Great Storytelling is Great Copywriting
The word copywriting used to be reserved for advertisers, which is why it is so connected with the net. Because, like any medium, the finances that drive much of the web are linked to ad dollars.
Wikipedia defines copywriting as:
Copywriting is the use of words to promote a person, business, opinion or idea. Although the word copy may be applied to any content intended for printing (as in the body of a newspaper article or book), the term copywriter is generally limited to such promotional situations, regardless of media (as advertisements for print, television, radio or other media). The author of newspaper or magazine copy, for example, is generally called a reporter or writer or a copywriter.
I define copywriting more simply: It’s the act of using words to sell or influence. My expanded definition is still more concise than the Wikipedia version: It’s written persuasion created to make your target audience act in a certain way, such as click, read, buy, or register.
Storytelling is a great copywriting. Stories are entertaining and engage the reader in a more subtle way than the triple-decibel BUY THIS! Those annoying blast-ads we get hit with everyday. Why companies insist on cranking out repulsive ads instead of creating engaging content, storytelling is beyond me. Most ads violate the basic human need for respect and a measure of privacy. It’s simple really.
Long before human beings learned to read and write we used storytelling to transfer knowledge from one generation to the next and to influence one another. That million years of storytelling has altered our genetic code. It’s now in our DNA to listen to stories, decide what’s important to us and what is not, and then apply the important to our lives.
If you want your audience to associate with your brand, your products and with you, then tell them a story. At a strategic level, it’s not much more complicated than that. It’s the how that most people struggle with implementing. Maybe we can help?
The best way to get your audience to take action is to include these five key elements in your story:
- Measurement
- Comparison
- Time
- Uniqueness and
- Compelling
Measurement: Most people grant numbers more credibility than they do general comments. Whatever it is you do for your clients, using numbers to quantify the benefits will make your claims more believable than any claims you make without numbers.
Comparison: Give your audience before and after examples of the benefits of your product or service. Demonstrating results in a before and after scenario gives your claims perspective and value.
Time: Similarly, providing a timeframe around your results helps your audience understand the true impact of your product or service, especially if the benefits were produced quickly.
Uniqueness: Since you want to stand out from your competition and have your own brand, it’s important to make your claim as unique as possible. That’s really hard in a web-connected world, but that’s also why it is so critical.
Compelling: The compelling element answers the question: “Who cares?” You may be able to clean reading glasses faster than anyone in your city but I doubt many people will pay for that unique skill.
Need help with your story? Call us at 800-707-9150.
The Aligned Marketing Team