“Speech has power. Words do not fade. What starts out as a sound, ends in a deed.” – Abraham Joshua Herschel
It’s no secret by now that words have power. We can use words to inspire, anger, project, persuade, motivate, and empower.
In marketing, the words you choose for your website pages or campaigns are incredibly important. As such, you need a good understanding of your industry, audience, company marketing goals and the desired outcome of your campaigns.
List the Benefits First
When people have a good understanding of what they stand to gain by buying whatever it is you are selling, they will be more engaged and open to your message. Therefore, if you start your persuasive copy with words that describe how the user will benefit directly from your product, service, or idea, your conversion rates from casual onlooker to full-on customer will be much higher.
Did you know
As mentioned in our previous article, you should never have a button or link that says “click here”. The reason? It’s better to use actionable words that explain what you want the user to do and why they should do it. For example, if one of the goals for your latest loan promotion on your website is to have people click a button to contact you for more information, you want to use actionable words that accurately engage the user so that they know what it is they are clicking on and for what purpose. You can try something like “Learn More” or “Contact Us for More Information”. By doing this, you give the user a purpose for clicking the button. The other upside? It’s great for SEO.
Speak directly to the user
When you use words like “you” and “your” you are speaking directly to your audience. Speaking directly to your audience is effective because you want to create a relationship between the user and your brand. Digital communication is cold and impersonal at times. That’s why it’s always better to engage your users on a personal level. That is why emotional advertising is an effective marketing technique.
Emotional words you can use in your copy are words like heartwarming, obsessed, luxurious, hilarious, courageous, vital, etc.
Use an active writing voice
When you write copy for your website or a marketing campaign, it’s best to use an active voice and not a passive voice. The reason? It gives your words purpose. It displays ownership and gives your users a sense of purpose when they are reading your words.
Always remember, when writing content, the words you use might start with a sound but you want them to end with an action. Engage your users. Get them to pay attention.
