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Remember back in the 90’s when it was a like striking gold to actually find the information you were searching for online? We don’t have that problem anymore. Most consumers are suffering from ‘information overload’ and are simultaneously running multiple searches. Attention to your brand is limited, fleeting, and a high-stakes game. If a prospect can’t find what they need immediately, they’re gone. After all, we track website bounce rates in seconds. So how do you make every second count?
1. Establish A Need
Statistically, the amount of people who know they need your product or service are likely to be greatly outnumbered by those who know nothing about what you do or what you sell. Your job is to write copy that simultaneously establishes the need in those folks that know nothing and makes the need stronger for those that know a little.
The easiest place to start to do this is to play on the fear of loss. What are people missing out on by not having your product or service in their life? Don't veer into dramatic soap opera territory but make the inherent value of your product or service explicit.
2. Strive For Emotional Connection
Humans are passionate creatures driven by desire. Although everyone intellectually understand it's impossible to feel good all the the time, we are still hardwired to relentlessly pursue this hypothetical state of nirvana.
Once you've established a need you now need to make a prospective customer care. If they have Product X then they will feel a certain way.
The trick is making your emotive language specific. No one is going to believe that your product/service is going to solve all their problems. However, it's not such a stretch to think that your product/service could solve a niche set of problems and make the prospective customer feel good in a particular way.
3. Show Don't Tell
Everyone appreciates minimalist and elegant copy. To achieve best results with words ensure that you have quality images at your disposal. Pairing copy up with incredible images will mean you can aggressively strip back all your wording making it lean and powerful.
4. Technical Talk Can Be Sexy
Clever copy needs to be coupled with thoughtful layout and page design. This means you need to ensure the most sought-after pieces of information are easy to find on the page and more specific/technical copy is still available, yet buried a little deeper within the page.
A common problem is that folks will spend hours fine-tuning their most sought-after copy and completely neglect all the technical language. By not paying attention to this copy you are alienating all consumers who enjoy sifting through the fine details.
Don't just simplify important technical information. Rather, establish a need and strive for emotional connection where it's appropriate.
5. What Is The Overall Story?
Approach all the copy on your website like a novelist looks at every sentence within their novel. Of course some parts of the book are more pivotal than others, but every sentence is working together to tell the whole story.
Thinking about your copy from this holistic perspective will promote a uniformity of tone across your website. It may seem trivial but people will notice the effort you've put in to make the entire experience seamless.
