The Seven Deadly Sins of Website Copy

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 at 12:01 am
The Seven Deadly Sins of Website Copy
By Michel Fortin (c) 2009 

Throughout my research, I'm always surprised when I stumble onto
websites that are professionally designed and seem to offer
great products and services, but lack or fail in certain
important elements.

Elements that, with just a few short changes, can help multiply
the results almost instantaneously.

Generally, I have found that there are seven common mistakes. I
call them the "Seven Deadly Sins." Is your website committing
any one of these?

1) They Fail to Connect

Traffic has been long touted to be the key to online success,
but that's not true. If your site is not pulling sales,
inquiries or results, then why would it need more traffic?

The key is to turn curious browsers into serious buyers. Aside
from the quality of the copy, the number one reason why a
website doesn't convert is that the copy is targeting the wrong
audience or fails to connect with them.

First, create a "perfect prospect profile
(http://www.michelfortin.com/how-to-target-your-perfect-customer/)."
List all the attributes, characteristics and qualities of your
most profitable and accessible market.

Don't just stick with things like demographics and
psychographics. Try to get to know them.

Who are they, really? What are their most pressing problems?
What keeps them up at night? How do they talk about their
problems? Where do they hang out?

Then, target your market by centering on a major theme, benefit
or outcome so that, when you generate pre-qualified traffic,
your hit ratio and your sales will increase dramatically.

Finally, ensure that your copy connects with them. Intimately.
It speaks their language, talks about their problems, and tells
stories they can easily appreciate and relate to.

Since this is the most common error that marketers and
copywriters commit, and to help you, follow the following
formulas.

The OATH formula
(http://www.michelfortin.com/can-your-prospects-take-an-oath/)
helps you to understand the stage of awareness your market is
at. (How aware of the problem are they, really?)

The QUEST formula
(http://www.michelfortin.com/want-better-copy-go-on-a-quest/)
guides you in qualifying and empathizing with them. And the
UPWORDS formula (http://www.michelfortin.com/to-up-sales-up-words/)
teaches you how to choose the appropriate language your market
can easily understand, appreciate and respond to.

2) They Lack a Compelling Offer

"Making an offer you can't refuse" seems like an old clich�, but
don't discount its relevance and power. Especially in this day
and age where most offers are so anemic, lifeless, and like
every other offer out there.

Too many business believe that simply offering a product or
service, and mentioning the price, are good enough. But what
they fail to realize is that people need to intimately
understand the full value (the real value and, more importantly,
the perceived value) behind the offer.

Sometimes, all you need is to offer some premiums, incentives
and bonuses to make the offer more palatable and hard to ignore.
(Very often, people buy products and services for the premiums
alone.)

Other times, you need to create what is called a "value
buildup."

(In fact, premiums are not mandatory in all cases, particularly
when the offer itself is solid enough. But building value almost
always is.)

Essentially, you compare the price of your offer not with the
price of some other competing offer or alternative, but with the
ultimate cost of not buying-and enjoying-your product or
service.

This may include the price of an alternative. But "ultimate
cost" goes far beyond price. Dan Kennedy calls this "apples to
oranges" comparisons.

For example, let's say you sell an ebook on how to grow better
tomatoes. That might sound simple, and your initial inclination
might be to compare it to other "tomatoe-growing" ebooks or
viable alternatives.

But also look at the the time it took for you to learn the best
ways to grow tomatoes. Look at the amount of money you invested
in trying all the different fertilizers, seeds and techniques to
finally determine which ones are the best.

Don't forget the time, money and energy (including emotional
energy) people save from not having to learn these by
themselves. Add the cost of doing it wrong and buying solutions
that are either more expensive or inappropriate.

That's what makes an offer valuable. One people can't refuse.

3) They Lack Reasons Why

While some websites are well-designed and provide great content,
and they might even have great copy, they fail because they
don't offer enough reasons for people to buy-or at least read
the copy in the first place.

Visitors are often left clueless. In other words, why should
they buy? Why should they buy that particular product? Why
should they buy that product from that particular site? And more
important, why should they buy now?

What makes your product so unique, different and special? What's
in it for your customers that they can't get anywhere else? Not
answering those questions will deter clients and impede sales.

John E. Kennedy, a Canadian fireman and copywriter at the turn
of the last century, talked a lot about the power of adding
"reasons why." His wisdom still rings true to this day, and we
know this from experience.

Once, my wife had a client whose website offered natural
supplements.

It offered a free bottle (i.e., 30-day supply). But response was
abysmal. Aside from being in a highly competitive industry, the
copy failed to allay the prospect's fears. They thought it might
be a scam or that there's a catch.

So all she did was tell her client to add the following
paragraph:

  "Why are we offering this free bottle? Because we want you
   to try it. We're so confident that you will see visible
   results within 30 days that you will come back and order
   more."

Response more than tripled.

Similarly, add "reasons why" to your copy. To help you, make
sure that it covers all the bases by answering the following "5
why's:"

  * Why me? (Why should they listen to you?)
  * Why you? (Who is perfect for this offer?)
  * Why this? (Why is this product perfect for them?)
  * Why this price? (Why is this offer so valuable?)
  * Why now? (Why must they not wait?)

4) They Lack Scarcity

Speaking of "why now," this is probably the most important
reason of all.

A quote from Jim Rohn says it all, and I force myself to think
about it each time I craft an offer. He said, "Without a sense
of urgency, desire loses its value."

People fear making bad decisions. With spams, scams and snake
oils being rampant on the Internet, people tend to
procrastinate, and they do so even when the copy is good, the
offer is perfect and they're qualified for it.

Most websites I review fail to effectively communicate a sense
of urgency. If people are given the chance to wait or think it
over, they will. Look at it this way: if you don't add a sense
of urgency, you're inviting them to procrastinate.

Use takeaway selling in order to stop people from
procrastinating and get them to take action now. In other words,
shape your offer - and not just your product or service - so
that it is time-sensitive or quantity-bound.

More important, give a reasonable, logical explanation to
justify your urgency or else your sales tactic will be instantly
discredited. Back it up with reasons as to why the need to take
advantage of the offer is pressing.

Plus, a sense of urgency doesn't need to be an actual limit or a
deadline. It can be just a good, plausible and compelling
explanation that emphasizes the importance of acting now - as
well as the consequences of not doing so.

For example, what would they lose out on if they wait? Don't
limit yourself to the offer. Think of all the negative
side-effects of not going ahead right now.

5) They Lack Proof

Speaking of the fear of making bad decisions, today's consumers
are increasingly leery when contemplating offers on the
Internet.

While many websites look professional, have an ethical sales
approach, and offer proven products or services, the lack of any
kind of tangible proof will still cause most visitors to at
least question your offer.

The usual suspects, of course, are testimonials and guarantees.
Guarantees and testimonials help to reduce the skepticism around
the purchase of your product or service, and give it almost
instant credibility.

(I often refuse to critique any copy that doesn't have any
testimonials. It's not just to save myself time and energy. I
would be wasting my client's money if the only recommendation
they got from me was to add testimonials.)

Elements of proof is not just limited to guarantees and
testimonials, either.

They can include the story behind your product, your
credentials, actual case studies, results of tests and trials,
samples and tours, statistics and factoids, photos and
multimedia, "seals of approval," and, of course, reasons why.

Even the words you choose can make a difference. Because, in
addition to a sense of urgency, your copy also needs a sense of
credibility.

Today, people are understandably cynical and suspicious. If your
offer is suspect and your copy, at any point, gives any hint
that it can be fake, misleading, untrue, too good to be true, or
too exaggerated to be true...

... Then like it or not your response rate will take a nose dive.

So, help remove the risk from the buyer's mind and you will thus
increase sales - and, paradoxically, reduce returns as well. Plus,
don't just stick with the truth. You also need to give your copy
the ring of truth.

To help you, follow my FORCEPS formula
(http://www.michelfortin.com/what-surgery-taught-me-about-copywriting/).

6) They Lack a Clear Call to Action

Answer this million-dollar, skill-testing question: "What
exactly do you want your visitors to do?" Simple, isn't it? But
it doesn't seem that way with the many sites I've visited.

The KISS principle (to me, it means "keep it simple and
straightforward") is immensely important on the Internet. An
effective website starts with a clear objective that will lead
to a specific action or outcome.

If your site is not meant to, say, sell a product, gain a
customer or obtain an inquiry for more information, then what
exactly must it do? Work around the answer as specifically as
possible.

Focus on the "power of one." That is:

  * One message
  * One audience
  * One outcome

If your copy tells too many irrelevant stories (irrelevant to
the audience and to the advancement of the sale), you will lose
your prospects' attention and interest.

If it tries to be everything to everyone (and is therefore
either too generic or too complex), you will lose your prospects
completely.

And if you ask your prospects to do too many things (other than
"buy now" or whatever action you want them to take), you will
lose sales.

Use one major theme. Make just one offer. (Sure, you can offer
options, such as ordering options or different packages to
choose from. But nonetheless, it's still just one offer.)

Most important, provide clear instructions on where and how
to order.

Aside from the lack of a clear call to action, asking them to
do too many things can be just as counterproductive. The mind
hates confusion. If you try to get your visitors to do too many
things, they will do nothing.

Stated differently, if you give people too many choices, they
won't make one. So keep your message focused or else you will
overwhelm the reader.

7) They Lack Good Copy

It may seem like this should be the number one mistake.

While it's still one of the top seven mistakes, it's last
because the ones above take precedence. If you're guilty of
making any of the previous six mistakes, in the end your sales
will falter no matter how good your copy is.

Nevertheless, lackluster copy that fails to invoke emotions,
tell compelling stories, create vivid mental imagery, and excite
your prospects about your product or service is indeed one of
the most common reasons websites fail.

Top sales trainer Zig Ziglar once said, "Selling is the
transference of enthusiasm you have for your product into the
minds of your prospects."

Copy is selling in print. Therefore, its job is no different. In
fact, since there's no human interaction that you normally get
in a face-to-face sales encounter, your copy's job, therefore,
has an even greater responsibility.

It must communicate that same enthusiasm that energizes your
prospects, excites them about your offering and empowers them to
buy.

Aside from infusing emotion into your copy, give your prospects
something they can understand, believe in and act upon. Like a
trial lawyer, it must tell a persuasive story, make an airtight
case and remove any reasonable doubt.

Above all, it must serve your prospect.

Many sites fail to answer a person's most important question:
"What's in it for me?" They get so engrossed in describing
companies, products, features or advantages over competitors
that they fail to appeal to the visitor specifically.

Tell the visitor what they are getting out of responding to your
offer. To help you, first write down a series of bullets.
Bullets are captivating, pleasing to the eye, clustered for
greater impact and deliver important benefits.

(They usually follow the words "you get," such as "With this
product, you get.")

But don't just resort to apparent or obvious benefits. Dig
deeper. Think of the end-results your readers get from enjoying
your product or service.

Do what my friend and copywriter Peter Stone
(http://www.peterstonecopy.com/blog/) calls the "so that"
technique. Each time you state a benefit, add "so that" (or
"which means") at the end, and then complete the sentence to
expand further.

Let's say your copy sells Ginko Biloba, a natural supplement
that increases memory function. (I'm not a Ginko expert, so I'm
guessing, here. Also, I'm being repetious for the sake of
illustration.) Here's what you might get:

  Ginko supports healthy brain and memory functions... so that
  you can be clear, sharp and focused... so that you can stay on
  top of everything and not miss a beat... so that you can be a
  lot more productive at work... so that you can advance in your
  career a lot faster... so that you can make more money, enjoy
  more freedom, and have more job security... so that (and so on).

That could have turned another way depending on the answer you
give it, which is why it's good to repeat this exercise. Here's
another example:

  Ginko supports healthy brain and memory functions... so that
  you can decrease the risks of senility, Alzheimer's disease,
  and other degenerative diseases of the brain... so that you
  won't be placed in a nursing home... so that you won't place
  the burden of your care on your loved ones... so that you can
  grow old with peace of mind... so that you can enjoy a higher
  quality of life, especially during those later years... so
  that (and so on).

Remember, these are just examples pulled off the top of my head.
But if you want more help with your own copy, my FAB formula
(http://www.michelfortin.com/the-oft-confused-features-and-benefits/)
is a useful guide.

Bottom line, check your copy to see if you're committing any of
these seven deadly sins. If you are, your prospects won't
forgive you. By not buying, that is.
================================================================
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker,
and consultant. Visit his blog and signup free to get tested
conversion strategies and response-boosting tips by email, along
with blog updates, news, and more! Go now to
http://www.michelfortin.com. While you're at it, follow him on
Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/michelfortin).
================================================================
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