copyheroes – Page 3 – Copywriting Services in Singapore

What does a copywriter do?

Let’s go back to basics. Many clients whom we have worked with are still unsure of what copywriting is and what exactly a copywriter does.

Copywriting in a nutshell consists of a lot of different things. Mainly, they are often referred to as creative writing and they come in various platforms such as web content, news releases, brochures, training manuals etc. Copywriters basically package powerful messages by stringing the right words and images into the right form and length to capture attention and motive minds.

In addition, copywriters are also responsible for creative ideas or concepts and give it substance, direction and content.

What do you guys think, do you agree with our take on copywriting and copywriters above?

Bad Writing? That’s fine!

You have all the grammar, punctuations and spelling in check but this does not necessary mean that you’ll be a top copywriter. Wait, what? Yep that’s right! Copywriting requires more than just writing; most times it involves critical thinking to write effectively rather than correctly.

Step 1 – Write in 2^nd person

When writing a commercial copy, you are a salesperson and no longer just a writer. Like any other good salesperson, you need to speak directly when making sales.

Step 2 – Use command language

No matter how obvious you think it is, let your readers know what to do. Examples would be “Open now”, “Turn to the next page” and “Read on”.

Step 3 – Avoid rambling sentences

Keep your sentences short and simple. It is all about making it easy for the eyes to look, read and understand.

Here are just some of the many points that we have listed. Do you have your own to share?

Hear it from the experts

Ever thought what some of the industry experts have to say about copywriting? Check out some of them below!

#1 Neal Schaffer
Be yourself. Be passionate about your subject. Be generous in sharing your knowledge. Align your content with your business objectives. This is a great combination for creating something which is bound to stand out

#2 Rich Brooks
Well, you can write controversial posts about politics or religion, but that won’t help grow your business.

Instead, survey your current clients and try and get them to share their biggest problem or pain point with you. Find out what they struggle with, and what would make the biggest difference to their bottom line.

Once you get those responses, create a series of blog posts that address those problems one at a time. Demonstrate how they can overcome those hurdles, whether with your help or on their own. Those are the type of posts that people read, share, and take action on.

In short, those are the posts that stand out.

#3 Sarah Arrow
To create content that stands out, you should focus on the one thing the reader can take away from what she’s reading and take action on.

When you know how something impacts upon your reader you tailor everything to help her and it will stand out from the crowd. The biggest mistake any writer makes is to think they can write for everyone.

#4 Demian Farnworth
Relentless research.

Website Copywriting Skills

There are various elements of copywriting with the common ones such as blog posts, advertising copies and newsletters. However, another major aspect is website copywriting. Even though the same concept applies, website copywriting requires much more in depth research and understanding of the company and its services.

Websites are usually seen as the #1 marketing tool for businesses. It paints them an image online and is the most accessible feature for potential clients all around the world. This is the reason why website copywriting requires proper planning, research and polishing.

A good way to kick-start your website copywriting project is to gather as much information as you can. Work well with your client and ask them questions such as “what do you sell”, “how do your products or services help people” and “why should customers engage in your services?” Knowing all these would help you greatly in knowing the direction of your work and to target specific points that would resonate well for your client and their customers.

Once the basics have been laid out, the rest of the processes would follow through but this does not mean it is as straight forward as it seems. Picking out key details and including specific keywords for SEO purposes and working with images are all part of the process as well and would require additional effort to get it completed.

Knowing that such a complex process is involved in website copywriting, it is important you choose the right person to work with that understands your expectations for the project.

Till then, write along my friends!

Working with a Copywriter

Every company wants only the best and certainly when it comes to advertising where a lot of budget is usually used, working with the right copywriter is very important.

Firstly, it is important that you are clear of what you are looking for. Familiarise yourself with the different websites catered to translation and copywriting services and start your search from there. Ask clearly regarding the services they offer and ask them questions to get all your enquiries answered.

Continue reading “Working with a Copywriter”

Mistakes? Yes Mistakes!

It might be easy to write whatever we want but when it comes to copywriting where quality content that are sellable are expected, we simply have no room for mistakes. Sometimes, we might be unaware of what these mistakes are so check out these 7 common mistakes copywriters tend to make!

#1 Headlines with no value
People focus on headlines more than anything else. If you fail to deliver in this aspect, forget about the rest of the copy!

#2 Action-centric calls-to-action
Readers like to read things that can benefit them so if your ‘call-to-actions’ are too pushy, this can turn off your readers in an instant

#3 Saying too much
Nothing is more off putting than having chunks of words in an ad copy. Readers look for direct and clutter free information.

Continue reading “Mistakes? Yes Mistakes!”

Questions

It is always good to get enquiries from potential clients. This means that you are one step closer to getting that deal (money in and a better portfolio, heeeyyyy!) but as copywriters we must ensure that we do not rush ourselves just anything that comes in our way. We have to be professional and also responsible. What this means is that you have to ask questions to the interested party so that both parties are clear of what to expect and better understanding of the project.

Here are some questions that you can ask to the interested party:

Can you please define your project?
When will you be ready to get started?
When do you need this project completed?
Is there a hard deadline by which materials must be delivered?
What is your budget for this project?
If multiple executives or teams are involved, who has the final approval?
Will I be interviewing people outside the company?
May I see your existing marketing materials?
Who specifically is the target audience for what I will write?
Can you tell me more about this target audience?

Here are some of the basic questions we have listed. Do you have your own?

A Little Reminder

Copywriting quotes!

Sometimes we can get unmotivated or simply tired of doing the same thing over and over again. Once in a while, it is good to read certain quotes from industry experts and it might actually help you freshen up and get back on track! Check out a compilation of quotes we have for you.. J

“Imagination is one of the last remaining legal means you have to gain an unfair advantage over your competition.” – Ed McCabe
“The lead either forges an instant connection with the reader, or the package fails.” – Robert Bly
“The most powerful element in advertising is the truth.” – William Bernbach
“Don’t confuse visibility with credibility.” – Harvey Mackay
“Sometimes the most important job advertising can do is to clarify the obvious.” – Jay Chiat
“Copy is a direct conversation with the consumer.” – Shirley Polykoff
“If you can’t turn yourself into a consumer, you probably shouldn’t be in the advertising business at all.” – Leo Burnett“
It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money…” – David Ogilvy
“The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Resist the usual.” – Raymond Rubicam

Do you know them?

In every post we never fail to talk about copywriting whether as an introduction to the industry, how to improve one’s copywriting skills or the services we provide to the masses. In this post, we’d like to introduce some well-known copywriters and their past works that have put them on top of the list!

Claude Hopkins
Hopkins pretty much was in charge of majority of the advertisements from 1920s and was the first few to ever publish a book regarding advertisements and copywriting.

David Abbott
Starting his career in the early 1960s, Abbott was well known for his contribution as an advertising executive who founded Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO. His clientele include high profile companies such as IKEA, Yellow Pages and The Economist.

Leo Burnett
Known as the most creative man in the industry, Burnett worked around fresh simple icons that came to symbolize easy-to-understand product benefits for the 20^th century. With his involvement in the Creative Revolution in the 1960s, Burnett was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20^th century.

Bernice Fitz-Gibbon
Having held the position as an American advertising executive and a pioneer in retail advertising, Gibbon has worked at Marshall Field’s, Macy’s, Gimbels and Wanamaker’s. She was the mind behind Macy’s tagline “It’s smart to be thrifty” and was considered as #62 on the 100 people of the 20^th century by Advertising Age.

David Ogilvy
Known as the ‘father’ of advertising, Time labelled him as ‘the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry’. Working with AGA, it allowed him to write from scratch the instruction manual for the cooking stoves and till today, Fortune magazine claimed that it was the finest sales instruction manual ever written. When he made his shift to Ogilvy, he handled big name clients such as Shell, Rolls-Royce and Dove among others.

Do you know of any others?