We've always heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. And it is. However, in the world of inbound marketing, copy is king. Compelling copy is a marketer's bread and butter. Imagine these two scenarios:
- Someone is clicking through Amazon, reads a great review for a product, and adds it to their online shopping cart.
- A person sees an interesting blog title in a Google search and clicks the link to read more.
What do those two scenarios have in common? The reader was persuaded by words to take action. In both cases, it was the copy that led to the conversion. It's important to remember that a conversion doesn't just mean someone is buying your product.
A conversion can also be:
- Subscribing to your email list.
- Sharing your content on social media.
- Clicking on a call-to-action.
- Signing up for a product demo.
- Adding something to an online shopping cart.
In other words, conversion copy is written for a specific goal and aims to convince a person to take some kind of action right now. The more interesting and persuasive your copywriting is, the more likely you are to get those conversions. If you’re tired of low conversion rates, use these tips to write copy that sells.
1. Know Your Audience
You can't have good writing without good research. And the more you know about your target audience, the better you'll be able to speak directly to them. You'll want to know their pain points, how you can solve their pain points, and what it takes to motivate them to take action. You can do this by creating or using a buyer persona.
2. Understand the Buyer's Journey
One of the most important components of good conversion copywriting is knowing how far along the buyer's journey your target audience is. Here are the three stages of the buyer's journey:
- Awareness: The buyer knows they have a problem or a need. They're searching for information to better understand it and identify it.
- Consideration: The buyer has identified their problem or need and is searching for information to solve it.
- Decision: The buyer has narrowed down the solution to their problem or need and is ready to make a final purchase decision.
Since your audience will have different needs at different stages of the buyer’s journey, you need to tailor your message to fit. Buyers don't want a product demo when they're still in the awareness stage, for example. That wouldn't lead to a conversion. Once you know which stage of the buyer’s journey your target audience is at, you can present them with the right persuasive content. Click here for a content guide for each stage of the buyer's journey.
3. Figure Out the "Why?"
Now you understand your target audience and where they are in the buyer's journey. You have everything you need to craft your message in a way that inspires conversion. But you have to focus on what your conversion goal is. What do you want the copy to achieve? Is it to get new email subscribers? Is it to convince buyers to sign up for a demo? Is it to get them to buy your product?
Whatever your goal is, keep it forefront in your mind when you write your copy. That way, your message will be laser-targeted to resonate with the reader and maximize your conversion rates.
4. Write With Authority
Now, we’re getting into the meat and potatoes of conversion copywriting. The first rule is to write with confidence and treat sentences as if they were calls-to-action. After all, this is persuasive writing, not suggestive writing. Avoid softening your language with words like possibly, probably, maybe, think, and consider. Be direct with your words to get your point across without unnecessary details.
5. Write How You Speak, Speak What You Write
Avoid being overly formal with your writing unless the situation calls for it. The best thing you can do to write conversion copy is to keep it simple. The words should flow naturally as if you were speaking them.
Here are some guidelines for making your copy easy to read and understand:
- Use shorter words.
- Keep sentences to one idea each.
- Avoid filler words.
- Write in the active voice.
- Break up your paragraphs to make it easy on the eyes.
- Don’t be afraid to break the rules of grammar if it makes a better-sounding sentence.
The best way to check if your writing flows naturally is to read it back out loud. You’ll quickly discover which sentences run too long and where the writing is too clunky.
6. Write the Headline Last
You might be tempted to write the headline first, but this is a mistake. It’s natural for your conversion copy to stray from your original title as you write it. So save the headline for last, and put in the time to write a stellar one. Your headline is one of the most important pieces of your conversion copy for one reason:
People won’t read your copy.
That’s right, they won’t read most of what you write. They’ll skim, and they won’t pay attention to everything.
That is, except for a few key pieces:
- The headline
- The sub-headline
- Call-to-action buttons
- Images
- Image captions
- Short, simple paragraphs
- Bulleted lists
Those pieces are the most important parts of your conversion copy. So spend plenty of time getting them done well.
7. Use Words That Work
There are certain words that resonate more than others. First and foremost are your brand’s keywords. They’re worth their weight in gold when it comes to your SEO. Learn what your keywords are and use them throughout your conversion copywriting piece. But don’t pack them in too much or force them in where they don’t belong, or else search engines will penalize you for keyword stuffing. Think of other ways to rephrase your keywords and use them to break things up a bit in your writing.
Now we’re onto the lightning round. Some words have more impact on your readers than others.
Here are 14 words or short phrases that work:
- Exclusive offer
- Only available to subscribers
- Supplies running out
- Today only
- Hassle-free
- Accountability
- Results
- Efficient
- Peace-of-mind
- Balanced approach
- Secret
- Inspire
- Innovative
- Revolutionary
See a list of more high-impact words here
Conversion copywriting is definitely a skill that develops over time. But with these tips, your next marketing piece will have stronger, more persuasive copy that converts prospects no matter where they are along the buyer’s journey.
