Writing eCommerce Sales Copy: Essential Steps

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The e-commerce copy is somewhat of a restless online sales agent. It is designed to sell your products 24/7. Your copy never sleeps, takes pauses, or vacations. It has only one mission and goal – to sell.

When you grasp the power of e-commerce sales copy, that’s when you’ll understand the importance of effective writing. How you compose that content that sells can determine your sales, growth, and revenue. 

The pressure that copywriting puts on its creators can make this process seem challenging. That’s why we decided to break it down. 

If you want to write a powerful, engaging, and converting e-commerce sales copy, follow these essential steps.

Aim at Simplicity

Sales copy needs to attract and inform fast. If you use complex words, jargon, and technical terminology, you’ll slow down the consumers’ assessment. And you don’t want that.

Your copy will have a higher chance of converting if you keep it simple. What keeping it simple refers to is:

  • Use everyday words
  • Write in short sentences
  • Use fewer syllables in each word

The goal is to earn your copy a Flesch reading ease score (FRES) between 60 and 70. The easy reading level will make your copy digestible and suitable for a wide audience.

Adjust Your Brand Voice to Target Customers

Unique brand voice has become a necessity in branding. How else can you stand out among tons of other brand copies?

The key to defining a brand voice that makes a difference is adjusting it to your target customers. Your copy needs to resonate with the people who’ll read it.

To find your unique brand voice, you must research your audience. Go to social media platforms, relevant forums, and interactive sites like Quora. Dig out topics that matter to your target audience within your niche. Then, start paying attention to how they write, what lingo they use, and what tone of voice they go for.

If you write like them (with a dose of professionalism), they will trust you more. Why? Because you’ll seem like one of them. Finding a brand that can get inside your mind and understand you is a rarity. So be one of those rare and precious brands. 

Appeal to Customers’ Emotions

If you provoke an emotional response in a reader, you’ve done it! You’ve got yourself an effective sales copy.

People make quicker purchasing decisions when led by emotions, not logic. Therefore, inspiring positive emotions like trust, excitement, or joy will get customers eager to pull their wallets out.

To get the desired effect and evoke emotions, you can do the following:

  • Decide which emotion you want to target
  • Use emotional trigger words
  • Write motivational copy to provoke self-confidence.
  • Promote closeness by referring directly to customers
  • Inspire trust with certificates, awards, and social proof

Leverage Storytelling

Stories have always compelled people. They have the ability to draw people in and paint a picture of a different world. You can use the impact of stories to your advantage. Employ them in copywriting.

According to Uri Hasson, a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Princeton, “By simply telling a story [a person] could plant ideas, thoughts, and emotions into the listener’s brain.” In this case, the idea you want to plant is that customers should trust you.

To build trust and establish a connection, you can tell stories about:

  • Your brand (share the ups and downs, how you got the idea for the product, your aspirations, challenges, etc.)
  • Your employees (you can do this on the “Our Team” page or “About Us” page)
  • Your products (bring your product descriptions to life)
  • What makes your company different (wrap your unique selling proposition in a story)

Don’t worry if you aren’t a natural storyteller. Many aren’t. However, you can always hire a freelance writer or academic writer/editor to help you out. Academic writing services can be more affordable, so you can check out this Ultius review to assess their potential.

Make It All About Customers

For whom is this copy intended? The customers, of course. Consequently, it would be best if you focused your copywriting on them.

Let your sales copy revolve around customers. Emphasize on:

  • What customers’ problems does the product solve?
  • How can the product change the customer’s life?
  • How will the customer benefit from using the product?

Instead of talking about how amazing your brand is, propose this question to yourself: Why should they care?

Additionally, try to limit the words “we,” “our company,” “us,” and adopt a more customer-centric writing approach with “you” and “your.”

Build Credibility with Numbers

Numbers are trustworthy. They turn bland sentences into proof. You won’t be convincing with vague statements like “we have many clients.” But if you write “trusted by over 10,000 clients,” the customers will want to know what you’ve got to offer.

To enhance your credibility, you want to turn to numbers. Slipping a statistic here and there will give customers that nudge in the right direction. Their hesitation can be dispersed if you strategically add proof of your effectiveness.

So, does your time-management software improve productivity? Write by how much. Do you take pride in your numerous satisfied customers? State by how many. When you make a claim that can be verified with numbers, please do it.

Anticipate and Address Objections

Think about what can prevent the customer from buying your product. For example, they might think that the price is too high. Or that the product isn’t durable. Whatever the potential objections may be, you want to address them in the copy.

If you eliminate customers’ objections, nothing can stop them from making a purchase. They won’t have to read endless reviews to find an answer or contact your customer service. Instead, the copy will beat them to the punch and handle the reassurance.

For example, if the customers might find your product overpriced, explain why the price is higher. It can be that you use more resistant and expensive materials. Rebut every potential objection with solid reasoning. 

Provide Guidance with CTAs

The customer has read the copy. Now what? The solution lies in a call-to-action (CTA).

Use CTAs to direct customers.  Tell them what their next step should be. Whether that’s to check out reviews you’ve mentioned or a new collection you’ve been raving about. Follow it up with a CTA button.

Your CTAs should be clear and direct. With active language and a friendly tone, encourage customers to take the next step. Place the CTA at the end of the copy and ensure that customers are on their way to making a sale.

Wrapping Up

Hopefully, these steps will make copywriting less intimidating for you. With these essential writing tips, you can craft amazing copy that will scale up your e-commerce store. 

Just make sure that you take every step with your audience in mind. As long as you use their preferences as guidance, you’ll stay on the right path to conversions.

Writing eCommerce Sales Copy: Essential Steps

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