Last Updated on May 6, 2013 by Jenna Scaglione
Copywriting encompasses many facets of Ecommerce marketing, from product descriptions and subscriber emails to landing pages and Pay-per-click ads.
Grasping basic copywriting techniques will enhance your copy, which will increase conversions, sales and eventually overall profits.
There are hundreds of copywriting tips and tricks, but for the sake of brevity, I will list one of the top strategies that can transform your copy and bring it to life almost immediately.
Empathize
Empathizing with copy is similar to how empathy works as a personality trait. People who are characterized as “empaths” are highly sensitive and may feel what other people are feeling even though they are not directly involved with the offending stimulus. For example, in layman’s terms, if a daughter was suffering from a headache, an empathetic mother may feel slight head pains in response to her daughter’s pain.
Now I am not saying to feel your customers’ pain, but knowing what makes them hurt is the first step to great copy. When you understand your customer’s needs at a deep level you can empathize with them. This creates instant connection and an attitude of agreement with your copy which allows a customer to trust you and believe you may have the answer for them. This will propel them to want to take more action.
Essentially, you want your audience to answer a resounding YES to your copy!
Here is an example:
You sell bedding to allergy-ridden customers who need relief from nighttime suffering.
Speak to their pain points and create copy that would make them agree with you to a high degree:
1. You wake up with a stuffy nose, sinus headache and feel like you didn’t get a good night sleep…
2. Your current dust mite resistant comforter is “supposed” to help relieve your symptoms, but you feel just as bad as with any other comforter!
3. It’s annoying to waste money on allergy medication and continuously feel like you are not getting better.
Most likely, your customers would answer the above statements with a resounding YES! But, that will be true ONLY if you did your research correctly and found your customers’ pain points. If not, the copy will not increase conversions. For example, if allergy sufferers have different symptoms than stuffy noses and sinus headaches, you will have a hard time convincing your audience to take a second look at your products.
The goal is to create that instant connection so your potential customers know you UNDERSTAND their pain and you EMPATHIZE with their needs. When they can connect with your words at this level, they will know you have the solution. And when your customers find a solution, opening their wallets is the easy part.