Copyright 2006 John Navata

You wouldn’t believe how many web sites don’t ask for the sale! After all the work people put into their salescopy, describing the benefits of their product, and leading people through their sales process, they overlook one simple but VERY IMPORTANT “call to action”: “Click here now to buy.”

And that oversight could be losing them 20% of their potential sales!

If you want people to take action on your site (buy, subscribe, fill out a request for more info, etc.), you need to have a call to action that tells them exactly what you want them to do. For example, if you want them to click on a link to learn more about one of your products, you have to include a link that says something like, “Click here to see how the Gadget Widget can save you hours of work!!”

And if you want your visitors to make a purchase (and of course, you do!) you should include a link that says something like, “Click here to get your own incredible time-saving Gadget Widget!”

You might think it’s obvious that you want people to make a purchase — especially if you’ve written a great sales pitch that explains how incredible your product is. But no matter how convincing your salescopy is, if you don’t provide your potential customers with a very specific call to action, then you’re just leaving them hanging — and most of them are going to leave your site and never return, costing you big money in sales AND future leads.

Remember the “ABC” of selling: Always Be Closing. People need to be told what to do. If you want them to make a purchase, you have to ask for the sale.

And if you have a short-copy or catalog-style site, don’t make the mistake of asking for the sale just once! You have to give your visitors lots of opportunities to buy your product or service. All of your web pages should include multiple links to your order form or shopping cart, as well as urgency-building action phrases like…

“Buy today!” “Limited time offer — get yours now!” “What are you waiting for? Click this link to order your own… ” “Get started today… just click here!” “YES! I want to order now… ” (Remember, salesletters are the one exception to this rule. With these types of sales web sites, you usually want to include a single call to action at the end of your letter — once you’ve built a killer case for your product, complete with tons of benefits!)

One more thing: You’ve got to leave all references to “buying” out of the top fold of your web site. That’s the part of your web page that appears on the computer screen when someone first arrives at your site. If you mention buying there, people won’t have enough time to learn WHY they should purchase your product, and will probably think you’re just out for their money. You want your potential customers to learn about the benefits of your product before you ask for the sale.

Asking for the sale is simple, but the impact it can have on your bottom line is huge. By adding a simple call to action, you make it easy for your visitors to understand what they’re supposed to do. And once they know they’re supposed to buy something from you, they will — and your profits will go shooting through the roof!

In part 1 of this series (seen here: http://www.marketingwords.com/articles/articles_subtlechanges.html), we were introduced to Kneelsit.com, an Australian manufacturer of ergonomic computer chairs who was in search of a high conversion rate. After spotting several trouble areas within Kneelsit’s original copy (viewable here: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/kneelsit-home-original.html), I set out to rewrite the home page with specific goals in mind.

The Rewrite

I really felt for the users of these chairs. They had back problems and medical issues, trying desperately to find relief. I can only imagine how it must feel to sit in pain all day, every day. And, after seeing so many false claims for other chairs, I could understand how they might be skeptical. So, after reading the new home page copy, I wanted the site visitors to have confidence, to see the difference in the Kneelsit chair and to understand the benefits this chair would offer.

Of course, those in chronic pain were not the only visitors to the Kneelsit site. While they were the primary segment, the audience also consisted of those with mild back pain, those with inconsistent problems or simple fatigue, and those who simply wanted a comfortable chair that wouldn’t contribute to any future back problems. The copy also needed to meet their needs and provide the information they were seeking.

You can see the revised copy here: http://www.copywritingcourse.com/kneelsit-home-new.pdf.

The Headline

The original headline did, in fact, list benefits. It stated:

Superb Comfort, Perfect Posture, Gentle Movement, Natural Balance

However, only one of those benefits spoke to audience members… Superb Comfort. While posture may have been a secondary thought, gentle movement and natural balance didn’t strike a chord simply because of a lack of knowledge. As it happens, these two benefits are important, but the general population doesn’t understand what they mean. It would require educating the site visitors about these two before they would grasp their full meaning. That education couldn’t take place within the headline (not enough room!), so those two benefits needed to be removed.

The headline needed to evoke feelings of trust for the skeptical and a sense of stability for the hesitant. It also needed to provide an obvious benefit – one that would catch the reader’s attention.

Also, because it made sense to do so, I included one keyphrase in the headline. The new headline read:

Ergonomic Chair Design Based On Years Of Research Lets You
Sit For Hours With No Back Pain

The Opening Paragraph

The original copy started out just fine by naming some important benefits, but it didn’t back them up. After pointing out the relief of stress and pain, it went directly into an explanation about the chair’s patent.

The new copy took a cleaner path. It started by pointing out that others (users and professionals) liked the chair, and then it proceeded (in the next section) to explain why.

The original copy tried to educate readers about the importance of continuous movement and natural balance. There is nothing wrong with educating your customers; however, you need to give ample space to do that. Because the visitors had limited information about these two benefits on the home page, they may have been confused or – at the least – unpersuaded.

The new copy held firm on one feature: the swivel axel mechanism. It explained how this helped with customization of settings to fit every body type and more. With minimal education needed, the customer was able to understand that this one, patented feature offered multiple benefits.

Rather than simply listing shipping details for the close of the copy, the new version of the home page pointed out some additional benefits pertaining to quality and stylishness.

As I wrote, I looked for places to use the keyphrases chosen for this page. This was absolutely not a numbers game. My goal was not to use the keyphrases as often as I possibly could. That approach is not SEO copywriting, in my book.

Basing your copywriting strategy simply on the sheer volume of times you can include keyphrases makes the copy sound forced and ridiculous. In fact, on this home page, the keyphrases were only used a total of four or five times. Yet, to the amazement of some, the home page ranks in the top 10 (and often top five) for its chosen key terms.

The Results

Did it work? Did the changes bring out the results we wanted? They sure did! When asked about improved conversions, the owner of Kneelsit.com had this to say, “Our conversion rate has definitely improved since the rewrite… probably by around 35-40%!”

Sometimes, even though you may have included important information in your copy, it just doesn’t do what you hoped it would. Take the time to explore, experiment and test. Replace a headline. Rephrase a paragraph. Subtle changes can often make noticeable improvements in conversions and other areas of business.

You study your website stats and see the amount of traffic coming through. Nice numbers. But when you compare your traffic against your sales, what do you get? A small fraction of 1%? Wouldn’t you love to see those conversions grow? But how can you get them to buy?

The secret isn’t some magic trick or tool. But your Internet marketing is just shooting into the dark if you don’t know the needs that lead people to buy and how to focus your copywriting to tap those needs.

Two main needs drive all people no matter what the demographic: 1) a desire to expand their world and become more than what they are, and 2) a desire for safety. These needs conflict: the desire to grow leads us to head out into the unknown; self-protection leads us to circle the wagons and dig in against unknown dangers.

Each person strikes their own balance between these two contradictory needs. Understanding the way that different personality types balance these needs is the key to effective copywriting for them.

Methodical Personality Type

The methodical personality type balances strongly toward safety. They need facts, lots of details, to assure themselves that they are making the safest, most logical choice. Make no mistake, methodical personality types decide to buy based on their emotions like everyone else, but they feel a need to back up their desire to buy with sound intellectual arguments.

To get them to buy, your copywriting needs to help them narrow their choices. Avoid giving them too many options. They easily get lost trying to find the best option among a series of equals.

One option to offer, though, is between your plain product at a cheaper price or a more expensive price with lots of additional features. Methodical thinkers are much more likely to choose the more expensive version because it reinforces their image of being a wise shopper. And it changes their decision from deciding between buying or not buying into deciding between buying a more valuable deal or a less expensive offer. But either way, their decision gives you a sale.

Give them solid reasons to buy and buy now. Lead them through your sales process in an easy and non-threatening way. Give them the details they need to make themselves feel that they made a rational decision. They want their purchases to be well-reasoned and risk-free, and want to see themselves as smart shoppers.

Competitive Personality Type

The competitive personality type is less averse to risk, but still needs to feel that their purchase reaffirms the way they see themselves. They, too, consider facts in making their purchase, but rely more on gut feelings of how well the purchase puts them ahead of where they were.

The key to copywriting for this personality type is to recognize their need to see the way they define themselves reflected in what they buy. Recognize what types of self-images your product reflects and sprinkle your sales copy with words and phrases that help your competitive types see your product reinforce their self-image.

Cast a wide enough net in fitting your product’s image to theirs, but don’t try to cover every possible self image or you’ll get too generic to appeal to any of them.

Gregarious Personality Type

The gregarious personality type seeks to feel connected to those around them. They are more willing to trust, more willing to venture into the unknown, but are hesitant to assume the full risk until others have proven that the path is safe. They respond especially well to copywriting that shows how your product has benefited others.

Catch their attention by talking about positive results that others have experienced. Testimonials of satisfied customers or pictures that show happy people enjoying your product also are important. Make sure your copywriting provides them with evidence that others have found your product worthwhile. They’ll feel more comfortable taking their own risk with it.

Spontaneous Personality Type

The spontaneous personality type is the most open to exploration. They are the trend-setters, the early adopters, who blaze the trail for everyone else. They will take risks. But not unless you offer to fill the chief need for something better, something that will let them to grow beyond what they are.

Surprise them. Intrigue them with the unexpected and they’ll make that leap of faith with you. Present them with the boring old status quo approach and they’ll move on to something more intriguing.

Understanding what drives these four different types of customers is essential to copywriting effectively for them. In copywriting, as in clothing, one size most definitely does not fit all.