Writing effective product descriptions is an important part of any business's marketing strategy. A well-written product description can appeal to your target audience and increase customer interest and sales.
Writing effective product descriptions:
Imagine someone’s got to your site, they’re actively looking for the product that you sell, but they’re put off by dull descriptions and they go somewhere else. You’ve lost them.
It’s for this reason that spending time on product descriptions is critical to the success of your business.
Here's some things to think about:
Know your audience
Before you start writing your product descriptions, you need to know your target audience. Who are they? What are their needs? What language do they speak? What problems do they face? What are their pain points? Understanding your audience will help you tailor your description to their specific needs and interests.
Think first about your target audience, then take it a step further… create a persona for the person you’re going to be writing it for. What’s their gender, age, where do they live? Are they married, single, do they have kids? How much money do they earn?
For example, when I wrote the copy for this spec Newsletter for JOHNSON’S® Baby, I thought about Selena, first-time mother, 28, married, seven months into her maternity leave with a couple of months left to go - and desperate to make every minute count. Thinking about Selena and what her worries and desires were helped me tailor the copy.
When you create a persona, it helps to let you imagine the exact person you’re writing to – it will make your copy resonate more. And no, Selena isn’t your only prospective client, but what you write to her will appeal to other people in your target audience.
Highlight the benefits
This is HUUUUGE. I bang on and on about benefits!
When describing your product, focus on the benefits it provides to the customer. Explain how it can solve their problems or meet their needs. Think about the problems they face and by using this product or service their problems will be solved. How will it make them feel – happier, healthier, richer, more attractive, more confident, safe, knowledgeable? THOSE are (some) of the benefits.
Then, concisely highlight the unique features of your product. It’s often effective if you do these in bullet point form.
Use persuasive language
Your product description should persuade the customer to buy your product. Use persuasive language to emphasise the benefits and features of your product. Give them great reasons to buy (back to those benefits again).
Words such as "amazing", "exclusive" and "limited edition" can create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to make a purchase.
You might want to consider very well-known formulas for writing copy, such as AIDA, ACCA or the 4 Ps.
Keep it concise
Your product description should be concise and to the point. There’s nothing worse than rambling paragraph upon paragraph of nonsense. People have short attention spans and need to know ‘what’s in it for me?’
Avoid long paragraphs and use bullet points or short sentences to make the description easier to read. Be clear and concise, and use simple language that’s easy to understand. The guidance for language is to write it to the reading level of a year 7 or 8 student.
Use high-quality images
Images enhance your product description and give customers a better understanding of your product.
Use high-quality images that showcase your product from different angles and in different contexts.
Clear white backgrounds, well-lit and the ability to zoom in are all important factors when choosing the images to use. Getting your products professionally shot is money well spent, in my opinion, and you can re-use the imagery on social and in printed materials.
Focus on SEO
Optimising your product descriptions for search engines is important if you want to reach a wider audience. Use relevant keywords in your description, but avoid stuffing your content with too many keywords as it can negatively affect your search engine rankings.
Think about the words or phrases your customers will use when they’re searching for the product to fix their problem. Incorporate these into your product descriptions.
Be honest
Honesty is key when it comes to writing product descriptions. Don't exaggerate the benefits or features of your product – it can come back to bite you. You don’t want to have disappointed customers or get negative reviews. Be honest and transparent about what your product can do and what it can't.
Include a CTA
After creating the all-important copy and taking your audience on a journey where they're convinced they want to buy your product, make it easy for them to do so.
Include a call to action ('CTA'). Make your CTA a nice clickable button, surrounded by clear white space. Start it with a verb wherever possible - BUY NOW, DOWNLOAD HERE, LEARN MORE etc.
"Tell them what you want them to do, then make it easy for them to do it."
In conclusion, writing effective product descriptions requires a combination of creativity, honesty, marketing and knowledge of your target audience. By following my tips, you can create effective product descriptions that persuade customers to buy your products, which’ll increase your profits and help your business succeed!
Like to know how much copywriting costs? Visit my pricing page. Alternatively, have a look at some of my other blog posts on how much it costs for copywriting for a website or how much press releases cost.
For more reading, check out my post on the best copywriters in Yorkshire.
If you'd like a FREE, no-obligation audit of your website, please get in touch!
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