Copy Not Converting To Sales? You Need A Copywriter!

Content is king

If you have a website design that’s not converting to sales, the content probably falls into one of three categories:

• The copy is so bland it sends the reader to sleep.
• The text is written for SEO and not people.
• The page tries to say too much.

So, how do you fix it? You call in a copywriter.

Copywriters are specialists in getting the right words on the page so your ideal client is engaged and buys from you.

Establish the brief

When you work with a copywriter, the most important thing you can do is clarify what you want written and hope it to achieve. Professional writers call this ‘establishing the brief’.

When establishing the brief, your copywriter will ask you:

1. What do you want written?
2. What is its purpose?
3. Who is the audience?
4. What is the call to action? (That is, what do you want them to do once they’ve read the document?).

Knowing the answer to these questions not only helps copywriters create the documents you want, but it also and reassures you, the client, that you’ll get what you’re paying for.

Case study

Let’s take Weitz & Weitz Lawyers (not their real name) as an example.
Their practice offered a wide range of legal services across a number of locations and had a large team.

As you’d expect, the language on their site was professional and formal. But the site was also overloaded with SEO keywords, resulting in repetitive content that was presented in a haphazard way.

The text was in several large blocks with little consideration of readability. There was also no information about what made Weitz & Weitz different from other legal practices in their area, nothing about the people behind the brand and no clear call to action.

So, after the briefing, we established that:

1. Weitz & Weitz needed a new ‘Home’ page.
2. The page had to meet their statutory and regulatory requirements and convert web visitors into customers. The style and tone also needed to match their company ethos, which was providing professional services to all.
3. Their audience was very broad – anybody in the surrounding areas who needed legal representation or advice.
4. They wanted potential clients to feel assured that Weitz & Weitz would be their best choice and that their legal matters would be dealt with professionally, easily and affordably.

During the briefing, I also discovered that the staff at Weitz & Weitz spoke a total of 17 languages. This was a clear point of difference between them and other lawyers in their area, and something I emphasised in the final copy.

Implementation

I researched their ideal customer and created headings, such as ‘How we can help’ (because, let’s face it, that’s what we want our lawyers to do – help us). I also included a mission statement and a snappy headline about the number of languages spoken at the practice.

Headings, bullet lists and more paragraph spacing were added to improve readability of the text and keywords were used in a much more conversational way.
I also created two clear calls to action by highlighting the free advice phone line and adding a button to book an appointment.

The result

Potential clients now see a clear and uncluttered ‘Home’ page that instantly makes Weitz & Weitz stand out from the crowd, emphasises their points of difference and has two clear calls to action.

The language is still welcoming and professional, but now shows what makes Weitz & Weitz the best choice for those seeking legal advice.