Sales copies are written documents that inform customers about certain product and services and persuade them to take particular actions like reading certain pages on the website, downloading a free ebook, purchasing a product and so on. Business owners use sales copies on their websites, brochure, emails, and affiliate promotions. Sales copywriting is a booming freelancing business and you too can teach yourself how to become a sales copywriter. But in order to become a successful copywriter you need to practice often because your writing skills will only improve if you practice often and keep learning the tricks of the trade.
If you are a marketing student then you know how important the AIDA rule is. AIDA stands for Attention >> Interest >> Desire >> Action. In order to stand out and become effective, an ad copy must first grab reader’s Attention via great headlines or interesting illustrations, then the body of text should be interesting enough that the reader isn’t bored halfway through the ad, after reading the ad copy the reader should develop a Desire for your product or service, and then the ad should clearly explain or direct potential customers to take certain Action. The same rule applies in writing any sales copy or marketing material. Here are some useful tips for writing a great sales copy:
Use a conversational tone and keep it simple
Speak directly to your customers by using terms like “You”, “your” and use your natural voice and don’t sound like a robot. Ask questions and propose a solution. Headlines that begin with questions are great attention grabbers that is why “How to” articles are a big hit on the internet. Adding a bit of humor can also make a big difference while selling certain product. For some type of customers, you do have to sound more technical and professional technical but at the same time you should also address some important emotional needs for your customers. For example- car advertisements inform people about the design, latest features and technical details of a car- at the same time it also uses images of a family driving to a picnic or a macho guy picking up women to trigger an emotional response from the consumers.
For written copies, don’t include too much technical jargons in writing and be as natural as possible. For example while writing a product description for a laptop explain what it is designed for by mentioning its core use such as school, office, designing and benefits such as aesthetics, portability, all day battery life, or unbeatable gaming performance. You can leave the technical details at the spec sheet. The idea here is to keep your customer interested and not easily bored so it is advised to make your copies as concise as possible and easy to read and understand.
Story telling
Associating good emotions with your business is another great way of attracting customers. The story can be about how you started your business or what inspired your product concept. Again, keep it simple, make it interesting and tell your story just like you’re telling it to your friends or family.
Use supporting numbers and facts
If you have stats to support your product and service, it will greatly enhance your credibility. This aids both the interest as well as desire part of AIDA because we are interested in something that is backed by supporting numbers, research or scientific facts. Example- By implementing XYZ CRM solution our clients have managed to increase their customer retention to over 60% from just 40% last year, with a sales increase of 20%. ‘’- this is a great statement compared to this rather vague one- “By implementing our CRM solution our clients have managed to boost their sales “.
Testimonials and user experiences
If you have acquired some repeat customers in the past or if someone has just purchased your products, get back to them and ask them for a feedback about your product. Feedback is not only great for collecting great testimonials for your sales copies but also for finding out about grievances and tackling them on-time. Also keep in mind not to underestimate the power of an angry consumer- try to find out what’s bugging them and take appropriate action to make them happy. We all know how important those 5-star ratings are-whether it’s in book reviews, hotel reviews or in freelancer reviews on websites like Elance and Odesk. Sharing satisfied user experiences and good feedback will boost your sales. Try to also get feedback from authoritative users who are well known in the community because it increases the credibility of your product or services.
Address possible concerns about your product or service
Customers may have common concerns about the product they’re about to invest in. Identity these concerns and explain how your product or service handles these issues. For examples- people may think your product is overpriced explain why it is expensive- it may be due to some cool extra features, some unique functionality or the superior build quality that lasts longer. Many times customers hesitate to buy certain product because they are not sure if that product can handle their concerns. Doing consumer survey is a great way to get a list of things that your customers are unclear about your product and once you’ve identified and cleared those concerns in your sales copies, customers will be less hesitant to buy from you.
Clear call to action (CTA)
The goal of any sales copy is to increase the conversion rate that is turning visitors or potential leads into customers. If you’ve successfully persuaded a customer to buy your product you should also tell them how to do that. So a sales copy should include a CTA which clearly explains what action a customer or visitor should take next. For example, it could tell the audience to call a business or visit a store or click a link on a website. To create a sense of urgency many advertisers also include limited offers and discounts with their CTAs.
Make sure your copy is error free
Silly spelling mistakes and grammatical errors will make your business seem unprofessional and untrustworthy. Always check your copy for mistakes after its completed and don’t rush to publish the initial draft because first copies usually have room for revision.
With a little research and practice, learning sales copywriting skills is not difficult. Using the above-mentioned tips you can create a great copywriting outline (heading, body, and ending CTA) which will help you create excellent sales copies not only for you freelance clients but also to boost sales and ROI of your own business.