Writing Effective Sales Copy for the Web and Other Smart Tips for your Site
Compass Marketing presents more Furniture Marketing Simplified
Discover how to write copy that sells
It doesn’t matter how fancy and high tech your site is, good looking graphics alone will
not build your sales. Many online marketers make the mistake of putting too
much time and energy into the design of their site, and not enough into writing
effective sales copy. Producing a site that is both professional looking and
credible is a major factor in selling online, but if your sales copy is not working,
you simply will not make money.
Writing effective sales copy is an art; good copywriters have learned how to
produce persuasive text targeted towards their particular audience. You really
need to understand your customers’ needs and produce copy that projects
emotion, passion, excitement and benefit.
Selling is also about enthusiasm, and projecting that onto your target audience.
Being excited about the product will shine through, so avoid dry, over formal copy
and let your passion for the subject flow.
AIDA
The following is a tried and tested formula for writing effective sales copy, keep
this in mind while planning your copy’s beginning, middle and end.
A - Attention - Use a powerful headline that demands attention
I - Interest - Intrigue interest and create curiosity
D - Detail - Provide details about your product or service
A - Action - Call for action
Begin writing your copy in black, easily readable font with a light background.
Complicated fonts and dark backgrounds will make your copy difficult to read and
will put off your visitor.
Avoid using fancy fonts or backgrounds that will make your text difficult to read.
Write in small blocks of text with a space between each block. There is nothing
that will make your visitor click away faster than a sea of text - so make sure you
use plenty of white space.
Selling and Emotion
The importance of emotion needs to be fully understood before embarking on a
successful copy writing project. It is a sales cliché that customers buy benefits
and not features. This is only partly true. To take the theory a little deeper, people
buy because of how those benefits will make them feel. It is emotion that is
key to writing effective copy that sells.
"You're BS'ing yourself"
Consider the following quote from Hal Alpiar, President/CEO of Business Works:
“You may think (and have actually convinced yourself) that the SUV
you purchased was a great investment because it allows you to sit
high enough to see above traffic, it can provide more traction in
bad weather, it can go off the road, it can tow trailers, it will
take less of a hit in an accident than a sedan, it allows you to
haul more firewood and home improvement stuff, Consumer Reports
ranks it at the top of their Best Buy list, there's tons of room for
the kids and the dogs, it can pull out tree stumps, you got zero
down and zero percent, and the service warranty is spectacular.
BUT if you think for one minute that you bought that gas guzzler
for any of those reasons (or ones like them), you're BS'ing
yourself! You bought the SUV because you think you look good
driving it!”
So, in effect, sell what the surfer really wants, and establish this through
knowledge of basic human needs, which you are about to learn in the following
section.
Human Motivators
Let’s now examine basic human motivators. Psychologist Abraham Maslow,
based human behavior around at least one basic need. His theory is that
without you addressing a less important need, there won't be any desire to
pursue a more important need.
His idea is based around "the hierarchy of human needs." Here are the five
human motivators, as he sees them, beginning with the basic, and ending with
the most important needs.
Physiological - Basics needs include hunger, thirst, shelter, clothing and sex.
Safety (Security) – The need for physical, emotional and financial security.
Social (Affiliation) – The human need for love, affection, companionship and
acceptance by their peers.
Self Esteem - Human need for achievement, recognition, attention and respect.
Self-actualization - The need for people to reach their full potential.
You should incorporate these needs into your writing. Get inside the head of
your audience, feel their needs, wants and desires and include passion and
emotion in your headlines and copy. So, sell security (social and relationship),
independence, self-confidence, achievement and not what the product does:
- Extra strong lock
- Reduces fat
- Improves appearance
- Contains (insert special ingredient name here)