How far would you be willing to go in this post if I started with: “At demandwebmktg.com, we are great copywriters, our team is creative, we are fantastic digital marketers…and we are very customer-focused?” (Aren’t we all?)
Your reader/customer has also read it all and is likely resistant to ads, so why are so many still addicted to using we, our and the company name in their copy? (I mean look at that guy in the picture above. Do you trust him? Because that is what it sounds like when you talk about yourself.) Especially when you and I are trying to connect with a potential customer. Do you really think your visitors only came to read about how great you are? Or do you think they are trying to see if you understand their pain points and have the ability to solve them?
I have been obsessed with copywriting lately. And hopefully you will find this article beneficial. This wasn’t going to get published, but, I happened upon this conversion copywriter’s post yesterday and read number 9. So, it was a sign. Let’s do this.
Some Context
As a former journalist, making copy and headlines that would interest and engage the reader was the goal. Heeding the call to “Hemingway” the copy, -yes, Hemingway was used as a verb – editing and surfacing the salient points immediately was paramount. We lived or died by clicks. Not clickbait. The byline needed to shout, “Trust me, this is gonna be good.” With this approach readers engaged. Dominating the top fold with heds, articles and byline was life.
But really close attention to pronouns happened after becoming editor and reading submitted ad copy. What worked? What didn’t? Most ads were bad because of braggadocio, hyperbole and overuse of first person.
So the ads accomplished what they were “supposed” to do – promote themselves. But the ones that connected were squarely aimed at the reader. The rare, successful ad flipped it – with a good idea of who they were reaching. Now, not every ad that attempted to focus on the reader and address pain points was brilliant. Some were good, some were ok and some were terrible. But what was obvious was the ad that used traditional first person sounded like, well, an ad, while ads that attempted something beyond the usual “we” copy was more intriguing.
And More Context
So when I left journalism for marketing – my colleagues called it going to the dark side haha – creating engaging copy was the goal. And it definitely helped with social media and PPC. But content on most websites and even landing pages was interestingly controlled by leadership and the writing team. And the writing team, perhaps fearful for their jobs, often wrote what was dictated to them.
While puzzling, I get it. So hopefully at some point you can share an example to get your point across. Think of it this way. You go to a party. The first person you meet looks good and seems interesting but all they say is, “I’m the best. I’m popular. or, I’m better than anyone else you’re going to meet.” That’s how “we” “our” etc. comes across to the customer.
Contrast that with the party goer who stops and takes the time to ask you, “How are you doing?” “What’s going on with you?” “What do you want to do next?” That person seems genuinely interested in who you are, and attempting to understand and connect with you.
So, who would you rather hang with?
Pronouns Matter – Copywriters agree
How does this sound to your ear?
“We are customer-focused”
Versus:
“Your needs are the focus of 24/7 customer service.” (Just pretend this is awesome copy for a minute – you get the picture)
“We are…” is claimed by a lot of companies. Consequently, “we” and “our” gets this reaction:
“Oh, really? Every company says that. Who cares! “
Your customers are interested in themselves. They want to read about what your services/products can do for them.
As one copywriter wrote: “The truth is no one cares about you.”
By squarely placing the reader as the subject of the copy, it connects so much better. In one instance, by getting rid of we, our, mentions of the company name and tamping down hard on purely promotional content, a social media account tripled engagement in a month or so. (Subject of a future post?)
But don’t just take my word for it – read what actual copy experts say. (Article: The Only Time to Use the Word “We” in Web Copywriting)
Also here. (Secrets to Use Pronouns in Copywriting and Boost Marketing Results)
And here. (Conversational Copy – Using Personal Pronouns)
For those who prefer video. (Rhodes Law Website Copywriting Analysis)
Every marketing copywriter advocates for limited use of first person pronouns with few exceptions, like the “we promise” example. I liked that.
So why do we still do it?
One reason is because a lot of copy is written by committee. Which is unfortunately how a lot of marketing is done these days. I suspect that there is a a real concern that if we don’t refer to ourselves, the reader might not understand who we are talking about – and how obviously great we are.
Even though the copy is on our website. Or on our social. On our video. On a branded paper…
So, no one thinks we’re referring to our competitors! Yet, the first person persists.
Another more Occam’s Razor explanation is simply being unaware. I might call this lazy writing, but that might be, well, lazy. So maybe you don’t even realize you are doing it. Until you read “we” copy on a website that isn’t yours. And think, “Wow, these guys really think it’s all about them. Followed quickly by, “Uh oh, wait a second…” (And hopefully not with, “See, everyone else is doing it!”)
So even if your copy is currently riddled with “we” “our” and company mentions, at least you are aware of it now and can start to advocate for change in the future.
And you can do it! In addition if you are not (in your mind) a writer and would like to learn more, I suggest following Ann Handley. She also has a very helpful book available called Everybody Writes. And yes, everybody can, and/or improve their writing.
For help with your content, contact DemandWeb – ‘we’ haha can help you.
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