6 Top Copywriting Tricks to Convert Customers
When we create something, we think, “Will our customers, thank us for this?”
As a business owner, you’re expected to be a multitasker with a diverse skill set. “Multiple hats … love ‘em!” In reality, though, it’s a pretty tough gig.
So, of course you’re constantly looking for ways to shrink the workload—and that includes allowing your website to create sales for you. Without a degree in Marketing, how do you do this without spending hours, googling it online? What are others doing that makes their landing pages perform better online? They are utilizing the 6 top copywriting tricks, that we have listed below.
What are the 6 top copywriting tricks?
It starts with content structure! Yes, you heard me right, content structure. Taking our 6 top copywriting tricks and applying them to your landing pages will help a potential customer make a decision.
- Tip 1: Write like a Human, have a voice and an opinion
- Tip 2: Encourage Action, what do you want them to do?
- Tip 3: Be clear and concise
- Tip 4: Validate your copy, using social proof
- Tip 5: Use data
- Tip 6: Show Value in your Product or Service
Keeping these tips in mind will help every element of your landing page. The copy can be an intentional play towards winning more conversions. From your headline to your call to action (CTA), sometimes all it takes is swapping one word for another to turn more of your prospects into leads, sales, and sign-ups.
Tip 1: Write like a Human
It’s important that your copy reflects who you are. People tend to read something, to get to know the person or company behind the product. We recommend focusing on how your product or service offers a solution, which evokes emotion for the end user to want to purchase from you.
When people talk about adding emotion to their copy, it becomes a bit of a guessing game in terms of which emotion we should appeal to. Should we tug at their heartstrings? Scare them into buying our product? Make them laugh so hard that their fingers slip and press the “Buy Now” button?
According to Unbounce’s 2020 Conversion Benchmark Report, it really depends on the industry. Take a peek at the full report to see all the industry-specific data.
Tip 2: Encourage Action
It’s tempting to dust off the adjectives when hyping up your product, but make sure your copy doesn’t digress. It’s not only hard to follow (and convert), it also may come off as disingenuous.
Since the goal of your landing page is to increase conversions, keep your copy purposeful and give your prospects clear direction on how to get there.
Actionable CTAs are especially important for conversions, you can do this by creating colorful imagery that takes them straight to the product or service you want them to purchase.
Tip 3: Clear and Concise Messaging
This really aligns with tip 2. Just remember, clear and concise messaging always wins! Use fewer words and get to your point. According to Unbounce, in almost every industry they analyzed, the reading level of the copy and the total word count were both related to better conversion rates.
Rule of thumb? Try to keep it under 300 words and written at a middle-school reading level. (It’s always “use”—never “utilize.” Don’t write “circumlocution” when you can just call something “unclear.”
Tip 4: Validate your copy, using social proof
Your probably wondering, what is she talking about? I know I thought the same thing, when I heard this phrase. So what is social proof? Social Proof is positive comments about you, your company or product. While it’s not from a friend or family member, it’s another endorsement that says this person or product is trustworthy. Stick a picture with a full name and address on your testimonials page, and you’ve got social proof.
So how do you use this in your landing pages? Get specific reviews: Social proof works off of the idea that there’s safety in numbers—but people seek safety in numbers with people just like them. When building landing pages (and variants), it helps to use testimonials that speak to each buyer persona and the products they’re pursuing.
Tip 5: Use Data
Incorporate the framing effect: As objective as statistics may seem, we can actually frame the same information in various ways to create different effects.
For example America’s recycling habits. We could call out the 65% of Americans that aren’t recycling. Or, we can applaud the 35% that is. But is 35% something to brag about? What if we reframe it as 114.87 million Americans recycled in 2019? Much better. And that, my friends, is the framing effect.
The purpose of the framing effect isn’t to manipulate, but to express numbers in a way that resonates with your audience.
Tip 6: Argue a strong value proposition
So what makes a strong value proposition? Great question, and it’s simple. It’s focusing on the benefits and anticipating the objection. let’s dive in to this…
Focusing on the benefits: Up until now, we’ve danced around this tip, but it’s one of the most important ones. Sometimes we get so excited about showing off all the flashy features of the product, we forget what visitors really care about. Dedicate your landing page copy to the specific benefits for your customers—because if they can’t see how you directly solve their problems, they will seek a solution elsewhere.
Anticipating the Objection: Is a prebuttal, it’s a device used to strengthen an argument by dealing with possible counter-arguments before the audience can raise them.
Here is a great example – On Peakon landing page they anticipates the internal battle we all have when we sign up for a free trial that requires credit card information. (Will I forget and get charged the next month? Will I be too lazy to cancel? Will I even use this free trial?) Right at the top, they assure prospects that no credit card is required. Zero commitment. Peakon also addresses usability-related arguments in the copy supporting the CTA button: “Works everywhere, for everyone.” And they mean it! No matter the language you speak or the size of your business, they’re confident they can “handle anything you throw at them.”
Using this method gives visitors fewer reasons to bounce—leading to more conversions on the spot.
