Ambal Balakrishnan has done us a great service by collecting the thoughts of several experts on the subject above, then posting the collection in ClickInsights. His experts: Michael Stelzner, Stephanie Tilton, Cindy King, Michele Linn, Jonathan Kranz. We’ve picked out a “top nine” here; for the rest – plus more depth – just click on over:
- Failing to incent the prospect to read on. Within seconds, you need to grab your readers’ attention and explain what’s in it for them. (Tilton, Linn)
- Leading with the product pitch; or focusing on your product vs. the offer. Start off building affinity with readers, by talking about problems and trends they care about; this draws people into your work and allows you to eventually make your pitch. But remember, your sole objective is to encourage a response to your offer. (Stelzner, Tilton, Linn)
- Not targeting the right stage in the sales process. Is your reader simply in the awareness/research phase? Does (s)he need motivation to make a decision? Is he comfortable with his decision? If you target the wrong stage, your copywriting will not work. (King)
- Lack of focus. When all stakeholders insist on loading their messages into your lead generation piece, the result is a camel that should never see the light of day. A lead generation piece has one goal: to get readers to accept your offer. It is not the place to expand your brand, share your mission or articulate your values. (Kranz)
- Assuming they’re just like you. Always ask yourself, “is this phrase (tem, jargon, buzzword) something the reader will understand?” If not, kill it. (Stelzner, Linn)
- Verbose or dense copy. Pacify the skimmer by using short sentences, bolding, subheads, bullets, etc. (Stelzner, Tilton)
- Asking for too much registration information. The more fields you ask readers to complete before serving your offer, the fewer conversions you’ll get. Ask only for the bare minimum. (Linn)
- Omitting a clear and compelling call to action. Vague calls to action don’t get the desired result. Instead, present a benefit-oriented offer sure to spur a response. (Tilton, Linn, Kranz)
- No offer. You can survive just about any other mistake, but this one is lethal. No, “For more information,” or “To learn more,” are not offers. A discount, a demo, a free trial, an e-book, free shipping – these are offers. Be sure you have one. (Kranz)
Thanks for the tips. I’m about to launch a web promotion to drive traffic and this is a good checklist.
Since we are discussing good copy, let me add one more item to your list: Using language that makes us stumble. “Incent” is not a real word; it’s a hack of incentivize. “Motivate” is the right word.
These are great tips, thank you! The phrase “simple is hard” really rings true when writing great B2B copy. I think the “lack of focus” tip is a great one. Its easy to sit around and think of all the things your company/service can do (we make two way text messaging software for businesses), but explaining it in a way that is easy to understand is a challenge. Thanks again!
@Noel A great way to make sure your audience understands your subject is to frame it with something you know they’re familiar with – their problems. Call out a problem you know they have (because if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be on your site), and describe how your software fixes that problem for them. Always frame it as “here’s how we can help you,” not “here’s why our solution is great.”
Beyond just making clear what it is you have to offer, you’re also letting them know that you understand the issues they face, which goes a long way toward them trusting you as a service provider.