Copywriting That Engages Your Customers

Copywriting That Engages Your Customers
by
Corin Tomasello
We're going to let you in on a little secret...for most would-be buyers, you only get one shot to make an impression that builds trust.

Nowadays, our attention spans are worse than that of a goldfish. (We have eight-second attention spans, while a goldfish has nine. Moving on before we lose you!)

So how do you get around short attention spans? By being clear, concise, and catchy. You must peak prospects curiosity while providing key benefits and relevant information quickly. When you say the right thing at the right time you can lead people to the e-commerce conversions you’re after.

Connecting the Dots

Optimizing interaction and conversion doesn’t have to be scary. At a very basic level we all make instinctual, snap decisions every single day. Our brains use cues to connect dots and file things away appropriately. You can use this to your advantage for the customer journey.

The main thing to know is customers will hop around your copy instead of reading straight through. Your website isn’t a novel! Visitors will naturally look and click around. First you need engaging imagery that is both on-brand and full of visual interest that will quickly catch attention.

Then there are 3 easy copy hacks you can use to build on your images; put the most important words where you know site visitors are going to look: subheadings/subtitles, first lines, and image & video captions.

Engaging Marketing Content

Here are some ways you can amp up your marketing copy strategy use human instinct to your advantage and write engaging copy:

Catchy Subheadings and Subtitles

Subtitles are more than just the line under your headline. Subheadings are in place to make your website easier to navigate and keep the would-be customer engaged. They should be really compelling and easy to read. And that’s the hard part because being both can be hard to balance.

It’s easier to fall into the trap of being too creative or witty, and losing a clear and easy to understand message. If people can’t quickly understand what you do, it can be a turnoff that leads to higher bounce rates on your website (remember: if they’re bouncing, they ain’t buying!)

So how can you implement a balance of clarity and creativity? Bring it from the perspective of your target audience. By knowing your target audience and speaking their language, you can truly talk about the benefits you offer that they care about. Your subheadings and subtitles should lean into key questions, build trust in your brand, and be focused on conversion in every section. You have to lead your prospects down the conversion path.

Subtitles should speak directly to the reader, explain the benefits, and naturally feature CTAs to recommended products or services. For example, say you were a makeup artist specializing in weddings, your homepage subheadings may want to flow something like this:

  1. For a picture-perfect glow …
  2. To prep for that one special kiss …
  3. Have a perfectly pinnable look …

Compelling First Sentences

The first sentence of your body copy is key!

The subtitle catches attention and the first line should flow with what they saw and be compelling to build your momentum. The goal is simple: get them to keep reading! Otherwise, they will never get to your call-to-action to buy. The first line needs to be short thanks again to buyer’s shrinking attention spans (goldfish people goldfish!). We recommend using no more 8-10 words that will zero in on the main reason to buy.

Your best self is waiting. Feel beautiful.

For pictures you’ll want to look at forever.

Short sentences=easy to read!

If customers sense that reading is going to take effort, don’t count on them doing it. Keep it simple with easy to read words. Your copy should be so simple a kid could understand it. One of our favorite copy secrets is to always keep them wanting more. Use suspense to create an instinctual curiosity gap to your advantage. Our brains naturally crave certainty, so by leaving your first line open-ended as a question or bold statement, customers can’t help but read the second sentence to get the answer. You know what brides biggest regret is about regular mascara?

Captivating Captions

Make the most of your image and video captions by using great copy for them. If you make a simple change of engaging descriptions instead of just a label of what is shown, you can continue the story of the impact that item or service can have for your target audience in a spot visitors will look.

We naturally look at images so it’s understandable that more people will read content around your images as opposed to body copy. Captivate customers with captions and urge them to click through & find out more details. Good image and video captions can drive would-be buyers toward conversion!

Tweet All About It!

Simply highlight the text and share out these marketing tips! Put the most important words where site visitors are going to look: subheadings, first lines, & captions. #brandyourcharisma

We crave certainty; use this for a copy win! Use a question as your first line, and the reader will want to read on. #brandyourcharisma

Let buyers know that they’re in the right spot with the 3 S’s of engaging copy: simple, straight-forward & succinct. #brandyourcharisma