7 Georgina El Morshdy At Gem Writing This copywriting ebook is for micro biz owners who write their own sales copy And want to do it better! 1
Hi there smart micro biz owner, You re here because you want to improve your sales copy. Perhaps your words don t convert or fail to attract attention. Or maybe you struggle to write copy that does your business justice. Whatever your reason for wanting to write better, you re in the right place. That s because this ebook has been specifically created to help micro biz owners who write their own copy do it better. What s more: This copywriting ebook is about your business. This is not like other copywriting ebooks. You won t just read about the theory of persuasive copywriting. Instead, through a series of worksheets, you ll actively engage with the theory and work on your business. What s the payoff? You get to create copy that sells for you. Sounds good? Then read and apply the 7 Steps. They will make a difference. After all, copywriting isn t like normal writing. In order to write to sell, you must understand and then apply copywriting tools and techniques. And if you don t know these techniques, how can they work for you? So invest some time, learn the 7 Steps, and use the worksheets to practice the lessons. Then enjoy the rewards J Georgina P.S: The worksheets are a critical part of this programme. However don t feel you have to write perfect sentences. Nobody s looking! Instead notes, thoughts, bullet points and scribbles are just perfect. Capturing your ideas in black and white is what matters. 2
Contents This ebook has two sections. Part 1 is groundwork where you ll lay foundations. Here, powerful questions probe your business so you identify essential content for your sales copy. Part 2 explains persuasive writing techniques. Here s where you learn how to say what you want to say only better. Contents A Secret Page no. 4 Part 1 Lay the Foundations: Step 1: How to Write Copy that Sells Worksheet 1 Step 2: Write for Somebody (not Everybody) Worksheet 2 Step 3: Lay out your Unique Selling Point (USP) Worksheet 3 Step 4: Explain How You Benefit Customers Worksheet 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Part 2 Write to Sell: Step 5: Hot, Hooking Headlines Step 6: Structure that Sells Step 7: Convert with a Strong Call to Action Worksheet 5: Copywriting Template What Next? 10 steps to becoming a better writer 13 14 15 16 18 19 3
Apply this secret J Before we kick off, here s a little secret. As a micro biz owner, you know customers buy more than your products and services. They buy you too. Which means your marketing message must have integrity if you want to persuade. Write with integrity Integrity looks like this: 7 Ways 7 Ways to Write with Integrity 1. Customer focused: Show a genuine desire to ensure your product suits your customer don t push a sale if it s not right for the customer. 2. Don t focus on the sale: Instead help, serve and add value. 3. Pass the get home test: Let the customer decide so they feel no regret about their purchase. 4. Pass the BS test: Your pitch is honest and believable no pointless exaggeration present. 5. Convey passion: Bin the hard sell and instead show customers how your products and services make a difference. It won t feel like selling J 6. Sell you: Only use words and assertions you feel comfortable to stand in. 7. No pressure: Keep your customer in control and give them an escape route. Let them buy when they re ready or allow them to walk away if they re not. Remember these points when structuring your sales message. 4
1 Part 1 Lay the Foundations How to Write Copy that Sells Many micro biz owners find their sales copy doesn t get the results they d like. In my experience, the reason is one of these: 5 categories 1. It doesn t attract attention and so doesn t get read. 2. It doesn t appeal to a specific customer. 3. It fails to convince customers they should respond. 4. It s more about the business than the customer. 5. It s too salesy and lacks integrity. To get sales copy that works, you need a strategy that gets the right words, in front of the right person at the right time. Which is no easy feat when you add into the mix the other priorities you re juggling. In addition, unfortunately there are many ways to talk with customers. There s website copy, sales letters, newsletters, blog posts, articles, leaflets, brochures, press ads, flyers, banners, pay per click etc. Confusing right? So what s the solution? And each of these achieves different results. 1. Know your business. 3 Steps 2. Know your customer. Worksheet 1 will get you started. 3. Write copy that persuades your audience (with integrity) that they will benefit from your offer. 5
Worksheet 1 How to Write Copy that Sells Worksheet aim: Work out where you are. 1. Outline the nuts and bolts of your product / service. 2. Write down your 30- second elevator pitch. 3. What marketing copy do you currently use to promote your business? 4. Which gives you the best results and why? 5. What one thing do you think you need to improve on your sales copy? 6
2 Write for Somebody (not Everybody) Does your copy under- perform because it speaks too broadly? You want your business to succeed and you ll do anything to make that happen. So when it comes to marketing you may cast your net as far and wide as possible. After all, you never know who s swimming by. A lot of micro businesses fall into the trap of my business appeals to everyone. The truth is it doesn t and it shouldn t. Appeal to everyone and your message gets watered down so much you end up appealing to no one. The solution is to choose a niche, then stamp your authority on it. Be the one to go to and you ll gain a market share by naturally attracting individuals in that niche (content marketing will help you achieve this goal). Gem Writing s an example. In reality I can write for anyone. But if I compete with other copywriters using this broad message I ve got limited chance. Instead I target micro businesses. I like tiny businesses, I like getting to know the face behind the brand and I understand the challenges very small companies encounter. So ask yourself - Who can you best serve? Writing for a specific someone really works Think about it. When 121, you naturally have more intimate conversations. You instinctively hone in on the individual and get to grips with what s important to them. Adopt this approach with your sales copy and its appeal will increase. Three steps to writing for somebody (not everybody) 3 Steps 1. First match your offer with the type of individual you can best serve. 2. Next look deeper. Picture your perfect client. Who are they? What do they do? What do they like? What are they called? 3. Complete worksheet 2! 7
Worksheet 2 Write for Somebody (not Everybody) Worksheet aim: You might be talking, but is your audience listening? Closely define your target market then give your marketing copy a specific appeal it s the quick route to highly engaged customers. 1. What interests your audience? 2. What kind of work do they do? 3. Describe their typical lifestyle. 4. What kind of problems do they face? 5. What are their aspirations? 6. What are they called? 7. What drives your customer? 8
3 Identify your Unique Selling Point (USP). Your Unique Selling Point (or USP) is the aspect of your business that differentiates you from the competition. It helps you emerge from the sea of sameness, create a niche and gain expertise and authority in your field. What s more, your USP should answer this hard- core customer question Why should I choose to buy from you over everyone else? If you can t answer this, you re in serious trouble! After all, if you don t know, why should a customer care? It s strange. Micro biz owners know their business inside out. However, they continue to miss out on sales simply because they don t develop a deep enough understanding of their USP (I think it links back to that my business appeals to everyone trait). 5 Tips Five tips to find your USP 1. As a micro biz owner always remember YOU are part of your USP so factor in what you bring to the table. 2. Think carefully about what you pin your USP on. For example, if you re not the cheapest, don t promote price as a differentiator. Whatever you choose should be compelling, authentic and pass that BS detector. 3. Match your USP with what your niche wants. To talk with confidence and authenticity about why customers should choose you, you ve got to talk about the right things. 4. Think like a customer. Read your testimonials (you do collect them don t you?) to identify common themes, then pick out what clients value about your business. 5. Be different. Sounds obvious but your USP must differentiate you. So think about the common consensus in your market and do something against the norm. Bonus tip: Complete worksheet 3! 9
Worksheet 3 Identify your Unique Selling Point (USP). Worksheet aim: Use this worksheet to get clear on your USP and work out precisely why customers should choose you over the competition. 1. I m the only micro business in my field that 2. My first thought is that 3. Explain your answer to question 1. My USP is: Something about me Something about my product Something about my service Something else Tick 4. What do you do better than your competitors? 5. What do customers say they love about your business? 6. Finally summarise your USP into a few sentences here. What next? Once you ve decided your USP, own it and promote it. For example, weave it into your tagline; write about it in your blog and integrate it to your 30- second elevator pitch. 10
4 Explain How You Benefit Customers Persuasive copy compels a customer to take your preferred action - whether that s to RT, subscribe, download or buy. To persuade, your copy should focus on product benefits - then use features so your customer can justify their purchase. In addition, you need to answer this potent question in all your sales copy WIIFM? I ll translate that s what s in it for me? If you don t, your conversion rates will suffer. Remember. Don t sell features. Sell solutions, inspiration, luxury, and status show explicitly how your business will improve your customer s life in some way. What s more, you need to understand how people buy. With the exception of real basic essentials, people often make buying decisions based on instinct and desire. Buying is an emotional decision and we ll have conversations with ourselves like these when deciding I d be more attractive if I had that. I don t want to miss out on that deal. I could get richer with that product. What would my friends think if I had one of those? Now that could free up some time I need to be a part of that. I d be more successful if I read that My home would be better with one of those. Successfully evoke emotion, and your advertising copy will influence the content of these conversations. You see, us irrational humans buy something because we want it - not necessarily because we need it. And then we justify that decision by rationalising why we needed the product in the first place! 3 Tips Three tips for communicating WIIFM. 1. Translate features into benefits that specifically appeal to your niche. 2. Pass the get home test? Sell with integrity so your customers feel good after their initial excitement has waned. 3. Complete worksheet 4 J 11
Worksheet 4 Explain how you add value Worksheet aim: You ve defined your offer, decided your target market and nailed your USP. The next step is to combine this information and work out specifically how your business benefits and serves your customers. 1. What big promise can you authentically make to customers? 2. What problem can you help your customers solve? 3. Which emotional driver(s) does your product or service evoke? 4. How does your business ignite these drivers? Emotional Driver Exclusivity Time saving, money saving etc. Vanity Pleasure Something else: Tick 5. What pinch point do you solve? 6. What real, authentic value do you add? 12
Part 2 Write to Sell In Part 1, we discussed the foundations for good copy. Next you ll discover how to write with integrity and persuade customers to buy. 5 Write Hot, Hooking Headlines Your headline has just one job to get the rest of your copy read. It s the most hardworking and important part of your writing. Whether you re writing a blog, an email, a leaflet or something else, you need to nail your headline. Here s why Brian Clark at Copyblogger estimates: On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. This is the secret to the power of your title, and why it so highly determines the effectiveness of the entire piece. You see, if your headline doesn t make an impact, the rest of your copy will remain unread - no matter how good it is! And that s why a good copywriter frequently spends longer on the headline than anything else. Sounds strange when you may be talking about just one sentence! But think about it, in that headline you ve got to: Cram a compelling summary of your content into around 10 words. Stoke your reader s curiosity so they feel compelled to read on. 3 Templates 3 Headline Templates Headline writing can be difficult. To help, here are three templates that always work. If you re stuck for an idea, try one of these: 1. Highlight the most important benefit. a. Get a FREE design when you buy 500 business cards. b. Learn to write sales copy that sells in 7 easy steps. 2. How To. a. How to write a sticky home page. b. How to create a newsletter that turns readers into buyers. 3. Lists. a. 7 proven tactics to get more comments on your blog. b. Top 10 tricks to get more engagement on Twitter. 13
6 Structure that Sells Once you ve cracked your headline, the next challenge is to make your sales message easy to read. And that is largely determined by structure. 1. First, here are Ten Top Tips to make your message readable. 1. Chunk your copy with informative subheads. 2. Break up text with bullet points and lists. 3. Emphasise key points with italics, under- lining and bold. 4. Maintain interest with short, snappy sentences and concise paragraphs. 5. Use connectives to lead your reader through the text. 6. Never use a long, complicated word where a shorter one will suffice. 7. Write in a conversational tone to appeals to your audience. 8. Don t waffle. Get to the point quickly! 9. Edit ruthlessly, cut unnecessary jargon and avoid clichés like the plague! 10. Write mostly in the second person using words like you and yours. 2. Next, embrace the classic copywriting formula AIDA: Good copywriting captures these four aspects. Attention Use a hooking headline to attract your audience and let them know the payoff for reading. Interest Stoke interest by building rapport. Get your audience nodding in agreement by asking questions that they can answer yes. Show explicitly how your offer is relevant to your reader. Desire Evoke emotion. Write so your readers can imagine themselves using your product or benefitting from your service. Action Persuade your audience to respond to your copy. Weave in a call to action (see step 7). 3. Finally, proofread and ruthlessly edit your work. Never ever publish anything cold or in a hurry! Instead give yourself thinking space and look again when you ve had a breather (preferably an overnight one). You ll be surprised what fresh eyes pick up - a typo, a grammatical error, useless waffle or an opportunity to hone your copy. 14
7 Convert with a Strong Call to Action To boost conversion, you ll need to sign off your copy with a strong call to action. In simple terms, that s when you ask your audience to buy. Your call to action should convert attention into action. That action will vary on your product but it could include instructions such as: 4 Calls to Actions Share my content on social media; Leave a comment on my blog; Download the special report on my landing page; Buy a product from my website etc. You ll notice these instructions are specific and simple. In fact, the more specific and straightforward your request is, the better your conversion will be. You see it s not that your readers lack intelligence. Instead they are insanely busy and have a million and one other things competing for their fleeting attention. And that means it s highly unlikely anyone will give your message full attention. They re more likely to skim, scan and skip. If you make your call to action abundantly clear, your readers are more likely to respond. They ll click here or buy now, because there s no confusion. Try this formula. 1. Pick just one method of response. Include too many options, and the likelihood of customers doing nothing increases. 2. Make your call to action clear, specific and simple. 3. At the same time remind customers how they will benefit from your offer. Time to get copywriting J You ve learned the seven steps. Now it s time to practice writing some copy. Use the template that follows to help, and if you ve got any questions drop me an email to georgina@gemwriting.co.uk. 15
Worksheet 5 Template for Writing Effective Sales Copy Whether you re writing web copy, a blog post or creating an advert, this copy template will help pull together all you ve explored and focus you to write words that sell. a) What is your offer? E.g. 50% off silk blouses or bespoke footstools for sale. b) What do you want your copy to achieve? E.g. raise awareness, push sales, increase sign- ups etc. c) Capture your customer s interest WIIFM? Outline specifically why your customer will benefit from your offer. d) Which benefit do you think is of most interest to your target customer? You can turn this into your headline and lead. e) What objections might your target customer have to your offer? 16
Next organise your message with A*I*D*A f) Capture attention with your headline explore the 3 template ideas. Benefit lead: How to List g) Spark interest Tips: Ask questions the reader can say yes to. When you write, imagine you re talking to a specific person in your target niche. Write as if they were sat opposite you. h) Embed desire by evoking a relevant emotion. Tips: Create a visual picture that allows your audience to imagine they already own or use your product / service. Focus on emotion evoking benefits and use features to help your reader justify their purchase. i) Clarify your call to action. Tips: How specifically do you want your customers to respond? Remember, one option works best. Be clear and specific with what you want them to do. 17
What next? Nice one J You ve made it through this ebook and gained invaluable tips, tools and techniques to enhance the sales copy you use to promote your business. Now you must keep up your hard work. Theory is no good if it stays in your head. It s got to be practiced and applied if you want to improve. The real work starts now! So get out there and let your target market know what you ve got for them! And if this workbook has struck a chord with you and you liked the tips, check in to Copywriting Gems at www.gemwriting.co.uk/blog. You ll find weekly copywriting tips written especially for micro biz owners who write their own copy. Feedback please! What did you think? I love feedback (good and bad!) I ve written this guide for you and I d love to hear what you thought. Just drop me an email to georgina@gemwriting.co.uk. And if you know of another micro biz owner who would benefit from this guide, please pass it on and share the love J. Before I sign off, I d like to leave you with one final thought. Don t skimp on your words. Instead give them the attention they deserve and do your micro business justice. Georgina. I wrote this ebook J Hi, I m Georgina El Morshdy from Gem Writing I m a blogger and freelance copywriter specialising in content marketing and copywriting for micro businesses. I love to get under the skin of micro businesses and use words to showcase how they add value to customers. Some micro biz owners struggle to find the right words. They know what they want to say but it just doesn t sound right! If this sounds familiar give me a call on 07954 580 039. We ll chat about your business and work out what s needed to get you copy that sells. 18
Bonus J 10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer I just had to sign off with this ace poem by Copyblogger s Brian Clark. You see, copywriting theory is relatively easy to digest, but it s the practice, which will see your skills grow. Here s how 1. Write. 2. Write more. 3. Write even more. 4. Write even more than that. 5. Write when you don t want to. 6. Write when you do. 7. Write when you have something to say. 8. Write when you don t. 9. Write every day. 10. Keep writing. Source: http://www.copyblogger.com/become- a- better- writer/ P.S: Remember your subscription to Copywriting Gems If you got something out of this ebook remember to check in weekly to Copywriting Gems for some more tips, techniques and ideas to hone your style and learn to write better. P.P.S: Remember I write copy for micro biz owners too. So if you want a hand putting these 7 steps into practice, drop me a line today. Catch you later, Georgina 19