At MarketSmiths, we have a mantra: “Copywriting for humans.” But there are around 8 billion of us on this cosmic blue marble, so what does that really mean?
In the grand scheme of things, we humans don’t actually have much in common beyond sharing gravity and air. Our instinct, though, is to find common threads, so we flock to smaller groups based on attributes like physical location, hobbies, jobs, family situations, medical conditions, or—in our case—love for a particular company, brand, or product.
The groups of humans with a shared affinity for what companies have to offer, those are our humans. As marketers, it’s our job to get to know them so well that when we speak to them, they feel seen and understood.
When you crack that code, the results speak for themselves. But getting there takes a lot of homework and diligence.
Despite what you may have heard about “casting a wide net,” crafting a general message for a wide audience and hoping for the best is unrealistic (and unprofitable). Strategic writing, or writing for humans, is the opposite – it’s zooming in on the groups of people who could actually benefit from your messaging, and speaking only to them, in only their language.
Where good copywriters stand out is their ability to connect with any type of group, even if they aren’t themselves a part of it. Their superpower is expressing empathy, sharing joy, and finding the words that transform their audience from shoppers to buyers, no matter how far removed from their own personal lives.
With time, practice, and TLC for every campaign, the words come easy. Marketing messages are never one and done, though, because even a similar group of people communicates differently across different platforms. The words that move people to action on a website, for example, are different from what they’re accustomed to in a blog post, on social media, or in a white paper.
When multiple tactics or objectives are involved, writing for humans also means fine-tuning your words just enough to match the medium but never losing that connection, engagement, or momentum.
Are you ready for copywriting that creates real human connections? Let’s talk about it.
