SEO, Social Media, PPC, banner ads etc are all important to drive traffic to your site! But we all spend so much time trying to drive traffic and not many people focus on what to do when the traffic gets there!
Do a lot of people bounce from your site quickly? Are you getting the sales you want/need?
There is something you can do to decrease your bounce rate and increase your sales!
IMPROVE YOUR COPY (sorry for yelling there, but wanted to make sure you got the message!) 🙂
Most people don’t realize the true value of good copywriting. Copywriting is not something that you should consider as a possible way to increase results. Copywriting is the FOUNDATION of driving sales.
I’ve heard everything from “my product is so good, people will want it, so I don’t have to try to sell it” (your product may be fantastic, but unless someone is compelled to buy it, they will never know it’s fantastic!) to “I want people to feel welcome on my site and I don’t want to be seen as pushy” (good copywriting makes people want what you have to offer, without making them feel you are pushing it down their throat).
So, no more excuses, people! If you want to sell online, you need good copy. Plain and simple. No excuses, no arguments.
Not everyone can afford a good copywriter, so I want to share a blueprint with you that will help you do the best you can with your copy!
You need to use this blueprint for each product you sell. Take the time to complete it and then refer to the answers to help create your copy.
Product or Service Name:
Who is my Target Audience?
Tips:
- Think like the customer. What would you look for in product/service?
- Build a demographic profile by noting: Gender, Age, Ethnicity, Family Status, Income, Occupation, Interests.
- What characteristics do your customers share that you can use to specifically target them?
- Understanding audience can make or break writing. Use words/phrases that speak to their desires, needs and emotional triggers.
STEP ONE: Develop Your Foundation
(Identify Product Benefits, Emotional Triggers and Plan Your “Call To Action”):
1. Who will my product help?
2. Why should they care about my product or service?
3. How will it impact their lives?
4. How is my product better that the competition?
5. List the features of your product or service and break them down into the benefits.
6. What descriptive words help explain my product?
7. What emotional triggers affect customers who are considering my product?
Not sure what emotional triggers are: Here are some examples:
- Fear (ex: Don’t miss out on….)
- Competition (ex: Be the envy of your competitors)
- Desire to be a leader (ex: Everyone will recognize you as the expert in….)
- Desire to be trendy or cool (ex: Now you too can have the latest technology gadget)
- Need for instant gratification (ex: Get answers to your most pressing questions RIGHT NOW)
- Desire for more free time (ex: Now you can write compelling copy in half the time)
- Feelings of guilt (ex: For the cost of one cup of coffee per day, you could feed a hungry child for a year)
- Desire for trust (ex: You’ll get an honest estimate with no hidden charges)
- Desire to belong (ex: You’re part of the inner circle)
- Desire to get a good deal and sufficient value in return for money spent (ex: If you find a better price for the same product, we’ll match it)
8. Can I obtain customer testimonials or expert opinions to substantiate my claims? (This will help boost credibility)
9. Why would they not buy my product? What are the reasons to counter the objections?
10. What is my call to action?
11. What do I want my customers to do as soon as they read my copy?
12. How can I create a sense of urgency?
Sample words that create urgency: Act Now, Don’t Delay, Hurry In, Call Today, For A Limited Time, Don’t Miss It, While Supplies Last, Call Now, This Weekend Only, Don’t Wait Any Longer, One-time Offer, Get Yours Today.
Now that you have identified the answers to the above questions, write your copy and make sure you incorporate the key points from your answers above.
Once you have an outline of your copy, move on to the next step….
STEP TWO: Make sure you properly convey W.I.I.F.M.
What’s in it for me?
- How can I communicate W.I.I.F.M. (WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?)
- Example of conveying strong W.I.I.F.M. “Our SEO software is state of the art” – this talks about a feature and not what it’s in it for them. Instead use “You’ll never have to worry about getting top rankings again” Make sure they know without a doubt what they will get out of using your product or service.
- How can I word my products benefits and differentiators do they talk to the customer and not about me?
- Have I used “you” more than “we” in my copy?
- Majority of your copy should be written in Second Person. (ex: “Through our first rate sales department we can deliver cars within 24 hours” = not good, instead use “You can drive your new car tomorrow”)
- 80% of pronouns should be second person (“you”) and 20% should be first person (“we”).
STEP THREE: Cut, Cut, Cut! Avoid T.M.I.
Too much information
Yep, after all that writing, I want you to go back and cut things out to make sure your copy is tight, concise and to the point. Ask yourself the following questions:
- How can I keep my copy from being cluttered?
- Have I deleted filler words? Have I deleted extraneous information?
- If I were a customer, what info would I absolutely have to see in order to buy?
Taking the time to make sure you convey benefits, tap into emotional triggers, address objections and make it clear what your prospects will get from your product or service is key to creating great copy. Here are some other tips to keep in mind as you work on your copy.
Tips:
- Great copy makes people think they not only want your product, they need it.
- They need to instantly know how the product/service will help them: save time/money, feel better, make their lives easier etc.
- Don’t make them guess, clearly tell them in headline to grab attention what they will get if they buy product/service.
- Make sure every word adds value to the message.
- Copy should speak more about customers and less about you.
- Speak to target audience and not at them.
- Don’t risk losing interest by providing too much information.
- K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)
- White space is good.
- Avoid filler words like: very, really, that.
- Hook with headline, tease with subhead, deliver key selling points and call to action with sense of urgency.
- Be action oriented, concise, to the point and clear.
- It’s OK to break grammar rules to be conversational.
- Effective copywriting shifts your message away from what you want to say and towards what people want to hear.
- Use descriptive words but don’t oversell or sacrifice integrity of copy.
- Fear of loss and desire to save money are the greatest motivators.
- Email marketing: your copy should follow the same rules, but your offer should be presented early in email.
- Be persuasive, don’t just list benefits. Make sure customers believe they can’t live without your product/service.
- Don’t be modest or subtle.