Submitted by: Amanda Kostro Miller, Copywriter
You just published your website or a new Facebook ad, and you’re eagerly waiting for sales! Maybe you’ve been networking like crazy and see a jump in your website traffic. Yes! One of those visitors will definitely contact you for services!
So you wait. Give it a day, a week…
Now it’s been 10 days without a sale. What happened? What do you do?
No matter what product or service you provide, every business owner struggles to hit their sales goals!
There are plenty of ways to boost sales, but in this post, let’s talk about what’s stopping conversions – as in -- what’s stopping customers buying or contacting you for services.
What you’re doing (or not doing) may be holding you back from getting the conversions you want. So let’s fix them!
Messaging is Everything
Yes -- SEO, Amazon rankings, building awareness, paid ads, networking, pitching and cold selling are all super important to get sales… But all that takes time!
Instead, let’s focus on something you can fix tonight on your computer: Your brand messaging!
What you say on your social media ads, your website and in your email newsletters can completely determine if someone will buy from you (or not).
There’s so much power in great marketing writing, so don’t put it off just to “get the site up” or “get the ad campaign going.”
Not thinking strategically about your marketing writing can cost you big time. Your marketing writing can be the difference between $30K in annual sales and $130K. Seriously!
Messaging Mistakes that Business Owners Make
Luckily these mistakes can all be fixed with some planning, brainstorming and strategic writing.
#1 You’re not targeting the right customers.
Every business needs to know their target audience. Your product or service cannot be perfect for “everyone.” Even fancy toilet paper has a target audience (as in, people who will spend extra cash for it).
Instead of casting a wide marketing net to “everyone,” why not target a bunch of your perfect buyers? That way, the people who see your ads are way more likely to buy from you.
The writing on your ads and website (and everywhere else) needs to speak to a specific group. Are they mothers? Are they solopreneurs between the ages of 45-65? Are they men who are sick of going to the store for manscaping products and want everything to come straight to their doorstep? (Psst! Try to get really specific.)
Every part of your messaging should target their wants, needs, frustrations, problems and language.
#2 It’s not totally clear what you’re selling.
Do you ever land on a website and you’re not exactly sure what they sell? You either leave or do more digging to figure out what the site is all about.
Customers should not have to guess what you offer. Make it instantly clear what you provide right in your headlines.
Look at the headlines on your homepage and landing page. Ask yourself: Does this immediately tell them what I offer? (If it doesn’t, fix it!)
#3 You’re not answering the “Why Buy?”
Maybe it’s clear what you offer, but the bigger question a customer always asks is, “Why should I buy this?” If you’re a service-based business, clients ask, “Why should I work with her?”
What problem does your product solve? How does it benefit them? Why should they buy this from your company right now? What kind of transformation can you give them?
The answers to these questions should be saturated throughout all your marketing writing! Answer these questions over and over again: In your Facebook ad, on your website… even in networking! Everywhere!
#4 The purchasing process is clunky.
Nothing stops a potential buyer more than a hard-to-navigate website or purchase page!
If they have to think or read too much to figure out how to buy or contact you, they’ll likely leave in seconds.
Whether they come to your site directly or come from a paid ad, every single step of the purchasing process needs to be exceptionally clear. Think about where they land and what you want them to do next.
Make the messaging easy to understand and straightforward. Place call-to-action links and buttons in several places so customers can easily go from your homepage to your product page. Streamline the whole customer experience as much as possible.
#5 They need to know more about you.
Knowing the people behind the brand is a huge purchasing factor. Customers want to learn about you, see your face and get to know you.
Adding an about page is an absolute must for every website. Share information about yourself so that customers trust you, like you and want to support you.
#6 Your messaging doesn’t follow the buying process.
Marketing writing is both a science and an art. Your messaging should not only resonate with your target audience, but it should also resonate with where they’re at in the purchasing process.
In technical terms, copywriters and marketers focus on campaign marketing funnels. Marketing funnels break down the buying process into top of funnel, middle of funnel and bottom of funnel campaigns.
Top of funnel marketing is all about branding, awareness and values of the brand. It focuses on resonating with the customer and making them more aware of what the brand is all about. The language in these ads isn’t “Buy Now,” but rather, “Learn More.” It helps customers ease into a brand.
Bottom of funnel marketing is all about compelling a customer to choose your product specifically (and preferably to buy now). It proves to clients that your product is perfect for them. The language in these ads can be more persuasive to get the point across.
Middle of funnel marketing is a happy medium between top of funnel and bottom of funnel campaigns.
#7 The service or product features don’t justify the price.
Even if your product costs less than $20, buyers will automatically try to talk themselves out of a sale. And here’s something crazier: Even “free” isn’t as compelling anymore. Usually the cost is the customer’s time, effort or attention.
So, you definitely can’t give everything away for free… and you have reasons behind your pricing... How do you justify the price of your products and services to customers?
A huge mistake is that business owners fail to show the value of their products. What impact will this product have on their lives? What do customers get with your services?
Value and price are two different things. Your messaging should always show how the value of your product far exceeds the price you’re asking for.
#8 Customer objections aren’t addressed.
Remember when I said that customers will do anything to convince themselves not to buy, even if it’s $20? They create objections and hesitations to justify not purchasing the product.
Instead of ignoring objections (or hoping they don’t think about them), address them head-on. Your marketing writing should completely take on any hesitation your customers have.
But the key is to make sure you follow every objection with a really good rebuttal! Some examples:
The objection: I don’t like the color. Rebuttal: We have 45 different colors and patterns to choose from so you’ll be sure to find a color you love!
The objection: I didn’t have success with my other nutritionist. Rebuttal: My nutrition counselling is 100% online so we can meet on your time.
#9 FAQs are missing!
This is a really easy and quick one! Add FAQs to your website or ads. FAQs do a couple different things:
Less questions and contacting you, saving you time communicating back and forth.
Great for SEO purposes.
Gets customers more comfortable making a purchase because they have more information.
Can be used to highlight really important marketing points!
How to Fix Your Marketing ASAP!
Dreading that you have to rewrite your whole website or write a targeted Facebook ad? You’re not alone!
That’s why some large and small businesses turn to marketing writing professionals. It gets done correctly and quickly so they start seeing a sales jump right away.
Who to hire?
Your best friend for marketing writing is a copywriter and/or content marketing writer (not a just a “content writer”). These professionals have specific training to target your audience, resonate with them and get them taking the call-to-action.
Where can you find copywriters and content marketing writers?
Do a quick search on Google or LinkedIn. If you want a specialized copywriter try typing in “website copywriter” or “email copywriter.” But, great copywriters will be really well-rounded to cover all your marketing needs!
About the Author
Amanda Kostro Miller, Copywriter
Amanda is a copywriter and content marketing writer from AmandaCopy.com. She helps large and small businesses boost sales and build a loyal customer base. Her specialty is digital copywriting and SEO content to connect with customers in a natural, authentic way.
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