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Words that sell: Elevate your business with Australia’s finest content writing and copywriting agency

Just as there’s a big difference between the dishes prepared by a home cook and a professional chef, there’s a big difference between the sort of writing done by an average property or finance professional and an expert content writing agency.

Everyone knows how to write; but very few know how to do writing that drives sales.

To create persuasive marketing content, you need to follow these 10 golden rules, just like the best content writing services in Australia.

1. Understand your audience

The key to doing writing that drives sales is to speak directly to your readers, which means understanding exactly who they are.

For example, if you’re a financial adviser, your target market won’t be all Australians, or even all adults, or even all business professionals. Rather, it’s likely to be something narrower, such as couples aged between 45 and 65 with a household income of at least $400,000.

That kind of demographic will have different hopes, fears and values than an average Australian, which means they’ll expect different kinds of content marketing.

2. Be selective about what information you include

One of the most effective copywriting techniques isn’t about writing at all, but is about the ability to assess information. Your marketing pieces – from website text to email newsletters – should contain all the information that is relevant and important, and none that isn’t. That way, you’ll maximise your chances of engaging and persuading your readers. Unfortunately, many writers fill their marketing copy with information that is either irrelevant or unimportant, making it harder to attract and retain their readers’ attention.

3. Choose the right structure

Just as you need to be selective about what information to include, you also need to be selective about how to present it. As a general rule, you should put the most important information at the start and the least important at the end (rather than presenting the information in chronological or alphabetical order). Also, you should look for ways to break up the text, to make it more readable.

That may including using:

Short paragraphs
Lists
Images
Breakout boxes

4. Use an attention-grabbing headline

“On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy,” advertising legend David Ogilvy once said. “When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar.” That’s why headlines are a vital component of writing that drives sales. So instead of filling the space with any old headline, take the time to craft one that evokes curiosity, stirs emotions and encourages people to keep reading.

5. Be Concise

Don’t use 200 words when only 100 are needed. The longer it takes to deliver an argument, the less persuasive it becomes.

6. Use The Word ‘You’

The best way to make your audience feel you’re speaking directly to them is to use words like ‘you’, ‘your’ and ‘you’re’. To continue the financial adviser example, instead of saying “A lot of married couples fear not having enough money in retirement”, you might say: “If you’re like a lot of married couples, you’re probably worried about not having enough money in retirement.” This kind of personalised writing is one of the most effective copywriting techniques around, because it really engages readers.

7. Get Emotional

Robert Keith Leavitt, a famous advertising copywriter, once said: “People don’t ask for facts in making up their minds. They would rather have one good, soul-satisfying emotion than a dozen facts.” That doesn’t mean facts aren’t important (they are); rather, it means facts alone are unlikely to persuade your clients. So our financial adviser should feel free to mention that 62% of Australians aged 65 and above are forced to rely on the age pension, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. However, what would really grab his clients’ attention would be if he told them how devastated they’d be if they couldn’t afford to get private health insurance or buy their grandchildren presents.

8. Tell Stories

Facts tell, stories sell – especially emotional ones. Our financial adviser would really cut through if he was able to not just warn clients about being unable to afford insurance or presents, but told true stories of real-life couples in those situations. The reason case studies make such persuasive marketing content is because we unconsciously identify with characters in stories. We imagine ourselves as the grandparents who couldn’t afford to buy a Christmas present for their granddaughter; that makes us sad, and more willing to take action to prevent the problem.

9. Ask The Reader To Do One Thing

Amateur writers often make multiple requests of their readers – buy now, book a call, tell a friend, subscribe to our newsletter. By contrast, the best copywriting services in Australia make only one request at a time. That’s because they know your clients may feel confused, or even overwhelmed, if they’re asked to do too many things. Calls-to-action are good – just make sure you limit yourself to one per marketing piece.

10. Make It Easy For Clients To Take Action

On a related note, your calls-to-action need to be easy to understand and easy to execute. “Book a call” is clear and – assuming the link takes the reader to a booking form – simple. But if the call-to-action is “Research your finances, calculate how much you’ll need in retirement and get in touch if you discover a shortfall”, many clients either won’t understand what they need to do or won’t bother.

Stop Doing Bad Writing, Start Doing Persuasive Writing

The reason so many property and finance businesses invest in copywriting services in Australia is because they know that persuasive marketing content attracts clients. But it’s hard to do writing that drives sales if you don’t understand what effective copywriting techniques look like. That’s why you should partner with a specialist content writing agency, like Hunter & Scribe, which aims to be one of the best content writing services for mortgage brokers, buyer’s agents, accountants, financial advisers and other property / finance professionals. We know how to write content that will appeal to your target market and make you look like a trusted expert.

Stop repelling clients with low-quality copywriting. Work with a content writing agency that knows how to write persuasive marketing content. Click here to make an inquiry or start your project.

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