5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
5 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

long copy for local offline business websites?

by ikuret75
3 replies
Hi,
I know there have been a lot of discussions on short copy vs long copy. Personally I use long copy for my e-books/digital products etc. and they convert well. Also though there are different opinions, I know long copy has been tested and proved work better than short copy (to a certain extent at least).

Now, I was asked to make a website for my friend for his health care clinic. I have never done anything for the local business and kind of at a loss for what to do. Most information about copywriting is for online products. I was looking at many other websites for local businesses to see what they are like.

One thing I noticed is that most local business websites don't use long copy. They have typically "home" "services, "about us" "contact us" "FAQ" etc. Some do use strong headline and subheadline etc, but never that long copy like IM products.

I wonder why it is. Is there any reason long copy is not used for local businesses (mainly I'm talking about websites for therapists, accountants, music teachers, personal coaches etc. - I understand it probably wouldn't work for a bakery)?

I can put a strong header, some sub headers, list and describe the benefits of getting the treatment, talk about the merit of choosing his clinic over others, some questions and answers, put them all into one page and make a long copy with a good flow. His clinic has only one service but if a business has more than one service they could still make a long copy for each service, but I haven't seen any like that.

Yes it might work and might not, but my question is why it is not widely used. Has it been tested?

Thanks!
#business #copy #local #long #offline #websites
  • Profile picture of the author KingOfContentMarketing
    I believe almost all businesses, local or not, would benefit from long copy. The challenge is many business owners are hard to convince of this. They want to look like every other dumb, ineffective site.

    This is true despite studies that show people prefer long pages over short, multiple pages.
    Long Copy Or Short Copy? | Michel Fortin on Copywriting, Marketing, Business, and Life

    By far the biggest problem with most sites and most copy is the business only talks about themselves.

    "XYZ Co has been the Anytown market leader in our industry since 1936. Our staff has a combined 125 years of experience in providing solutions for our valued customers. We offer comprehensive, full-service consultation, implementation and after-sales support."

    Or some crap like that.

    Whether you go long or short in copy length, simply offering benefits for every feature you describe, proving all your claims, adding clear calls to action, and offering a solid guarantee will immediately separate you from the great unwashed mass of lousy sites.

    Your client's customers will be happier, the client will make more money, you'll get referrals and repeat business and be able to buy that classic Mercedes roadster you've been eyeing for months.
    Signature
    Marketing is not a battle of products. It is a battle of perceptions.
    - Jack Trout
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6083524].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ThomasOMalley
    You can certainly test long copy for a local business website. I believe, however, that a website with navigation tabs and different sections will probably do better if the web pages have powerful copy.

    Check out Dan Furman's book, Do the Web Write, for excellent material on powerful copy for a local business website.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6086165].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Don Grace
    Offline biz owners can be very ignorant and even arrogant. First off they listen to their web designers who know nothing about increasing sales and leads.

    A few years ago I had a client paying $2500 a month for SEO (From my friend). She found out what I did for a living (Copy) and wanted her site redone. I couldn't get this chick to budge!

    Her reasoning... "All my friends say they like my site". (Are your friends buying from you?)

    She was breaking every rule in the book, wanted help, but would not listen. She wondered why her competitor was killing it... "His site is so ugly"...

    Ugly yes, be effective- hell yeah. (They both sold fancy high end golf carts like Rolls Royce etc)

    So yes, it has been tested, heck, sales in print has been around way before the net and the rules have not changed.

    My take away... choose clients with care, some are just too big of a pain in the ass!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6086297].message }}

Trending Topics