Thursday is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is Christopher McMurphy – Enjoy!

As a marketing tactic, copywriting has been around since the days when the Mad Men of advertising were knocking back highballs in the afternoon. But times they do change, and the ad world has evolved dramatically since its heyday when television was the dominant technology. These days, the Internet reigns supreme. While we are living in a digital world where social media dominates, the core principals of creating good copy remain the same: attract the attention of the reader, arouse interest in the product or service, and convert that reader into a customer.

Of course, how best to accomplish this is tied directly to the World Wide Web and its shifts in landscape and changing trends. Those marketers who do wish to create compelling, effective copy that reaches the masses would do well to keep some modern tips and tricks in mind. Here are just a few. 

Relate to the reader

We may live in an ever more connected world, but people still yearn for that human interaction. Copywriters can create a direct line to their readership by producing not just quality copy, but personal and emotionally compelling content as well. Data show that copy with just such a personal touch – focusing on a company’s employees, for example – helps to develop a level of trust with the reader. Testimonials can be a useful weapon in the arsenal of the modern copywriter as well. All testimonials should tell a relevant, positive story and be 4-6 sentences in length.

Go visual

At least to a point. Images and advertising have always gone hand in hand, but most copywriters have always felt their job responsibilities began and ended with the written word. Not anymore. It’s no secret that social networking sites such as Pinterest, Slideshare and Tumblr are exploding in popularity, and it’s due to the public demand for images. Even YouTube came into its own as a full-fledged social networking clip site in 2013. For the foreseeable future, how “share-able” a piece of content is will in part be decided by how many images it contains. The key for the modern copywriter is to provide accompanying images that complement the content.

Vital stat: landing pages that include videos see an 86% increase in conversions (Social Media Today).

Be useful

This is the lynchpin on which all successful modern copy hangs. The hard sell is dead as far as modern copy is concerned, and readers aren’t likely to respond to content that isn’t of use to them. That means no sharing and no conversion. The way copywriters can be successful in grabbing the reader’s attention in today’s landscape is by being helpful. An appliance manufacturer, for example, will get much more mileage out of a how-to tutorial on a home improvement site than they will with an email blast campaign touting the merits of their product.

By adhering to the principals listed above, advertisers will stand the best chance of reaching that 61% of global Internet users who search for products online (Hubspot). Moreover, staying abreast of social patterns and the evolution of popular networking sites is not only a winning strategy for today’s copywriters, but a necessary one as well.

Christopher McMurphy is a blogger operating in the sphere of tech and marketing. When he’s not pontificating, he’s offering blog writing services to eager clients.