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Item: Blog post
Description: Contains information on how to write a product description for selling a product
Would you like to pay by card or bank transfer? Neither? Yeah, that’s what we figured!
Thankfully, this blog won’t cost you a cent. But if we were trying to sell it, that is not how we would do it.
Is writing product descriptions really that important?
Ah, the humble product description. Misunderstood, often underestimated, and always important.
At their core, product descriptions are supposed to help your audience better understand what your product is, what it does, and how it can be used. But there’s so much more to it!
You’ve invested in professional photos of your products. Maybe you’ve even embedded a sneaky little video of it in action for bonus points.
But here’s the reality – you’re not going to make sales if you don’t have compelling product descriptions to back it up. Simple as.
Your marketing photos show off your products in the best possible light, making them look incredibly attractive to your site visitors. And that’s great! But that can only get you so far.
Sure, you can show someone with glistening teeth smiling broadly because they’re holding your product.
That’s nice. And we’re happy for the person in the photo that they’re happy – I guess.
But does it really paint an emotional picture, so we can’t help but imagine our lives with the product in it like Matthew McConaughey inevitably getting the girl at the end of a 00s romcom?
Words create a sense of mystery and intrigue, igniting our imaginations much more than looking at a two-dimensional image. Copywriting, when used correctly, is the real superhero in bringing images to life in your audience’s mind’s eye.
When we do our products justice in our descriptions while appealing to our readers on a human level, we give ourselves a much better chance at converting online browsing into actual sales! Yay for balance!
How to write product descriptions that attract and convert the right kind of customers
Ok, now it’s time to explore our 7 simple tips to help you write great product descriptions in no time!
1. Identify target customers for your online store
Before you start writing, get to know your ideal customer so you can zero in on appealing specifically to them.
Read the room and address your target audience with the language, tone, and brand voice they best relate to (while still maintaining your identity, because that’s what makes you special!).
Using second-person pronouns and speaking directly to the reader will make your product descriptions feel more personal and engaging for potential customers – for example, “you’re feeling” or “you’ll love.”
When you understand who you’re trying to communicate with, you have a much better chance of actually reaching them with your words. Otherwise, you risk getting lost in the ether of the eCommerce multiverse (cue Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound of Silence’).
2. Highlight how your product benefits your audience
Instead of simply listing off product features, flip the script of your descriptions and focus on how your product benefits your customers.
Hear us out if this feels a little unsettling! You might be afraid you’re not conveying the details of why your product is so fantastic. But trust us, a lot of the time, that information is pretty boring to read (no offence) – especially technical details that aren’t helpful to the consumer, other than sending them to Snoreville.
Ultimately, humans are selfish beings. We’re pretty much always thinking about ourselves. For the same reason that you want to list off all the features of your product you’ve poured your soul into, your audience wants to know what’s in it for them.
Get your creative hat on and figure out how you can masterfully weave features into the product’s benefits. This way, you’re still showcasing what your product can do while showing your audience how it will improve their lives! Ta-da!
3. Identify problems your audience has that you can solve
Odds are, if someone is looking at your products online, they’re experiencing some kind of problem that has led them to your page. This is their pain point – and your opportunity to help!
Whether they’re looking to replace an item that’s just broken, or they themselves are feeling broken and in need of some retail therapy (hard relate), there’s usually a reason they’ve found themselves shopping online.
Tap into the specific pain points that brought your audience to you in the first place so you can communicate to them how your product is the solution.
If you can clarify in your description that purchasing your product will solve their problem and rid them of their woes, there’s no reason they shouldn’t click that Buy Now button.
4. Use descriptive language and get specific
What is it about your favourite song that makes you cry? Is it the turn of the melody over the changing chords, creating a sound that is both dissonant and simultaneously impossibly sweet? Sometimes, it’s as simple as a lyric that hits you right where you least expected. :’)
Using descriptive, compelling language is a really effective way to appeal to your readers’ emotions and form a bond with them on a human level, as it allows you to tap into their imagination and create a more tangible experience.
Get specific when describing the feelings brought about by your product. The more real you can make it, the more likely you are to connect with people, compelling them to purchase.
This might sound a little icky, but think about the small brands you support yourself. It’s always nice to feel a connection with them and to feel like they care – because they do!
5. Make your product descriptions easy to read
We’ll keep this point brief for effect.
Ensure your product descriptions are easy to read.
Get straight to the point of product details, use bullet points, simple language, and always include high-quality product images.
Sometimes, it’s what we don’t say that says the most. Think Hemingway’s ‘six-word story’.
6. Hit your keywords for search engines
As content writers, we’re passionate about quality writing, being creative with our content, and appealing to our readers like the humans that we all are.
But, we are writing for the big old World Wide Web, after all. So, it’s important to speak the SEO language to appease the Google overlords and boost those yummy organic search rankings.
Do your keyword research, and sprinkle in as many keywords and power words as possible without making it seem too spammy.
Odds are, you’ll naturally be hitting SEO targets for keywords anyway, so focus on the quality of your content, and the rest will fall into place.
Top tip: It’s especially important to include specific keywords in your H1s, H2s, etc., and meta titles and descriptions of product pages.
7. Include testimonials or reviews where possible
A whopping 98% of people read online product reviews before purchasing.
Especially these days, when it’s getting harder to know what sources you can trust, it’s super important to include customer testimonials and reviews of your products online as social proof.
Think about your personal online shopping habits. You likely trawl through the reviews on big eCommerce sites to make sure that novelty alarm clock you’ve been targeted with and strangely enticed by isn’t going to blow up in the middle of the night.
Testimonials and reviews are another fantastic way to humanise and legitimise your brand in an online world and gain the trust of your potential buyers.
Take the headache out of writing your eCommerce site with copywriting templates from Content Goodies
Writing online content for your eCommerce business can feel totally overwhelming if you don’t have the support of a professional copywriter.
Well, thanks to the Website Copywriting Accelerator Pack from Content Goodies, you can have the next best thing.
You’ll receive the very same website templates we use at our copywriting agency, The Content Lab – so you know they’re the best!
Demystify the process behind product description writing and crafting effective marketing copy with Content Goodies.
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