4 Secrets to Create Content that Converts
Your company’s online presence has never been more important. With ever-adjusting regulations to accommodate COVID-19 guidelines to keep customers safe, they turn to Google, your website and your social pages to learn the latest. We’re sharing four secrets to snazz up your copywriting skills.
High-quality, effective content is the difference between being overlooked and closing a sale. More than 75% of online consumers stated that they read blogs regularly and research companies before committing to a purchase.
We’ll share how you can write to profit, not just to publish, with these four copywriting secrets.
A Strong Headline is Your Pick Up Line
A headline is the title of your blog post, the intro to your social post, or the subject line of your email. It’s the first sentence that teases the reader to want more. The fact of the matter is, only 20% of the people who read your headline will go on to read the rest of your content.
Think of your headline as your pick-up line. You’ve got one shot at impressing your potential customer. Your company should grab their attention, be clear about your intentions, and evoke interest to give you a shot. Your tone should be relatable, reliable, and raw. Your headline’s goal is a click or a scroll.
Not sure whether your headlines make the cut? Try a headline analyzer.
Actionable Content is Valuable Content
Actionable content means you’re providing something of value to your readers. Rather than just sharing general information in every article, actionable content invites your customers, followers, or subscribers to engage with you. Content that is actionable shows your customers that you care about their opinion, value their business, and want their experience with you to be positive. In short, provide your customers with a positive way to interact with your company online.
Ask for their opinion on social media. Create Facebook polls, Instagram story questions, and ask for them to share their experience in the comments below.
Use gamification to improve your web experience. Spin the wheel or slide the button to unlock your promotion are simple ways to engage your customers before they add any items to their cart.
Provide examples of how they can implement your advice. Your blog should include a step-by-step guide to improving their business or everyday life so they keep coming back to you as the knowledge expert.
Include your call-to-action above the fold (the first part of your site before the scroll) and at the closing of the article.
Keywords are the Key to New Customers
Like it or not, search engine optimization (SEO) plays a big role in whether your company is displayed on that coveted first page of Google. In fact, Google is responsible for 94% of total organic traffic, so, it’s important to set a goal and define those keywords before you start typing.
Think of keywords as your criteria for a customer. They are your chance of soliciting your ideal client and improve web traffic to your site.
Ask yourself questions about what is important to your customers and about your business, and make a list.
Fill in keywords related to each of those topics
Find related search terms, typically found at the bottom of a results page on Google, and add those as well
Make sure you have a combination of both head terms (three words or less) and long-tail keywords (more than three words) for each topic
Check how your competitors rank for the keywords you’ve come up with, as well as the search volume for each
Once your content is published, check in on your site and see how your keywords are performing. Google Analytics is free for businesses and provides you with data that shows which keywords are performing the best, who is visiting your site, and how to improve future posts.
Highlight the Benefits of your Product or Service, not the Features
It’s so easy to state the facts. And while details are important, you’ll sell your customers when you start writing about the benefits. But, what’s the difference?
A feature is a factual statement about something your product has, is, or does. For example, a pan is 12 inches, copper-infused, and has a silicone handle. Okay, sounds nice….
An advantage is what the feature does to eventually result in a benefit. For example, the same pan is versatile in size, heats up faster and more evenly because of the copper, and prevents the handles from becoming too hot to touch.
A benefit is a solution that your product or service provides to the user. The copper pan will allow you to cook a delicious meal faster, allowing you to spend more time with your loved ones.
Providing your customers with a solution to a problem they may not even know they have sells much faster than sharing you’re selling a 12-inch, copper-infused pan. When writing, ask yourself, “How will this improve my target customers’ lives?” Focus on those ideas. Humanize your brand by connecting with your audience on an emotional level.
Test it out! Make a list of your product or service’s features, then write an advantage, and finally a benefit for each. Since the benefits will vary for your different audiences, be sure to complete the exercise for each one.
