How persuasive are your product descriptions?
Do your product descriptions persuade visitors to hit buy or add to cart button?
Or
Do they simply provide information about your products or services?
The biggest mistake most copywriters often make while writing product descriptions is that they simply describe their products/services stating some general features.
You need to sell your products through your product descriptions.
You’re probably thinking: Can you really sell your products or services through descriptions?
The answer is a big resounding ‘Yes’. What you need to do is to write compelling, seductive, persuasive product descriptions for the products or services you sell.
Here, in this article, I will share with you 5 secrets to writing unique, seductive product descriptions that will instantly boost your sales.
What is a product description?
To put it simply, product description is a piece of text that don’t just describe your product’s features but also talk about the value the product aims to add to the customer’s life, benefits and the problem it expects to solve.
BusinessDictionary provides the following definition for product description:
“Consumer’s view of a product that includes its benefits, form, presentation, price, purpose, etc.”
Product descriptions are particularly important in the e-commerce industry where your target audience cannot touch or feel your products but can only know and understand about your product through your descriptions.
Therefore product descriptions play a vital role in sales.
Fundamentals of writing product description
Writing product descriptions is easy but writing good product descriptions that have the power to captivate the visitors isn’t. It requires certain level of copywriting skills and a strong understanding of the product as well as the audience. The fundamentals of writing immaculate descriptions can be categorized into 5 Ws.- Who is your target audience? – This is one of the most important aspects of crafting compelling copy. You must know the demographic and the interests of your target audience. This will enable you to describe your products and services in a way that will connect with your community.
- What are the details of your products or services that distinguish them from the competition? The details include dimensions, attributes, and salient features.
- Where your product would be used? Are they ideal for indoors or outdoors?
- When would customers use your products? Are they meant for any particular season? Or are they suitable for all seasons?
- Why should somebody buy your products? What problems do your products solve? How do your products make consumer’s lives better and comfortable?
If your products include a gadget or any other electronic item, make sure to explain the working of the product too so as to make it easy for buyers.
A good product description is an answer to all of the above questions.
Here is a tip: Use simple words – no jargons and complex words.
Secrets to Writing Product Descriptions that Increase Sales
Product descriptions have the power to move your make or break a sale. A good description can persuade a buyer to click on ‘Buy’ button while a bad or generic one can put them off and drive them away from your product page.
With so much at stake, you simply cannot take a chance and risk it with an ordinary description.
Many businessmen take the easy route. They copy product descriptions from the manufacturer’s website and post them on their own websites after a bit of tweaking.
I strongly recommend against this as you risk Google’s penalty for duplicate content. Go the extra mile to create unique compelling product descriptions and it will be well worth the effort.
Here are the 5 secrets to crafting product descriptions that have the power to instantly boost sales:-
- Have clear, well-defined buyer personas –
A buyer persona simply means having an idea about the target audience. No marketing initiative can be successful unless you know you are marketing to.You should know your ideal customer; know about his likes, preferences and purchasing habits. What income group does he fall under? What is his profession – a college student, a professional or a housewife etc?Once you have answers to these questions, you will be in a better position to visualize their needs and therefore create descriptions to meet those needs.
- Translate features into benefits –
Say for instance, you have created an ultimate product and have explained it thoroughly in the description- you have listed all the specifications features it has.Do you think buyers will love it and buy your product?
The hard truth is they won’t!
Why? Because people are only interested in what is in it for them. Let’s take the example of Apple iPod Touch. Its product description could be written in two ways:-
It has 32 GB of storage space with 3.5 inches sharp screen for display.
Or
Store 10,000+ songs and videos in the brand new iPod Touch from Apple. Watch crystal clear videos on the 3.5 inches sharp display.
Which one do you think would be more effective for customers?
While the first one simply states the features, the second one does a fair job of conveying the benefit those features have for customers.
People buy a product not because of its advanced features but because it solves their problems and makes their lives better.
The best way to translate a feature into benefits is to apply ‘So what?’ approach. Here is an example:
This Air Conditioner offers advanced technology that lowers room temperature quickly
So what?
It will cool the room in no time.
So what?
It will create a comfortable atmosphere so you can relax!
So what?
You will be comfortable and happy
The ‘so what’ trick works for every industry.
This mobile features Gorilla Glass. So what? Your screen is scratch-resistant. So what? You will have a clear mobile screen, even after rough handling.
This laptop is lightweight. So what? It is easy-to-carry. So what? You can carry it without any discomfort.
Summing it up, product descriptions that clearly convey the benefits compel visitors to buy the products.
- This mobile has Gorilla Glass. So what? Your mobile is scratch-resistant. So what? You will have a clear mobile screen, even after rough handling.
- This laptop is lightweight. So what? It is easy-to-carry. So what? You can carry it without any discomfort.
- These cookware sets are dishwasher-safe. So what? You can wash them in your dishwasher. So what? You can easily wash these sets without any hassle.
Silvia Chindea, Online Marketing Specialist at Retargeting “We’re sure that you love your products and you are proud of their features, but your clients won’t buy them for their characteristics, but because they fit their needs and solve some of their problems”.
Needless to say, people are risk-averse. It will be great if you include some references to how your products eliminate glitches and hassles. Here is an example of the product description for Kindle Paperwhite.
This sample product description clearly translates features of Kindle Paperwhite into benefits the buyers will get.
And there is no secret that Amazon sells Kindle Paperwhite like a hot cake.
Summing it up, product descriptions that clearly convey the benefits compel visitors to buy the products.
- Match the tone of your voice with the buyer persona
“While you dazzle your customers with vivid product descriptions, mind the tone of your voice. Always remember the personality of your brand,” says Pulkit Rastogi on ILoveFashion
Of course, you don’t want to sound like a big boring corporation that doesn’t care for its customers because it enjoys monopoly in the market.
Instead, you want to leave a lasting impression of a company that cares for its customers and leaves no stone unturned to make its customers’ lives better.
This is where the tone of voice of your product descriptions plays a pivotal role.
“Be careful not to be too self-indulgent. Speak to your audience in the tone they expect” says Laura from ecommercefuel.
If your product is a person, the tone of voice of product description defines its personality.
“Be your own self in every word you write, mark your own style in every product. This will not only help you build your brand, but also differentiate your shop from all the others out there”, says Alice on Beeketing Blog.
To differentiate your product from competition, your products must have a unique personality, implying that product descriptions must have a unique tone of voice.
The wrong tone can spoil the message. This is true for product descriptions as well.
Do you still want another example to prove why the tone of voice is important in product description writing?
Everyone loves friendly, lighthearted approach.
Here is an easy tip to define the tone of voice,
Consider what you are and what you aren’t. Then, craft product descriptions. For Instance:
Our water purifier is a market leader, but not a proud big boss; and we treat each customer, small or big, with the same respect.
When it comes to choosing the right tone of voice, you should imagine that you are going to meet your buyer persona.
The tone you will use to communicate with him/her is the right tone of voice for your products.
Warping this up, product descriptions written in the right tone of voice generate more sales. And the words you use to describe your products have a profound impact on visitors’ minds.
- Write scannable product descriptions
You have written unique, engaging product descriptions based on your buyer persona, highlighting the benefits of your products.
And you have used the right tone in the product descriptions.
Do you believe visitors are going to read them all?
No, they won’t.
You will be surprised to know that people read only 16% words on the average web page.
So you should write product descriptions that are easy-to-scan. Here are some tips to make your product descriptions easy-to-skim:
Use sub-heading to lure scanners
Use bullet points to drive attention to the key points.
Use a plenty of white space to make your page a joy to read.
Write in large font to improve readability.
Making the point short, your product descriptions should be easy-to-scan and easy-to-skim.
- Optimize product descriptions for search engines –
This simply means writing descriptions keeping the end-user in mind. Use words and phrases that buyers use. That way the audience will be able to better relate with your message. Write for the audience but optimize it for search engines using relevant keywords and search terms.
Here are some quick tips for optimizing product descriptions for search engines:
Never use jargons. Use plain simple language that buyers use.
Use key phrases in headlines, sub-headings, and the body text.
Optimize product images through alt tag
A piece of advice: Always write for readers and optimize for search engines.
Why you should outsource product description service
Whether you get product descriptions written in-house or decide to outsource it, it is your personal choice. However outsourcing product description writing to an external agency offers many advantages.
The biggest benefit being that it saves both time and money. If you get it done in-house you will need good copywriters on-board which can turn out be expensive considering salaries, infrastructure etc and also selecting the right candidate and training etc can be time-consuming.
On the other hand, outsourcing to a reliable organization can save both time and money. They have experienced copywriters on board who have worked for diverse verticals and are capable of writing immaculate copies. Their turnaround time is also good.
What’s more, a reputed company will do a proper research to create the right buyer persona for your products or services and write SEO-friendly descriptions. You wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.
How to decide product description writing rates:
When it comes to deciding product description writing rates, you should do your homework a bit.
Outsourcing companies working in this domain charge differently – some charge on an hourly basis, while many go for a per-word pay model.
You should make a decision based on your needs.
Acelerar offers competitive pricing plans for product description writing service. The company provides special plans for bulk product description writing. Click here for more detail.
Dos and Don’ts in product description writing
Product description writing is a lot more than providing details of your products. So you should follow the best practices.
Dos:- Product descriptions should be written keeping a buyer persona in mind
- Product copy should be in the right tone of voice, matching the personality of a buyer persona
- Product descriptions must mention benefits along with the features of the items
- Product descriptions must be written in a scannable format
- Product copy should sell the products instead of only providing the details of the items
- Use jargons, long phrases.
- Be too formal in your tone while writing.
- Give too much emphasis on SEO aspect and ignore readers.
- Skip proofreading the content before posting online.
- Not checking readability.
Conclusion:
Product descriptions can make or break sales. Whether you are getting them written in-house or you are outsourcing them, you should make sure that product descriptions have been written for your buyer persona in the scannable format using the right tone of voice.
Product descriptions based on the 5Ws convince more visitors to buy your products.
And never forget to optimize product descriptions for search engines.
If you keep all these pointers in the mind, your product description will certainly boost your sale.
What about you ?
What secret do you want to reveal to write immaculate product copy?
Do share your thought in the comment section. I’d love to hear about it.
