How to Craft High-Converting Descriptions for Your Brand
Have you noticed friction between your product pages and checkout? It could be your product descriptions…
I know, I know, you might be thinking…
What do you mean? Isn't it just a page to put down the features, specs, and price of my product?
Yes, but there's a little lot more to it than that.
According to Convertcart.com, 87% of customers think product content is the most important factor when deciding to purchase an item online. And that same percentage of customers are unlikely to make a repeat purchase if they don't see accurate product descriptions.
Makes you think right?
Take shopping in-store vs online.
When shopping for a clothing item in a store, you can feel the weight of the material. You can see the stitching. You're able to use all of your senses to decide on purchasing that item or not.
But, when you're shopping for a clothing item online, you're only going off what you see—making the pictures and descriptions the only things that will make or break the sale.
You have to give your audience a reason to buy, and it will take more than just a few specs, prices, and features for them to click the add to cart button.
Ready to take your product descriptions from "eh" to "ooohhhh"?
And have your customer saying:
Let's get into it.
Do a Deep Dive Into Your Audience
Before you even start typing, you need to really understand who you're speaking to. It's not just about age or location but diving deep into what drives your customers. What are their desires? What keeps them up at night? What makes them tick? When you know this information, it's easier to craft a description that will speak to their soul.
Stir Emotions With Words
Shopping is as much about emotion as it is about need. Use power words in your descriptions to evoke feelings that will make the reader feel an irresistible pull towards your product. Describe how their life will improve with your product in hand, making them feel like they've been missing out until now.
Use Your Brand Voice
Using your brand voice throughout all of your marketing assets is critical. So, be sure you don't skip out on it while writing your product descriptions. One way of doing this is through storytelling. Which is sharing the facts and emotions your brand evokes. There are so many brands that have done this successfully: Tiffany and Co, Hermes, Jan Leslie, Nike, and even Hoka. See the product description for one of their shoes below:
Converse, Don't Announce
This isn't the time to be formal. When writing your product descriptions, write like you're talking directly to your reader, using "you" to make your message feel personal and direct. By doing this, you're letting your customer build a connection with your brand that will go beyond a simple transaction.
See an example below:
Show Benefits, Not Just Features
This one is HUGE. Every feature you describe should tie directly back to a tangible benefit. Don't just tell your customers what the product does or what it comes with. Tell them what's in it for them.
See the difference between these two examples:
Example 1 lists off the features of this product, not telling us what's in it for us.
Example 1
While example 2 gives us both the features and benefits of the product:
Create a Sense of Urgency
Encourage immediate purchases with phrases that imply scarcity or limited time. Use phrases like "snag yours before they're gone" to add urgency without being pushy.
Future Pacing
Future pacing is a marketing tactic that allows your customers to see what their lives will be like using your product. You can use this tactic by creating emotion like excitement or F.O.M.O. - showing them what their life will be like with the product, how to use the product, or my favorite- where to wear the product.
See an example of future pacing below:
Keep it Skimmable
Structure your descriptions so it's easy for online shoppers to scan. Use bullet points, bold text, and clear headings to highlight key benefits and features, making the path to purchase as smooth as possible. I love Nike's product description for their Air Max 90 Ultras. They did a great job at utilizing bullet points and keeping the features and benefits short and sweet.
See below:
Don't forget the Keywords
Whether used in the title or throughout the description, ensure you're using keywords that will help lead customers to your site. Just be sure that they fit naturally into your text so your descriptions are easy to read and engaging for a human audience.
Social Proof
The best way to get people to buy your product is to see that other people did. Some examples of social proof are: comments, customer reviews, seller ratings, and mentions from mainstream newspapers and industry magazines. See an example below:
To implement this I recommend using a company like Shopper Approved.
And lastly…
Test, Learn, Repeat
The market evolves, and so should your descriptions. Make it a habit to regularly test different styles and formats to see what resonates best with your audience, then refine based on your findings. As you can see, writing high-converting product descriptions is more about connecting with your audience on a human level than just presenting a list of product features.
Need help writing product descriptions for your brand? Click the link below to schedule some time for us to discuss further!
T.L.D.R: Getting traffic to your site but not getting the sales you want? It could be your product descriptions. Discover how to take your product descriptions from eh to oohh by using different marketing and copywriting tactics!
