Although brands have been communicating with us visually more and more, the importance of verbal communication remains invaluable.
Brands are communicating in several areas these days. They are present in all spheres of our lives as they flood the web and social networks, print media, television, radio, billboards and more with their words. Do we even hear them in the multitude of communication channels and the endless pool of words of other brands? If so, do they convince us? Do we feel anything when we read or listen to those words, do they encourage us to think and, most importantly, to take action?
Copywriting is the art of word play. It’s a conversation.
Copywriter and brand & tone of voice specialist Vikki Ross, one of the world’s leading creatives impressed with her lecture at last year’s Sempl. Her guideline is we need to write real words that real people really say.
In finding answers to the question of how to communicate to ensure the audibility of our brand, her basic principles can help – Get real, Get personal and Get active.
Get real
Write in a language people really use to talk and think. Use everyday language and avoid the cold formal tone and artificiality of the text. Consider each word – ask yourself if you would actually use it in everyday conversation or would rather use another synonym or expression.
Our text should be natural and simple. Let’s not forget that copywriting is primarily a conversation.
Let us be guided by the words of the advertising legend, David Ogilvy: “I don’t know the rules of grammar… If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think.”
Once you have the text in front of you, read it again – not only paying attention to the grammatical rules, but constantly asking yourself if people would really say what you have written.
Get personal
Write in first person. As it’s a conversation, we address the person directly and give him / her the feeling that we are talking (only) to him / her.
Avoid excessive repetition of the brand’s name on brand’s own communication channels, such as a website; prefer to omit it or use the word ‘we’.
When we speak to our consumers, we do not call them ‘consumers’ or ‘clients’, but ‘you’. There is no need to remind them that they are a source of income for us.
When writing, follow the rule of a copywriter Steve Harrison that the direct addressing of a person (‘you’) in the text occurs three times more often than talking about yourself or own brand (‘we). This way you will write about the theme from the reader’s perspective.
Many brands take a personal approach from the beginning, in their promises their slogans:
Red Bull: “Gives you wings”
L’Oréal Paris: “Because You’re Worth It!”
National Lottery: “It could be you!”
M&M: “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands”
Snickers: “You’re not you when you’re hungry”
By directly addressing a person, we place our audience at the heart of the message. We give them the feeling that we are talking to them, and that attracts their interest. Writing in third person, on the other hand, gives them the feeling of us talking about them.
Get active
Use active sentences. They give more energy to the text, shorten it and make it easier to understand. On the other hand, passive sentences may seem cold, formal, and complex.
Ready for the next step?
How to write texts interesting enough for people to want to read or listen to them in whole? Texts that are effective, encourage people to think, feel or act…
Next week, we will upgrade the foundations of copywriting with three additional principles advocated by Vikki Ross. Let us give you a little hint that we will be… dancing with the words…
