• Ebook: Free 49-page guide to conversion copywriting & website optimisation

    Conversion copywriting & and website optimisation for the “start-up to scale-up” journey

    This ebook is for founders, CEOs, business leaders, marketers, content managers, website editors, and anyone else who works on websites, landing pages or digital campaigns

    Particularly those at the scale-up stage of growth, seeking investment, or targeting new markets. Because words that work as a start-up can seem out of-date when you’re scaling. Services may have expanded and aren’t reflected on your website pages. Maybe you’ve got funding and want to optimise your campaigns and ROI.

    This guide will help you solve all that. It’s based on 10+ years of frontline experience in growing websites and campaigns. Grab it free today for:

    Part 1: Words that get conversions (page 4)

    • how to get people to actually read your words, so you connect and convert them (page 5)
    • how to use the 7 sins in your copy to convert your audience (page 7)
    • 15 ways to get people to open and act on your emails (page 10)

    Part 2: Optimising for conversions (page 13)

    • how to make your first impression the right impression (page 15)
    • the 3 questions you must answer if you want conversions (page 15–16)
    • tips for optimising forms for sales, sign-ups & enquiries (page 17)

    Part 3: Landing page optimisation (page 21)

    • anatomy of a landing page that converts (page 23)
    • how to A/B test the right way – and the best alternatives (page 25)
    • template questions to save you time & convert faster (page 27, 28)

    Part 4: Getting strategic (page 29)

    • how to audit your website so you keep what works (page 30)
    • how to decide if/when you need new sections (page 32)
    • how to track & measure goals (for free) so you know how you’re performing (page 33)

    Part 5: SEO dos & don’ts (page 37)

    • a non-technical way to make your pages load faster so people don’t exit (page 39)
    • how to get your emails into inboxes not spam folders (page 41)

    Bonus: How to never have to do any of this stuff (page 45)

    • find out the shortcut used by many highly clued-up people such as yourself
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  • Video: How to use the 7 sins to banish the blank page

    Get yourself a coffee, sit back, and discover a technique that’ll help you on your way to getting better conversions.

    You’ll see how to use the 7 sins to connect with your audience.

    This also helps kick things off when you’re facing a blank page or a stuttering campaign.

    7 sins in copywriting: Transcript

    Hi everyone. This is a video where we’re going to go through a technique you can use when you have to write some copy to an audience where your goal is to persuade them or convert them in some way.

    And often you might be facing what I call blankpage-itis. Where you’ve got a blank page and you’re not sure where to start. You can also use this technique if you’ve already got a page up and running and it’s not really getting results that you want.

    It’s a technique that taps into the human emotions – which you need to do if you do want to convert. If you don’t tap into someone’s emotions you’re not going to connect with them. If you’re not going to connect with them you’re not going to convert them. So your copy must allow some sort of emotions in your audience.

    Given us humans are pretty complicated, you might be wondering where to start, what emotions should I go with. That’s when you can use this technique which borrows from the famous 7 sins.

    You’ll find that a lot of the ads – successful ones anyway – that have been running do use at least one or more of the 7 sins. So as you start noticing these sins in ads, you’ll see how often they’re used, and the fact that they’re often used means that they do work.

    So again this is just something that you can use when you’re maybe struggling for ideas or when you’re facing that dreaded blank page.

    I’m just going to go through some examples of ads that I’ve either seen and adapted or ads that have already actually been used and we’ll then through how they do tap into the 7 sins.

    If we go to the first one, you’ll see there this is the kind of ad that you often see for educational institutions. Maybe universities, that type of thing.

    There’s someone there who looks like they graduated or qualified, so if you imagine you’re the audience you’ll look at that and think, “Yes she looks pretty pretty proud and I’d like to to feel pride in something that i’ve achieved.”

    So the sin is in this case pride. It’s not a real university by the way, not yet, it’s something I mocked up. Here’s another ad that is based on one that is running – or was running – from a digital bank.

    If you’ve ever had to go through the hassle of applying for a mortgage or dealing with bank managers, giving statements explaining how much money you spend at the pub every month, that kind of thing, then an ad like this promising that you can get a mortgage in your pants is going to appeal to one of the sins here. Sloth. Pretty lazy. Look at these two. They’re in bed, they’re getting their mortgage without having to do any of the usual leg work.

    Here’s another one, you might have seen this. For anyone who isn’t aware, this relates to the 2016 Brexit campaign and it was pretty successful in that the Leave campaign won. This bus was cited quite often as one of the reasons, because it taps into one of the 7 sins.

    If you look at that – “We send the EU 350 million a week.” If that’s something that you don’t agree with, that’s likely to make you quite angry. So the sin there that this is tapping into is wrath. Let’s move swiftly on from that one.

    Here’s another example that you see a lot for perfume or deodorant or aftershave.

    It’s usually where you’ve got a glamorous couple and the emotion or sin that they’re tapping into is based around the fact that, “If you wear our aroma then you too can attract one of these delightful people here.”

    So that’s tapping into the sin – whether you call it sin or not – lust.

    The next one here, you see these ads a lot on dodgy websites – not that i visit dodgy websites – or in the back of the newspapers, that kind of thing. Where there’s an appeal to earn a huge amount of money with pretty minimum effort really. Part-time and from home. The sin they’re tapping into there is the fact that they’ve got that amount.

    It’s actually from a real ad – that’s why I’ve chosen greed for this one. There’s an argument that you could say sloth, laziness, but like i say it’s the sheer amount that would attract people for this particular ad.

    Another one based on the kind of ads that you often see often on tube trains. So imagine if your target audience is someone who’s been travelling on tube trains for maybe years. They’re in rush hour, they’ve got an armpit stuck to their face, and they’re pretty tired. And then they see this ad of someone who looks relatively young and it looks like they’ve chosen a particular investment fund and they put their money into it and the result is that they’ve ended up being able to retire.

    So the emotion there you the person or that poor commuter will be looking at them and feeling pretty envious really.

    Here’s another one. It pretty much says what it does. All you can eat buffet, just five pounds all day and night. There’s a picture there of relatively healthy, pretty glamorous people there. But the fact you can eat all of that for five pounds taps into the sin of gluttony. So I don’t want this to just be all about how you just tap into sins and that’s how you convert, because I think humans are better than that. So there is another – not a sin – but another emotion that I recommend that you think about using as well.

    You see a lot of that in ads for safeguarding the future, or things like that. So the emotion that these type of ads would tap into is just about peace of mind.

    You’ve got the 7 sins and this extra bonus emotion that you could try tapping into: peace of mind.

    That’s just a quick round-up of a technique that I really recommend using. Like I said, if you’re facing the dreaded blank page, the blankpage-itis, or you’ve got a campaign that isn’t working very well, think about the emotions that your ad is trying to tap into, and whether it’s the right one. And then see how you get on. Thanks for watching – all the best with your conversions.

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  • What Lord Sugar, Rocky Balboa and Sherlock Holmes can do for your business

    Have you seen the film Rocky? In one fight, Rocky is hit so hard, he ends up seeing his opponent in triple vision. “I see three of him!” slurs the punch-drunk Italian Stallion.

    His trainer’s advice? “Hit the one in the middle”.

    That’s what you should do when displaying the price of your products or services.

    Go for the middle, with back-up options on either side.

    Here’s why.

    Centre stage

    Have you noticed at the end of any race, the winner stands on the middle podium?

    Or how in the Apprentice, Lord Sugar takes his place in the middle seat?

    And when a band performs live, the singer usually stands in the middle?

    Now, imagine you’re pitching to a panel of 3. The one in the middle will automatically seem to be the most senior in rank, at least initially.

    In visual situations, we’re conditioned to think the middle is the most important, or the most “authoritative”.

    Good things come in 3

    Let’s say you’re selling web hosting.

    To make a profit on a customer, you need them to sign up to a service that costs £50 a month. You offer all the extras like setup, support and configuration, but £50 is the magic number.

    Giving one option only is a high-risk game. You’re saying: “Take it or leave it.”

    The problem is, some people will always leave it.

    lots of signs pointing different waysGive lots of options, and it becomes hard to choose. You risk what’s called analysis paralysis. People freeze and walk away rather than take action.

    Offering 3 options is a sign of compromise. It shows you’re open to negotiation. Your target market feel more in control because you’re offering a menu, rather than an all-or-nothing deal.

    And you’re also, in a subtle way, advertising that you cater for different types of customer.

    So you’ve got 3 to display, and you’ve placed the £50 option is in the middle…

    …what about the other 2?


    Drop the anchor

    You use them as anchors.

    People need an anchor to help them judge what’s good or bad. They can then compare and decide what’s good value.

    Because “we don’t have an internal value meter that tells us how much things are worth”, we “focus on the relative advantage of one thing over the other, and estimate value accordingly”, explains Dan Ariely in his brilliant book, Predictably Irrational.

    If you don’t know this book, It’s full of case studies showing how we make decisions based on what we think and feel, rather than solid logic…

    …including how we anchor things, especially prices.


    Think different

    He gives the example of the Economist magazine, which offered three subscription types:


    1. Web-only subscription: $59
    2. Web and print subscription: $125
    3. Print-only subscription: $125

    How could 2 and 3 be the same price?

    “I am pretty certain they wanted me to skip the web-only option…. and jump to the more expensive option of web and print”.

    How could Dan know this?

    The Economist’s marketers, he reasoned, knew about anchoring.

    Option 2 offers free access to the web version when compared to option 3. Free access? That must be a bargain, right? Who doesn’t want a freebie!

    So on one side of your £50 option, put your anchor.

    People will use that to compare the other options.


    OK, expensive anchor on one side… what next?

    On the other, show a deal that is obviously not good value compared to your middle option.

    Consider making it only slightly cheaper, and with far fewer extras.

    This is your “decoy”.


    Another nudge

    How do you make it even more obvious?

    Add clues to your copy.

    Below, 123-reg have labelled the middle option “Most popular”

    middle option labelled most popular


    Let’s say you’re targeting startups.

    Label the £50 option “Popular with startups”, or something similar.

    They’ll think “Perfect for startups? We’re a startup! Let’s go for that.”

    The other two options can be labelled something that wouldn’t appeal to startups.

    Something like “for beginners” and “de luxe”.


    Solving the mystery for your audience

    At this stage you might be thinking: “Decoys? Clues? Anchors? This all sounds a bit Sherlock Holmes to me…”

    You need to do this for your audience…

    …because you’re helping them make the right choice.

    Have a look at some websites offering subscription models. You’ll find many use anchoring.

    See how the Daily Telegraph does it:

    offers details of subscriptions

    The Daily Telegraph run a paywall, so most readers will need one of these


    The Daily Telegraph’s average readership age is on the mature side. Around 61 years old, according to this report. That’s probably about right – the ads section is full of offers for stairlifts, walk-in showers and arthritis cures.

    So a large chunk of the readers will want the print edition. They can pay £11… or for just £1 more, get the digital version as well. At 61, plenty of people are online, so they’re likely to think “Well, it’s just an extra £1, might as well for for that.” That makes the £11 option the anchor.


    Incentives

    With “free 30-day trial” offers, and a line pointing out which is for teams v individuals, guess which options Hootsuite want you to try:

    4 price options



    One more thing…

    I’m not saying 3 is always the model to choose.

    You always need to test things like this… but 3 is the best place to start.

    You can then start experimenting with different calls to actions, different features, in different orders.


    1. Contact ConversionTownn for a free consultation on boosting your website conversions
    2. Premium option: Contact ConversionTown for a free consultation on how to improve your messaging to get more sales, signups and enquiries
    3. Starter option: Contact ConversionTown and say hello

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  • When words are only part of the puzzle

    For copywriting to really earn its money on your pages, you need more than just words.

    After all, most people can come up with some words. The hard part is knowing if they’re any good. And then putting them in the right order.

    That might sound like a bad joke – so let me explain.

    Imagine you’re in a restaurant, for a meal with your partner. It’s your one-year anniversary, and you’ve booked somewhere classy in the centre of town.

    There’s soft lighting, gleaming thin-rimmed wine glasses on your table, faint traces of classical music in the background.

    people in restaurant

    This and most of the ConversionTown pics are from the peerless perfection that is www.pexels.com

    You both sit down, take a minute to get comfy, soak up the surroundings. There aren’t many people in, so you’re expecting a good service. Then, out of the corner of your eye you see the waiter walking over. You take a breath, preparing to ask for a couple of aperitifs.

    And then you stop. Because hang on, what’s this?

    The waiter is carrying two plates of food.

    One has chicken on it; the other fish.

    You look around the restaurant, thinking he’s destined for another table. But no, everyone else is eating.

    The waiter’s heading straight at you.

    Without even looking you in the eye, he puts the chicken in front of you, and the fish in front of your partner. And then he goes off into the kitchen.

    Within seconds the same waiter reappears with a tray of drinks.

    Again, without any acknowledgement, he pours you a glass of white wine. Your partner gets a bottle of fizzy water.

    The waiter races off, like you don’t exist.

    You and your partner look at each other, both wearing “WTF” faces.

    Your customer experience is that the waiter didn’t take the time to find out what you wanted.

    He made a judgment based on preconceived ideas – “Oh they look like they like chicken and fish. That one’s obviously a white wine drinker, and the other looks like they’re staying off the booze.” How likely are you going to return?

    It’s the same with copywriting. So if you want the right words in the right order, you need a writer who gets inside the head of your target audience. No assumptions. Someone who works out what problem, pain or desire they’re experiencing.

    Maslow’s hierarchy of needs gets you started:

    These are the 5 levels of human need, with the bottom being most important

    This is about working out where your business belongs in the hierarchy. Then deciding what your audience needs. Finally, supplying words in a way that positions your business as the obvious answer.

    That’s what makes copy jump off the screen.

    Describing your business in a way that a blind person can visualise it. Guiding your reader along the path, from casual browser, to motivated shopper, to loyal customer.

    Features tell, benefits sell

    People make buying decisions based on emotion, which they justify using logic. Which means writing about your product in a way that explains the benefits first, features second.

    For example, someone buying a luxury car makes their decision based on emotion, which could include:

    • wanting to project an image of success
    • joining an exclusive group
    • attracting a partner

    These are benefits of owning a luxury car.

    Then they justify their decision based on logic:

    • power steering
    • heated seats
    • fuel efficiency

    These are features of the luxury car.

    This isn’t me by the way

    You get the idea. Emotion, then logic. Benefits, then features.

    Covering the angles

    When it comes to writing for the web, a copywriter needs to see the big picture. Headlines, sub-headings, call to action buttons, form fields – it all has to come together.

    Because everyone who lands on a website or webpage has the same 3 questions:

    ‘Where am I?’

    ‘What can I do?’

    ‘Why should I do it here?’

    This isn’t me either

    After all, people rarely read websites; they scan them. If they don’t find what they want, they leave. Quickly.

    What’s more, we only have a few seconds – 40% will leave your site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.

    That means telling your audience what you’re offering, why it’s great, and what’s in it for them. In short sentences, like this.

    We also need to add some oil in the form of formatting, to keep everything running smoothly:

    • bullet points

    • headings

    • bold text
    • hyperlinks
      Taking your audience on a journey to other sections of your website, but not in a way that distracts them or makes them want to leave.

    So there you have it. Alongside words, you need to know what’s going on inside your audience’s head. And you need to know about laying out a web page.

    Can we help you with any of that?

     

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