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Web copy is like Batman. How? Let me explain.
Unbounce analyzing 40k landing pages revealed copywriting is 2x more effective than design (28% vs. 13%).
Use copywriting to solve your one reader’s problems, like Gotham’s cape crusader. Because it converts them on any digital platform. Batman and converting web copy rely on their intelligence, research, resources, and mastery to solve the One Reader’s problem.
Where would your ROI be without losing those visitors that don’t buy or sign up for the email list?
By the time you finish reading this article, you’ll learn how to
How does your company cut through the clutter? Be a detective like Batman and research your one reader. You’ll discover all the answers you need to know. Your website’s images, videos, and impressive design are essential. But cohesive messaging is the best way to persuade your one reader.
Do you underestimate the conversion power of your website copy? Can you imagine converting people from a Google search, a Facebook ad, or a social media post into brand loyalists? Again and again.
“Your copy is your online salesperson.”
Joanna Wiebe, Copyhackers.com
You converted them because you solved your one reader’s problem with real tangible solutions. Consumers are smart; rely on your intellect to get conversions. To convert more visitors, make their journey less confusing by matching your web copywriting with their expectations.
Translate your audience research into ROI using your web copy to connect your one reader’s needs and desires. Web copy doesn’t leap over your competitors in one bound. It won’t make claims your CBD product is bulletproof or worse – “magically changes lives”.
Start outlining your conversion goals to write converting copy.
Breaking news… your web copy is a 24/7 salesperson. Use web copy to drive qualified leads from your social media posts to your online content to your email list, and close the deal with email copywriting. You’ll get the desired action you want if you ask yourself:
To create high-converting web copy:
The answers to your questions will help you develop the focal point you want to convey.
To get your one reader to take action, every word must push your audience to continue reading (Joseph Sugerman’s Axiom 2). You have to create a slippery slope.
According to the six-figure copywriter Jacob Mcmillen,
To achieve your conversion funnel goals:
Focus on how to get your one reader to the end of the funnel with your web copy. Make your one reader the hero of your brand’s story to increase your conversion rate optimization.
Focus on your one reader to craft persuasive web copy—picture whom you are writing for, then make the most beneficial point. Your audience doesn’t care about your company’s services or products, just themselves.
How do you focus on your one reader?
Use your one reader’s language to influence an emotional connection then they’ll buy. Selling is understanding people. You must show empathy. Trust converts; create a positive user experience.
To make that connection speak to your one reader’s
In Cashvertising, “Dr. Direct” describes humans’ innate desires as the Life-Force 8 as:
The foundation of your messaging research is one or two of the desires, along with your one reader’s level of awareness.
Determine their stage of awareness.
And then their level of intent:
You can focus on your CBD product after determining their awareness and intent level.
Connect your product benefits to a well-told story. 95% of our purchasing decisions happen subconsciously, so desires/needs influence online behavior.
Always include:
Summarize it all into your USP to convince your one reader to buy.
Your web copy has to convey your unique selling proposition; try to sum it all up in one or two sentences. Follow it up with the information your one reader needs to know to buy from you.
How will your product make their life better? Do research to find out. That’s what the Dark Knight would do.
Be like the world’s greatest detective; find out what makes your one reader tick. They leave clues everywhere on the internet and when they engage with you. But how do you find these clues?
“Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals.”
David Ogilvy
The best way to write converting web copy is to find messaging by mining reviews and comments.
To sell your products, focus on translating the benefits you provide to your one reader into tangible value. Solve their problem/pain with your USP.
Since features are facts about your product, they can’t do much selling.
However, benefits sell well because they showcase what your product does for your one reader.
“Buy this product, for this specific benefit.”
Rosser Reeves
Your unique selling proposition should communicate your values and your mission.
To find the right one think about their:
Ask yourself:
To increase your conversion rate, entice your visitors with selling points that say a lot with a little.
Unique selling propositions are unique, desirable, succinct, memorable, and specific.
So when crafting a website page (for example), capture your unique selling propositions in the:
The USP contains the one feature of the product that most stands out as different from the competition, and is usually a feature that conveys unique benefits to the consumer.
Dr. James Blythe
Your web copy empowers the hearts and minds of searching consumers.
Think of your web copy as a billboard; don’t tell the audience your entire story. Writing copy for the web requires focusing on the “Rule of One.”
Tell your one reader:
Speak to their needs and wants by picking a classic direct-response copywriting formula to insert your messaging in a way that will convert. Establish trust, rapport, and credibility by showing you understand their needs, mood, and personality.
With your messaging, be:
Bonus: Be Empathic
Useful, urgent, unique, and ultra-specific web copy leads your one reader to your site.
74% of web users pay attention to the quality of spelling and grammar on company websites so remember to edit your content. Get help with 13 plus editing tools.
Writing for the web means you’ll use organic posts, paid ads, SEO, or emails to drive your one reader to a designated page on your website. Once they are there, your website copy has to carry their attention to the finish line.
On average, visitors to a page will read only 20% of its content. You must structure your page so that the most important points stand out. They can click away anytime, so follow a proven format to make a quick impression.
The hero section is the visible part of the web page when the audience first lands on your site. It should include the header and the subheader.
It can be the entire page or as small as a banner. Sell your brand with the value propositions you created for your audience. Experts strongly encourage an image, but it’s optional.
Optimize your hero section with the highest priority pain point to help people know they have arrived on the right site.
Choose a type of hero section based on what you learned from your audience research. You can use a typical Hero section template to frame your messaging to convert visitors.
Use your header to explain what you do; keep your header within 6-12 words. Write a full description of what you’re selling.
You have to prioritize the benefits your audience needs the most.
Add your company’s
You have to prioritize the benefits your audience needs the most.
Use your subheader to describe how you do it.
Build trust and credibility with a collection of social or data proof to convert your visitors (provide your usp). Social proof can increase newsletter sign-ups by 20%.
A common practice is to have customer testimonials (social proof) before the call to action. 88% of B2B marketers agreed testimonials are the most effective content to convert your audience. Or your social proof can be data, examples, statistics, reviews, etc.
You should insert your social proof several times throughout the website and follow up with CTAs.
Your call to action tells your audience the ideal step to take. You should start with a well-placed call to values. You must set up the value of the action you want the One Reader to take. Optimize your CTA and sell the click by detailing what your One Reader can expect next.
“Amplify the value, not the action.”
Joanna Wiebe
You may have a CTA in the hero section, or you may not. It depends on the needs of the website copywriting. Per HubSpot, personalized (or ‘smart’) call-to-actions perform 202% better than generic ones. Use a button to call them to action when it is time for your one reader to decide.
Design the button to be “big, bright, bold, and blindingly obvious.”
Ann Handley
Take your CTA to the next level by telling your one reader what actions to complete with intentional copy that matches what you stated in the headline.
Large images paired with informative copy is a common technique used. The picture you use should reinforce the messaging of your copy. Visuals give the visitors’ eyeballs a rest.
The fold describes a web browser window’s bottom border. The fold is the HERO section but could include more.
You must provide more value below the fold before they buy. You have to include a lot of social proof.
All web copy should have these copywriting elements to enhance the one reader’s experience.
Your one reader scans web pages in an ‘F’ pattern. They read the third word on a line less often than the first two. You can expect this and position your most important copy at the start of the line.
You should tailor the goal of your web page based on its purpose. Each web page should tie into your website’s overall purpose and intent. Each page must work together in complete harmony to convert visitors efficiently. But you shouldn’t include your landing pages, lead-generating pages, sales pages, etc.
Every day, 27 million content pieces get posted, shared, and commented on across the web. Social media posts, SEO, paid ads, and emails will drive your one reader to your website. Please don’t send them to your home page, “75% of site traffic will leave after only seeing your homepage,” according to Demand Curve’s Julian Shapiro.
Use owned, earned, and paid media to help get your website seen. 61% of the internet users research products they want to buy, according to HubSpot.
Start your keyword research by creating a list of words that describes your business, products, and services. Look for long-tail keywords to determine what your audience is searching for.
Links directed toward your website are a vital part of your site’s ability to rank higher. The more, the better, and it screams to Google, “you are popular.”
The meta descriptions of your blog posts are a snippet that summarizes a page’s content. Search engines show the meta descriptions when the keyword is in the description. According to keep it up to about 155 characters, according to YoastSEO. It’s also an HTML tag. You can improve your Google ranking by using your focus keyword throughout the meta description.
Google needs fresh content and updated landing pages. You have to create valuable content for your readers. HubSpot has a list of 31 examples; click here.
If your one reader made it to the footer, it shows they have interest in your products (or they automatically scrolled down).
Add:
It is shareable content for social media to drive your audience to your website. You should define your distribution channels and create a content calendar. You’ll see the advantages of a content marketing campaign to generate traffic to your website.
There are a vast number of tools to use to increase the effectiveness of your web copy. I’m just recommending Google Analytics for now.
You have to measure everything and base your web copy on data. KPIs are measurements that have exact numerical values to measure performance.
Limit your measurables to the 5-8 most important metrics. You can use the KPIs consistently to improve the effectiveness of your web copywriting.
Your website can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. It sells your company 24/7.
Web copy improves conversion rates because it sells futures, not features. Engaging web copy reveals the value of your product/service by connecting to your One Reader’s deepest desires.
You can be Batman and heroic enough to heal your audience’s pain points. All you need is to have the relentless determination to rise to the online sales challenge.
Web copy is a sales tool. Sell with what you have in your tool belt!
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