How to plan copy
Today I shall dig deeper into how to plan copy. Some businesses pay copy-writers vast sums of money because they generate massive returns. It is unlikely you have such skills but bad copy is very easy to write. You can learn to write better copy, even if it is not the best possible! The best way to learn is to start writing and respond to feedback.
I’ve already written about copy for donations (follow the link and scroll down to find the first in the sequence) and you will also find my posts about the awareness ladder helpful. Today I shall discuss the purpose of copy and then on future Tuesdays offer some pointers to effective copy.
There is one purpose to writing copy online; to get the visitor to your site to do something. (If you don’t want them to do anything, why do you have a site?) Not everyone who visits your site is going to do it. You do not want them to! All sorts of people may turn up but only some are likely to take a long-term interest.
You need write only for the people you want to reach. The others soon understand your site is not for them. You want to be sure the right people do respond to your site.
So, who is the right person? More about this in my next post. Let’s for the moment assume you know who the right person is. The next question is: what do you want them to do and why will they want to do it?
The first question is important. What do you want the right people to do? Here are a few ideas:
- To build a long-term relationship with the right people, persuade them to join your email list.
- Invite them to join your cause, which may be to sign a petition, write a letter, pay a membership fee, etc.
- You might want to persuade your visitors to attend an event.
- You might want to sell them a product or service, either online or by visiting your premises.
Note I do not include reading documents or watching videos. Content can be freely available and your visitor might take a look, then disappear forever. You may however be able to persuade them register on your email address so that you can keep them up-to-date with changes on your site. One option is to offer more content once your visitor has registered their interest.
Content is the most important material on your site. It is what makes or breaks your site. People will visit to read your content because it offers something they want.
Working out what content to make freely available and what is subject to certain restrictions, is a big challenge for any site owner. If you want to sell content, then you need to be clear what is free, what is in exchange for information, eg an email address, and what is subject to a charge. Free stuff helps people understand what you can offer but why should they buy more of it from you?
Be careful about social media. If your visitor clicks on a social media icon, they leave your page and possibly never return. Social media can drive visitors to your page. However, if they choose not to register for your email list, they might at least follow you or like you, and this may have some value.
How do you marshal the material on your site? How do you build a relationship with your site visitor?