Key tactics for crafting superb sales copy

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Feb 17, 2017 / by
Key tactics for crafting superb sales copy

Unlike writing blog content, which can be a creative exercise in communicating your skills and knowledge to a receptive audience, writing sales copy is not something to which writers typically look forward.

However, if you do actually want to sell your products and services, writing effective sales copy is not something you can afford to shirk. So, we’ve gathered some ideas that should give you a kick start if you’re looking for inspiration.

Benefits are more important than features

If you’ve spent months creating an excellent product, it’s easy to become very narrowly focused on its features and forget about how a potential customer will perceive it for the first time. Technical information about a product is useful, but more often than not, features don’t have an emotive effect (buying is always an emotional action, not a logical one). In order to make your sales copy as powerful as possible, juxtapose all of your technical features with real-world benefits that the user can vividly imagine.

Ardath Albee writes:

Focusing on benefits is about answering all the questions your prospects have about solving a problem based on their self interest. Not yours.

Make sure you use your customers’ language, not the industry’s. Those are often not the same thing.

Utilise real testimonials

When used well, testimonials can massively improve your chances of making a sale (social proof is extremely powerful). However, if the potential customer detects any shred of disingenuousness at all, you will do more harm than good. Always include pictures next to your testimonials, and wherever possible, use testimonials from recognised people within your field. If you only include the first name of those giving testimonials and all of the comments are overwhelmingly positive, people will immediately think your testimonials are fake.

If you know that people are likely to have hesitations about your product or service, try to ensure that this is accurately reflected in the testimonials. This won’t make people less likely to buy the product, in fact, it will have the opposite effect. No product or service is 100% perfect, so ensure that your testimonials are realistic and you will gain trust.

Write in a conversational style

The best word in your sales copy vocabulary is “you”! People are infinitely more receptive to sales copy if it feels informal and conversational. People enjoy making purchases but they don’t like a hard sell. If it feels like a friend is simply conversing with them and leaving them with the option of purchasing at the end, they’re far more likely to buy than if you blast them with pages of high octane sales material.

Format your copy into digestible chunks

Bullet points and lists are excellent to include in your sales copy. Most people scan a page before reading it, so ensure that your key points stand out at first glance. Also, it’s ideal to write in shorter paragraphs. Oftentimes, single sentences on their own can be far more effective than long walls of text.

Avoid coming across like a spammerSpam warning

Block capitals and excessive exclamation marks are definitely not a good idea. Any indication that you’re trying too hard will immediately push away potential customers. You simply need to convey the information in an emotive, educational and friendly manner and give your potential customer the opportunity to make a purchase at the end.

Include scarcity

Although this tactic is often overused, you can certainly ramp up conversions by imbuing your sales copy with a level of scarcity. A time-related offer or a limited amount of stock will encourage people to make the purchase now rather than later.

Include one call to action (CTA)

If you have multiple CTAs on a single sales page, this is likely to have a detrimental effect on your conversions. It’s best to have one single CTA at the end of your sales copy, most likely a “buy now” button or an opt-in form for your email list. Also, avoid any information about other products and services on the sales page, this can distract your audience and ultimately destroy your conversion rate. The more singular you can be in your approach, the better.

Conclusion

Writing compelling sales copy can feel manipulative, but it’s not. Ultimately, if you have a high quality product or service that you know will benefit your target audience, you’re simply providing a way for them to get hold of it as quickly as possible. If you’re confident that your product or service will add tremendous value to the lives of your customers, this will come across in your sales copy because you are simply trying to help people, rather than manipulate them!

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