Selling without sales cheese and sleaze? It’s a thing.
But writing about it about yourself? That’s a whole other kinda game.
When you’re in your business, it’s hard to step out you can look back in from your customer’s view.
And it’s really hard to write about your products without feeling that icky, salesy skin crawling feeling.
So if you want to write juicy product descriptions that convert, here are some simple tips.
Know your customer
* If you only read one part of this blog, make it this para. *
Understand your customer. That’s the superpower of get-in-my-cart product descriptions.
When you show your customer you get them, their problems, feelings, and how they use your products, you can get inside their head.
Knowing your customer helps you create an emotional connection. And it helps you find the right SEO keywords so you can attract more of the right customers. (More on that later).
Think about a new mum searching for a baby change table mattress cover. She’s tired, overwhelmed and wants a cover that’s durable, simple to use and has custom elements to match the nursery décor. Because style is important too.
Let’s tell her our change table covers are effortless to fit when faced with a poonami. She can choose from a rainbow of designs or talk to us about a custom colour to complement her nursery aesthetic. And because she has enough washing already, we’ll include that it’s easy to wash – just throw it in the machine and it will dry crease free.
Focus on benefits not features
The best product descriptions paint a picture of the benefits and what that means for your buyers. Forget that lifeless list of features, your people want to know what’s in it for them.
What’s the difference?
A feature is a fact about a product e.g Our handmade baby shoes have a leather upper and a rubber sole.
A benefit is how a product or service improves your life. e.g Our leather uppers are tough enough to handle scrapes and tumbles, with the flexibility to fit comfortably around your little one’s foot, whatever their shape. Rubber soles will keep your little one upright as he or she learns to walk.
Work your keywords
Attracting people to your site who want what you sell is important because they’re likely to convert. After all, they know what they’re looking for and are probably ready to buy.
So, we need to consider SEO – search engine optimisation.
SEO copy is about getting found on Google by your ideal buyer through your keywords. They’re the search terms for which you want to be found.
Decide on one keyword or phrase for each product description and use it in your headings, body copy, meta title, meta description and URL. These are backend settings you can edit fairly easily. Find more on understanding SEO terms here.
There are many SEO elements that impact your ranking, but getting your product descriptions search engine optimised is definitely a powerful move to grow your business.
Here’s an example. If you sell natural soap bars, you might be targeting “natural soap Australia”. So, make sure you include that phrase in your product description, rather than just including a static list of product feature, like this…
“Rich and hydrating, this is natural soap from Australia that loves your skin. Each plant-based bar lasts for 60 washes so you can cut waste and your beauty budget.”
*Remember, write first for your customers and then for Google. Keyword stuffing won’t read well for your customer and Google won’t love you for it either.
BONUS SEO TIP – use the product name and its description in the alt title for each image. e.g for your natural soap bar, set the alt title for that product image to “natural soap bar Australia.”
Infuse your brand with personality
Is your brand poised or playful? Rugged or refined? Down to earth or glamorous? Whatever your vibe, your product descriptions are the perfect opportunity to show it off and connect with your customer.
Take a look at eco brand, Colt & Willow. Their laidback, tongue-in-cheek vibe is seen in this simple description:
“You scrub up alright” is casual, “down and dirty” is playful. There’s a snappy check list of features to combat any buyer’s guilt or reasons not to buy, plus an upsell list of complementary products.
Not sure how to voice your brand personality? Imagine what your products would say to a customer if they could have a conversation.
Your brand personality doesn’t have to be big, it’s just got to be clear and consistent.
Show your customer why they should care
Now that we’ve:
o Got the right traffic to your site thanks to SEO
o Showed your buyers we feel their pain
o Let them know how much better life will be with your product and
o Given a pop of personality to our brand…
Let’s show your customer what’s in it for them and why they can’t go past your products.
Here’s an example for handmade donut print skirts e.g Donut get too crazy but we promise, this donut print A-line skirt is gonna get your inner Sandy grooving like Travolta’s schmoozing. Feel like you’re on the back on the high school dance floor, in this limited edition print that’s made for fun lovin’, sugar candy girls who own it.
We’ve shown that these donut skirts will put you in a dancing mood, get heads turning and give you a confidence to rock your look.
If you can make your product descriptions more appealing for your ideal buyers and show them they can’t live without your products, you can convert lookers into loyal customers.
Need help with your product descriptions? I can help. 🤸♀️