You have a website full of search engine optimized content. You consistently post articles to your blog. You've even put dollars behind promoting your content on social media.
And yet, despite all of this, you aren’t seeing a subsequent increase in sales.
If this sounds familiar, your content might be to blame - in this post, we'll look at three reasons why your content may be falling short and not compelling customers to buy.
Correct these common missteps to maximize your content process.
1. You’re assuming that potential customers will connect the dots themselves
Features are great things - they’re the bells and whistles of your product or service. They can also be the keys to differentiating your offering from that of your competitors.
The electric car is powered by a rechargeable battery instead of gasoline.
The pocket-sized Swiss army knife has umpteen gadgets all in one tool.
A concierge is stationed in the lobby of your hotel.
But a laundry list of features won’t answer the most important question for a potential customer: what’s in it for me? You need to go beyond the features to spell out the benefits of your product or service - for example:
The electric car is powered by a rechargeable battery instead of gasoline, so you can eliminate environmentally harmful carbon emissions and save money on fuel costs while continuing to enjoy the convenience and independence of private transportation.
The pocket-sized Swiss army knife has umpteen gadgets all in one tool, so you can conveniently carry and access an entire toolbox of equipment when and where you need it.
A concierge is stationed in the lobby of your hotel, providing you with convenient access to a professional with local knowledge who can recommend and make reservations on your behalf, saving you from the hassle and risks associated with finding and booking activities in an unfamiliar location.
Sure, short and succinct statements look clean, and they can be “snackable,” witty, and even elegant in their simplicity. But they do require context, and if that context isn’t immediately apparent, your message can become unclear – or worse, it can be misunderstood entirely. If clarity can’t be achieved with visual context, then clarity must be achieved with textual context.
Don’t fret if your message requires more words for clarity. Remember, it's better to be 'Captain Obvious' than 'Captain Oblivious'.
Plus, when writing for the web, you can take solace in the fact that words are beloved by search engines (i.e. more words can improve search engine discoverability, bringing more potential customers to your website).
2. You aren’t motivating potential customers to buy
Benefits and context aren’t enough - you also need a call to action (i.e., buy now, contact us today, etc.)
But more than that, there are also times when you need to fully immerse your potential customers in the experience of using your product or service. In those cases, your content needs to relate on a personal level.
It’s not enough to simply add a personalization token (e.g., <First name>) to your message. You need to step inside the shoes of your potential customers and speak to what motivates them.
For example:
Little Susie down the block suffers from asthma. As you’re driving past her family’s home in your 18 mpg SUV, consider how your carbon emissions trigger attacks that constrict her airways, making it difficult – maybe even impossible – for her to breathe. Both you and Susie could breathe a little easier if you drove an electric car powered by a rechargeable battery instead of gasoline.
Being ill-prepared can be more than an inconvenience; it can be deadly. Imagine you’ve just been in a horrible car accident. Your vehicle is in flames and you need to escape quickly. You reach for your seatbelt only to realize the buckle is stuck. Luckily, you never leave home without your Swiss army knife. You grab the knife from your pocket, flip open the serrated blade, and use the tool to saw your way to safety. The moral of the story: always be prepared. Always carry a swiss army knife.
Don’t you just hate it when you try a new restaurant only to be disappointed? Thankfully, this experience can be avoided entirely during your stay at our property. Stop by the lobby concierge desk or call ext. # for local restaurant recommendations, activity suggestions, and more. Let us make reservations for you while you relax and enjoy the many deluxe amenities onsite.
3. Your content is full of typos and grammatical errors
Not everyone is a stickler for proper grammar, but most people won’t buy from you if your content is riddled with misspelled words. In fact, some studies have estimated that spelling errors alone have lead to millions of dollars in lost profits.
This makes sense when you think of the famous “Nigerian Prince” scam. While some people initially fell for the scam, many more were tipped off by the email’s typos and poor grammar. In fact, the Better Business Bureau has gone on record to cite misspelled words and grammatical errors as hallmarks of email scammers.
Long story short, mistakes in spelling and grammar can make your potential customers’ Spidey senses tingle, damaging your credibility and hurting your sales.
In closing, by describing the benefits of your product or service, providing enough context to ensure clarity, and motivating potential customers to buy while using correct spelling and grammar, you can create more compelling, enticing marketing content.