As a content writer, I’m always looking for new ways to tweak my copy on sales pages and landing pages to try and get a better response from clients’ (and our own) audiences. I recently came across a few great tips that I’m going to start experimenting more with, and thought I’d share them in today’s blog post.
1) Grab their attention
Why do BuzzFeed articles do so well? Because pretty much their entire website is comprised of content pieces (if you can even call them that) to which the response can really only ever be “UGH THAT IS SO TRUE!”
With the headlines and opening sentences or headlines of your page, you should immediately let your audience know that you understand their problem or their quest to find the perfect product/service/partner/holiday/car/etc. Let them know that you know their struggle is real, and that you understand exactly what it’s about. What do we mean by this? Think of headlines like:
E.g: “It’s happened to all of us: You’ve tried to buy online, only to be horrified at the postage charges which suddenly pop up on the final page of checkout”
Make your audience want to pump their fist in the air shouting “Yes!” when they read your headline.
2) Relate to your audience
After you’ve let them know that you understand their struggle to book the perfect holiday/find the right AB testing software/hire an SEO agency that actually does good work, tell them that you understand this, because you’ve been there before. Showing a bit of empathy lets them know that you’re on their side.
E.g: “We tried for years to find the perfect email marketing software, to no avail. So, we made our own.”
3) Pull at the emotional heartstrings
We’re often told to highlight how our product or service will solve someone’s problem. But what many marketers forget is to remind people how they will feel when their problem is solved, so don’t forget to do that in your sales copy. In interwebs speak, make them feel all the feels.
All too often, I see websites for companies that get you to their site, only to start bombarding you with endless lists of all of their great features, like a desperate Bachelorette contestant listing all of his life achievements in an attempt to try and get Bachie queen to think he’s cool.
What should you talk about instead? Firstly let’s take a look at what the differences between features and benefits are in this handy explanation provided by Crazy Egg:
Features are things your product does. They are descriptions of the different features/aspects of your service/product.
Benefits are the value of your product to your users. What your user will feel and gain once he or she has purchased your service/product (or signed up for your newsletter).
Now I think it’s ok to have a healthy balance of both features and benefits. Just be sure that for every feature you mention, tie it back to a benefit.
E.g: “We offer an average of 55% higher conversion rate using our software… Which will make you feel pretty freaking great when you slap down the latest sales report on your boss’s desk and he gives you an immediate promotion and pay increase.”
Remember, as with any good sales and landing page strategy, you should continuously test and refine your copy and page design to get the best results possible.