It’s a hot afternoon; you were on your couch trying to catch your favorite TV show when you a knock comes at your door. You are not expecting anyone, so reluctantly, you opened the door… And there stands a salesman, babbling about how awesome his product is.
What will you do in such situation?
For most people, they will simply slam the door shut on his face. That’s what happens when you write your product description without understanding how a perfect e-commerce product description should be written.
I’ve seen it thousands of time before, most people focus more on what they think they like about the product instead of what the customers are actually looking for. Writing a perfect e-commerce product description is one of the toughest things you will ever do. Even most copywriters struggle to produce one.
If you want to improve the sales of your online store, you need a compelling copy and to do that you need the right skill sets. A bad product description isn’t just a complete turn-off; it will also hinder the way your listings are found in search engine result page.
A great copy is the one that compels people to take action. If your product description isn’t addressing what the customer is looking for, you are wasting your time. In this article, you will learn some smart ways to write a compelling product description that practically influences customers to take action.
Are you ready for it? This is how to write a perfect ecommerce product description:
Read Great Copy
There is a saying ‘If you want to be rich, you should think and act like the rich’. The same concept applies here. You need to understudy other writers to know what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong.
You need to study how a great e-commerce product description should flow, how many paragraphs that most writers adopt, how they make their introduction, and even the common terms they are using. The idea here is to understand how a great copy should be written studying great writers and reading great product copies.
Personally, I follow some companies that write compelling product copy. Some of these companies include Filson, Groupon, Patagonia, and L.L Bean.
Reading other great product copies will inspire you. You will get some great ideas how to tailor your content and how to speak directly to your ideal customers.
Understand Your Ideal Customer
Remember our story about the annoying salesman in the beginning of this article? Anyone will probably slam a door to his face because he didn’t make enough research to know who his ideal customer is.
Don’t start writing your product description until you’ve understood who your ideal customer is. Learn what makes him laugh, what will get him to shake his head in disbelief, and what influences his buying decision, more importantly; learn what he is looking for.
To understand your ideal customer, you need to know his age, probable location, the site he is visiting, his job, social status, buying behavior, and even his dreams and aspirations. Knowing these will help you use the right tone of voice that will engage him. Knowing and understanding your ideal customer will help you to create a great product copy that speaks to him and taps into his feelings. You won’t have a problem making sales if you are able to tap into your ideal customer’s emotions.
Focus More on Benefits Not Features
Yes, I know that your product has awesome features…. But that’s not what your ideal customer is searching for. If your product is of no benefit to him, you can’t convince him to open his wallet and put in an order. There aren’t two ways about it.
You have to focus more on benefits of the product to your customer. Most people make the mistake of focusing more on the features when writing a product description, the reason is simple: You got too excited about features and specifications when you are writing a description for your own product.
The truth is that the buyer is more interested in how your product will solve his problem rather than the features. You should make it explicitly clear that these features are going to solve his problems.
To ensure that your target buyers don’t miss these benefits, you should highlight the benefit of each feature. State how the features of your product will make your target happier, richer, healthier, and complete. Don’t just sell a product, solve a problem.
Make Use of Natural Keywords
Remember that you are not just writing for your readers, you are also writing for search engine except if you are planning to promote your product using paid ads only.
When customers are searching for a product, they are likely to use different variables. For instance, if you are selling ‘T-shirts’, you will need more than one keyword to attract visitors. This is because everyone searches differently.
By using natural-occurring keywords, you can be able to rank your product high on search engines and attract customers directly from search engine result page.
This is why experience counts. Most amateur copywriters will stuff their description with keywords in an effort to rank high. Doing so will only give you negative results. Use your keywords in such a way that a visitor won’t even know they are there. Remember, less is always better. Think of some terms a customer will likely use and find a way to incorporate them into your product copy.
Consider having your most important keywords in your headline, subheadings, and body. Finally, optimize your images with appropriate keywords.
Remember, when writing a great product copy, write for your readers first, and your important keywords will naturally appear on your work.
Make Your Copy Easy to Scan
According to a research, most people only read 16% of the words on the average web-page. The truth is that when it comes to reading, people are becoming lazier; this is why videos and visuals are becoming better ways to sell a product.
If you want to get people to buy your product, you will need to get them to read your copy. To make this possible, you should make it easier for them to read your content.
The best way to write is to list the benefits of your products on the subheading with bigger font size (30px) and then use the body to provide a more detailed explanation using a smaller font size (20px).
I will recommend making your product easy to scan using the following format:
- Use subheadings to entice lazy visitors to start reading
- Make use of bullet points to keep them interested
- Improve readability with a large font
- Make use of visuals (videos and images) to improve your content
- Use plenty of white spaces to make your work scannable and guide readers through your content.
Conclusion
Don’t just write another product description when you sit down to write. Create an experience that will solve the customer’s problem. Entice your visitors with important benefits of your product instead of babbling on about features and specifications.
Remember, this is your only chance to impress your visitors and get them to open their wallet. Don’t write unless you have an idea of who your target customer is and what he is looking for.
