Revealed - The 2 Most Powerful Words of a Website Copywriter

webcontentwriter · 05-09-2011, 08:28 AM

For those who don’t employ a website copywriter, here’s a little helping hand. There are two little words that can have a dramatic impact when inserted into your website copy. This article discusses the power of the words you and free to make your website copywriting work.

You

The most important website copywriter rule is to write for your audience. Who are your readers? What do they want to read about? What will appeal to them? The language you use must reflect this too. You need to speak directly to your audience as if you were sat right in front of them.
The use of the word you throughout your copy means the focus is about them-your customer. Using business/company orientated copy is a common mistake. No-one cares whether you’re the largest, most established, most innovative company in your field. However, they do care about what you can do for them. You must answer WIIFM and you must do it straight away:

“We are the largest online footwear retailer.” – Great, so what?

“Our huge range of stocked footwear means we can guarantee you beautiful shoes in your size.” – Great, looks like this store will have just what I need.

Using the word you will also help you focus on the benefits of a product or service rather the features:

“This lawn mower has a powerful, high spec motor.” – Ok, so what?

“The lawn mowers powerful motor means you’ll be able to mow your lawn in a fraction of the time.” – That means I have more time to do what I want at the weekend, where do I find out more?

A good website copywriter will focus on the reader. Use you to your advantage! Use you and your in your headline, opening line and as often as possible from thereafter.

Free

This one doesn’t need much explanation. The power of the word free has been proven time and time again.

A very interesting demonstration of the magnetism of free can be found in a promotion by Amazon. They launched a special offer; free delivery when you make a second purchase and enjoyed huge leaps in sales in every country apart from France. The Amazon marketing team investigated, thinking perhaps the French were rational enough not to be swayed into buying a second book. However, they found that the program had been slightly altered in France. Instead of free delivery, the offer in France charged a mere twenty cents. From a monetary perspective, the two offers are almost indistinguishable. But the 20 cents offer did not perform. Incidentally, France then adopted the free delivery offer and saw the same sales leap.

We are programmed to seek value for money; no-one can resist a freebie. As the Amazon example suggests, free seems to speak to us on a subconscious level. Use it where you can in your website copywriting and unleash its magic.

If you don’t currently offer anything free, you’re missing out. Here are some suggestions:

FREE - trial, subscription, E-Book, brochure, download, delivery, video, training course, consultation, advice, gift, sample.

If you already offer something free then be sure to tell your web users all about it. Sounds simple but it’s surprising how many sites for example bury their free delivery offers on FAQ or terms pages. Use the power of free throughout your website copywriting to entice your customers.

A website copywriter can help you to significantly improve your site conversions. For further reading, have a look at this article on how to make your online brand more memorable.

05-09-2011, 08:28 AM	#1
webcontentwriter Heather Griffiths War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: UK Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	Revealed - The 2 Most Powerful Words of a Website Copywriter For those who don’t employ a website copywriter, here’s a little helping hand. There are two little words that can have a dramatic impact when inserted into your website copy. This article discusses the power of the words you and free to make your website copywriting work. You The most important website copywriter rule is to write for your audience. Who are your readers? What do they want to read about? What will appeal to them? The language you use must reflect this too. You need to speak directly to your audience as if you were sat right in front of them. The use of the word *you* throughout your copy means the focus is about them-your customer. Using business/company orientated copy is a common mistake. No-one cares whether you’re the largest, most established, most innovative company in your field. However, they do care about what you can do for them. You must answer WIIFM and you must do it straight away: “We are the largest online footwear retailer.” – Great, so what? “Our huge range of stocked footwear means we can guarantee you beautiful shoes in your size.” – Great, looks like this store will have just what I need. Using the word you will also help you focus on the benefits of a product or service rather the features: “This lawn mower has a powerful, high spec motor.” – Ok, so what? “The lawn mowers powerful motor means you’ll be able to mow your lawn in a fraction of the time.” – That means I have more time to do what I want at the weekend, where do I find out more? A good website copywriter will focus on the reader. Use you to your advantage! Use you and your in your headline, opening line and as often as possible from thereafter. Free This one doesn’t need much explanation. The power of the word free has been proven time and time again. A very interesting demonstration of the magnetism of free can be found in a promotion by Amazon. They launched a special offer; free delivery when you make a second purchase and enjoyed huge leaps in sales in every country apart from France. The Amazon marketing team investigated, thinking perhaps the French were rational enough not to be swayed into buying a second book. However, they found that the program had been slightly altered in France. Instead of free delivery, the offer in France charged a mere twenty cents. From a monetary perspective, the two offers are almost indistinguishable. But the 20 cents offer did not perform. Incidentally, France then adopted the free delivery offer and saw the same sales leap. We are programmed to seek value for money; no-one can resist a freebie. As the Amazon example suggests, free seems to speak to us on a subconscious level. Use it where you can in your website copywriting and unleash its magic. If you don’t currently offer anything free, you’re missing out. Here are some suggestions: FREE - trial, subscription, E-Book, brochure, download, delivery, video, training course, consultation, advice, gift, sample. If you already offer something free then be sure to tell your web users all about it. Sounds simple but it’s surprising how many sites for example bury their free delivery offers on FAQ or terms pages. Use the power of free throughout your website copywriting to entice your customers. A website copywriter can help you to significantly improve your site conversions. For further reading, have a look at this article on how to make your online brand more memorable.