Picture this: You’re about to release a digital product. You’ve done extensive market research and competitor analysis, you know your users, and you have a thorough understanding of the problem you’re solving. Development and design are perfect.
After release, users start to complain about your product, or from your analytics, you can see they’re dropping off pretty quickly. They don’t understand how to navigate your app, or the copy on your website is long and complex.
That’s because there’s a final piece of the product that has been overlooked- the content.
High-quality content has the power to bring your vision (and digital product) to life and make it easily understandable to your users. That’s where a copywriting specialist comes in – specifically, a UX copywriter.
Let’s dive into the three vital aspects that every tech company should understand before embarking on its content creation and UX copywriting journey.
1. The power of great copy
In the fast-paced and competitive world of tech, it isn’t surprising that tech companies often focus most of their resources on the development and design aspects of their digital products. However, it’s not uncommon that they overlook the importance of the quality of the copy that goes into those designs.
It’s like building an amazing house but not furnishing it. The design may catch your users’ attention, but the copy keeps them engaged and informed.
Having an aesthetically pleasing user interface (UI), cutting-edge technology and well-crafted UX copy are equally as important to the success of any digital product. We know it’s easy to focus on budget constraints, but having an expert UX copywriter to write your content is the icing on the cake; it makes all the other spending on development and design worthwhile.
Great UX copywriting is the unsung hero of user engagement. Content carries meaning and creates a conversation between your product and your users.
Having good, helpful content that guides your users every step of the way makes them want to use your product and recommend it to other people without you having to spend much on marketing.
Content is the bridge that connects your product to your users, and expertly crafted copy enhances the overall user experience. Investing in great copy improves the appearance of your design, conversion rates, user flows, and user journeys and gives the users the best experience when navigating your product.
2. The value of foundational documentation
A solid foundation is the basis of any lasting structure. Understandably, there’s a desire to get things done quickly and save costs, and this sometimes leads many tech companies to skip a very important step in content creation – foundational documentation. Sometimes, tech companies believe they can do the job themselves or that just anyone can do it.
Foundational documentation serves as a guideline for those involved in the product, helps the product content stay consistent, and provides the basis for building a lasting product. Even this article is based on foundational documentation.
It’s always good to start your documentation foundation with a UX copywriting expert who can create foundational documents such as tone of voice, brand persona, and buyer personas. That’s because the expert knows this document is the backbone of any successful content strategy.
Bringing in a UX copywriting expert to create this document is both financially efficient and time-saving. UX copywriting experts usually see things objectively, things that might have been missed by those too close to the project. UX copywriters bring new ideas and an outside perspective that can reveal unique selling points and create content that resonates with your target audience and gives you a competitive edge.
Plus, they’ve created these documents for many other companies before, which means they know exactly what to include, what to exclude and where to really focus the most attention.
Our experience with tech companies has shown that those who want to create their own docs usually discover that the process can be far more complex and time-consuming than anticipated. Bringing in an expert consultant can help prevent delays caused by missing crucial details or conflicts over the tone and voice down the road.
3. Not all copywriters are equal
Understanding that not all copywriters have the unique skill set required for UX copywriting is crucial, and this is where conventional copywriting and UX copywriting differ.
A copywriter excels in conducting detailed user research, writing promotional materials, producing content that resonates with the target audience, and is skilled in search engine optimization (SEO). On the other hand, a UX copywriter understands user experience (UX), website flow, product telemetry, heat maps, conversion rate optimization (CRO), and A/B user test results.
Both skill sets require an in-depth knowledge of your product, service, or technology, and finding a professional with such insights is priceless. It saves you both time and resources typically spent on lengthy onboarding processes. Cooperating with a UX copywriter who can fulfill your vision in terms of copy brings your product to life and increases its chance of success. If you find a writer whose work aligns with your expectations, consider establishing a long-term partnership with them.
Hiring a UX copywriter
Trying to find cheaper or faster options elsewhere costs more in the end… trust us, we’ve seen it a few times.
It involves the time-consuming search for the right fit, the onboarding process, and the risk that their work may not be up to your standards. If you’ve already got someone great, stick with them. It saves you time and money in the long run while making sure your copy is the high quality you expect.
Remember that great content is the unsung hero of your digital product, foundational documentation forms the bedrock of content strategy, and not all copywriters possess the specialized skills required for UX copywriting. By understanding and applying these three vital aspects, tech companies can streamline their content creation process and create products that captivate and engage users from the beginning of the product.