That time I thought I’d give up copy writing and become a dentist

If it sounds like it’s been written, then rewrite it. Weird statement, huh? It rings true. Have you ever been to a speech, a presentation, or a lecture that’s as dull as a dishwasher? Then, have you ever attended a similar scene with a gifted speaker, in which 30 minutes have gone by and you are so swept up in the story that you forget you’re meant to be learning something?

Or a different example, you’re at a house party and get introduced to a dentist who is so passionate about teeth that you walked away from the conversation convinced that you should enrol in dental school?

That is passion, and that is good, no, fantastic storytelling, and that’s a big part of copywriting, really, REALLY great storytelling. The second part and arguably more important part is understanding the digital landscape you are writing in.

Now, like anything, there are differing opinions with copy “Whaaat, our opinion isn’t gospel? Some copywriters are adamant that adjectives and adverbs should be used sparingly, as they crowd and weaken copy. The argument being that you wouldn’t talk like that in real life, so why talk like that in your copy? Because life shouldn’t be ordinary that’s why Buzzfeed user laura627 from Ohio. 

The guideline we use at Idyllic for copy of any kind is to understand the desired tone and objective. Does your client want to come across as playful, professional, thoughtful, polite, or sassy? Do they want to flirt with their audiences, create impressions, inspire, educate or inform them in a girl-next-door kind of tone?

Once you understand this, you’ll be able to make your own decisions about what is appropriate to copy.

That being said, here are five suggestions that we see working for us, our clients, and others within the digital marketing world. A mix of storytelling advice and digital marketing copy:

Headings are key

First impressions, this is huge. This is where you arguably want your best copy. It’s a glimpse into the value of your offering and enticing them to read further. Like the one heading this blog post… dentist, copywriter hmmm these two don’t usually go together I wonder what this is about I should read this….

 

Talk purposefully

Everything you write should have a purpose: Whether it be to generate trust, promote sales, or establish an impression. Make sure you have a clear understanding of your purpose before becoming handsy with that keyboard. For example, our purpose here is to educate, you’re welcome.

 

Be relatable

Use stories or everyday happenings that other people can relate to.

 

Use keywords

Include keywords to optimise advertisements. A keyword is a term used in digital marketing to describe a word or a group of words an internet user uses to search for well….anything. If you’re still confused then the only keyword you need to remember is Idyllic (wink) and probably our address so we can help you out with this. 

 

The big ole five

Make sure your copy captures attention, interest, desire, value, and includes action. Like a dentist, everyone loves a dentist, am I right?……anyone? 

 

Keep it simple

As someone who loves embellishing language, we are well aware that this conflicts with the storytelling part of this post, but reluctantly, it’s kinda true. In most cases, being clear and concise will pay off more than being clever. There’s this quote we stumbled upon, ‘Copywriters who flaunt their abilities are like fishermen who expose the hook’. Which is true but doesn’t allow for the fact that we have really nice hooks!

 

Think outside the box

This is the bread and (peanut) butter of what we do here at Idyllic, and our best work includes copy that is different, that is clever, witty, that evokes emotion.

 

 

They say (no idea who they is) that your average person reads, looks at and hears 100, 000 words a day, that’s a lot of words, and chances are most of them are pretty dull. Which is why wholeheartedly encourage you to choose good, no GREAT ones. 

And no, I didn’t leave the world of marketing for dental school, although I do hear the pay is better….. (wink)