – This heatmap software will show you exactly where your customer/visitor clicks/scrolls on your site.
SurveyMonkey – This software allows you to send out surveys to your customers.
iPerception – This allows you to survey visitors as they land on or leave your site.
Ethnio – This pop up allows you to gather usability test users. This is super helpful when you are trying to fix a gap in your sales funnel.
How To Say It Well: Skill number two is the skill of “saying it well.” All successful marketers have a way with words that will literally get their prospects ready to buy in an instant – we could sell ice to an Eskimo, you know the term. This doesn’t only mean writing good copy but writing in way that is guaranteed to bring you results.
A good way to do this is by using the right language. Now, you can only learn this by expanding your knowledge – this is easily done by becoming a student of the top marketers and learning from them. Remember, this is a skill that once you learn and continually develop, will be responsible for a great profession.
Say It Quick: The third is don’t beat around the bush, Be brief! In short form copy, forget about the stories and deal with the facts. People are very impatient. Just look at how cranky people get when that traffic they ran into looks horrible but probably only lasts about 10 minutes.
So say it well, but also be brief. Moreover, being brief shows that you have done your research. Note: There are different instances when long form copy is more successful.
Be Creative: The difference between prospects who convert and those who don’t depends entirely on how creative you are. Again, as mentioned above, this is a talent which many possess however; the problem lies in getting the creative impulses going.
Sell, sell, sell: It’s easy to forget that the whole point of developing your copywriting skill is so that you can sell more stuff. To be honest, there is no right way to sell and wrong way to sell. There are a few principles that you should use, but there isn’t a specific method that you can follow that is guaranteed to make you tons of cash. Everyone is different and everyone’s style of selling is unique.
Here is where persistence comes into play. You have to be willing to test to find out what works and what doesn’t. However, once you find that sweet spot, everything becomes easier. It’s almost like minting your own money. So take the time to learn effective selling strategies.
You need to understand SEO: So here is where things get a little technical. SEO is one the most important skills you can develop not only as a copywriter, but also as an online marketer.
It would be pointless to write effective copy without understanding how your content will be indexed by the SERPs and found by your target niche right? SEO is the bridge between your content and prospective leads.
Authenticity: Be real! Nowadays, it’s hard to find real people – especially on the Internet.
Don’t pretend to be someone you are not. Sooner or later, people will know the truth and believe me, it won’t be a very nice experience. So avoid the hype, fake screen shots and bank details and focus on sharing your story. Your story is more powerful than you think!
There You Have It. Use these key skills and you will be on your way to becoming an unstoppable copywriter.
