When writing copy, less will always be more. Less words have the potential to connect to more clients causing them to convert to your brand. It’s not just about using less, it’s about how to use less while still conveying your message and getting people to take some form of action.
No More College Essays
Remember school writing assignments when you had to meet a specific word count, and if you fell short (regardless of the delivery and accuracy of the content) you would be penalized? I know growing accustom to writing under those restrictions can cause you to do some pretty creative things with words to fluff up the pages. It may even cause you to add words that would be considered unnecessary. Fluff writing can be a nasty habit to break but a necessary one if you want to be successful as a copywriter because people have no time for fluff.
"Complexity is not the sign of intelligence."
-Belinda Weaver
Eight Seconds or Less
In 2015, Microsoft discovered the affect a digital lifestyle has on the brain, which has caused the human attention span to drop. Now people generally lose attention after 8 seconds compared to the 12 second max recorded in 2000. Currently, our attention spans are less than the 9 second attention span of a goldfish. That was harsh to read. Believe me, I too felt slightly insulted when I read it before I noticed I received a new notification on my phone. The study also discovered that people’s ability to multitask has greatly increased because of constant mobile interactions. Meaning that while people are reading your copy, their limited attention is divided. This increases the importance of getting their attention and your message across in the available 8 second window.
Less Is More: Trim the Fluff
The big question now is how to write less copy while making more of an impact? To start, you need to know the exact purpose of your content and message. Knowing your main purpose and message can help you establish specific Calls to Action (CTAs). Make sure when you are writing your copy you’ve answered the “so what?” questions to discover the deeper benefit of what you are marketing.
If you are a lifestyle coach trying to sell your coaching services, you need to address the deeper reasons why a person should choose your service. What is the main purpose of your coaching service? What will your client get out of the service?
Using the So What Method
What does the coaching service provide?
It provides people with support and guidance to manage their emotions to change their behavior and decision making to better their future.
SO WHAT?
So they can learn the skills and techniques needed to make better decisions for themselves and their future.
SO WHAT?
So they no longer make the same mistakes that are keeping them from achieving their ultimate goals.
SO WHAT?
So they establish the healthy habits they need to achieve success in life.
After three “so what?” questions, I was able to get all the information I needed on the deeper purpose of the service the life coach is marketing. Now that I have uncovered the deeper meaning, I can effectively incorporate keywords and a CTA without adding unnecessary words to my copy.
Using the “So What?” method, I was able to dissect this marketing pitch to remove the fluff and leave only the good stuff. The good stuff that will take people 8 seconds or less to read and evaluate.
If you still need help writing clear and concise copy for your marketing campaigns, check out the copywriting services here at LB Composition, learn more.
Happy Writing!
References:
https://copywritematters.com/tight-copywriting/
http://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/
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