Sometimes learning what not to do is just as important as learning what to do. Copywriting is no exception. I often see copies that are well written, but obviously created by a hobbyist. How can I know? One or more of the following five mistakes were made and that killed the copy…dead.
Once you understand why these mistakes are, in fact, mistakes, you can easily avoid them. Not that they are complicated concepts. It just takes someone to get your attention so you can protect yourself against them.
Access your site in a browser and follow it. See if you have made any of these mistakes on your site.
#1 – Write without knowing your target audience
This is, without a doubt, the biggest mistake in copywriting and the number one killer of conversions. Why? I will reply with a question.
When you write a letter (or email), do you just start writing and then decide who you’re going to send the letter to? Of course not! So why do so many people just jump in and start writing website copy with no idea who they’re writing to? It doesn’t make sense to me.
How can people communicate with your site visitors if they have no idea who they are, what they’re looking for, their preferred communication style, what problems they face, how they expect to use the product/service to solve those problems, and many other things. others? information? The truth is you can’t.
Take the knowledge of your target customers to the extreme. Find out everything you can about them. Then combine all of that information to create an imaginary person (or imaginary people) that fit the profile of members of your target audience. You can even name them if you want. Then, with each sentence, write to that person (or people).
#2 – Write without knowing the product/service
Whether you like it or not, you are a salesman. That means you must know all the details of the product or service you are writing about. How else can you convincingly convey information to prospects visiting your site?
Ask your customer for samples of products, use of services, or access to member areas of a site. Using or participating in what your client offers their visitors will make a huge difference in the quality and persuasiveness of your copy. Nothing presents as well as writing that has been created from experience.
#3 – Write about the company instead of for the site visitor
They don’t care Who? Visitors to your site. They don’t care about your company. Instead of hearing about how long you’ve been in business and that you’re the specialist in this, that or the other, they prefer to find out how your product/service can benefit them.
If your home page starts with something like this, you’re in trouble: “ABC Company is the specialist in [insert industry here] With more than 20 years of experience. We provide [fill in the blank] with our extensive knowledge and helpful service. Dedicated to providing the highest quality, we guarantee our work with a 100% money-back promise.”
You are on yourself! The client has the money. Don’t you think the copy should at least acknowledge it at some point? Instead of using us, us and our tanto, turn it around.
Talk to your site visitors instead of talking about the company. Let them know that you understand their needs and have answers to their problems. Don’t ignore them by talking only about yourself.
#4 – Description of Features Instead of Benefits or End Results
The features are nice, but the benefits and bottom line make the sale because they clearly explain why the customer will be better off after buying your product or using your service. One of the biggest selling points in copywriting is the ability to tell the customer what they can do with a product or service.
Take a tip from infomercials. They just don’t tell you that a rotisserie cooker rotates while cooking a chicken. Nope! They tell you this rotisserie cooker can bake a whole, marinated, Italian herb chicken that is juicy, moist and succulent. Let the seasonings slowly seep into the meat so you get tender bite after tender bite of savory chicken so good you’ll be begging for more. Who cares that the thing has a pointy metal tooth that spins a chicken as it cooks? You’re buying it because you can deliver that wonderful whole, marinated, Italian herbed chicken!
#5 – Neglect the middle
Does it make a difference as to where your copy appears online? Aren’t all web copies the same? The answers are “Yes” and “No”. Landing pages are not the same as home pages, they are not the same as catalog pages, they are not the same as sales letters, and so on. Don’t forget to find out the differences between these and the other types of Web copy. They all have special considerations that need to be studied before you start writing.
Now you can add these five don’ts to your favorite copywriting checklist. Avoiding these mistakes will give you a better chance of reaching your visitors at their level and converting them into repeat customers.
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