It’s essential you know how to write persuasive sales copy if you’re a small business, entrepreneur, author (etc) Here’s some helpful pointers!
How do we make the sale? Is it luck? Or is there something else to it? Chance definitely cannot be discounted in a world of endless choice; there are over 600 hairdryers on Amazon, for example. But luck can’t improve your sales copy.
The world of endless choice also has a means of sorting and sifting: algorithms. While this article won’t espouse the full-fat benefits of SEO, it is undoubtedly an area of sales copy that requires your attention. If you successfully beat the algorithm and appear, by magic, on the screen in front of a buyer’s eyes, what next? How can you convince them that you are the right one in that endless sea of thousands of hairdryers?
Maybe you aren’t selling a physical product; instead, you’re selling a service. An essay writing service, for example, must talk up its credentials. So they’d set about explaining how their talented writers will turn-around work in super-fast time.
Writing copy for websites is not something all business owners are capable of doing. On the most basic level, you have absolutely seen copy riddled with spelling and grammar errors. That’s even before we get into the technical aspects.
As mentioned earlier, SEO is an un-ignorable facet of online sales. Thankfully, there are plenty of highly skilled sales copywriters out there, and they do all work based on some similar principles.
One of the most important grammatical and lexical concepts for sales copy is the appropriate use of conversion sentences.
Something has converted attention and time into hard cash, an email sign-up, or a ‘like’ and a subscribe on social media.
Understanding what sets a conversion sentence apart from a regular sentence requires examining web design. Many conversion sentences feature in Call-To-Action (CTA) widgets; a sales page template will include regions where these widgets exist. A CTA offers an opportunity for action.
The remainder of the page should give ample evidence that you’re a hit and a successful enterprise. Then the CTA presents a glorious moment for the reader to come and join you.
The book of a publishing house Taschen’s called Automobile Design Graphics holds some remarkable secrets about the evolution of sales copy through the medium of cars.
It hasn’t been even a century since cars became ubiquitous. So the evolution of this now essential object has moved with public perception. In this we can see how sales copy must appeal to the mind of the consumer here and now.
Early adverts focused on the safety and security of automobiles. People were unsure about leaving behind horses and trains. What if it crashed or exploded? Horses resolutely do not explode. Including technical details about practical aspects also gave reassurances over value for money – something important in post WW2-era societies.
As time progresses and people are more accustomed to cars, the lifestyle aspect kicks in. Luxury and comfort come to the fore. Less technical, more aspirational language and images find their way into the adverts. Regardless of the era, emotions need appealing for successful sales. Whether that’s safety or style, it is a feel-good must factor into the selling.
Compare this to your 21st century website.
Something novel which requires a calming and authoritative tone, or something which people buy for excitement and enjoyment?
Algorithmic profiling is now available for all sales related tasks. When you’re searching for your customer, it’s possible that there is an anonymized version of them. Although it sounds sci-fi, sales research tools give marketers a form of superpower; you can understand what makes a customer tick.
In broad strokes this could look like what they enjoy doing as a hobby. Then when you drill down, it’ll give you a chance to mould your sales copy around their inherent vocabulary and worldview. Using the data to gain insight into your customer creates a series of dots, which both they and the sorting algorithms will rate highly.
These dots, your keywords, should connect with your target audience. They give the backbone of relatability to your sales copy.
This guide shows how a combination of data, design, and copy will convert your website’s views into sales. By understanding graphic design, i.e., how your copy looks, your sales page will draw the eye and promote your readers’ actions.
On another level, by exploiting the fantastic research tools available today, you can see what makes people tick in tone, linguistics, and content. Emotive language is essential, but you need to know which emotion will pick the lock.
By applying this combination of tools and concepts, your sales copy can persuade without cloying or creating a sense of cringe – which is anathema to your millennial user base.
Think about subscribing for free weekly tools here.
No SPAM, ever! Read the Privacy Policy for more information.
