Tips, news and views from Green Light Copywriting

Seven copywriting errors to leave behind 14 December 2012

A copywriting sell-by date would be a very useful thing – just a handy sticker or reminder of what’s fresh and relevant (and what isn’t) to give companies better results from their content. Businesses often spend a great deal of time and effort putting together their content for their brochure, website or blog, only to leave it as it is for weeks, months, even years. Here are seven copywriting sins I’d really like to see left behind.

1. All things to all people

To paraphrase the old saying, great content shouldn’t try to be all things to all people. Yet I’ve noticed plenty of business content that is well written, but very general. The rise and rise of social media and other marketing forces means that this error is one to drop. Now is the time to exchange generic, one-size-fits-all content for more targeted content that not only speaks direct to a particular target market, but shouts loud and clear about what is special about your company.

2. Out of sync

We all know markets are getting tougher. That’s not likely to change any time soon. Yet the opportunities are diversifying, thanks to the many different platforms people can use to access content. So the demand is for copy which is distinctive and connected. For the year ahead, it would be good to see more companies creating a consistent message across all the channels they use.

3. In a fix

Short-term can be defined as a copywriting approach that treats content as fixed. In a world when consumer tastes and behaviours keep on changing. Those people you see tapping away on their phones, they’re not just texting, they’re shopping. Now is a very good time to take a more flexible view of content and look at getting your marketing message into place on different platforms. That way, the people you see tapping away on their phones can tap straight into your products or services.

4. Headless chicken

The missing ‘head’ I’m referring to here is the lack of an expert voice. This is despite the fact that, for content marketing and other approaches, coherent, consistent expertise has been shown to build credibility and custom. I’d like to see companies get their heads around creating a message and a story across all their content to build an expert presence.

5. All filler, no thriller

This is the still all too common copywriting phenomenon of just using content to fill space. Ironically, this must be partly because people recognise the potential of blogging and content marketing. But they’re overlooking something crucial so it just becomes an exercise in filling the gaps – without driving the value. Let’s hope we start to see more businesses using content which has not just a place, but a purpose.

6. Bits and pieces

Q: What does your copywriting strategy have to do with your business strategy? A: Everything. But many companies still address their content – blogging, web updates, enewsletters – in fits and starts. Those bits and pieces don’t quite succeed in meshing with their overall strategy to help them engage and nurture their potential customers. Let’s look forward to seeing content become truly connected to create more marketing oomph.

7. Me, me, me

It’s understandable. Companies want to tell the world exactly how great they are. Their content ends up reflecting that preoccupation, instead of focusing on those of their customers. I’d like to see this popular business sin transformed into a drive to understand customers’ problems and how to respond – followed by a strategy to create and share content that speaks direct to those issues. Then we’ll see more companies creating a complete content strategy that grabs them more business in the future.

Camilla Zajac, Green Light Copywriting, December 2012