top of page

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


Photo of Blake demonstrating AIDA
Alec Baldwin from Glengarry Glen Ross

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)