Writing persuasive advertising copy is an art. Research should be done into the right type of copy suitable for your enterprise. Before you go about incorporating copywriting into your startup, decide whether you have the skills to carry it out yourself or to consider hiring a professional copywriter.
Hiring the right copywriter
Copywriters are writing professionals well-versed in different aspects of startup businesses. They conduct user research to find targeted and successful ways to market your product. They incorporate marketing methods that suit your enterprise and drive conversions. If your budget allows it, consider hiring a professional copywriter who can build your brand via a website, social media, SEO and other targeted methods.
This will allow you to concentrate on other aspects of growing your new enterprise. Should you not have the budget, make note of the following, as the copywriting you carry out can make or break your venture. Over 80% of all startups fail – a statistic you don’t want to be included in!
Choose a website platform to suit your needs
A website is an important visual medium for any business, so be mindful when you create yours. Think about using a platform like WordPress to create your website. WordPress has become known as “the world’s best online publishing platform”, with good reason. It is easily customizable and requires only a minimal amount of technical know-how. You, the business owner, could do most of the setting up yourself. Alternatively, the majority of web designers are WordPress-proficient so hiring somebody to set up your site is also easy. Another plus point is that WordPress looks good and functions easily on any web browser or smartphone.
Easy website navigation is also an important part of copywriting. Confusing web designs detract from all of the important content on the website. If you’re creating your own site, place menu buttons in prime positions where visitors won’t have to look for them. If not, speak up if you’re unhappy with the way your web designer is laying out your site. It is your site and it is your business that depends on its success!
Keep it simple in the beginning
When starting, keep your website design simple. The layout of your site is as important as your textual content. Announce your business with a few effective pages and grow it as your audience grows. A “Home” page, an “About” page, a “Products and Services” page and a “Contact Us” page, closely followed with an “FAQ” page, will suffice.
Fill your site with the right creative content
After you decide which platform to use and create the framework, work on your creative content. It is important to market your enterprise effectively, and is now that your true copywriting ability will be tested. Ensure that the typography on your website creates an easy and pleasurable navigation experience for all. Use simple, clear fonts for your headers. Please your audience with the capitalization, spelling and grammar you use. Fonts should large enough and uncluttered, as this allows for easier reading. Nobody likes to have to squint!
Position your headlines and paragraph text in an ordered fashion to ensure a painless reading experience. Avoid switching between uppercase and mixed text. This subliminally affects visitors in a negative way. Instead use bold text to highlight headers and other necessary sections. Italics can also prove effective at times. Underline to indicate links only. Select colours which set the desired tone for your website and suit your business. Research the ages, genders, demographics and other interests of your target audience and design your site’s content around the results.
Create and grow your brand presence
Create a brand presence on your website. It could be in the form of a colour scheme, a company logo or a mascot, or you could combine all three. Experiment with this – don’t concern yourself with details to start. A startup venture is about exactly that – finding your feet as you start up. Change your colours, your logo or your mascot as you go, but create a brand from the beginning. Visitors only notice changes and growth in your business if there’s something to compare them to.
Consider the perfect homepage headline
The right headline on your homepage works wonders. Make it striking and unique to captivate visitors early and keep them scrolling. Stand out from your opposition as opposed to mimicking any designs of your competition. They’re generally established and will have more visitors than you in the beginning. It’s up to you to change that!
Create an authentic “About” page
Concentrate on your “About” page. It is probably the most visited page after your homepage. Visitors want to know more about who they’re dealing with so an “About” page is important when it comes to copywriting. Be authentic and direct on this page. Professionally describe what sets you apart from the rest and display confidence in your product or service. Convince your potential customers that they would be smart to deal with you. Use positive and persuasive synonyms for words, without being ‘high brow’, to highlight your uniqueness. Many others are content using simple and common alternatives, so stand apart!
Build a presence on social media
When your website is up-and-running, create a presence on social media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, Tumblr and Pinterest have millions of users and should be considered as valuable secondary marketing platforms. This will gain you exposure as a startup. Be wary of over-exposing yourself on social media initially though. Social media marketing is time-consuming and growing your brand will take a fair amount of time. Test the waters on two or three of the more apt social media sites to promote your site to find out what works for you. In time, with brand growth, you can spread your wings further into the unknown.
Self-educate, experiment and improve
Use the multitude of online tools and methods available to enhance your knowledge and improve your copywriting skills and productivity levels. Digitally expanding the reach of your business with blogging, mailers, surveys and online paid advertising. Utilities like Google Analytics and Google Search Console assist with the analysis of visitors and webpage search activity. Google Adwords helps with search engine exposure.
AI content generators like ContentBot assist in making copywriting simpler and more productive. ContentBot includes an array of helpful features. Long and short form writing tools, blog-writing tools, and landing page and copywriting formula tools, among others, are all included.
A number of reasonably-priced or free courses are available online. Your ability to create outstanding copy and content for your enterprise depends entirely on your motivation and the time you are able to spend doing so.
Your alternative is to manage your budget and hire a professional copywriter. Either way, you should definitely begin incorporating copywriting into your startup. You will certainly not regret the results.
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