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)
These are all features. However, how will purchasing the product make the
customer feel? Concentrate on this, not on features and technical specifications.
Features and technical data can be used to back up your site’s claims - but
should not be used as the key selling tool.
So what.
An excellent technique for improving your sales copy is to ask yourself “So
What.” after each benefit claim. For example:
“Guaranteed to help you lose weight”
So...What...
“…so you can invest in confidence” or “….so you can have peace of mind
while achieving your goals of a better body”
The Headline
The headline is the first and most important factor in your sales copy. This is the
A part of the AIDA model – you must grab the reader’s attention and compel them
to read on. Around 5 times as many people will read the headline than the copy
body.
So, unless your headline sells your product immediately, the rest of your copy will
be useless. Use the headline to immediately capture your audience’s attention,
and to stimulate a specific emotion, as emotion sells.
“Feel embarrassed about your sofa?”
“What would a better night sleep mean for you?”
Asking a question is a good way of provoking thought and drawing the reader in.
Try using imperatives:
“Recline while watching your favorite show quickly and easily with product X”
“Imagine the relief of reducing your backache today”
Some tips for writing powerful headlines:
Write 20 to 30 different headlines.
Take days break to give yourself a fresh perspective and review again and choose the best power headlines.
Ask yourself how they can be improved, are they addressing your objectives.
Writing an Introduction
Ok, now you have captured your visitor’s attention, you will need to draw them
into your introduction. Keep it brief and to the point. Create a value proposition,
and let them know exactly what you are offering.
This will create the I – interest part of AIDA, and give the reader more reasons to
read on. Give the visitor reasons as to they should read on, mention what useful
info others have gotten out of your site.
Writing the bulk of your copy
You will now need to start writing the main body of your copy. Avoid using jargon
or technical terms your visitor may not understand, this will only alienate them.
Avoid negativity, hype and buzzwords, and write in as style that everyone can
understand. Try using prepositional phrases such as “As you know..,
Naturally…., Everybody knows….” Whatever follows these are more likely to be
accepted by the reader.
The Power of Words
Here are some tips on using alternative words with for better association. These
are not set in stone and open to debate, but provide an interesting insight into the
power of words. Every word counts, so ensure you incorporate potency:
Buy— This implies people have to pay money — experiment with alternative
try using claim e.g. “click here to claim your membership to … ) or invest
(Visit mywebsite.com to invest in a better future … ). This is contrary to when
marketing must have a clear call to action i.e. “buy now” so only use
alternatives where applicable, within the body of your text for example.
Learn — This implies there is work involved – try using discover “discover
the secrets behind…. …”
Tell — Nobody like to be told what to do – use reveal “This site will reveal
the effectiveness of...”, “we will show you…”
Avoid lazy words like:
Things — EG “Show you things” — Instead use tips, tricks & techniques
(.. discover tips, tricks & techniques that will …
Stuff— EG “…show you stuff, tell you stuff” — Use something juicier, like -
insider secrets (We will reveal insider secrets that only the …)
Creating effective web copy will not win you any creative writing prizes or
journalism awards but it will make you money. These tips are open to debate
but highlight the power of words in turning your visitor on or off.
Use Plenty of Subheadings
Your next step will be to add subheadings. Subheadings are basically just
smaller headlines used to break up your text blocks. They also provide your
readers with important highlights of your paragraphs.
Use plenty of subheadings throughout your copy, as not all your visitors will read
your copy word for word. They'll simply scan it and only read what catches their
attention. So, give each section a juicy subheading and a reason for the visitor to
read on.
Create USP’s
You need to set the product you are promoting apart from every other competitor
in a positive way. Using a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) will make your offering
more valuable than competitor’s and negate the need for the surfer to shop
around. This will make up part of the D details of AIDA
A strong USP is an absolute must in giving your audience a compelling reason to
buy from your site. A great way to develop a USP is by commencing: “Unlike the
majority of its competitors….
“Unlike the majority of memory foam mattresses “product Z” will help (insert benefit with emotion)
“Unlike other power bases, “brand X” uses a combination of 2 proprietary systems
that are proven to prevent you and your sleep partner from snoring”
The main purpose of a USP is to address a hole in the marketplace that the
product can really fill. Don’t forget that a USP can be incorporated into a headline
or subheader in your copy writing.
Limit the Risk
All (enter your company name here) products come with a rock-solid money back guarantee for 6 months. You must hammer this home as it makes for a soft easy sell. Display
the guarantee in bold text and highlight with a graphic - 6 months is longer than
most products in the online industry, point this out and make it a unique selling
point. The more you remove the risk, the more chance of the sale.
You may also want to highlight the secure ordering processes, data protection
and privacy, and discreet packaging. Preempt their objections to buy and
address them, build your potential customers' confidence and put them at
ease.
Use a Postscript (p.s.)
Visitors scan your copy on websites; they will read your headline, sub-headlines
and the Postscript message more than anything else. Place your most important
benefits within your P.S. message. Summarize the main points, the benefits &
the emotions that these will provide - it will be read.
Call to Action (CTA)
Ask for the business! The crucial A part of AIDA. A common mistake with selling is not
asking for the business at the end of a pitch. Don’t just
hope they decide to buy - prompt your visitor to buy with a clear CTA – if you
don’t ask you won’t get! At the end of each review page, article, or product
feature always, always include a clear link to order here are some examples:
“Take control of your sleep, order your TempurPedic mattress today”
“Discover how to recline with ease, explore the power motion section of our site today”
Some General Tips for a successful site
Speed of Loading
Ok this may be stating the obvious - You literally have seconds to grab your
surfers’ attention. So, it is very important to ensure your site loads as quickly as
possible.
Optimize your image files for faster download
Don’t over complicate the site
Choose a reliable host
Avoid heavy use of Flash or other outdates tech
Target your market
A successful website will cater specifically to the needs of your potential
customer. When designing your site, keep this in mind. Know your audience and
get inside their head, try and think like your potential customer - examine their
hopes fears and desires.
Next, ask others, test and survey. What you think is the right approach won’t
necessarily be the same for everybody. For example, if you are targeting women
(and we know we are), talk to women, what’s important to them, what emotion drives
them to buy furniture to renew the look of their home.
Focus
The focus of your websites is to inform and more importantly to sell. Don’t try to
sell lots of unrelated products on your site, keep it targeted. If you want to feature
different products then build separate pages and areas for each one.
Credibility
More money is being spent on the internet than ever. Potential customers can
still be apprehensive about parting with their credit card details online. You can
build credibility by providing detailed information on:
Policies - Such as privacy and Spam
Privacy Statement
Procedures
Real contact information and physical address.
Where possible, include testimonials from customers
Research the products yourself. Maybe you use the same battery charger for your motion sofas on your sales floor and can share the pros and cons to encourage customers to buy these kinds of products yourself. You can then say that your organization has tested the products.
Some of these factors will also assist in your Google quality score and drive your
AdWords PPC cost down.
Ease of Navigation
Ok, again, it may seem obvious but the quickest way to kill a sale is to present a
confusing web site. Surfers are impatient and easily frustrated. If they cannot
find what they are looking for quickly they will go elsewhere.
So keep your navigation:
Simple
Clean and easily readable
Accessible from every page of the site
They ask for apples give them apples
Don’t try and con your surfer. If you offer a link to “top reviewed hybrid mattresses”
then don’t just link to a product site. Your surfer will be looking for a comparison,
so, send them to a review page or feeder site that will give them the “top reviewed
hybrid mattresses”. Not giving the surfer what they are asking for is a sure shot way
to get them to hit the red X.
We hope this post has given you something to think about and more importantly, something to act on. Stay tuned for more articles monthly on how to better marketing your message and continue to simplify your marketing with Compass Marketing Group.