website copywriting
At the beginning of every website copywriting project, the copywriter and client are immediately at odds.
The client focuses on shouting about their business because only they can understand what they do and how great they are.
The copywriter’s focus is on the audience. They know how important it is for the content on the site to ‘speak’ to the reader and show them how they can overcome their and how much better their life will be.
After an open and frank discussion, the client usually comes round to the copywriter’s way of thinking and appreciates their approach’s value. However, now and then, the client’s ego will be too big, and that’s where the problems start.
There’s no room for ego when marketing your business
Before I get going, I want to say this blog is fairly blunt and to the point. It’s not a stance I tend to take. But this is such a common occurrence it needs to be vocalised. I understand how difficult it is to write about your business subjectively. You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to write my site! But the ability to see what your readers want to know is fundamental to creating a website that works. I’m not talking in a functionality sense, but rather in a 24/7 lead generation/sales machine.
Right, now I’ve got that out the way, here we go.
Everyone has an ego – it’s our sense of self-esteem or self-importance. But it’s how we display it that matters. It impacts our relationships with one another and those around us and affects our ability to be persuasive and understood.
The problem with a big ego and the unwillingness to let it go (and take advice from your highly experienced copywriter) means you tend to speak down to people without realising you’re doing it. An approach that immediately evokes an emotion of distrust.
The propensity to fill the content with accolades about your business (and your career) and focusing on your cutting-edge technology and marketing-leading approach makes the reader frustrated and shows that, in essence, you don’t have any compelling reasons why they should buy from you.
The result is page upon page of web content that forces irrelevant information down your reader’s throat. They feel emotionally and intellectually detached from your words. You have failed to communicate your message adequately.
When this happens, your website becomes a rambling monologue about your successes and those of your company. Your reader’s response will be “so what?”
When it comes to website copywriting, trust your copywriter
When you hired your copywriter, you did so because you wanted an expert to help you reach a goal. In this case, more traffic and sales through your website.
If you don’t listen to your copywriter (who will be drawing on many years of experience) and refuse to consider what your reader wants to know, you’re turning your website into your stage. In contrast, it should be a place of refuge for someone looking for the solution to a challenge they are facing.
One other point, your website is an evolving entity. Don’t spend hours and hours trying to perfect your copy. Make sure it’s right for where you are right now and the customers you are looking to attract and leave it at that.
Web copy should change as your company changes. It’s not a ‘once in a lifetime job’.
Sally Ormond works with companies worldwide, dragging them from their comfort zones to produce website copy that is all about their readers. Let her help you by calling +44(0)1449 779605.