There’s never a bad time to become a better human being.
Marketing channels can feel overwhelmed by a repetitive deluge of AI copy’s telltale signs: “it’s not x, it’s y” statements, overconfident em-dashes, and lists-of-three (just like this sentence!) With the value of the authentic human touch at a premium, we thought it was time for a refresher on how to produce marketing that feels like a person wrote it instead of a robot.
Of course, we’ll leave it up to you to decide if you’ll apply this advice yourself, or leave it to your favourite AI coauthor.
A little more conversation
Elvis once thought we could all use A Little Less Conversation. When it comes to marketing, the King got it wrong.
Conversational copywriting has taken over marketing. It disarms readers and builds trust with its friendly tone, simple language, and addressing readers directly, just like we do at home or with friends.
Its dominance comes from how it uses the psychological concept of cognitive fluency. At the University of Sydney and around the world, researchers have found that, despite appearances we’re a simple species, biologically primed to trust content that:
- is easy to read
- conveys warmth and understanding
- treats you as an individual.
If you want to connect with readers, the everyday language of interpersonal connection is the best way for brands to land messages that stay with them. It draws on the same parasocial connections that get influencers to call audiences of millions their “besties” and why straight-to-camera yapping has taken over our feeds.
And it’s clear from its broader cultural impact that the second-person writing trend’s here to stay; what was once a creative writing no-no is being found in bestselling novels like This Is How You Lose the Time War. The future is “you”.
Atomic sentence habits
This doesn’t mean businesses can just swap out “customers” with “you” on their website and think the job’s done. The point-of-view may have changed, but with some businesses it’s all too clear they’re still thinking in the first person: it’s not about “you”, it’s about “me, me, me”.
That can be a failing when the goal is connection, not broadcasting. This means centering your readers’ wants and needs, down to the atomic sentence level. We all know how much the first sentence matters, but we can go deeper to understand exactly how to hold and use a reader’s attention.
Just as not all sentences are made equal, the University of South Florida’s eye-tracking research tells us not all individual parts of one sentence are equal either: our eyes linger on the beginning and the end. Then we scan for nouns (the doers and done-tos) and verbs (the action).
Knowing exactly where our readers’ eyeballs direct their attention is a major asset. Marketers can use it to put their customers first, not just in the marketing plan but in the copy itself. Like any regular conversation, nobody likes someone who only talks about themselves.
The solution? When your goal is connection, be a good conversationalist. Invite your conversation partner in, and do it early.
When you start a sentence with clauses like:
- “Our new product’s game-changing new features”
- “We published a white paper”
- “We’re excited to announce”
You can leave the reader thinking “What about me?” They’re not present either as a noun or action. You’re right to be proud of your latest product, announcement or R&D initiative, but the sentence structure needs to lead readers to care as much as you do.
Copywriters solved this problem long ago. Start from their perspective. Establish a customer pain point, then cut to how your offer solves it. It necessarily doesn’t matter if you actually start with “you” or “your business”. What matters is creating a space early on for them to see themselves. Second-person pronouns are simply an effective way to do just that.
For instance, let’s say you’re selling a mortgage SaaS product. The first line on your website’s landing page says: “Our service can compare hundreds of lenders and thousands of loan products to find the best loan deal for you.”
This is good conversational copy. But it’s product-first, not customer-first. They’re in a passive role and they literally come last: “you” comes at the end.
Whereas with a sentence like “Trying to lock in a better mortgage rate? We compare mortgage rates from hundreds of lenders and loan products to find you the best deal”, hopeful homeowners aren’t left waiting for a space where they see themselves. Their role and agency in the process is implied at the start.
Conversational B2B marketing
B2B likes to think it’s different from B2C’s slang-slinging informal energy. And it’s true that, especially when targeting senior decision-makers, establishing authority is as important as making a connection. Sounding too personable might risk coming across as an unserious business partner.
But conversational B2B writing still has its place. Consider the cognitive demands on executives and business owners, often immersed in lengthy reports, meetings and contracts. For these influential audiences, cognitive fluency with a reassuring touch of industry-specific complexity could be even more important.
B2B copywriting consultant Steve Slaunwhite believes the extended length of B2B sales cycles means there’s an undeniable role for conversational copy top-of-funnel, while allowing space for more formal, technical communication deeper into the sales cycle. This logic also positions B2B thought leadership as an effective tool to make brands and products accessible, without skimping on authoritative technical depth.
But across the funnel, B2B marketers can learn from conversational copy’s warmth, inviting tone, and accessibility. In fact, they’ll need to as comparatively casual millennials and Gen Z rise up the ranks in the workforce. Conversational marketing is just getting started.
If you need help achieving that irresistibly convincing human touch in your marketing copy, Digivizer can help you eliminate guesswork with our digital marketing expertise. Our Digivizer Insights Platform drives growth by telling you exactly what your audience responds to best in real-time, and you can try it out for free.
