5 Ways Copywriting Can Grow Your Business

Written by Laurie Zinn@LineByLineLLC10 years ago

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Every day we write for our business. We write emails, reports, proposals, blog posts and sales letters. And while there are many different types of writing – such as news writing, feature writing or fiction writing – when we write for our business, it’s called copywriting.

Copywriting is writing that persuades your readers to take a particular action. You may be asking them to contact you, to opt-in to your email list, or to buy your product or service. Copywriting has a purpose and a desired result.

But copywriting isn’t always a hard sell. Sometimes good copywriting is simply providing helpful, valuable information to your readers with an invitation to contact you to learn more.

You can use copywriting in the following ways:

• Your blog. Your blog articles can provide answers to the typical questions your customers ask you. You can provide how-to instructions, tips, or words of wisdom about your product, service or industry.
• Your e-newsletter or e-zine. Through an email-marketing program such as iContact, Constant Contact or MailChimp, you can send your email contact list valuable information in the form of an electronic newsletter or magazine. Similar to the goal of the blog, you’ll be providing information that will help your contacts, with a subtle call to action.
• An ebook or white paper. Offer a free download on your website or through your email marketing program. The longer format of an ebook or white paper allows you to go into more detail about your topic.
• Your social media updates. Use your social media updates to provide tips, suggestions and share industry-related articles that would be helpful to your customers.

Although you are providing this content for free or in exchange for an email address, copywriting will grow your business in these five ways:

1. It allows you to make a connection. Through copywriting, you are showing up in your customers’ email inboxes. They are reading your blogs, and your updates are appearing in their social media feeds.
2. It creates engagement. Copywriting gives you the unique opportunity to interact with your customers. Through comments on blog posts and social media, you can engage in a more timely and personal conversation.
3. You will earn credibility. By proving yourself as your industry’s expert, you become the go-to person for questions and information. It’s safe to say that customers prefer to buy from knowledgeable business owners.
4. You are making it about them. It’s not about pushing your product or service on someone. You are offering information and showing how it can help them or make their lives easier. Your focus is on your customers, not on you.
5. You can ask for the order. Everything you write should include a call to action, or a request for something. You may not ask for the business right off the bat, but asking for something smaller – like signing up for your email list or contacting you to learn more – builds the foundation for a solid business relationship.

Copywriting is not just about making the sale, but about making your customers feel comfortable and confident doing business with you. Copywriting allows you to make that connection, establish trust and integrity, and ultimately turn that potential buyer into a long-term, loyal customer.

Laurie Zinn is a Columbus-based freelance writer and owner of Line-By-Line. She helps businesses communicate with their customers through website content, blog articles, email marketing campaigns and social media. For more information about Line-By-Line, visit http://line-by-line.us or contact Laurie at laurie@line-by-line.us.