Your web site sales barely dribble in, and
you have reason to believe that sub-par copy is the culprit.
In fact, you know it's the copy because your stats reveal
the click-and-flee phenomenon. Click and flee is a rather
sad state of affairs. Traffic funnels in with a fury... and
then funnels out just as quickly, washing away with it a ton
of potential customers. Yikes.
But what's so bad about your web
copy, anyway? You spelled everything correctly. You didn't
commit any heinous grammatical crimes. So then... what's the
missing secret ingredient in the copy sauce? How will you
turn on the juice that caffeinates your writing, wakes up
and shakes up your readers, and ultimately brings more profit?
The missing copy ingredient is the Human
Touch. Hit it right, and your copy bristles with life and
fuels your customers with the purpose to purchase. Miss the
boat, and you're just another webmaster, dragging his readers
into the Groan Zone.
Give your copy an instant caffeine lift
using this simple, step-by-step strategy as soon as tonight.
Stop talking about it and just DO IT. Your website will thank
you!
1. Visualize the ideal
customer.
Is it a little old lady who calls you a
whippersnapper and chucks you under the chin? A smart-alecky
hipster who uses words like "snarky"? Swim around in this
person's brain for a few minutes. Which colloquialisms does
she use in everyday conversation? What's her problem, and
how can you solve it? Who IS she exactly; and more importantly,
who does she WISH she was?
Pretend that you and your future customer
are one and the same. Yes, you're speaking TO him, but you're
also speaking THROUGH him. Carry this visualization with you
because you'll need it for Step 3.
2. Flip the perspective.
If most of your web
copy informs your reader of what "we" do and what "we"
have, then make the perspective switch. Give the copy a run-through,
and tick off all those we's and us's. Let your trusty red
pen guide the way.
Let's say you wrote a sentence that says,
"We have over ten years of experience in the design industry."
Revise it to something more envigorating and customer-focused,
like: "Imagine how much more you can accomplish with a 10+
year professional designer on your side."
3. Turn the passive
to aggressive. Action begets action. Passive
lacks passion! Replace your passive verbs with action verbs
and your copy comes alive.
(Active voice eliminates clumsy phrasing
so you can express more ideas in less words. Notice I was
able to squeeze an additional thought into the second, active
statement.)
4.Write
conversationally. How can you learn to write in a conversational
tone? Ditch the robot-speak. Imitate that "voice" we talked
about in Point One. "Perform" your web copy - read out loud
as you review. Then, do the following:
5. Perfect the pacing.
Listen to the way your copy moves. Vary your beats. You might
have two or three short, choppy sentences in a row and then
one longer sentence that begins with a prepositional phrase.
Three questions in sequence flows much more smoothly than
five. Even so: don't think about the rules so much as develop
an "ear" for the flow.
6. Insert emotion
and opinions. Unlike journalism which requires total
objectivity, web copywriting
calls for emotion and a distinct point of view. Express yourself!
Defend the argument with verve and spice.
7. Involve the reader.
Speak directly to him or her, just as you would in an email
conversation. Ask questions: "Sounds like a pretty exciting
offer, huh?" Make suggestions: "Top with fresh blueberries
for added flavor and health benefits!"
8. Slip in those colloquialisms.
Who's talking? The voice of your ideal customer, of course.
Run through every bit of your copy and tune it up with human-to-human
expressions (but please don't say 'bling,' okay? That one's
my personal pet peeve.).
9. Don't forget contractions.
Which sounds like someone's natural speech: "I'd like to
welcome you," or "I would like to welcome you."
If you guessed choice one, give yourself a gold star. Turn
the "do not's" into "don'ts", the "would not's" into "wouldn'ts",
etc. If I catch you using the long form of these conversational
expressions, I'll be putting in a call to the Contraction
Police for certain. So DO NOT-- I mean, DON'T
do it!
10. Chop it down.
Poorly written copy sounds like a mouthful and a half. You'll
know it when you read out loud and stumble. (Please do read
aloud... it really helps.) Trim away prepositional phrases
like over, under, with, about, to, along with, into, out
of when they occur several times in succession.
11. Call your readers
to action. You're ready to take the final, critical
step toward web copy perfection:
the call to action. If your ultimate wish is for the customer
to contact you, then add that instruction to the end of every
section on EVERY page of your website. Shuttle him there on
a direct link. "Contact us for a custom quote today!"
(and include the URL).
Like anything, writing professional marketing
materials takes years of practice and application of tried
and tested techniques. This lesson is only the beginning.
If you have ANY questions, or need a helping hand/pro copywriter
to relieve you of this burden, email Dina AT Wordfeeder.com.
