When it comes to your website there’s writing content and there’s writing good, persuasive web content and they are very different!
It’s easy to write about your business, right? After all we all know how to write because we’ve been doing it since school in the form of stories, essays, exam papers and letters.
That’s where the problem lies though, because writing to sell is very different and takes different skills. But the good news is we’re going to try to debunk the mystery for you and help you write compelling content which converts into sales and new customers.
Who are you writing for?
The most important thing to think of before you start is who am I writing this for? Once you have determined that fact then everything else should become a little bit clearer.
So, that leads to the important question of who is your ideal customer?
We would all like our product or service to appeal to everyone to give us the best chance of selling more but the reality is the more you understand who you should be targeting, even if that market is relatively niche, the better chance you have of appealing to them.
So, when it comes to your offering what specific problem are you trying to solve? Once you are clear on this you can start the next stage of research and really get inside the mind of your potential customers.
Who are they?
Age:
Gender:
Occupation:
Level of education:
Interests & hobbies:
Location:
Buying behaviours:
Average income:
Where do they hang out?
Pain points (what do they want?)
If your business sells to other businesses then the research takes a slightly different approach.
Industry:
Location:
Sales & revenue:
Budget:
Where they are in the business cycle:
Pain points:
You will see that the pain point appears on both the individual consumer and business lists because they both need to have one to know they need your product or service, so you can solve their problem.
The third step we recommend is digging a little further by discovering how you can find the new customers and keep your current ones happy.
So ask yourself the following questions:
New customers:
How do they research products and services?
How do they make their buying decision?
What media platforms are they on or do they prefer?
Current customers:
How did they find you?
Why did they buy from you?
Why do they keep working with you?
What do they get from you that they don’t get from your competitors? – which helps define your USP.
Once you have everything answered, you can create your unique customer persona.
In case you’re not familiar with the term, a customer persona is the fictitious profile of your ideal customer/client – some people even give them names. From this you can make all your marketing decisions with a very clear direction, and that includes your sales pages, blogs and social media posts.
So, when it comes to writing your website content, writing it for that persona will help you convert more customers.
From your research into the problems you want to solve and people/businesses pain points you can create content to help address the issues. Not only will this help you serve your customers better but also be seen by the right audience which you can convert into new customers.
How to structure your writing
An important thing to remember is that people scan website content, rather than read like they would a magazine or book.
So it is important that you grab attention immediately.
We all know how time is one of the most precious commodities so we are all less likely to give something time it doesn’t deserve. That’s why when you write website content it’s more important than ever to grab attention as quickly as possible.
So, keep your introduction brief and quickly outline how you can help the reader to ensure they keep reading.
Be clear and to the point
When you consider that more than 50% of all web traffic now comes from mobile phones and tablets, where screens are significantly smaller than a computer screen, it’s understandable that people want information quicker and in the most simple way possible.
That’s why it’s essential to keep your web copy as simple and straightforward as possible so people can get everything they need and then if they want more information, they can choose to read on.
So, does your headline make people want to click to read more?
- Does it answer the questions being asked by your potential customers?
- Does it reveal how you can solve their problem?
Use your keywords well
Keywords not only work well, when it comes to search engine optimisation but also keeping your reader engaged.
They are the words that your potential customers are looking for so the appearance of them will keep readers reading.
Looking good
The look and feel of the layout is also essential to any web content. So it needs to be easy to read and appealing on the eye, with good use of graphics and images which all need to be taken into account when you’re planning your posts.
Further to the reference to how most people are now visiting your website using short paragraphs, which are easy to read on mobiles, is vital. No one wants to have to scroll down just to reach the end of a sentence.
- Make sure you write for the reader and address them personally.
- Avoid expansive words and jargon and needless repetition.
- To keep the word count you can use graphics, infographics or photographs to help you get your message across.
- Use different fonts and styles to help catch the eye.
- Using headings will not only help with SEO but it will also break up the page and sigh post readers to where they want to go.
- Use bullet points get your message across in a more succinct fashion.
- Use a conclusion to wrap up everything you’ve covered.
Conclusion
The important thing when you’re writing your website content is to understand you can’t be everything to everyone – so make sure you know who it is you want to appeal to and aim your content directly at them.
You will have more success trying to convert a smaller target audience, who are engaged with you, than trying to appeal to everyone.