Here's the first step to creating killer copies that keep your readers hooked!

Tuesday: Return Driven Strategy FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Return Driven Strategy (RDS). Discussed in the book, “Driven” by Professor Joel Litman and Dr. Mark L. Frigo, this pyramid-shaped framework has 11 tenets and 3 foundations that help businesses achieve wealth and value creation. Today, we’ll talk about RDS in the context of copywriting. Would you like to know how you can write powerful and compelling copies that speak directly to your target market? Continue reading below. We’ll discuss a copywriting tip that will enable you to hook your readers and establish a positive connection with them. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Here's the first step to creating killer copies that keep your readers hooked! What do you think is the reason why some people establish their own businesses? To generate profit? To positively contribute to society? To expand their network and connect with other leaders/experts in their niche/industry? It’s true that these are some of the things owners/managers can achieve through their businesses in the long run. However, when they’re just at the starting point of establishing their brands, their primary purpose is usually this: To provide solutions to prospects and customers! A brand’s solutions can be in the form of goods or services that help customers solve their problems or live their lives more conveniently and comfortably. However, with hundreds of thousands of businesses looking to improve anything and everything in the world today, it’s important that you have a unique offering or selling proposition that enables your brand to stand out. … but the challenge doesn’t end by simply having a unique selling proposition. Remember: You’re not the only business in town. If you don’t do anything to let your target market know about your offerings, competitors might snatch them away. So, the next thing you have to do is… PROMOTE your offerings/solutions! The first step to do that? Identify your target market’s PAIN POINTS. According to Joanna Wiebe, copywriting guru and the founder of conversion copywriting website CopyHackers, pain points refer to the problems and inconveniences your target audience is experiencing as customers. These problems usually happen on a regular basis and in different scenarios. There are 4 main types of customer pain points: Financial Pain Points - These are the difficulties related to money and other financial transactions. Process Pain Points - These are the problems that affect various processes, operations, or functions in different places such as work, school, etc. Productivity Pain Points - These are the issues that negatively affect a person or company’s ability to perform effectively and efficiently. Support Pain Points - These refer to poor services that fail to assist consumers and companies during inquiries and purchases. As a business owner or marketer, it’s important you identify if your target market is experiencing any of these pain points. This will be the stepping stone that will enable you to clearly communicate why your offering is the best solution for them. Why Addressing Pain Points is Crucial in the Copywriting Process If content marketing is one of your brand’s priorities, addressing pain points is a necessary step. Problems require effective solutions that persuade consumers to choose a certain product or service. In other words, the right copy can help them make the right decision. Check out Wiebe’s copywriting guide below. This is an effective process to identify and address different pain points and help you create ideal content that appeals to your target market: Pay attention to audience feedback. One of the best ways to identify pain points is by checking customer reviews, testimonials, social media posts, and online forums. This will give you an idea about some of the problems your target market is facing. Additionally, these types of feedback will provide you with a good starting point when writing your copy. Understand the pain point/problem. How can you address a pain point if in the first place, you don’t understand it and its impacts on your target market’s lives? The answer is simple: You can’t. That’s why as a business owner, marketer, or copywriter, you have to make sure you understand consumers’ problems. Through this, you can make your copy more relatable and develop a more sincere tone to communicate with them. Present a solution. Once you’re done with the first two steps, you can now promote your solution. Take note: Your copy should be straight-to-the-point and impactful so you can get your target market’s attention and compel them to read your entire copy. Use the loss aversion technique. Wiebe once said: “Losses loom larger than gains.” To effectively use this method in your copy, focus on what people would lose or miss out on if they don’t choose your offering. This technique not only compels your target market to choose your brand but also makes your content sound more impactful and urgent. Empathize with your target market. This is similar to step #2. When writing a copy and addressing your target market’s pain points, it’s important you understand the situation consumers are in prior to purchasing a product or service. Being able to relate to what they’re experiencing is another great way to get their attention and let them know that you genuinely care about them and listen to their concerns. Take note of this effective copywriting process from Wiebe! This will truly help you create ideal copy and connect with your customers. — In the book, “Driven,” authors Professor Joel Litman and Dr. Mark L. Frigo say the pathway to value creation is always through others. This means in the context of copywriting, it’s important to listen to what your target market is saying, identify and understand their problems, provide solutions to their problems, and empathize with them. Doing these things will help you choose the right strategy to get them hooked not only on your copy but also on your actual offering. Identifying and addressing pain points is also a great way to fulfill customers’ unmet needs and holistically communicate with them (Tenet 2 and 11 of Return Driven Strategy). By creating targeted, straightforward, and impactful copies, you give consumers a sense of direction on what to do to eliminate the problems they’re experiencing. Apply the copywriting tips above in creating your next set of marketing and communications content! By addressing pain points through copywriting, you’ll connect with your target audience and present solutions that can actually help them. We hope you find today’s topic insightful! Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s Return Driven Strategy! Wells Fargo is a multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California, and operational headquarters in Manhattan, New York. Learn more about the factors that enable this company to stand out in the market despite having offerings with little differentiation in next week’s article!