Good Copy, Bad Copy
Yawn. Sorry, I've just been researching for this blog post. Ah, the delightful world of business writing. It's a bit like Mills and Boon - you already know what you're going to get and you don't believe a word of it. Customer focussed; seamless end to end solutions; blah, blah, blah. I worked in customer service for many years and can confirm that the last thing anybody wants is for the phone to ring. As for seamless solutions, things fall apart without seams. Yes, business writing is boring, which is why most people don't read it. It's fine for stuff like "the small print" the "terms and conditions" or the "contact us" section - all the bits you don't really want people to read. But when it comes to persuading them to buy in first place, especially online, then you need them to read and respond
Yawn. Sorry, I've just been researching for this blog post. Ah, the delightful world of business writing. It's a bit like Mills and Boon - you already know what you're going to get and you don't believe a word of it. Customer focussed; seamless end to end solutions; blah, blah, blah. I worked in customer service for many years and can confirm that the last thing anybody wants is for the phone to ring. As for seamless solutions, things fall apart without seams. Yes, business writing is boring, which is why most people don't read it. It's fine for stuff like "the small print" the "terms and conditions" or the "contact us" section - all the bits you don't really want people to read. But when it comes to persuading them to buy in first place, especially online, then you need them to read and respond.
The power of words
Googling such time worn phrases as 'at affordable prices' gets you hundreds of thousands of results - ranging from banking organisations to companies that assist you in sourcing ladies (or gentlemen) of negotiable virtue. If you're using this kind of language in your sales material, then you are not likely to stand out from the crowd. But in today's technology driven world do words really matter? Oh yes. A great logo, a nice design or a great video - yes they all grab people's attention. But words are where you really make connections. Be it on your website, in emails or newsletters. Even those catchy videos need a script. Using the same words as everybody else doesn't exactly make you stand out from the crowd. The internet is faceless enough without using the business speak that kills business. At one time business writing was confined to the occasional annoying sales letter or flyer, a bit of blurb in the form of an advertorial in the local rag and not much more. Today, with the internet never more than a wireless network away - and soon to be implanted into peoples' brains - business writing is everywhere. Most of it, sadly, remains unreadable.
Don't be afraid
There are exceptions. While researching for this post I found one site which doesn't offer customer service, don't have a contact number and just don't do returns! Did they make claims about seamless customer servicing (as it were)? No; they were perfectly honest about it. In terms of their (non-existent) returns policy they stated "If we still haven't dissuaded you, email with your order number..." - you can't get much more honest than that. Despite the fact that many online businesses don't have much in the way of returns policy, they tend not to crow about it. This one site stands out because they do. They also immediately gain trust.
Spot who's on the ball
So finally I should back this up with some evidence, so here is a fully interactive experiment for you:
- Type 'leather bags' into your search engine of choice.
- Read the copy on the first five sales sites. Safety advice - have an espresso and/or stimulant of choice to hand.
- Visit Saddlebackleather.com and have a read around the site.
Spotted the difference? You might love the copy on the site I've used as an example in this experiment, or you might hate it. Chances are you'll do one or the other. You'll respond. The copy on Saddleback has humour, passion about the product and is above all readable. The trick to getting the copy right on your site is in understanding that if you want unique visitors - you'll need to be unique.
Guest post by: Good website content NEEDS to be written by the best wordsmiths you can find. There is a small SEO copywriting team that needs no introduction.
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