Small Business Marketing: Write It Down "Right" and build your business

Small business marketing can be done in many ways, in many mediums. But all marketing is based on a common denominator: the communication of a message. And the message is communicated primarily through language, spoken and written. Written language reigns supreme, and in the vernacular of marketing junkies, it’s called ad copy.

Ad copy is the wording of your message to sell your product. It is writing to convince and influence, and it is a major industry around the world and is considered the most important part of advertising.

The best copywriters are a rare breed, and they are paid a lot of money to do what they do. A single letter or web copy written to sell a product can cost a business $20,000 or more, plus a royalty percentage.

Yes, that’s right, for a single letter or web page.

You may be wondering how anyone could justify an expense of that magnitude in just a few words. Do some research and you’ll learn that a finely executed copycat ad can generate millions in sales, and businesses that can afford it consider the fee a small price to pay for such a substantial return. And here’s my point: If companies are willing to pay this much to write to promote their products, doesn’t that speak to how important copy is to our marketing?

The answer is a resounding yes. Yes, it is extremely important. Of all the effort you put into marketing, the lion’s share should go into copywriting. A well-executed ad will outsell a poorly executed ad every time, and many times. Now I understand that not everyone is a writer; They may be able to build a bridge across the ocean, but they couldn’t write a shopping list if they had to. Alright. Here I intend to discuss the main points of copywriting for those who feel they have a decent chance of producing good copy to market their products or services.

So how do you produce good copy? I will point out some of the main things to keep in mind. But please don’t look at this as a complete treatise on the aspects of quality copywriting. There are courses available for that. But in order to write well enough to draw attention to your ads, whether they’re descriptions on your website or flyers posted on a bulletin board, here are the essentials:

1. Type dynamically in the active voice.

This means writing in the present tense engaging and moving, using graphic descriptions and explaining the colour, feel and effect of every aspect of what you are describing. Consider this real estate ad:

– “Nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. 1704 sf. Renovated and cleaned with new carpet and other flooring. Good neighborhood, good schools. Great price for this home. A real charmer.”

And now this…

– “Drive down a tree-lined avenue between classy homes to a spacious, open three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch home, an elegant remodel from hardwood floors to vaulted ceiling. The 1,704-square-foot floor plan offers room for everyone desire and entertainment. Highly desirable primary and secondary schools within a five minute walk. Check out this fantastic price!”

Do you see any difference in these two ads? I hope you will. The first is simple, generic, emotionless and boring. The second… well, you should be able to “see” the house and the neighborhood a little bit and that’s what you want a reader to do: SEE THE PICTURE THAT THE WORDS CREATE.

If your writing creates images in your reader’s mind, you are succeeding. People can easily forget a sequence of letters, but they almost never forget a series of images created in their mind.

2. Write in good English.

This means writing with correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. For an ad to say wonderful things about a product but with misspellings and bad grammar is very silly.

really leaf. She tells an intelligent reader one of two things: she had trouble finishing high school or she just doesn’t care enough to do things right. Either way, the buyers, sellers, and other business people she deals with won’t appreciate these supposed traits if she’s going to handle their money or assets.

You don’t have to be Shakespeare to put together a decent ad, but you do have to be precise. If writing isn’t your thing, that’s fine because finding a proofreader to edit your writing is pretty simple. Get the services of someone who has excellent writing skills and have them clean it up. Who knows, they may have some great ideas to improve your ad anyway.

3. Use accents and devices to draw attention to yourself.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD A CHILD TALKING TOO LOUD? HE ALWAYS SHOUTS NO MATTER WHAT HE SAYS… and he doesn’t let up. He doesn’t yell when he needs attention, he just yells because that’s how he talks. Well, if you’ve spent a lot of time with such a child, you’ve probably found that after a while it doesn’t sound like a scream anymore; it’s just his voice. However, if another child spoke at the same volume, he would consider it a scream and might notice. But for the noisy child, it is simply his way of not paying attention. But he even tries not to.

When writing ads, you will find a similar concept. Some people like to use bold or capital letters to draw attention and make their ad pop. However, if they do it all the time, it stops having the desired effect. In other words, if you yell every time you open your mouth, eventually everyone around you becomes desensitized to the loud volume and forgets that you’re yelling. Still, if you capitalize from start to finish or use constant bold or any other device to accentuate your message at all times, it will destroy the desired effect. Nobody will pay attention.

Care should be taken to add effects only where they are needed most, such as in a special benefit, so that it stands out from the rest of the ad. You can even use capitals or bold or even colored letters for a complete sentence, if that sentence indicates something crucial to your ad. But don’t overdo it. Use these devices sparingly and they will add a special touch to your message.

Small business marketing is greatly strengthened through strong copywriting. The written word communicated accurately and effectively will sell and sell and sell again, no matter the product or service. Take the time to develop your writing skills and put them to use and they will give you a return on your investment… this is worth writing about. 🙂