Website copywriting example for an online course creator
This website copywriting example for an online course provider demonstrates the importance of copywriting research. The right copywriting research identifies a target audience’s hidden desires. Then the copywriter can use those desires to create persuasive copywriting.
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Target audience for this website copywriting example
Westbourne College is a (largely) online course provider with one of the more fascinating target markets Taleist had come across.
The client creates online courses primarily to educate students who have worked in uniformed service. These students include firefighters, police officers, military and paramedics. The college offers an online training platform that prepares these people to transition to civilian employment.
Research process for writing this online course provider’s website
Taleist’s website copywriters in Sydney used our honed copywriting research process. We spoke to our clients, who are former police officers. We also had conversations with several of their students. We dropped in on online discussions and forums to learn the challenges our target audience faced when making the transition from uniformed service to civilian employment.
Unearthing the hidden desires of the target reader
Isolated
“My first office job was a rude awakening. I was really crap at my job and didn’t quite grasp the whole office thing – email, women in the workplace, office politics, morning tea gatherings, the luxuries, lunches…”
Actual quotation from a forum, founder during the website copywriting research
Through our research, we learned that ex-police and ex-military students find the transition to civilian life hard. Civilians do things differently. There are no ranks in the real world. Not everyone is punctual — and there are no consequences for lateness. No one in the HR department knows what it’s like to sleep in a tent in the middle of a war zone.
“Civvies have no idea of being on time for appts and meetings.”
Actual quotation from the research report our copywriters submitted to the client before writing the website
And while our target audience struggles to adapt to this culture shock, they find themselves increasingly isolated and cut off from the support of friends who were colleagues. Former colleagues are hard to socialise with because they socialise around work, and they can’t talk about work with anyone no longer in the service.
But that isn’t even an issue a lot of the time. If you’ve been in the army or navy, all your friends could be on a months-long deployment in another part of the country or overseas.
Misunderstood
“The stuff I experienced all these pen pushers can only fantasise about.”
Actual quotation uncovered during our copywriters’ research
Now a civilian, our target reader needs to convince their employers that their skills translate into real-world experience. An ex-military officer may have led a team of hundreds in a war-torn country. But they feel disconnected from HR managers, who only recognise MBAs and leadership qualifications as proof of management ability.
Fortunately for prospective students, our client’s business was established by people who faced the exact same challenges. They had been through the fire and emerged stronger on the other end. Now our client to use their website copywriting to build a relationship with people facing similar struggles.
To build that connection, our copywriters chose specific copywriting language to suit this purpose.
Copywriting that addresses hidden desires
Rewarding the courage to learn
A headline with every word selected carefully — “rewarding”, “courage”, “learn”
Throughout the website, our copywriters deliberately selected language that speaks to the niche. For regular readers who come across the website, the copywriting reads like it would appeal to anybody. However, it speaks clearly to the type of person our client is looking for — someone who would respond particularly to a word like “courage”. It shows some empathy, too: it takes courage to begin a new life as a civilian.
“A twenty-something HR employment screener initially dictates your future job possibilities by the number of letters after your name.”
Actual quotation from a forum, gathered during our research before writing this website
The target audience feels undervalued because of the struggles they face to have their real-world and hard-won experience recognised by 25-year-old HR managers.
“I don’t interview very well but I’m smart and I’m fit.”
Actual observation from a member of the target audience
The quotations we found in the research were translated directly into the website copy.
Become an in-demand candidate with the formal qualifications to tackle your next adventure
Above-the-fold copy on the homepage of this website, copy that speaks directly to the concerns we uncovered
They might not say it outright, but what the target audience wants is to be in demand in the job market. They want to be valued for all they have accomplished as a uniformed services member. The above-the-fold copy is an example of copywriting that speaks to those hidden desires. The copy is also a reassurance that our client will help them achieve the qualifications they need for the job they’re looking for.
Copywriting language that builds a relationship
You’ll choose Westbourne College if you’re looking for rigorous online courses and robust qualifications that are nationally accredited and recognised.
You’ll choose us if you’re looking for a college that respects your prior learning, but you also want a mentor who’ll give it you straight about any gaps.
Examples of website copywriting that builds a relationship with a specific audience
One of the issues our target audience faces in their transition to regular life is that civilians aren’t as disciplined as our target audience was required to be in their former life. Our target audience left the straight-talk culture of the military or police to enter a foreign world of office politics and morning tea gatherings. They feel alienated by civilian employers who will never understand what they’ve been through or what they’ve accomplished.
On the other hand, words like “rigorous”, “respect” and “giving it to you straight” are words that they’re familiar with. So this website example for an online course provider reinforces the notion that the target audience will be entering a learning environment that on terms that are familiar and comforting to them.
Website copywriting that establishes credibility and builds trust
Our students learn from instructors who have themselves served their communities and their country in uniform. Our students and instructors share a common language.
Also, our instructors have the real-life experience to mentor students making their own successful transition from service into rewarding private sector engagements.
Talk is easy. But our clients stand out because they once made the transition from members of the police force to regular people. The website copy reinforces their credibility in being able to bridge the gap between where their target audience is and where they want to go. The copy also continues to build a bond with the website’s target readers. They’ve left the team-oriented culture provided by their uniformed service employment. And now our client can give back that sense of belonging to them.
Our group of trainers have been there when theory hits reality and they can teach you how to apply your new knowledge in the real world.
Anyone who has been a first responder during a crisis knows that what you learn in theory is nothing compared to real life. So once again, the copywriting language shows the target audience that our client has been in their shoes and understands what they’re going through. This copywriting example is proof that backs up the website’s claim – our client will be able to help their ideal clients find their place in civilian society.
The results
Human beings are complex. We all have deep-rooted desires that we don’t want to admit even to ourselves, let alone to others. People don’t buy a Mercedes because they need to get to work or the supermarket. You can do that in a Toyota. People buy a Mercedes because of how they want to be seen, what group they want to be seen to be part of.
Former police officers aren’t simply looking for a job that pays their bills. They want to feel useful again and valued for their skills and past accomplishments. This website speaks to that.
In order to write persuasive and engaging website copywriting, it’s essential to seek out what those hidden desires are. And that’s where copywriting research comes in.
Taleist’s in-depth research was what led us to identify and understand what Westbourne College’s ideal clients really want. Our copywriting research allowed us to write a website that spoke to these ideal clients and begin the first steps towards forming a long-lasting relationship with them.
Do you have a unique product or service for a niche target market?
Whether it’s giving ex-uniformed service members the tools to start their life anew or selling storage containers to people seeking commercial space, we’ve seen it all. If you’re looking for website copywriting that taps into your clients’ deepest desires, give us a call and let’s have a conversation.
Website design
Screenshots in this website copywriting example show Taleist’s copy in web design by Mobilise Solutions.