A picture tells a thousand words they say. But in addition to great product photos, a well written and thorough product description is equally important to help you convert more window-shoppers into die-hard shopaholics. So what is the key to writing good product descriptions? Here are Printout Designers 5 ways to write products descriptions that sell.
Know your audience
The first decision you have to make aside from whether to write at all is to pick the appropriate tone of voice for your product description. Your tone of voice should speak to your target audience. Whether you are selling surfboards to the demographic of 20+ year olds or knitting supplies to grandmothers, your choice of vocabulary is crucial in attracting their dollars/euros/yen to stick around your store. For some good examples of brands with a great tone of voice, check out this post on the Ometria blog.
Distinguish features from benefits
Storytelling as a discipline has been around for as long as humanity can remember. However, the use of storytelling in marketing is a relatively new phenomenon. Yet that is exactly what is needed from any ecommerce venture wanting to make it big. The times where you could sell a “ 30 ft yacht with an engine of XX horsepower, a cabin and some sails” is over. What the consumer wants to buy these days is the “smell of sea air, the vast ocean in front of you and dolphins jumping out of the water”. The first description talks about features whereas the second one of benefits. We all want to be able to imagine ourselves using the product, instead of being fed dry facts. For some good tips, check out this post on the Blue Acorn blog.
Gather Social Proof
Testimonials can go a long way in product descriptions. As long as they are legit and credible. I believe most of us can smell a fabricated user testimonial from miles away, so if you sell products that your customers are happy about, let others know – this builds social capital that can later be exchanged for repeat visits and upselling opportunities. You know the saying – a happy customer will tell 5 friends about you, an unhappy one at least 15. For more, read this article on Shopify Nation.
Choose your words wisely
Although Search Engine Optimization is slowly losing its grip on your potential buyers, it is definitely too early to spread the news of its death. By cleverly using and placing some keywords in your product descriptions, you can boost your Google ranking. By simply including the name of your product in the last sentence of your product description, in addition to the title, Google will rank you product page higher. For some very common mistakes and on how to avoid them, read this post on the KISSMetrics blog.
Don’t overdo it!
We all want to sell the best products, with the best qualities and at lowest prices, but most of the time that is simply not possible and you have to keep that in mind when writing your product descriptions. Don’t exaggerate. Because potential buyers will notice that and you will lose their repeat purchases and revenue. So keep it at least close to earth and realize that you customers are your most valuable partners in this.
This rounds up our overview of our picks for 5 ways to write product descriptions that sell. For more tips, tricks and insight into the world of ecommerce, keep coming back!
Don’t overdo it!
We strongly urge you to test-drive these apps we have chosen for you and bring home the ⅔ of sales you are currently missing out on. Using these apps it should be simple. Until next time – enjoy the summer (unless you are located on the bottom half of the globe) We know we will!
Printout Designer enables you to create invoices, packing slips, labels and other printouts with a truly customized look, independent of the e-commerce platform you use. You can customize every aspect of your business document creation process without wasting countless hours. Read more about Printout Designer from printoutdesigner.com
Sven has a background in communication with 10+ years of experience. At Printout Designer he makes sure our messages are short, simple and to the point. On our blog he writes mostly on ecommerce and related topics, but occasionally likes to take a sidestep into other realms of life aswell.
