5 Start-Up Copywriting Tips to Entice Customers
If you don't give your marketing site the attention it needs, your start-up will never gain traction with customers and grow to the next level.
When it comes to designing a website for your start-up, no aspect has more of an impact than your copy — i.e., the message you use to connect with visitors and convert them into buyers.
Here are five simple yet powerful startup copywriting techniques to build early (and lasting) traction with customers.
1. Speak to one person.
Your copy will have a much greater impact if it’s written as if you’re having a conversation with one person — just you and me. This helps build a deeper relationship between you and the reader because it’s more intimate and personal.
Don’t write as if you’re speaking to just any one person, though. You must have a thorough understanding of who your target customer is You must have a thorough understanding of who your target customer is. Speak to him in his language, and use the terminology and style he uses. Focus on the points that matter most to this particular target customer.
2. Focus on benefits, not features.
Your product might have a long list of technical features and functionality, which can be tempting to list out in order.
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Before a visitor will convert to a paying customer, he has to care. Your product must have such an impact that he's willing to open his wallet and pull out his credit card then and there.
How do you get to that point? By focusing on the benefits. How will your customer benefit from using your product? How will her life change for the better if she decides to use your product?
3. Reduce friction.
Whenever you ask for money, or even just a visitor’s contact information, you'll always meet some natural resistance. People are reluctant to part with their hard-earned dough or risk spam by sharing their email address.
The way to overcome this obstacle is to reduce friction in your copy. Instead of labeling a call-to-action button with the word “Submit," try using “Sign up for free." Or if it’s a button to complete a purchase, such as a “Buy now” button, try adding “30 day money-back guarantee” in small text below it.
These give your customer positive reinforcement that his risk is minimal and he's making a smart decision by clicking.
4. Grab attention and keep it.
The minute a first-time visitor hits your start-up’s home page, it’s a make-or-break moment. She's immediately wary her time might be wasted, so she's got her cursor poised over the back button, waiting for an excuse to bounce off your site.
It’s up to your site, and particularly the top headline and sub-headline, to avoid this from happening. Your headline must grab her attention; your sub-headline must keep her attention. The top headline should speak directly to the pain point your target customer has. It should also be a bold statement, almost to the point that it’s not believable. It should catch her off guard and make her want to keep reading.
The sub-headline, or a short first paragraph, should keep attention by establishing relevancy. Here, you can add clarity and be up-front about what it is you’re offering, in a nutshell — just enough to confirm with your visitor that this is in fact something he's interested in learning more about.
The next few lines clarify this further by mentioning benefits, such as knowing when team members are available and keeping track of project budgets.
5. Provoke curiosity.
All of the examples above share a common tactic: They provoke curiosity.
The goal of your top headline is to get your visitor to read the second headline. The goal of the second headline is to get him to read the first paragraph. From there, you want him to keep reading all the way to the end and engage your call-to-action.
In order to compel your visitor to stick around and progress through your page, he must continuously be curious to learn more.
[via Mashable]