A compelling product description is crucial to the success of your eCommerce business. For those of you that don’t know, these are essential pieces of marketing copy that describes your product’s features and benefits to potential customers, persuading them to buy.
Excellent product descriptions accurately capture the essence of a product to influence purchase decisions. In other words, they can well be the back bone of your online business’s success.
Most entrepreneurs and marketers struggle with writing powerful product descriptions that can convert casual bowsers into life-long customers. They craft their copies around factual information and don’t focus on the fact that they are selling an actual product to a real person.
As a result, most product descriptions look like a block of information you are likely to find at the back of a product label.
Below, we have put together some tried-and-tested tips on how to write a product description that converts.
1. Define Your Target Audience
Before you start writing a product description, you must understand the persona of your potential buyer. Defining your target audience can help you address them directly and engage them in a conversation.
You can only create an impactful copy if you know who you’re writing for and what would compel the reader to buy your product. It is also important to remember that the features that may entice one demographic might not be valuable to the other.
Moreover, knowing your audiencecan help you select the right words and answer the right questions. It also enables you to find the perfect tone for the product.For example, you may want to inject humor into a product description for Christmas sweaters, but you can’t use the same writing style to sell medical equipment or something more serious, such as coffins.
Narrowing down the consumer characteristics can help you draft a copy that is equal parts informative and persuasive. If your product description addresses the pain points, values, interests, and frustrations of your buyers, there is a good chance they’d be willing to spend their hard-earned money on it.
2. Focus on Benefits over Features
Agreat product description must include all the information a buyer may need to make a purchase. It should tell the customer about the unique specifications of your product that set it apart from the rest and share any technical facts that may influence their decision.
However, you must also understand that the features you are excited to write about might not necessarily interest your target audience. Some of them may even find it boring.
The best way to retain customer attention and capture their interest is by explaining how the product will benefit them. Your copy should describe the advantages of a product and tell the buyer how it will reduce their pain points or enhance their quality of life.
Before you start writing a product description, list down the top features of the item you are selling and then translate them into substantial benefits. Moreover, to prevent your copy from looking like an advertisement, refrain from using superfluous words. It would be best if you also avoided using superlatives that you can’t justify.
Following this tip will help you how to write a description that converts into a sale.
3. Elicit Emotions through Storytelling
A strong product description provides the buyers with all the relevant details and impacts them emotionally.
According to a 2009 research study,holding a product in hand increases a person’s desire to buy or own it. However, since they can’t physically touch your product through their screens, your job is to paint a vivid picture that also packs an emotional punch.
If you want your product descriptions to convert, make sure your content tells a story that your potential buyers can connect with. You can set the scene by telling them who created the product and what inspired them to do so. Taking the buyers on the journey of developing the product will allow them to relate to it.
Depending on what you’re selling, a personal anecdote or an entertaining fact about the product may also increase the buyer’s interest. Nonetheless, you must make sure your words don’t come across as dishonest or insincere. On the contrary, your story should enable customers to envision the product and how it would add value to their life.
4. Make It Sound like a Real Conversation
It may be tempting to sprinkle your product description with fancy words and literary references, but doing so can potentially turn away your customers. So, if you want the buyers to connect with your product emotionally and ultimately buy it, consider adopting a natural tone and using simple words.
Ideally, a product description should sound like a conversation between friends. It should flow smoothly and have a life of its own. Instead of making sweeping statements, you should inform your buyers about the features and benefits just like you would share with a friend or a loved one. The customer should feel like you have their best interest at heart and that your words are not merely transactional.
Product descriptions that use natural language and a friendly tone can help your eCommerce business build a loyal customer base. Potential buyers are more likely to purchase if they find your copy to be honest and genuine. It would also help you stand out from the competition and make your products more memorable.
If you need help writing product descriptions that sell, please feel free to give us a call.
5. Be Mindful of Power Words
Did you know there are certain words you can include in your product description to elicit a response from your target audience?
More often than not, business owners and marketers end up using words such as “revolutionary” or “innovative”to describe a product when it is anything but that. Instead, sprinkle your copy with descriptive words and adjectives that may excite or intrigueyour prospective buyers.
For example, if you are writing a product description for a dress, you can replace the terms “pretty” and “high-quality” with “sensational”and”luxurious.”
According to David Ogilvy, here are some of the most influential words that can turn a casual reader into a buyer.
- Suddenly
- Now
- Announcing
- Introducing
- Amazing
- Sensational
- Revolutionary
- Miracle
- Magic
- Quick
- Hurry
Using these power words can take your product description to the next level.
6. Make Your Copy Easy to Scan
A great product description is easy to read and understand. Instead of explaining your product in lengthy and complex paragraphs, consider using simple sentences that get the message across.
Customers have a notoriously short attention span when it comes to making online purchases. So, the best thing you can do to keep them interested in your product is to present them with a description that they can scan. For example, you can break down product specifications into bullet points to make them more reader-friendly.
Moreover, different font sizes and lots of white space can help break the visual clutter. Your buyer shouldn’t have to sift through long pieces of writing to find valuable information. Instead, you should present it to them on a figurative silver platter. Incorporating the product’s name into the heading and using highlighted words can also impact the reader’s attention span.
If you’re struggling to create quality product descriptions at scale, our product description writing service might be what you need.
7. Optimize for Search Engines
Including specific keywords in your product descriptions can help improve your search engine optimization (SEO). This will ultimately increase your chances of ranking high on the search results page.
If you want to draft a conversion-oriented copy, make sure to do a little bit of keyword research to find out what the customers are searching for. Once you have found suitable keywords, integrate them and their variations into your content.
The SEO best practices suggest placing keywords in the page titles, Meta descriptions, and image tags. For good measure, include the main keyword at the top and bottom of your page to ensure your customers can easily find your product. It is also worth mentioning that your content should not be stuffed with keywords, as it may make your product description look unauthentic.
The goal of optimizing your product description is to help gain new customers. Adding relevant keywords will allow prospective buyers to discover your brand and learn about its values with a few simple clicks on their device.
Furthermore, adding relevant tags to product images also carries a lot of weight with search engines, which takes us to our next tip on how to write a product description that compels customers.
8. Always Use Quality Images
As the wise adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. If you want to master the art of writing excellent product descriptions, you cannot compromise on the quality of images.
As mentioned above, customers cannot physically see or touch your product. While your words can help them envision how the product may look or feel, adding a good image along with your text can actually encourage them to buy it. It is one of the essential parts of a powerful product description.
Most high-end brands hire professionals to create stunning photos and videos that capture all the best features of their products. However, spending precious resources on such services may not be feasible for new startups and small businesses. Instead of focusing too much on what your competitors are doing, divert your energy to take a few quality photos that enhance your product and effectively display its unique specifications.
As long as your image is large, clear, and in line with the overall theme of your brand, there is a good chance that it will manage to convert readers into buyers. The accompanying copy should also create imagery that entices the customer into imagining what it would be like to hold or use the product.
What a short video regarding product description importance
Our Final Thoughts
Those were our best tips on how to write a product description that compels potential customers to make a purchase.
If you are an entrepreneur or a small business owner looking to create brand awareness and improve your conversion rate, our team of content writers is ever-ready to help. To find out more about our services, contact us today.
