A Guide to Effective and Persuasive Copywriting in Marketing

Published on: March 29, 2024

Words matter — especially within the world of marketing. It comes as a surprise to some marketing professionals, but effective copywriting rests at the core of any marketing strategy. The phrases you use and the stories you tell directly impact consumer perception and customer experience, significantly influencing visibility and branding.

From email marketing to website content writing, as a marketer, you need to be able to rely on the best content marketing strategies to deliver results through your campaign.

Understanding Copywriting in Marketing

Defined by Semrush.com as a strategic writing process, copywriting is the act of using persuasive and influential words in order to compel the audience to take a specific action. From a marketing and sales perspective, effective copywriting should:

Grab the attention of the target audience.
Hold their interest.
Prove that the audience has an unfulfilled need.
Motivate the audience to take action.

Copywriters, known for their ability to target the right audience and boost sales, are highly sought after in marketing. Within the realm of online marketing, copywriting is especially critical to increasing site traffic and boosting conversion ratings.

Semrush.com notes that copywriters are typically responsible for:

Following brand guidelines and establishing brand voice.
Creating a variety of content, including short-form and long-form copywriting pieces.
Generating ideas for creative copywriting applications.

By being aware of copywriting best practices and knowing how to implement them, you can become a more well-rounded marketer, regardless of your specialization or niche within the industry.

Copywriting vs. Content Writing

Copywriting is a form of sales writing, and the purpose of any copywriting piece is to encourage the reader to make a purchase. According to Indeed, copywriters must have an intimate understanding of the target audience, and they must be able to craft their work in a way that motivates the reader to respond. They commonly draft marketing emails, landing pages, call to action phrases, product pages, social media taglines and commercial content.

Often, copywriting is used interchangeably with content writing, but the two types of writing are distinctly different. While copywriting focuses largely on sales and conversions, content writing focuses on providing information and generating organic web traffic. Content writers focus more heavily on creating content that is informative, relevant and easy-to-digest for the target audience. Indeed states that content writers often work on blog posts, e-books, video scripts and social media content.

The Principles of Persuasive Copywriting

Cialdini’s six principles of persuasion were first published in 1984, long before the digital marketing era began. However, his principles of persuasion are still quite relevant today, and they can easily be applied to all types of copywriting, including email marketing copywriting.

As defined by weBOUND Marketing, the key principles of persuasive copywriting include:

Reciprocity — Offer something of value within your copywriting in return for a subscription, a like, a follow or even a sale.
Commitment and Consistency — Make your first ask a smaller one and prove that you will deliver. Then, encourage the customer to make more commitments throughout their journey.
Social Proof — One of the most powerful components of any online marketing strategy, social proof is essential within your copy writing. You can do this by adding reviews and testimonials to your piece.
Authority — Use facts and data within your copywriting to craft a more authoritative, transparent and trustworthy piece.
Scarcity — Let your audience know that they only have so much time to act. You can rely on scarcity by limiting the number of offers available or setting a deadline for the promotion.
Sympathy — Use storytelling in copywriting to make your brand more relatable. Consumers who can relate to your brand messaging or mission are more likely to support it.

Crafting a Compelling Message

When you are copywriting for conversions, creating compelling copy is critical to your success. At the end of the day, your target audience must be able to relate to and connect with the content to act on it.

Citing Super Copy Editors, you can create an emotional connection with your audience by relying on the following writing techniques:

Offering simple yet consistent information in your copywriting. Clear and powerful wording will get your point across quickly. Avoid unnecessary details.
Using language that your audience is comfortable with and used to. Your copywriting tone of voice should match your audience, so don’t be afraid to get creative and use wording that they are familiar with.
Relying on the power of empathy. Use your words to prove that you understand their perspective, and that you are offering them a solution that will improve their lives.

SEO in Copywriting

Commonly known in the marketing industry as SEO, search engine optimization is the practice of utilizing targeted keywords within content to improve the content’s ranking on the search engine results page. SEO-friendly copywriting is critical, particularly with digital marketing campaigns, as it allows a brand to increase visibility, boost traffic and drive conversions.

Given the fact that the search engine algorithms are constantly changing and adapting to the latest technologies, the best SEO practices for copywriting can change at a moment’s notice. As outlined by Writtent, some of the best SEO copywriting tactics include:

Focusing on high-quality writing.
Promote one keyword, and use it in strategic places, such as at the top of the content or within headings.
Write long-form pieces to improve engagement. It’s recommended to write content that is 500 words or longer.
Create scannable content that includes headings, subheads and bullet points.

Staying abreast of the latest SEO strategies will allow you to create compelling, SEO-friendly copywriting pieces that not only drive traffic but also increase conversions.

Copywriting for Different Marketing Channels

Your copywriting tone of voice and overall style may vary significantly based the marketing channel that you are writing for. Some of the most common marketing channels for copywriting include social media, email marketing and website landing page content.

Sprout Social reports that copywriting for social media focuses heavily on using a targeted brand voice to engage a specific audience. Social media copywriting should be clear, concise and accessible, and copywriters should use an active voice, writing in concise yet compelling sentences and keep language as plain as possible.

When it comes to email marketing copywriting, your content might look a bit different from your social posts. The key to successful email marketing copy is personalization. The reader should feel as if this message was personally directed to them, and it should include a promotion that relates to a product or service they have already shown interest in. Actionable language that capitalizes on scarcity works best within email copy.

When you are crafting copy for a website landing page, you will have to utilize a different approach entirely. When it comes to website content writing, you will want to create chunky, scannable content. Rather than providing in-depth information about the products or services available, emphasize the benefits of those services. With copywriting for conversions, it’s important to prioritize benefits, social proof and call to action phrases.

Analyzing and Testing Your Copy

At the end of the day, your content needs to perform well. Copywriting is all about increasing conversions, so you need to feel confident in the strength and clarity of your content. To verify that your content is going to do what it needs to do, you will want to rely on A/B testing. Per Copywriter Collective, A/B testing allows you to compare two or more pieces of content to test its performance. For example, you may submit two versions of the same landing page to determine which will increase traffic and fuel conversions. Depending on the platform you are writing for, you may have different digital tools and resources available to perform A/B testing.

Common Copywriting Mistakes to Avoid

The art of copywriting is versatile, which means that it’s somewhat easy to make unintended mistakes. LinkedIn states that these are some of the most common persuasive copywriting mistakes:

Misunderstanding the target audience.
Forgetting to create an emotional connection with your copywriting.
Relying on weak and passive call to action phrases.
Failing to establish a clear and consistent tone of voice.

Ultimately, you will want to make sure that you rely heavily on consumer market data to develop a strategic copywriting marketing plan that allows you to reach your target audience and motivate them to take action.

Future Trends in Copywriting and Marketing

With authenticity being at the forefront of the latest digital marketing trends, copywriters are going to have to continue to adapt to changing technology while still creating compelling and relatable copy for their target audience. The industry is abuzz with the latest AI writing tools, which have been shown to increase speed and efficiency in copywriting, but that human element will remain vital to your success. 2Stallions points out that natural language and human-centric narratives will play a crucial role in content marketing strategies moving forward.

Earn Your Marketing Degree at Park University

At Park University, we offer bachelor’s degree programs in both marketing and digital marketing, allowing you to develop an advanced understanding of the best content marketing strategies as well as the digital marketing trends that are shaping the industry.

Request more information today about our marketing degree programs and learn how you can future-proof your career.