The Essential Copywriting Guide for Business Owners Looking to Attract More Attention to Their Business Online

By Liz Slyman

How To Write For Action – Copywriting for Business Owners

The goal of copywriting for business owners is to move the consumer from simply being a reader to becoming a buyer. Hubspot defines copywriting as “…Words, either written or spoken, marketers use to try to get people to take an action after reading or hearing them.”

Effectively, copywriting for business owners are words that sell. Good copy gets them to buy. Great copy gets them to buy again. If you’re the type of business owner who wants to get hands on and DIY, taking online copywriting courses or studying the work of great copywriters is a great way to enhance your skills.

Following is the essential copywriting guide for business owners to write in a way that gets your audience to buy and buy again. 

Target Their Pain Points

Now that you have clarity on the problem your business can solve for them, your next step is to help them see the struggle they’re actually facing.  

• How do they feel when they can’t do X?
• How do they feel when they don’t have time for Y?
• What are they missing out on when they are stuck doing Z?

Connect with the reader on the acute frustrations of their circumstances. Use their negative experiences and show them how unrealistic it is to continue without help or change. 

Show them a sneak peek of what they could be experiencing if they took action, if they bought the thing. Just having the thing isn’t enough, where will they BE? What will they have accomplished? 

Take the reader on a journey from their pain to progress. 

Leverage Case Studies And Testimonials

Take a look at your past or existing customers.Where did they start and where are they now? How has your product or service improved their experience?

Harness the power of story and make their results work for you.

Focus on The Benefits – NOT The Features

Whether you’re offering a product, service, or membership it’s so easy to wax eloquent on all the things it can DO. All the bells and whistles and shiny baubles it contains. 

But that’s not what the reader is after. That’s not why people buy. And this is the ultimate objective, getting people past the buying threshold. 

The focus of your copy should be on the benefits your product, service, or membership offers. The problem it will solve. If they’re out looking for what you’re offering, what will they be looking for? A solution. 

Your business offers a solution to their problem. Get crystal clear on what that problem is so you can speak to the solution they need. 

Stay Focused On The Customer

No one cares about you. 

It’s a hard truth, but one that’s imperative to understand when writing your copy. Unless you’re a mega celebrity, who you are and what you do has no bearing on the purchase power of your offer. 

Stay focused on the reader’s interests, concerns, desires, and needs. What may they be thinking as they move through your copy? How are they feeling? How can you continue to relate to their current state?

Never lose sight of the problem you’re solving when writing your copy. Keep talking about how you can help them and the results they will see. Continue bringing those benefits to their attention.  

Write How You Would Speak – Keep it Conversational

You may be a genius, but if it takes another genius to understand your offer, you’ve severely limited your buying pool. 

Put the thesaurus away and stick to conversational language. The more in depth or technical your writing, the less impactful it will be. If you’re too wordy, the reader may get bored. If it’s too complicated, the reader may get frustrated. 

The goal is to get them to the end. If they leave before they even get through the whole offer, you’ve not only lost a sale but their trust. Your copywriting should motivate and connect with them, not scare them off. 

Keep Them Interested 

With every new sentence or section lies a new obligation to get them to keep reading. You want to compel them from one sentence to the next, from each “ah ha” moment to the final check out.  

This starts with your headline and continues with each new paragraph. This requires you to re-evaluate your customer’s mindset at every turn. What they were thinking 30 seconds ago may not be the same as what they’re thinking now. 

Essential Copywriting Guide For Business Owners: BONUS MATERIAL

Consider these additional points when crafting your copy!

• Structure the text to be easy on the eyes. Short paragraphs and bullet points are easy ways to break up the text and not overwhelm the reader. 
• For the most impact, practise writing quickly. This activates the more emotive side of your brain and allows you to connect more easily with the reader’s pain points. 
• Structure your call to action (or CTA) using these same principles – keep it simple, stick to the pain points they’re experiencing and the benefits you’re offering. 
• Unless you’re a pro (and maybe even then), always get another pair of eyes to review or edit your copy. Sometimes you’re too close to it or too attached to your language to see where you have room for improvement.
• And, at the end of the day, remember that your copy has a significant impact on your business as a whole. If you feel like you just can’t hack it or you’re not getting the results you want, don’t be afraid to reach out to a copywriting agency.

Now, go tell your story and generate those leads and sales!

About the Author

Liz Sylman has worked as a copywriter and digital marketing executive for a multitude of companies from startups to and mid-sized businesses to working as the VP of marketing for award-winning, platinum-selling artists. Leveraging an understanding of the nuance of language in marketing, Liz founded Amplihigher, a content marketing and copywriting agency, designed to connect consumers to companies in a way that results in next-level brand expansion.