Rob Howard, a friend and mentor to Re:word, said that before someone buys from you, they have to buy into you. The value you add to them has to be clear. Your story has to resonate. And you have to make them feel incomplete without you.
All that is what good copywriting can do for your brand.
Where can quality copywriting do all this for your brand?
Anywhere. Everywhere. And especially when you know your customer is leaning into your copy (like when they’re reading it) versus leaning back away from it (like when they’re listening or watching, where you’ve done Yeoman’s work if you can get your audience leaning in).
The best example we’ve seen of capturing an inward-leaning audience was at the local grocery store near our old office where the price labels on the shelves of fresh produce artfully described the fruit or vegetable and a few ways to use it.
The store didn’t have to do that. They could have been like every other grocery store and just shown the price.
But then customers would be focused on the price of produce alone and might not buy. Instead, the possibility of making an eggplant parmesan resonates and their evening starts to feel incomplete without it. And, of course, the value of skipping meat is clear.
Suddenly, the price, however outrageous, might not matter so much.
Start looking for places to infuse quality copywriting
You’ve probably seen something like this at the end of an email:
If you have received this message in error, please notify me immediately and delete this e-mail and any attachments without copying, distributing or disclosing their contents.
This is like a painter’s white wall. You can turn it into anything and make whatever impression you want.
And because it’s at the bottom of your email, whatever you do there will be seen by everybody you email, every time you email them. There may not be a better place to infuse some good copywriting.
For example:
Friendly
If you received this email by accident, please let me know and kindly delete it along with any attachments. And please don’t copy, distribute or disclose anything.
Earnest
Forgive me if this email wasn’t for you. If you could, please don’t copy or share anything, and please delete it along with any attachments.
Irreverent
If you read all this and it wasn’t for you, I’m sorry for wasting your time. Kindly delete it along with any attachments. And please don’t copy or share what you read.
Look at everything a customer or potential customer may see. And think beyond traditional marketing vehicles like ads and websites. Invoices. Business cards. LinkedIn Profiles. All represent an opportunity to do something better. And that’s all it takes to make a connection — which is how you stay top of mind.
How do you know if the copywriting is quality?
Simple. You react to it.
The adage is that effective advertising makes you laugh, cry or think. While these may be a bit lofty, quality copywriting can make you smile, give you a moment of pause, create familiarity, provide comfort or offer hope for a better tomorrow.
In all those cases, the net result is a connection between you and your reader. Connections lead to action, which leads to you achieving the results you want.
And that connection is lasting; it doesn’t dissipate after that one little bit of quality copywriting if you keep surprising and delighting readers with something more than they expect from you,. They remember you. They feel good when they think of you. And when a need comes up that you can satisfy for them, your brand will come to mind first.
Ultimately, that’s what quality copywriting can do for your brand.