Three Tips to Write Copy that Converts

Direct Marketing is all about copy that converts. What is conversion? Put simply, it’s a decision. It’s creating a call to action that gets SOMEONE to do SOMETHING.

Recently, I was working with a client who’s very knowledgeable in the discipline of Search Engine Optimization or SEO. He can bring traffic to a website like nobodies’ business.

He’s analytical, he’s a great thinker and planner – oh, and he executes well too (some planners don’t….). His problem? He was driving plenty of visitors to his websites, but he wasn’t making any sales. Why? The copy on the site was not converting.

In other words, people were searching for what he was offering. Then, they were finding him because he was able to get to the top pages on google and other search engines. That’s the holy grail of SEO. Then, it all fell flat.

They got to his site, stayed less than 10 seconds, left and never came back. In comes the copywriter with her marketing consultant hat on. She creates copy that speaks directly to the problems the visitor has, but in a logical, layered way that is designed to work for the web.

Suddenly (well not so suddenly, it took a couple of months to drill down and correct existing content) visitors were coming to the site, spending minutes instead of seconds, sometimes double digit minutes and then were signing up! Either for his email list or for his dollar trial.

Bingo. What did it take? Making it crystal clear to the visitor they were in the right place. Then, making it super easy to find information they were looking for.

Here’s an example. Say your site sells lawn mowers and your USP is best prices in town. Someone arrives at the site and it says: Welcome to Dave’s Mowers – the Best Priced Mowers in Peoria. OK. I know I’m in the right place.

Now, I’m looking for an electric mower and I want to know how long it will run, how long it takes to charge it, what it costs, what it weighs, all the details.

​A great search feature lets me search the information I want, it even let’s me compare. The copy is written clearly so I get all my questions answered. I like Dave’s site. It’s easy to get around. I feel understood. Dave has answered all my questions. He knows his mowers.

I decide to go check out some other sites, see if Dave’s prices really are rock bottom. Up pops a window. Didn’t find what you want? Buy a mower in the next 30 minutes and receive a 15% discount. Great, enough time to price shop, buy here and save money.

Think about all the questioning and planning that went into creating that customer experience. It’s all done by the copywriter who gets into the head of the buyer and makes the website work. That equals conversion and that equals sales. Ultimately, it equals more work for the copywriter.

Want to learn how to write killer copy that converts prospects into buyers? Check out our intensive online course: Mastering Direct Response Copywriting.