Simple Wins
I recently helped a client with a website and copywriting project in the b2b consulting space. He initially wrote the copy himself, but it was hard to figure out what action he wanted his prospects to take. Book a call? Buy a product? Sign up for an email list?
Further, the copy (words on the page) was all over the place. It was clever, but almost like an inside joke…and most potential customers aren’t part of your inside jokes.
Here’s a few things you can implement today to make things easier for potential customers.
Clear > Clever
Potential clients and customers want the path of least resistance. Sometimes, when we write for our own industry/business, we confuse people by using words and phrases that may only be common inside a specific circle, or we even purposefully use confusing words to seem smarter than we are (which is unwise, if Einstein taught us anything).
“If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
-Albert Einstein
In fact, website conversion rates drop off for copy written at higher than a 6th grade level. I was guilty of this for my first few drafts of the Very Good Strategies homepage.
Bottom Line: Writing clear, easy to read, and simple to understand words on your website will bring you more clients, more purchases, and mo’ money.
Tell ’em what you want
Seniors and Boomers spend 22 hours a week on the internet, and depending on your industry, a large majority of them are within your Ideal Customer Profile. They tend to drop off quicker in the user journey because you don’t make it simple. Tell them what you want them to do, and specifically how to do it.
In fact, I recently saw a MASSIVE conversion increase in a business that catered to the older population. There was a bit drop-off in the first checkout step to the second. Once there was a short sentence that communicated “Enter your Name and Email here then click the button to enter in your details to get your product” conversion spiked.
Don’t just make the next steps clear, but remove any confusion whatsoever on your process. Is it a contact form? Tell them someone will get in touch with them in ‘x’ hours or less. Product? Let them know it ships in ‘x’ business days. The more abstraction you remove, the more money you make.
Bottom line: The simpler you make your contact/checkout/submission process, the more your business grows.
Be Supermario
Be crystal clear about what you do for the customer, not what you do.
iPod: Portable MP3 player with 32GB flash memory and AAC/MP3 playback. -> 1,000 songs in your pocket.
Dropbox: Cloud storage service with 2 GB of free space and file synchronization across devices. -> Simplify your life – access your files on any device, anytime.
Landscaping business: Full-service landscaping offering lawn design, irrigation installation, and seasonal clean-up using advanced landscaping tools. -> Create the outdoor space of your dreams – professional landscaping that elevates your home’s curb appeal.
Housecleaning Service: Comprehensive home cleaning service using non-toxic products and HEPA vacuum systems for a thorough clean.-> Come home to clean – spotless, stress-free living with our expert cleaning services.
Sell the benefits, not the features.
Bottom line: How can your product benefit a potential customer? It can save time, remove stress, make things easier, etc. Focus on those.
Simple sells
Take the time to go over your current website, ads, funnels, etc and find areas you can make things easier to understand for your potential customers.
Chances are, any changes you make will result in more sales/leads/customers.
