How to Write Customer-Friendly Copy
May 20, 2010 by Nate Winter
This post focuses on a specialty of mine, writing copy. "Copy," by the way, is an advertising term that just means "writing." The words in any kind of ad or marketing material are called copy. For example, the headline on that billboard: it's copy. The "About Us" verbiage on your website: copy. The bullet points in your brochure: they're copy too. So that's what we're talking about here.
For this week's post I'm outlining a few keys to writing good, customer-friendly copy. How you communicate with your customers in writing has a lot to do with how they perceive your company. And that affects the way they do business with you.
So take note and enjoy. (And if you need professional copywriting, please contact us to learn more about how Pomegranate can add value to your business.)
Write conversationally
These days, the key to copy is writing in a conversational tone. Strong, conversational writing is what makes newer companies sound cool and hip and laid back, while old and stuffy companies sound awkward and formal.
Writing conversationally just means that your copy should come across as casual and friendly—like a person you enjoy talking to. The point is to treat your marketing writing as if you're having a conversation with your customer. So try writing less like you were taught to in English class and more like the way you speak.
Conversational writing is a bit easier for an audience of consumers (B2C). If your company targets other businesses as clients (B2B), all of these tips may not be appropriate. Use your best judgment based on your knowledge of your customer.
Skip the jargon
Every industry has its jargon, and depending on what your business is and who your customers are, it might be unavoidable. But I strongly recommend keeping it to a minimum.
And that goes for heavy corporate speak, too. Don’t go overboard with synergizing solutions and other MBA mumbo jumbo; just tell your customer about yourself. The more you can use layman's terms to express your ideas, the more clearly your customers will understand you. Confuse them with your copy, and you may not get a second chance to explain yourself.
Keep it short
Readers size up a section of copy before they read it. So if it looks long and dense, they'll skip over it entirely. Set up your copy up for success and follow these tips to keep it short.
- Use quick, to-the-point sentences. They're easy and satisfying to read.
- Limit paragraphs to just a few sentences. This keeps readers from losing their place in the copy.
- Add easily understood headlines and section titles. These help readers skim to find the content that's most relevant to them.
- Where appropriate, use bullet points and other types of visual formatting. They give visual structure to the copy and break it up so it appears less dense.
Address the customer directly
Write as if you were speaking with the customer face-to-face. Address customers as "you" instead of referring to them as "customers." It's more personal and more comfortable.
Do this: Call us at 800-999-8888 or email us. We'd love to hear from you.
Not this: Customers may contact our service department by phone at 800-999-8888 or by email.
Exclaim with words, not punctuation
You want customers to get excited about your company and your product, but, let me assure you, exclamation points are not the right way to excite people. Exclamation points are a cheap thrill and they're so often overused in promotional advertising. Think: used car salesmen, TV infomercials, and overly anxious telemarketers. The problem with these types of marketing is that they use exclamation points too much, especially in reference to things that aren't very exciting. And that causes customers to tune those messages out.
So don't go there. Instead, take the high road and communicate an idea that grabs the reader's attention on its own. It could be exciting, interesting, funny, clever—you name it. When it's really good, you won't need a punctuation mark to convey excitement. And your customers will notice.
Admittedly, exclamation points do have a time and a place. If and when you use them, I recommend doing so discerningly, infrequently and one at a time.
End sentences with prepositions
I'm not recommending you always end sentences with prepositions, but don't be afraid to do so when it feels natural. Although it's not grammatically correct, ending sentences with a preposition is just part of the way we speak nowadays. And it doesn't cause any confusion, so go for it. The alternative is copy that's riddled with instances of "for whom" and "of which.&" And no one wants to read that.
So that's it for this week. Give some of these techniques a try and let me know what you think. And if you have some writing tricks of your own, please feel free to share them by commenting below.
