On my way to Ogba earlier today, I came across this copy on an ad:
โ๐ท๐๐โ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐ค๐๐๐. ๐ผ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐.โ
You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an ad for a contract killing organization. But it’s an ad for a laundry business.
Separated from the supporting image of a woman carrying a pile of clothes, the copy is useless and its message appears lost.
Which brings me to the first point on writing copy:
๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ, ๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐, ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ.
If your copy rhymes or reads smart but is not clear to the intended audience or doesn’t get them to take the action you want them to take, you have not done the job.
If you write a copy that should drive people to make purchases or click a link or join a list and instead of any of that happening, other copywriters are hailing you “Mad ooooo” and sharing it and even dissecting the copy, you haven’t done the job.
Which brings me to the second point.
๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ซ.
Other writers and their professional opinions on your copy are not your primary audience. Your customer is.
If your copy drives the customer to take the action you want them to take, you have done your job well, even if people like me come on Facebook to speak English about how your copy is this and that.
The same way you decide on metrics for campaigns, you must decide how to measure the success of that copy.
Is it supposed to drive people to make purchases? Do you want them to remember it? Do you want them to click on a link, or join a newsletter? Define it.
If it does what it’s supposed to do, you’ve done well. Go out and eat catfish peppersoup and sleep like the king or queen that you are. ๐ฅด
Ndiyo!
James Ogunjimi
