Modern companies, which create customer-centric content, successfully operate in local and global markets. They quickly grab the audience’s attention and effectively increase brand loyalty. Customers respect businesses, which provide them with high-quality, informative, and extremely valuable content.
The key to success is to define clients’ needs and preferences and design a personalized solution. To take your content creation to the next level, check the following tips for customer-centric copywriting.
1. Think like a customer
If you want to meet your customers' expectations, you should know what they think about your product, how they make a buying decision, and how they research information online. For this reason, you should conduct market research and put yourself in your client’s shoes.
Amanda Sparks, a digital marketer at EssaySupply, states:
Every specific target audience is different regarding demographics, ways of thinking, and product perception. This is a pretty challenging goal, even for an experienced marketer, to identify an ideal client. First, however, you must add this objective to your to-do list to apply the customer-centric approach effectively.
2. Talk about the customers’ needs
Instead of using phrases like “we can offer” and “our products,” you should write “you will get” and “your needs.” This is the first rule you should learn: customer-centric copywriting is about people, not your products and services. Put your client first, and you will be rewarded with great interest in your company.
Remember, good writing serves the reader, not the writer. For instance, people don’t want to read about a brand new formula of dish soap, but they want to learn more about the benefits they can get from using this product. In other words, customers don’t care that you've substituted PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate with glyceryl palate. However, they will be happy to know that the updated formula will be friendlier to the skin. By focusing on the customer’s perspective, you make your content more relevant and engaging.
People are selfish by nature, and you should remember this when writing your copy. Dedicate every word to their significant wants and needs, and they will choose your product even if competition in your niche is exceptionally high.
3. Write a story that resonates
Storytelling is a powerful tool in customer-centric copywriting. To make your content truly engaging, create a personalized story that captures your customer's interest and positions them as the central character. When you're writing about your product, brand, company, or even sharing feedback, fill your story with elements of quality content.
Consider this simple formula to ensure your story hits the mark:
Utility × Inspiration × Empathy = Quality Content
This formula, inspired by marketer Doug Kessler and mentioned by Ann Handley in her book Everybody Writes, emphasizes that quality content doesn’t need to be literary perfection but must resonate deeply with your audience.
Sylvia Giltner, content manager at ResumesCentre, recommends:
Feel free to use your wild imagination to come up with original content ideas. Place an image of your ideal customer in the center of a plot – and you will be able to manipulate the target audience’s opinion about your company invisibly.
By combining these components, you turn your storytelling into a powerful instrument that not only attracts interest but also creates significant connections with your customers.
4. Evaluate feedback
In the information age, collecting customers' feedback is not hard. There are a lot of online platforms where people express their honest opinions about the product and services they tried or tested. Therefore, you should monitor the world wide web to find the reviews and analyze them thoroughly.
Positive and negative comments are critical because they help develop a better content strategy. Let’s say you have plenty of positive and negative feedback at your sight. Here's how you can use this information for customer-centric copywriting.
First, you should use positive feedback as a core message of your new content. Now, you know which product’s features and strengths you should emphasize to attract the attention of the large target audience or upsell the product.
Secondly, use negative feedback as an opportunity. Other than detecting areas that need improvement, you can also discover common problems that customers face and teach them how to deal with them through blogs, self-service articles, video tutorials, etc. Thus, increasing the number of satisfied customers.
5. Choose the most suitable writing style
You should create content that will be 100% understandable for your clients. Your target audience and you should speak the same language: choose the appropriate wording, tone of voice, and communication style (formal or informal).
Once again, you should put yourself in your customer’s shoes to understand what kind of text will work great in this concrete situation. If you write content for Millennials, feel free to use slang words and add humor to your reader. However, if you're talking to a baby boomer, you should choose a formal writing style and a more severe tone of voice.
James Daily, a writer, and editor at FlashEssay explain:
Even if you create content for professionals, you should know the level of their background knowledge. So don’t overuse rarely-used words and scientific terms if you are not sure your audience is familiar with them.
6. Write first, edit later
When you look at a blank page, it can be challenging to concentrate and write the first few lines. At this point, it's very easy to get distracted because of the many questions that arise in your head. However, don't strive to get it right the first time.
Instead, focus on creating your first draft, where you write down all your ideas without worrying about style or grammar. This draft lays the foundation for your final edition.
Focus on the main point that answers your customers' needs. Once you've finished it, take a break and return to it with fresh eyes. This will assist you in reviewing your writing from the reader's perspective and identifying any areas that require improvement.
At the same time, remember that reaching that first draft can bring a wonderful sense of relief and accomplishment. This feeling can be a powerful motivator to keep pushing forward in your writing.
By practicing regularly and using an intermittent writing and editing process, you can create resonating, customer-focused copy that will effectively engage your customers.
Developing a writing habit is the key to creating a customer-centric copy. Even if it's only thirty minutes, schedule time each day to create texts. This consistent practice will improve your skills over time.
7. Keep your content simple and clear
Great content breaks down the complicated to make it easy to understand. It strips away unnecessary formalities and conveys things in a concise, human, accessible way.
Simple is not equivalent to stupid, of course. It means being the client's advocate. It involves addressing any material with empathy and keeping your readers in mind. But also think about how the message is delivered: maybe you need a cleaner, more straightforward look for the words you use.
Here's how to keep it simple:
- Clarity and briefness: Write with empathy and with the reader in mind. Use clear and concise language.
- The chosen form of the message: Consider whether a picture, graphic, or video can convey your message better than words alone.
- Basis for structure: Make your text readable. Keep your words the main element, not an afterthought.
By simplifying your content, you make it easier for customers to understand and engage with your statement.
8. Set a deadline, make it happen
Imagine ordering a delicious pizza for dinner and receiving it at midnight instead. Timing matters and that's where deadlines come in. Deadlines are essential for completing assignments, especially when it comes to copywriting. Without them, your work can be delayed indefinitely, never reaching the target audience it's meant to influence.
Deadlines force you to focus, prioritize, and take necessary actions. They help you avoid endless adjustments and ensure your message reaches your customers on time.
Here are some ways to manage deadlines effectively:
- Realistic deadlines are the way to go. Be honest about how long a task will take to complete, and set deadlines that challenge you but don't overwhelm you.
- Break up large tasks into smaller ones with their deadlines to make them more manageable. Plus, there's nothing like the satisfaction of checking off mini-goals, each of which brings you one step closer to completing a project and boosts your motivation to keep going.
- Use project management tools to keep track of deadlines and progress.
- Commitment to yourself is good, but commitment to your colleagues is even better. Share deadlines with colleagues or your manager to stay on track.
- Set your priorities correctly. Focus on the most important tasks first to ensure that the main elements of your project are completed on time.
Remember that deadlines are not something to be afraid of in copywriting. They ensure that your work is high quality but also timely and relevant to your clients.
9. Begin sentences with your core message
When creating customer-facing copy, start with the most compelling and relevant points. Why? It immediately grabs customer attention and makes your message clear. Avoid sentences that start with unnecessary details. Instead, put the main point up front to grab the reader's interest right away.
Strunk and White, in The Elements of Style, advised:
The first part of the sentence should be the most important part.
Why does it work? Well, it's simple: putting the most important words at the beginning of your sentences helps to grab interest. Customers don't have to wade through participial phrases, tons of adjectives, and qualifiers to get to the point - you're communicating value right away.
Deliver value in the very beginning. Your readers will appreciate the clarity and be more likely to interact.
10. Boost your copywriting efficiency with AI tools
The copywriting process is shifting before our eyes, so we need to stay ahead of it. That's where the benefits of using top-notch AI copywriting tools come in handy. All to simplify the process and increase efficiency. These advanced tools are designed to improve your writing, from grammar and clarity to creativity and engagement.
Here's a list of AI tools that can redefine your copywriting:
- Grammarly
- DeepL Write
- CopyPilot
- Scribe
- ChatGPT
Think of Grammarly as your personal writing coach, meticulously checking your text for grammar, punctuation, and style.
DeepL Write excels in refining your prose, helping you achieve unparalleled clarity and precision.
CopyPilot generates persuasive copy and enhances conversion rates by analyzing audience preferences and optimizing your content strategy.
Scribe is your go-to AI for transforming ideas into structured, engaging content. It ensures your writing is coherent and impactful, making the writing process smoother and more effective.
Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is a versatile conversational AI that assists in generating creative content and brainstorming ideas.
Integrate these AI tools into your copywriting process to improve efficiency and content quality. Let these innovations help you create exceptional and impactful pieces.
Bottom line
Customer-centric copywriting is an excellent tool for any company to improve brand loyalty and boost sales in areas other than marketing. The point is that the more precisely you analyze your audience, the better the content you create. So try your best to understand your client's preferences and behavior to write texts that will bring optimal results.
