Copywriting as a tool for growth

Copywriting is one of the most undervalued skills of the marketer. Maybe it’s because we can all do it – a bit. More likely it’s because people take it for granted. But it’s a great art, as most copywriters will tell you, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the writer’s ability to attract and engage readers, rather than just bludgeon them into submission like a pushy salesperson.

What is copywriting if it is not a tool for growth?

Here’s an example:

Once upon a time there were two laundry detergents: Fairy and Ecover. They both had distribution objectives and sales targets, so they both needed to advertise in order to get their messages across.

Which of these two approaches do you think was the most effective?

The Fairy advertisement showed a group of kids getting muddy while playing a game of football; this was followed by a parent putting their clothes into the washing machine with some Fairy washing powder, then giving the beautifully cleaned items back to their kids later for them to make muddy again. But they don’t mind because they know that the Fairy powder will wash out all the stains, perfectly, every time.

However the Ecover advertisement took a different approach: it showed the technology of the detergent, demonstrating how it works and how it bio-degrades harmlessly, creating pure, clear rivers, healthy trees and blue skies. The message was that Ecover is an effective laundry detergent that is kind on the environment.

Well, you don’t have to be a genius to realise that Fairy’s campaign helped them maintain their position in the top 5 laundry detergents by sales in the UK, while Ecover languishes with a limited number of outlets and sales to early adopter eco-warriors only.

Why?

The Ecover ads are very persuasive. They show how the product works, and how it is greener and more effective than the competitor products. While the Fairy ads just tell a simple story showing how you can make your family happy and smart.

The answer is that Fairy tells a story, Ecover demonstrates the science. Fairy draws you in, demonstrating a situation that every parent would like and an outcome of happiness and wellbeing. The Ecover ad is not engaging: why would I bother to watch it? What’s in it for me?

The science goes deeper: only 5% of viewers remember the statistics, while 63% remember the stories¹. Our brains are wired that way, and when you’re pushing a trolley down a supermarket aisle, that matters.

Now let me put it into a business-to-business context

I know a Design Engineer in a tech company who needed a component to make their new graphical interface more attractive than their competitors. They wanted it to shine with brighter, sharper colours. So they turned to Google to see what was on the market. A search for ‘components for brighter, sharper colours on GI’ produced two likely options:

Option 1 talked about the way their solution worked: the embedded software, verified pixel accuracy and electrical current, features and benefits. It was a detailed analysis of the technology: how it works and what it achieves.

Option 2 however showed how the tech had been developed, the way it had been used in applications, demonstrating through mini before&after images (ie case studies), highlighting it’s features and benefits and thereby how it made a difference to the display.

Why? You already know

The Designer read them both, but found Option 2 the more convincing and exciting of the two, and after further research ordered a batch to trial in their product.

Why? Because their interest was piqued by Option 2; they took the time to read the full account on the website – It’s their profession, after all, and it’s important for their product development. They could see how effective it was, they learnt about the technical details at the same time and they felt more of a connection with the product. They also understood more about how the company that had developed it worked, developing a level of trust in the brand which didn’t exist with Option 1. It was the brand strategy that swung it.

How to make it work for you

But it takes longer to tell a story than give the bare facts, so how do you get a busy visitor to take the time and energy to read it? Shouldn’t you be brief, communicating key information succinctly in a way that visitors will be attracted, read your copy and not be put off by the length of it? Isn’t copywriting just a luxury for the idle or overworked?

The answer is that in B2B your reader is doing their job: visitors will be researching their choices, and where there is high value at stake they will take care to ensure that they do their job properly. After all, they will probably have to justify their choice to other people in their organisation.

Obviously you don’t want visitors to be confronted with pages of dense copy, so the copywriter needs to work closely with the graphic designer to make it attractive and easy to read. Of course, you mustn’t forget the SEO, UX and UJ specialists; excellent website design is the product of a team of specialists, not just an individual. If you want the most impressive website design, you’ve got to be brave with your copy.

This kind of ‘storytelling’ has taken the marketing world by storm.

And with good reason. Research suggests that:

• 55% of consumers are more likely to remember a story than a list of facts
• Storytelling can increase a product’s perceived value by 30%
• Brands that tell compelling stories can enjoy a 20% increase in customer loyalty

A memorable story reinforces a brand’s unique value. But only if the story brings that value convincingly to life. We’ve all sat through dreary speeches and presentations. But you must have noticed how they come to life when the speaker tells us a story.

Well-crafted stories create an emotional bond between brand and customer. Narrative engages our attention, our senses, and even our muscles. Stories generate empathy and identification.

Really compelling stories can trigger the release of chemicals in the brain, specifically neurochemicals, which can affect our emotions, memory, and even our behaviour. These neurochemicals, including dopamine, oxytocin and cortisol, are often released in response to the emotional and cognitive engagement fostered by a story.

So we remember them long after we’ve forgotten other aspects of the product or service. But only if they resonate with the audience, so they have to be appropriate.

Here’s how to do it

There’s a formula for writing these stories – ‘SNQS’ – which makes it simpler to incorporate into your copywriting:

1. Situation (never ever start a sales pitch with ‘what we do is…’)
2. Need (your reader must identify and recognise their need)
3. Question (it should raise an appropriate question in the mind of the reader)
4. Solution (it should contain the answer to their need: so what? What’s in it for me?)

So, if you want your brand story to work, you need to align it with your value proposition and the needs of your customers.

The message here is that storytelling enhances brand engagement. A compelling narrative can bolster value propositions and foster deeper customer relationships. It can make you stand out from your competitors. It can make you relevant. It can explain your product or service in a way that mere facts cannot. It takes brand marketing to a higher level.

Use stories in your copywriting armoury and see your business grow. Ignore stories and just be another worthy-but-dull competitor!

NB: My thanks to Alan Barker of CIM, who provided the spark for this article.

¹https://web.archive.org/web/20231208042525/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_to_Stick