Copywriting for e-commerce: Turning Words into Money

Changes happen every day. With the evolution of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), descriptions must be better in order for an e-commerce to appear on the top positions of Google.

In addition to beautiful photos and technical descriptions, texts are also essential to increase e-commerce sales. To write texts that sell and turn words into money, nothing is better than Copywriting.

Let’s refresh the essence of Copywriting

Copywriting is a marketing strategy focused on persuading the reader to take action — from subscribing to a newsletter to purchasing a product.

Therefore, a copywriter’s primary goal is to:

• Attract: Getting people’s attention on the internet is not easy. So, it is essential to start a text with a good promise that picks their curiosity;
• Qualify: After getting attention, it’s time to inform them about the product, showing its benefits, the changes it can cause, and testimonials from other people who were very satisfied with the purchase;
• Convert: In the final stage, the goal of the communication must be taken seriously, using a Call To Action (CTA) clearly to conclude the sale.

This three-step structure works for all markets … in theory. We know that each market has its particularities and, therefore, they must be treated differently.

How to use Copywriting for e-commerce

So, how to apply Copywriting techniques for your e-commerce? First of all, understand that Copywriting must be present in all e-commerce communication: emails, social networks, websites, product descriptions, etc.

Don’t be boring on social media

Every social network is a place of interaction. Don’t annoy your audience; instead, offer them products but don’t do it so explicitly.

Innovate. Post things that people really want to see.

Quick case:

Look for inspiration in profiles that engage well with their audience, such as Airbnb:

Note that Airbnb is not just printing propaganda but instead they are creating a good feeling in their audience, showing them things that they might have never seen before (i.e. a vined ceiling).

The idea is simple: To induce curiosity about an apartment that is to be rented through their app with a beautiful photo and a text highlighting how it is the best place to relax.

Have an email funnel

An email funnel is nothing more than email automation activated when the lead performs actions (also called triggers).

Throughout the funnel, emails sent must respect the order of attraction, qualification, and conversion.  Otherwise, you will send offers to leads who have not yet understood the benefits of the product or content to attract those who are already in the last step.

Quick Case:

Nike’s welcome message is about qualification; they want to see who is willing to explore their „world”.

Pay attention to the descriptions

Your product descriptions are the first impression your website’s visitor has on you.

Know that only beautiful photos will not be enough to generate interest. So, be creative in the descriptions.

Explore points that arouse desires in your lead’s mind. Never limit yourself to the technical specifications of the products because they do not deserve more prominence than a good title.

Quick Case:

Apple describes the iPhone 11 Pro in a nutshell. It is noticeable how the description wants to cause emotion in their audience, especially in the last sentence: „Welcome to the first iPhone powerful enough to be called Pro.”

4 fundamental Copywriting tips for e-commerce

Now you refreshed your mind on the importance of Copywriting for your e-commerce and know that it can substantially increase your sales. So, here are 4 fundamental tips for your Copywriting strategy:

1. Know your customers

One of the principles of any type of communication is to understand who you are talking to. Social networks are essential in this process. Through the comments, you notice the most used words, the main difficulties, and the biggest desires of the audience you want to serve.

Once you know your audience and understand these factors in detail, all of your communication will be more effective.

Quick Case:

A good way to do this is to use this website – https://tagcrowd.com/ – to create a word wizard from the comments of your audience.  In this case, we gathered some of the comments on the Airbnb post mentioned above and used Tag Crowd to give us this result:

If you consistently do this within your social media profiles, you will have a clear vision of what are the most relevant topics in your audience’s mind.

2. Use compelling headlines

The title is the reader’s first contact with your content — on the website, on social networks, in emails, etc. And if it is not attractive, it will be the last.

David Ogilvy, one of the greatest copywriters in history, said: “On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”

This means that, on average, 80% of people will read only your titles. But when you write good headlines, the tendency is for more people to continue reading it.

And good titles follow the pattern of the four U’s.

• Unique: Present something that surprises your readers in your proposal;
• Urgent: Urgency is a key factor in making people make a decision. It can be used mainly with the price (great deals) and time (timers to remind the reader that the promotion is ending);
• Ultra-specific: Readers need to know if the product they are looking at is exactly what they want;
• Useful: Your title needs to be useful to the person reading it. Without it, even if it causes curiosity, your lead will probably leave the site (or will not even open your email).

Quick examples:

Take a look at how this technique could be applied:

• The Easiest, Best Way to Clean a Couch (source)

• How to Easily Analyze the Social Activities of Your Competitors (source)

• The Only 3 Ways to Increase Sales (source)

3. Reinforce the benefits of your product

Seth Godin, one of the most important names in marketing today, says: „People don’t want the thing you have made — they want what it will do for them and how it will make them feel.”

Your communication should cause feelings and desires in your audience.  So it usually starts with the benefits of your product.  The person can visualize how it will be in the future after making the purchase decision.

If your lead has that clarity and understands that the changes will have a positive effect on his/her life, do you agree that it is much easier to sell?

Quick example:

Here we have another one from Apple… To announce the iPhone 11 Pro, the company focused its communication on its main benefits:

4. Learn to tell stories

Your product cannot be just another one on the market.  You need to differentiate your communication by telling stories that connect and make people stop being your customers and become fans of your brand.

Engage all communication with stories that people identify with and want to hear about, more and more.  Relate the products you sell to the reality in which they live.

Quick case:

Behold Jack Daniel’s! The company popularized its brand when it started running ads with stories about the product’s origin to attest to its quality.

In addition to entertaining, this type of story has an emotional appeal since it brings to the reader’s memory the good times they had with their friends.

A bonus tip for your e-commerce

If you are an e-commerce owner and have understood the importance of Copywriting but do not have the knowledge to apply it, seriously consider hiring a copywriter.

Investing in a professional to improve the communication of your brand, fixing mistakes, and improving the relationship with your audience, can be one of the best decisions you will make for the future of your company.

Believe me: it is possible to turn words into money.