Copywriting Strategies: Surf the Waves of Marketing

Warning: many puns ahead.

Funny how effective copywriting strategies are like surfing. As a small business owner, you want to ride fast waves, glide to the top, keep up your momentum, and steer clear of wipeouts.

You’re in luck, because we’ve got some copywriting strategies that help you hang ten on clean waves (of new clients coming in.)

The Surf Board Strategy: How to Make Copy Your Most Important Tool

For just about any small business, the company message is the heart of everything. Whenever you start a new project, seek out new prospects, or provide a regular service, entrepreneurs go back to their mission.

And that mission is embodied in the message.

In the surfing world, the board is the vessel, but it’s the surfer who glides across the water. Think of your copywriting in the same way. Your message functions as your most powerful tool, but it won’t happen without you guiding it.

Without effective copywriting that highlights your goals as a business owner, you’ll head toward turbulent waters. When you write and revise your message in email marketing and on your website, keep in mind your…

• Reader. Think about the typical goals for a surfer. Maybe s/he wants to ride a 30-foot wave, or is looking to improve physical fitness. Well, your reader will have goals too. And for your copy to serve as your most important tool, you’ve got to highlight what those goals are, and how your business helps make it all happen.
• Purpose. A surfer started riding waves for a specific reason. And you started a business for a specific reason. Good copywriting is not so much what a product or service does. It’s about your core mission, and why your business exists in the first place.
• Limits. Not every surfer has a desire to ride big waves. And not every small business owner has the time to do everything for a single client. Make sure your copy is not only compelling, but also honest and clear. If you’d rather not answer your cell at 3:00 a.m., don’t offer 24/7 phone support.

The Rash Guard Strategy: How to Protect Yourself from Wipeouts.

A rash guard protects surfers from chafing, rashes, and other unsavory things. By extension, your copywriting should take similar measures. Call it preventative maintenance, but you can craft copy in a way that eliminates trolls and angry customers.

To find your ideal client and avoid missteps, pay particular attention to…

Grammar and punctuation. Sounds unimportant until a very particular client says no because of mechanical mistakes and typos. It happens more often than you’d think, and sometimes even the strictest grammarian will slip. Hire an editor to pinpoint the nitty-gritty stuff.

Accurate fact checking. Did you know that hippos are expected to grow wings and fly come 2025? You haven’t heard that because it’s not true. In your copy, make sure you have all the facts straight, and you’ll avoid conflicts down the road.

Specific targeting. Before you start writing or rewriting, review the audience characteristics. As long as you’re speaking to the demographic you really want to work with, you’ll attract the right types of people.

The Board Wax Strategy: How to Make Your Message Stick

Marketing is constant. Our brains are like a never-ending Times Square.

According to the branding marketing experts at Fluid Drive Media, people see roughly 247 marketing messages per day. This includes ads on the radio, billboards, television commercials, marketing emails, etc.

That means your marketing copy really has to stand out to take effect.

When it comes to surfing, professional wave-riders try new techniques to reach new heights. As a small business owner, you do the same. For a lasting impact and more visibility, make a conscious effort to separate your message from competitors.

To write a compelling message that resonates, try a little variety. If your competitors send vanilla emails that discuss a product or service, counter their efforts with an email that discusses the pain and problems. Then offer the solution your product or service provides. 

The Tow-in Strategy:  How to Step it Up Every Time 

Surfers use momentum. When the waves swell, surfers give it all they got to paddle to the crest.

Sun Tzu once said “opportunities multiply as they are seized.” And as a small business owner, this means that new ventures serve as chance for increasing growth. So the next time you’re invited to speak, say yes. Once you take your place at the podium, each audience member becomes a prospect.

When it comes to copywriting, these experiences give you material that allow you to leverage your expertise. While there’s danger in writing too much about yourself, you can use your personal stories to outline how you help clients. 

The Rescue Crew Strategy: How to Come Back to Life. 

Even the best surfers wipe out. Despite the best intentions, sometimes the copywriting surrounding a new offer falls flat.

When that happens, it’s time to evaluate what happened, so you can rethink the offer and reengage your audience. While surfers are backed by lifeguards, small business owners function as their own rescue crew.

There’s no need to jettison a perfectly good idea. To reengage your customers after a lackluster campaign…

• Figure out the WHY. If a surfer eats it, perhaps s/he had the wrong foot placement or the board. And when an offer launch falls flat, perhaps you approached the message the wrong way. Take a close look at the details of your offer, and re-engineer it with a fresh and new copywriting angle.
• Identify the WHAT. After a wipeout, a surfer will assess the exact point when s/he crashed and burned. For a small business owner, that translates to pinpointing the exact moment that killed the launch. Once you know the details about where the message missed the mark, you’re ready to map out a re-engagement campaign.
• Design the HOW. Surfers know how to avoid future wipeouts. And when copywriting fails to launch, it’s often an opportunity to grow in disguise. After you determine why prospects said no and what made them turn the offer down, you have the chance to design a new marketing campaign that does the trick.

For a gnarly messaging that rides major waves, check out our copywriting services.