Is your idea of copywriting too narrow?

Copywriting advice on the web tends to focus on direct selling. But that’s only one part of copywriting.

It’s understandable why this should be the case. The web is a place where a lot of direct selling takes place. It’s a technique that a lot or people are interested in because they have products they want to sell on websites.

But a lot of copywriting isn’t about getting people to click on a buy button. It isn’t just about getting people to ‘buy now.’

See a bigger picture

In a series of posts on the site, I’ll be looking at some of these other aspects of copywriting. Because, as a professional copywriter, I often work in situations where the call to action isn’t ‘buy now.’ For example:

• A big corporation needs staff communications that are professional and get staff to act a certain way. As a copywriter, you’re almost part of the training team.
• A company needs advertising that is part of the brand building process, rather than simply trying to shift so many widgets by next week. You’re part of the marketing team.
• The company’s sales team needs a ‘leave behind’ brochure that contains key messages, and of course encourages prospects to become customers. But it’s part of a long process. You’re part of the sales team.
• You’re providing information to existing customers that help them get the best from their purchase. You’re part of the relationship management team.

Too much copywriting advice on the web is geared towards selling low value items to the general public. What if you’re selling IT software to a public sector organisation going through a lengthy tendering process?

What if you are talking to CEOs and finance directors? What if you don’t want people to click ‘buy’ but want them to call the sales team, or log onto the intranet, or visit a website? Or make a decision six months from now, in a boardroom, about a multi-million dollar purchase?

What if you want repeat customers? What if you want happy customers?

Bye bye to “buy, buy, buy”

Copywriting techniques that manipulate people too much, or without the required subtlety, could backfire in some situations.

And I’d argue that taking a broader view of copywriting could also help as lot of people who are trying to sell on the web, or just trying to improve their content. Because for a blogger, for example, repeat customers means regular readers.

Stay tuned for more on this subject on a regular basis.

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