When you hear the word “copywriting” do you immediately think of long sales pages, never-ending sales pitches, and unwanted bulk mail?
You’re not alone in that thinking, but the fact is, copywriting is more than just sales messages. In fact, as a business owner, most of the content you produce could be called copywriting at least in some sense. After all, if you’re creating content with the ultimate goal of selling your photography services and products, that is by definition copywriting.
Sure we all like to hang out on Facebook and chat with friends, catch up on the latest funny videos, and enjoy a mindless “quiz” or two. But for photographers, Facebook is much more than that. It’s a place to connect with potential clients, and that means that when you’re sharing your latest blog post or photograph with your business friends, you have to keep good copywriting in mind.
LinkedIn Profile
What makes you stand out from the other photographers in your niche? Your LinkedIn profile is where you share what makes you the best person to solve your ideal client’s problems. It’s where you shout about your credentials and let your ego run the show. Think of your LinkedIn profile like a resume, and be sure to list your most impressive credentials.
One hundred and forty characters is precious little space for creating compelling content, yet that’s exactly what you must do if you hope to use Twitter as part of your overall marketing strategy. Think of tweets like email subject lines, and craft them to convey as much information as possible while still enticing readers to take action.
Whether you’re sending an email about your photography services or simply letting readers know you have a new blog post up, your email definitely qualifies as copywriting. In fact, even the personal emails you send to prospective clients contain what we would call copywriting.
Another very important aspect with emails is consistent communication. When you leave it up to the mind alone, you forget an important thing…follow-up. Following up with people consistently nurtures the relationship that could eventually could lead to a sale or opportunity.
We use 17hats as one of our systems to help us with consistent communication with clients and prospects. It allows us to keep track of where we left off with people and plan ahead with how we are going to give value and reach out to people.
About Page
Here’s your chance to have some fun while blowing your own horn. It’s important to know that the about page is often the most visited page on a website, so it’s a critical piece of your overall brand and message. The purpose of your about page is to entice people to want to learn more about you and your photography services, so be sure to include your personality and a call to action on the page.
Blog Posts
All blog posts have a job to do. Maybe they’re meant to lead your reader to a sales page. Perhaps you’re asking for readers to subscribe to your mailing list. Maybe your blog post is designed to start a conversation. Or maybe it’s just sharing great content and inviting readers to learn more by clicking on related posts. Whatever the job, it’s copywriting that entices your reader to take that next action.
The fact is, copywriting is everywhere in your business, from your sales pages to your invoices. Whenever you ask a reader to take some action, you’re writing copy, and the more comfortable with the idea of it, the better (and more natural) you’ll become.