The First Step to Better Website Copy Part 2: Understanding Your Product or Service
Know your product or service inside out to uncover the big benefits that sell.
There’s a lot to think about when writing your small business’s website copy. One of the big questions is where to start? Firstly, knowing what you offer and your target audience is essential.
I already covered learning about your target audience in a previous post. Let's turn our attention to your product or service.
All the copywriting tips In the world won’t help you if you don’t know your product or service inside out.
If you struggle to engage your audience it could be that your copy lacks power. Why does it lack power? Because you don’t know enough about your subject to write compellingly.
Compelling copy is specific. It outlines what you do, who you do it for to stop the right customers in their tracks.
If you haven’t taken the time to become an expert on your product or service it will show in vague copy that misses the mark.
When it comes to successful copywriting - you can’t ‘phone it in.’
It’s like when you were at school and you didn’t bother to read the book. A cursory glance through the York notes didn’t help you write that A+ essay. You’d be lucky to get a D minus.
To craft amazing copy you have to know your subject inside out.
So, don’t be lazy.
About 60% of your work as a copywriter should be research. This is why you must first take a considered and in-depth look at your product or service before jotting down a word.
A bit of thought upfront helps you know what’s important so that you can craft an offer that appeals to the right audience, draws them in and compels them to act.
Get Back to Basics
If you run a business or provide a service, you will be immersed in it. You probably think you know everything there is to know.
But, do you?
Are you so familiar with your product or service that there are aspects of it you take for granted?
Maybe.
Start by going through the obvious features of your product or service as if you were looking at them for the first time.
I took a salsa dancing class once. The teacher said that it was important for experienced dancers to join in with the beginners' class.
Why?
Because it’s more difficult to lead a beginner than a more experienced dancer. It helps you improve and clean up your technique to dance with a beginner.
Experienced, confident copywriters write copy that’s a pleasure to follow
Think of your prospect at the start of the sales cycle. They want someone to show them the way. They need compelling copy that leads them to a clear solution.
The better your copywriting, the more success you will have attracting them.
Perhaps you’re not totally on board with the dancing analogy. My point is also this: no one likes to humble themselves by going back to basics. But it can help you grow.
Imagine what it was like when you were a beginner in your business.
Take a look at your product or service and identify what it is and what it does.
How does it function? What’s obvious to you about your product or service is not always obvious to your customer.
Look at the features through your customer’s eyes. Get over yourself. Stop assuming you know everything about your product or service. You might learn something.
If you sell a physical product - there will be more concrete aspects to consider. Use your five senses. Note (where relevant) shape, size, smell, texture, weight, colour, aesthetics etc.
The features of a service will be more abstract. You need to think about how the service is delivered, by whom, where, how long it takes. Is there an initial consultation? What sort of follow up customer care is available?
Sometimes it takes sitting down and going through these points to clarify them. It can also help highlight what's important to your customer.
Taking your audience into consideration
Ask yourself:
What is your product or service going to do for your target audience?
Why would they want it?
Why should they choose you over their competitors?
Why is getting your product better than doing nothing?
Use the insight gleaned from your customer research.
What have they said it does for them?
What surprises them about your product or service?
Take the time to uncover this information. You should almost reach a saturation point of expertise that no one else could surpass. A natural phenomenon may occur - you suddenly burst with ideas.
It’s so exciting once you get writing!
You don't need to mention any of these details in your copy. Having that depth of knowledge will enhance your creativity. You'll be able to generate winning concepts that your lazier competitors would never dream of.
The features of your product or service are naturally not what you’ll write about exactly. Use this foundation to figure out the big benefits of your product or service.
It’s like building a house. You want a solid base on which to build. No one sees it, but the fact it's there keeps everything else upright.
Nothing is wasted
That’s why I ask clients to tell me everything they can about their service or product. Sometimes the most mundane feature can illuminate a unique selling point. Knowing as much as possible can subtly inform great copy in a way that’s hard to define.
You may not need to go into such great depth every single time. You are the expert on your business, after all. But if you are stuck when it comes to writing, it could be that you need more input to make your copy more meaningful.
Joe Sugarman says in The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: “You need to become an expert on a product, service or anything you write about to be really effective.”
Study your product or service. List the features. Combine your findings with your customer research to get to the point where you can write with authority on your subject to your market.
Then you can dig out your copywriting templates and easily write copy that converts.
Need great copy, but don’t have time to do it yourself? We can help.