Building eCommerce

By Jeffrey Benson

There’s a saying in the web design and search engine optimisation world that says ‘content is king’. No matter how nice and feature-rich your site is, if it doesn’t read well, it won’t achieve the desired result i.e. more business for you.

There are two audiences you’re writing the content of the site for - human beings and search engines. The criteria for both are usually very different. This section covers writing for human beings. It’s about good sales copy. Copy that will get people to do what you want them to i.e. buy from you, give you a call etc.

Many of the same principles apply, whether writing copy for a letter, brochure or website. The biggest mistake of copywriting is that it doesn’t serve the needs and desires of the web audience. This comes down to pinning down your niche market and getting your positioning right.

Here’s some specific tips for writing good website copy:

1. Write down all the features and benefits of your product and service
2. List the 5 most important benefits of your product and service for you target market
3. Write down the problems that your product or service helps to solve
4. Write down all the reasons that people might NOT buy from you and then factor this into your guarantee. Another good way of countering these is asking a FAQ or objection in the body of the copy and answering it below.
5. Create some idea headers and sub headers.
6. Think about how you can create a special offer around your product(s) and service(s). This could include a time-limited offer, a free bonus etc.
7. Make it easy to buy - if you use an eCommerce site this should be easy. Alternatively, you could include a freephone number to call (make sure it will be answered straight away) Giving the visitor 2 or 3 options is usually more powerful.
8. Where necessary, use comparisons to show how your product and service is better than the competition (remember your USP)
9. Use testimonials and case studies if possible (these could be online videos or audios for stronger effect)
10. Use ‘power words’ where applicable in the body of your copy.
11. Create a powerful ‘call to action’ and then tell the visitor what will happen after they have taken action. Create a picture of the outcomes your client will see, hear and feel. You must touch your potential client’s soft spot - that nerve centre that says, “Yes, I want that!”

Remember, the shortcut to success is to learn from successful people.

About The Author

Power Marketing System is an audio and web based marketing program designed to help small to medium enterprises increase their profits and outsell their competition. Explode your business today. Get the FREE audio now. Visit: http://www.powermarketingsystem.co.uk

By Brian Stocker

Do you compete for sales in a market that is full of other people? Are you trying to sell a product on eBay or other website? Do you often wonder why a customer chooses one vendor over another when they are selling the exact same product? The answer can be found in the product descriptions.

A good product description conveys the benefits of using the product and not just the facts around the product. A good product description convinces the customer that they need the product and they need to purchase it from you.

In order to write a good product description you need to start your product descriptions by highlighting the features of the product. The best method to learn the features of your product is to use the products yourself. Get to know your products and keep track of how they benefit your life. Use stories and examples form your personal usage of the product to express these benefits. It is important to become a real person to your potential customer.

Next, you need to know your customer. Spend some time researching your possible customer and the people who will purchase the products for them. Sometimes the person who will use your product, your customer, is different than the person purchasing your product so make sure you understand both sets of people. Determine what product benefits will appeal to your target market and incorporate those details into your product descriptions. If your selling electronics you need to communicate not only to the customer who understands electronics and the corresponding terminology but to the casual user as well. This means you need to make sure that use words words that all your customers will understand. Do not use technical jargon unless your customer knows the words.

Always remember that you are not only writing to win a customer but to beat your competition as well. Creativity will help set you apart from the competition. Do not become lazy with your product descriptions and rely solely on the manufacturers product description or sales literature. Connect to the reader through your writing and show a little of your personality in your product descriptions. Concentrate on writing in a friendly informal tone. You do need to avoid urban slang in your product descriptions but that does not mean you can not have fun and be a little creative.

Finally, when writing your product descriptions you must include a call-to-action. You must ask for the sale and provide an easy method for your customer to purchase your product. This is especially important when you sell items on the internet you always need to provide people with an instant method to purchase. Pay close attention to your purchasing process never add more steps than necessary. You want to capitalize on the passion your product description has evoked in your customer and you need to allow them to purchase the product they desire immediately.

Product descriptions are one part fact and one part emotion, you must include both in order to write a product description that will sell. Writing a good product description requires that you create a balance between technical and emotional writing while keeping your word count down. Remember the number one rule is do not bore your customer with long product descriptions because they will move on.

About The Author

Brian Stocker is a writer, editor and online marketing specialist. Visit his website for more information about writing product descriptions