It’s not enough to create a website that tells people you’re selling something. You have to convince people they need your service and that they should buy from you.
You have to be persuasive.
Pretty obvious you say. Yet so many website have a message that effectively says, ‘Hey, I’m a business selling ABC Widgets, we think you’d like to buy them from us’.
Your website content needs to work much harder than this. You must take your site visitor on a journey from, ‘I’m not sure I want to buy’ to ‘sounds good, do you take VISA?’
There are a number of ways you can make this process easier. One method comes from successful copywriter Bob Bly, in his book The Copywriter’s Handbook:
Get attention
Make sure your headline grabs attention. If you don’t grab attention, most people will not continue reading. The headline is the most important line of words on any sales page, so you should think long and hard about what you say.
Keep it simple and focus on the single most important benefit your service offers to your reader
Show a need
You product should solve a problem or fulfil a need. So after the headline you should show your reader why they need the product.
Satisfy the need and position your product as the solution
You’ve convinced the reader they have a need for the product, now you must show them your product satisfies this need, that they should spend their money with you, not your competitors.
Prove your product can do what you say it can do.
People are skeptical of marketing messages, even if they’re actively looking for your product. It’s not enough to just say you’ll satisfy their needs, you have to prove you can. You can do this by:
- Describing the benefits your site visitor will get if they buy your product
- Including testimonials from existing customers
- Showing how you are superior to your competition
- Include any information that shows you’re reliable, such as the length of time you’ve been in business.
Ask for action.
Make it clear to your potential customer exactly what step you’d like them to take next, whether that’s proceeding to your shopping cart or picking up the phone to make an order.
Follow this simple process when crafting your websites sales message and you can’t help but improve conversion.
