Got Pictures, Need Copy?
If you're an entrepreneur and are selling
online, no doubt you know that a picture is worth a thousand words, as
the old adage says. And of course, this is true. A myriad of details
can be understood at a single glance that words would take pages to
describe. However, along with pictures, you need good copy.
When you're selling a product, you need not
just a good image, although this is important, but good copy that
compels
a customer to read it then feel compelled to buy the product.
Oftentimes, web entrepreneurs are trying to sell products with images,
but not copy.
This is a mistake. Even though images these
days are easy to produce at high quality, your sales volume is likely
to suffer if you rely on pictures alone and don't include good copy as
well.
Of course, pictures are wonderful. They're
visually interesting and help to break up a page that would
otherwise be unbroken text; on the Internet, people need pictures, not
just to help sell the product that they can see visually. Pictures help
break up text on the page, help readers avoid fatigue, and hold their
interest. However, just as pictures are important, good
sales copy may even be more important.
While pictures are visually interesting and
provide subtle detail, it's the copy that can really sing and help sell
your product. In essence, you need both elements. Both pictures and
copy need to play off each other to entice customers to browse and then
buy.
Pictures bring in those who want to see what
they're buying and
encourages "window shoppers" of sorts, while the copy is what actually
provides impetus to buy. In a nutshell this is what makes you either
succeed or fail in your business.
Pictures Tell, and Benefits Sell
Just as with the adage, "A picture is worth a
thousand words" it's also true that pictures "tell" but benefits are
what really sell the product. It doesn't even really matter what you're
selling. You're going to need good copy and a good picture or two, no
matter what.
Various entrepreneurs have different strengths
and weaknesses themselves, and they can and should play with their copy
and images to their advantage. Those who are more visually attuned can
rely more on images and supplement with copy, while those who are more
linguistically attuned can focus on the copy and provide a good image
or two so that the customer can see clearly what he or she is buying.
However, you're going to have to have some of
each in your product listing. When you do you also play to customers'
strengths and weaknesses; some prefer pictures more,
while others prefer copy, and vice versa.
The same is true of the product itself. Some
products are visually interesting and need to be shown, such as a
beautiful vase, while
others need more written description, such as the latest innovations in
computer technology, for example.
Only you know your products and strengths well
enough to know just what mix you should have in your listings.
Regardless, though, people want to know exactly what
they're getting before they buy, especially if they're going
to invest a lot of money in a particular product.
This brings up another good point; if the
product is higher priced, you're going to want to provide plenty of
pictures and written detail besides. The more money customers invest in
products, the more they want to know about them, both visually and in
written word.
So think about this for a minute. Think about
why your product is special and why the customer should want it.
Is it a special type of 14 karat gold jewelry
with a unique embossed design? Is it an exact replica of the crown
jewels? Is there a warranty? Do you offer 100% money back with no
questions asked to customers who are unhappy with
their purchase?
This is exactly what your sales copy should
say, and it should compel both your browsers and your serious buyers to
buy; customers should not just feel that they want the product, but
they should feel that they need it. If you appropriately sell them on
the benefits of your product, this type of good copy will make you more
sales than a great picture, even though, of course, a great picture is
still part of the package.
Sell the Product's Benefits
If you're selling a particular product,
remember that features of a product are important to describe, but it's
really the benefits that gets the interest
of the customer most. Benefits are what the customer can
expect when they buy the product that will do them some good. For
example, if a particular type of shirt is made of 100% cotton while a
competitor's is 100% polyester, your copy might want to say why the
cotton is the better buy.
This is where you extol the virtues of cotton
in your writing, such as that it's all natural, a renewable resource,
and so on. Whatever the benefits, make sure you detail and extol them
so that customers
know exactly what benefits they're getting from the product.
Here, again, pictures are also important.
Because customers are on the Internet and they want to see the product
they're buying, a picture is the only way they can do that. It isn't as
though they're going to a brick-and-mortar store where they can pick up
and handle the product, in order to see it firsthand. After that's
done, though,
the copy is what enumerates benefits and features, to bring the sale
home.
Sharon Gantt AKA The Queen of Search Copywriting
created & managed hundreds of ad campaigns on the majorsearch
engines. Discover how to increase your sales, get better cashflow with
targeted effective online marketing.
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