June 10th, 2023
If you are an ecommerce brand, you know that an effective sales page can make all the difference between a successful sale and a missed opportunity.
Whilst design is important, strip it back and it’s clear that well-crafted copy is vital to engage and persuade potential customers. But is your sales page working as well as it should for you? You’ve created beautiful branding, developed a stunning product you know is good and yet somehow leads are falling at the final hurdle. What’s going on?
Take a look at the 6 common mistakes that could be costing you money.
1. Failing to understand your target audience:
One of the fundamental mistakes in copywriting is not fully understanding the target audience. It's crucial to have a clear understanding of your customers' needs, desires, pain points, and motivations. For sustainable brands, this needs to include alignment of your brand purpose with your customers values. Only through fully understanding and niching down to your target audience will your brand be memorable and one which people feel compelled to buy from. The first point to do this is to forget ChatGPT (if you have been using it) – only humans can understand humans. Instead use a human (like me!) to conduct thorough market research, create buyer personas, and tailor your copy to address their specific concerns and aspirations.
2. Lack of clarity:
Another prevalent mistake is using convoluted, fancy and fashionable language or excessively long sentences. When visiting your site, people will only stay on your page for a matter of seconds – you need to grab attention and be super-clear what it is you do and the benefits to your customers. Copy should be clear, concise, and easy to comprehend.
3. Ignoring the power of emotional pull:
Emotions play a significant role in consumer decision-making. As a sustainable brand, potential customers are likely to be visiting your site because your purpose connects with their emotions. Effective copy should tap into the emotions of your target audience, connecting with their desires and aspirations – including their desire to serve the world, create and contribute to change. Highlight the benefits of your product or service and demonstrate how it can improve their lives or the lives of others.
4. Not addressing objections and concerns:
Sales 101: objection handling. Pages should anticipate and address potential objections or concerns that may arise in the minds of customers. Be honest and upfront. If you have done your research properly (see point number 1!) you should know the common objections your target audience may have. By proactively addressing objections, you build credibility and instil confidence in your customers' minds.
5. Weak Call-to-Action:
It’s surprising how many brands and businesses do not make full use of their Call to Action (CTA) points. Your CTA should be strong, clear, and persuasive. Clearly outline the benefits to your customer and have multiple CTA across your site. Pay attention to your click-rate – the more clicks a customer must go through to start their purchase, the more likely they are to move away.
Which brings me on nicely to:
6. UX!
The User Experience (UX) of your website is critical. First, your site should be formatted and skim-friendly. Key information should jump out. CTA and buttons should be obvious. Check your navigation, filters and ensure that the Back Button doesn’t throw people out. Does your Search function work properly? Make sure your basket is easy to find and edit. Check the check-out process!
Copywriting on sales pages for ecommerce brands requires careful attention to detail and an understanding of the target audience. Getting your copy right can significantly improve the effectiveness of your site and increase conversion rates.
Need help or simply don’t have the time to do this? Head on over to Your Options and choose my Website Audit or any other copy package.
