In any business relationship, trust is probably the most important factor. After all, if someone doesn’t trust you they’re not going to buy from you.

So, when you’re creating your marketing materials, your copy has to convince your readers that you are trustworthy.

Before I go on to explain how this can be achieved, I want to look at how you can build trust through blogging. The posts on your blog are very personal to you so your reader instantly connects with you because they feel they know you through your words. This is the exact type of connection your sales writing has to replicate. 

The problem is many people believe that if you fill your copy with hype and shout BUY MY PRODUCT NOW people will do as you ask.

Wrong.

We all have a natural resistance to buying. When asked to part with your money it’s only natural you become cautious.

To get your customers to buy you must prove you’re not a charlatan and you’re not going to rip them off. You have to convince them to trust you – not something that’s easy to do through text.

Here are a few techniques you can use to create copywriting that sells.

Tell them a story

Don’t rely on bold or colourful lettering when telling someone about your product – that won’t make them buy.

Everyone loves a story so use that in your copy to help build credibility. Tell them why you created the product weaving in your credentials (number of years experience, clients you’ve helped etc.) to your benefits driven copy.

By incorporating the benefits in this way you’ll instantly begin to break down their buying resistance.

Just by chance

Many people fall into business or stumble across a great idea for a product. If this is how you started tell your story. Show them the process you went through to bring your product to market and how it has helped others.

There’s no room for fairy stories in business so your story has to be true and credible if it’s going to work. This approach is an excellent way to make a human connection with your reader.

Case study

The case study is one of the most powerful sales tools there is. Writing about a client’s experience of your product/service will show the reader exactly what can be achieved. 

Boost your credibility by naming names, showing quantifiable results and using direct quotes from your customer.

As you can see, selling is about showing the benefits, breaking down resistance and convincing them to buy.

Once you’ve put your ‘sales pitch’ across don’t forget to add in your call to action to make sure they buy.

Whether you’ve got a website and need a revamp or you’re just starting out on  the web there are certain things you need to avoid when thinking about your design.

Remember that your website is, in effect, your online shop window. Think about how it will be viewed by your visitors, what they will want to see and what they’ll need to know.

Don’t be complicated

If a visitor lands on your website they will want to be able to find out what they need to know quickly and easily.

If they’re faced with numerous options, confusing navigation and a ‘busy’ Home page they are more than likely going to wander off and find another less complicated site. 

Although you need links within your text to aid navigation, don’t over do it. There’s nothing more off putting than text littered with links and – more to the point – vast quantities of boxes in the sidebar containing links and asking them to do umpteen things.

Make your navigation simple and logical.

Flash

At one time Google couldn’t read flash and so it was pretty useless when it came to SEO. Now, the search engine spiders can crawl through it but it still has limited effectiveness when it comes to search engine optimisation.

If you can live without it do, if you can’t keep it to an absolute minimum.

Pretty pictures

Pictures are great but can be over done.

Use them to enhance your text or show your products off. But make sure they are great images, bad ones can kill a website.

And don’t forget that images can also help you with your SEO.

How fast?

Long loading times are a killer. No one wants to hang around while your site loads, even if it does have a little count down graphic.

Google likes sites that load quickly as this post from the Google Official Webmaster Central Blog shows.

The offer

Your website is there to sell so you must have a call to action and an offer.

Some people get so wrapped up in SEO and the look of their site they completely miss it’s main purpose – it’s a sales tool. Without an offer and a clear call to action your website will be completely ineffective.

Of course, along with a new design, fresh content is always a good idea so hiring a good SEO copywriter is always a great investment

What is the one vital aspect of copy that is often missed?

The call to action.

It’s true that copywriting is about building rapport with your readers—you have to get to know them, understand what makes them tick and befriend them. Perhaps that’s why people shy away from actually telling them what to do.

But if your copy doesn’t shout “Oi! Get in touch and buy now” (OK perhaps a bit harsh) they’ll just swan off and read someone else’s website, brochure, email or letter.

So how do you go about driving your reader towards your call to action?

Start softly

Good copy builds a relationship with the reader. Through your words you must show that you understand what their problems are and that you know how to solve them. Identifying the benefits of the product/service you’re selling will illustrate this. It will show how their lives will be improved by using the product/service—it shows that you care, that you’re willing to listen and take action to make their life better.

Once they’ve read all of that, they’ll be your best friend forever and will do anything you ask.

Stage two

As your reader now trusts you completely it’s time to move onto the next stage in your blossoming relationship.

They now realise that what you’re selling is what they need, they are completely convinced of the fact that it’s what they want. But now they’ve reached the end of the page there’s a problem—you haven’t told them what to do next.

There’s just an empty space.

They don’t know what to do, they go into a blind panic, hit the back browser and head off to another website. All your hard work as gone to waste.

What went wrong?

You’ve forgotten a very important sentence. A sentence that will tell them what they need to do. You have forgotten the call to action.

“But they know they want to buy the product, why should I have to tell them to buy it?”

A very valid point, but as far as your reader is concerned, why should they have to hunt around your website trying to work out what to do next? If you can’t be bothered to tell them to Click here to buy now, or Call us today on 123 456 78 and book your appointment, why should they stick around?

Take a look at your website - do you have a CTA? If the answer’s “no” get one added to every sales page.

Don’t leave your sales conversion rate to chance. If you want your reader to buy, tell them.