Copywriting Mistakes You Might Be Making
Copywriting mistakes you might be making in your business that are letting you down. Read on to find out what copywriting mishaps could be happening in your business and how to fix them.
Common Copywriting Mistakes for Business Owners
We all know the struggle - starting your own business means managing not only the actual product or service you’re selling, but also the accounting, the contracts, the marketing, the copy, the list goes on and on! (Until you’re big enough to outsource it, that is!!)
And that means if you’re an entrepreneur or a small business owner - you’re likely writing your own copy without knowing exactly how to write copy.
But never fear! Here are the most common copy mistakes that business owners face - and how to fix them!
Writing Content Instead of Copy
The first problem I see a lot of business owners making is writing content instead of copy for their website and sales pages. Remember - there is a big difference between content writing and copywriting. Content writing is to educate and inform while copy is persuasive writing with a specific call to action.
Read more on the difference between content and copy here.
The Copy Fix:
Content writing is great for when you want to inform and educate an audience and it’s a great trust builder. You can use content writing on your social media. But copywriting is more persuasive and has a clear call to action. Utilize copywriting on your website (and especially your sales pages). Remember that good copy is clear, compelling, concise, and credible and has a clear call to action (what do you want your audience to do?).
Lacking a Clear Brand Voice
A lot of the time I’ll work with business owners who have just been churning out whatever pieces of writing are the fastest or catchiest. Which can work for a time! But over time the inconsistency in the way your business presents itself to the world through copy will be a detriment.
Having a clear and consistent brand voice is the quickest way to gain loyal customers because they trust your brand!
The Copy Fix:
Before you write your next piece of copy, spend time discovering your brand voice. You’ll want to journal about your brand’s mission, your brand’s offerings, and your ideal customer base. Because your brand voice is a combination of all of those things! Click here to get my free brand voice guide so you can craft a clear brand voice to start implementing in all of your copy.
Sales Pages That Don’t Convert
I know, I know - sales page writing is a bear! It’s hard to find the balance of informative and persuasive so you get customers to buy (unless you hire a copywriter of course). But sales pages don’t have to be that way. You want to make sure you’re utilizing copywriting, not content writing, and focus on including the below structure when writing your sales page.
The Copy Fix:
The below structure is how I like to layout my sales pages for optimum conversion. Sales pages are like a story that pulls customers in, builds trust, and convinces them to buy by the end of the page. That’s why it’s also important to include buttons throughout the page that jump to the checkout - so customers can buy whenever they’re ready. Check out this blog for more details!
Sales Page Structure:
Catchy Sales Page Opener w/ Product Name, Tagline, & Description
Introduce Pain Points, Empathize, and Provide the Solution (Your Offering)
Explain Solution Steps
Explain Your Offering’s Benefits
Breakdown of Your Offering
Testimonials
About Section
Pricing
Last Ditch Effort
Guarantee
FAQs
Missing SEO Keyword Research
A lot of business owners don’t fully understand search engine optimization (SEO). And that’s okay! It’s complicated and can be taxing to learn. But if you don’t understand it, your website copywriting is missing out on some major customer traffic.
The Copy Fix:
It’s time to implement SEO Keyword Research into your copy! At the most basic level, search engine optimization means connecting the right users to the proper sites. Google wants customers to have a satisfactory searching experience, so it will connect them to whatever sites have what they’re googling.
This means you need to:
Know your customer
Know what your customer is likely googling
Implement the words your customer is googling onto your website as keywords
You can discover what your customer is likely googling and related words they might search for (keywords) by using SEO sites like Ubersuggest and Semrush. Then you can start implementing these keywords into your site in places like the below:
Title tags
Page titles
Headings
Main page text
FAQ Section
Blogs - especially H1, H2, H3
About me section
Meta descriptions
Alt text
URL slugs
Free resources you advertise
You can even do a site audit to get started on your SEO journey at places like Ubersuggest for free. Check out more information about keywords on this blog.
Not Enough Copy on Homepage
Many business owners build out a basic homepage with an About section and a Services section. This does work! But you need more on your homepage for SEO, customer engagement, and converting to sales. You need to have clear messaging right upfront about who you are, what you offer, and why you’re the perfect brand for your ideal customer. If you’re not conveying this at the top of the homepage, you’re missing out on creating loyal customers!
The Copy Fix
Follow the below homepage subsections that I’ve created to have a clear, concise, and engaging homepage! It’s important to have 1,000+ words on your homepage for SEO, and the below sections not only get you there but also provide clear subsections to pique customer interest. The welcome section will also help you establish that clarity of “why your customer is in the right place” and create a call to action right off the bat.
Homepage subsections:
Welcome Section
Credentials
Testimonials
Process Breakdown
About Blurb
Services Overview
Plug Free Offers
FAQs
Pop-Ups (to implement on the homepage)
Email Opt-In Contact Form
If you want to know more about these subsections, check out this blog. If you want my free homepage template, click here!
Hire a Copywriter
At the end of the day, the easiest way to avoid these copy mistakes as a business owner is to hire a professional copywriter. You can always try to write the copy for your business yourself, but you’ll likely save time and money in the long term by just hiring a professional. If you’ve been making any of these mistakes in the copy for your business, contact me, and let’s set your business up for success with great custom copywriting!
