“You know, Georges, even the good Lord needs the sound of bells.”

This is what my father used to say to me when I was a child. Imagine my surprise. How could these big iron bells help the Almighty?!?

As I grew up, however, I understood what my father was telling me: communication is at the heart of everything. How many interpersonal conflicts are born from a misunderstanding, a misinterpretation or a lack of communication?

And, if God himself needs bells to make himself heard, then what about your business?

Knowing how to communicate with your customers, your audience, your prospective clients, your community, is fundamental.

The purpose of a company is to survive and grow. To do that, it must make money. To make money, it must sell. To sell, it must communicate.

But, there are different ways of communicating.

And when it comes to communication, I can guarantee that copywriting is to traditional advertising what a space rocket is to a paper plane.

Let’s take a look at it.

What is Copywriting again?

I won’t repeat everything I shared in my previous article. But for those of you who haven’t had the chance to read it (yet), here’s a quick reminder.

So what is Copywriting?

The Americans invented and perfected most of the techniques and the craft, which involves designing and writing. Let’s give credit where credit is due.

If you want to have an idea of the traditional copywriter, just picture Don Draper, in the Mad Men series.

It is still fiction, I’ll give you that. In real life it’s a little less glamorous.

Copywriting is above all the art of writing to sell and also the art of convincing through words.

Writing to Sell ; Convincing through Words

Here are the two key words of copywriting: Writing and Selling.

1. Writing

Nowadays, communication has become increasingly visual, especially with the development of digital technology, platforms like YouTube, Instagram or Pinterest.

However, the written word has not disappeared from the marketing scene. Far from it.

Just try to sell a product, a service, an idea by communicating only with images or emojis! I wish you good luck with that.

You will say: “Ok, but videos, animations, stories have exploded on the Internet and are unavoidable”.

And I agree with you 100%.

But in your opinion, what are the most impactful, the most effective videos in terms of marketing? The ones that were made on the fly, instinctively or on the spur of the moment? Or the ones that have been thought out, designed in advance with a real scenario or a well‑written script?

I think the answer is obvious. And I’m going to tell you a secret: the scenario, the script, is copywriting !!!

1. Selling

Selling is essentially is giving something to someone in exchange for an amount of money.

But this verb has in reality a much wider meaning such as:

• To convince
• To make things happen
• To convert
• To seduce
• To get people to accept something
• To demonstrate
• To make people act
• To obtain

Copywriting is the objective to “sell” in a broad sense.

In truth, this intention is to be found everywhere.

Not just in television ads, online, in your mailbox, on a billboard or in a sales brochure

You will find copywriting in a (good) resume or in an (excellent) cover letter, in a report intended to guide the decision of a manager, in a lawyer’s plea, and so on.

Copywriting is therefore also the noble art of, for example, convincing your listeners, your clients, your prospective clients, your boss, your employees, or the members of a jury.

With copywriting, can I win new customers or gain my first “buyers”?

The answer is YES.

Well yes, BUT…

Let me first question (somewhat) the magic of copywriting.

• So, yes, copywriting is powerful.
• copywriting is efficient.
• copywriting can sell.
• copywriting can bring in new clients.
• copywriting can bring your first buyers as well.

But not in all ways, under any condition, nor at any price (in this respect, my fees are rather competitive).

Sorry, there is no magic wand.

The realization of a sale, in the broadest sense of the term, is a phenomenon that relies on a complex process, in which copywriting is a mere component of a more global marketing strategy.

First, you need two things:

• A market, i.e. people or companies with a problem important enough that they are willing to pay to solve it.
• A solution adapted to this problem. For example, a product, a service offer, or an expertise.

In order to do so, you need to define clearly:

• Who you are
• What you do or offer
• Why you do it
• What your values are
• And what makes you, your organization, your solution (offer, product…) unique.

Then, it is not copywriting that will identify potential clients and the problems they need to solve.

It’s you!

(Even though a really good copywriter should be able to help you with this.)

And, what copywriting will not do either is define for you the most suitable solution for your target market, its intrinsic qualities, and its efficiency. Nor the means of communication or strategies to use to reach your targets.

However,

• Once your sales/marketing strategy has been clearly established,
• and you are clear on the points mentioned above…

then, copywriting can enter the picture and boost your results.

How can copywriting help me increase my turnover?

As mentioned above, copywriting is the noble art of convincing people through the power of words.

It is also the art of convincing others to do something for you.

For example:

• To click on a link or press a button
• To read an article
• To like something or comment on it
• To register for a webinar
• To visit an apartment
• To test a product
• To watch a video
• To listen to a podcast
• To answer an e-mail
• To give one’s e-mail address

Mind you, I did not mention the words “buy” or “make buy” once in the list, even though the end goal is to sell a product.

And for good reason. The copywriter must master subtlety; in other words, master what is implicit.

In fact, copywriting and all the techniques affiliated with it will come into play as soon as:

• You need to ask or “sell” something to someone,
• And to convince this person to do or to give you that thing,
• All of the above through writing.

Examples are plentiful:

• In order to promote a new offer, you want to send an email to your customers: copywriting!
• You want your visitors to leave their email on your website: copywriting!
• Have your audience widely share and like your latest post: copywriting!
• You want to stand out from the crowd and leave your competitors behind in the context of a call for tenders: copywriting!
• Making your presentation to the next executive committee memorable: copywriting!

No need to add more. You perfectly get the idea.

From a business perspective, copywriting can be used to acquire new customers, retain existing ones, or turn them into ambassadors for your products, services or brand, or even into business drivers.

In conclusion

Used wisely, as part of a well thought-out and coherent marketing strategy, copywriting is a weapon of mass seduction that can be used in countless situations.

I’ll tell you another thing, though. There are specific cases where the art of selling through the written word will be even more bewitching.

But, we will talk about that in the next article.

Further articles by Georges Savarino:

Booster son business grâce au Copywriting – 1. Qu’est-ce que le Copywriting ?

Boost your business with Copywriting – 1. What is Copywriting?

Image:

Vadim Vasenin via depositphotos.com