Conversion Rate Optimization Minidegree — CXL Institute Review #2
Introduction to conversion copywriting and product messaging
Have you ever wondered what does it mean to be a modern-era copywriter? What does a copywriter do? What role a copywriter and a copy can play in making or breaking your conversions?
Let me walk you through a scenario — you are browsing for products to shop online, and you come across a webpage with information so clearly drafted and defined that you felt as if the website could read your mind. It addresses the majority of the questions that you had and tells you everything about how that product is the best for your needs. That happens because of a talented copywriter and the intensive qualitative and quantitative research that goes behind creating the copy.
Two of the best descriptions of copywriters that I could find online was on the express writer’s website (here) —
Cop · y · writ · er (noun)*
1. A marketing magician.
A person so good at making a business’s marketing successful, it’s like they are performing magic.
“Wow! That new girl has only been here a month, and she has already written ads that cut our cost of conversion rate in half. Is she a magician?”
“No. She’s a copywriter.”
“Same thing.”
2. An individual who can outsell the best salesperson without ever even talking to a customer.
Someone whose writing stretches so far that they make sales without ever leaving the office — or perhaps even their bed.
“My sales team is incredible. But the PPC ads my copywriters created sold products to people all over the world in half the time.”
As I mentioned in my first blog post, in this series, I am going to talk about conversion rate optimization (CRO). This blog is part 2of the 12 reviews that I would be publishing based on my learnings from the CXL Institute’s Conversion Rate Optimization Minidegree program. This post is all about copywriting and it’s best practices.
CXL Institute offers some of the best online courses, mini degrees, and certifications in the field of digital marketing, product analytics, conversion rate optimization, growth marketing, etc. I am a part of the Conversion Rate Optimization Minidegree program. Throughout the series, I would be discussing the content of the course as well as my learning and thoughts about the same.
Introduction to conversion copywriting
Peep Laja mentions during the course that a copy had the capability to either make your conversions or break it. It is one of the most integral parts of providing a good customer experience. He suggested that we sell with words, and the amount of text we use in our copy/website can make a huge difference.
What does copy mean? — In advertising, web marketing, and similar fields, a copy refers to the output of copywriters, who are employed to write material that encourages consumers to buy goods or services.
Some may argue that copy is nothing but a regular text on the website however there is a crucial difference between the two. The goal of a regular text is to inform or entertain. However, the goal of the sales copy is to get people to take an action. (Sign up, make a purchase, etc.)
In my experience as a Product/Experimentation scientist, I have come across a lot of websites where the copywriting was poorly used. If your approach to copywriting is “I will just try to be convincing” then you are setting yourself up for failure. Peep Laja continues this part of the course by referring to David Ogilvy’s famous copywriting process and talking about the six steps of effective copywriting:
- Research (Customer, Product, and Competition)
- Outline and guideposts
- Draft copy
- Conversion boost
- Revise
- Split test — Experimentation
Research the customer, product, and competition to figure out why people buy the product? How they buy it? What really matters to them when it comes to buying a product? One also needs to have a clear understanding of how their business is different from competitors? What unique value you are providing as a business that makes you stand out?
Peep emphasizes on getting out of the office and interviewing people (ideal customers). Ask questions around what they think about your kind of product, what kind of language do they use while describing your product (this can later be used as a part of the copy). What attributes are important to them? Take notes of the exact words the customers use. The copy needs to match the conversation in the customer’s mind.
Outline and guideposts creation will help you write the content with ease. Pay attention to the most important parts —
a) Homepage Copy — Every homepage needs to have the value proposition (unless you are a very known brand). For your homepage fold, Peep Laja suggests the following outline:
- Headline: Make what you offer clear and visual, tell visitors what the benefit is in one sentence
- Follow that with a subheadline explaining what you offer and why it’s useful
- Next, include a bullet list of the key features
b) Product page copy outline — A product page is where you sell the value of your product and the user takes action (ATB, ATL, Checkout, etc). The product page outline would consist of the following —
- Product name
- Value proposition
- Clear features and benefits
- What problem does it solve?
- List everything about the product
- Technical information
- Address any doubts, and uncertainties
- Bonuses
- Guarantee
- The price
- A call to action
- Expectations setting (What happens after you buy)
Draft the copy while leveraging the outline and guideposts as the structure. Make sure that you avoid bland advertising and the use of jargon. Always keep in mind that the goal of a copy is to connect with your reader and guide them towards an action. If this language is something that you would not use while explaining your product/services to your friends or family, there is a very slim chance that your copy would help in higher conversion. Peep suggests that the copy shouldn’t be vague it should be ‘specific’ and it has to be about the customer and not about you. Because honestly, customers don’t care about you —
Boost your conversion by optimizing for clarity, information, and persuasion. Make sure all questions are answered and apply persuasion techniques that apply to what you’re trying to sell.
Revise and Rearrange your draft of the copy, take a break from it, come back in a few hours, and read it once again. Look for any errors, inconsistencies, flaws, etc. One should also request other people to proofread it and recommend changes.
Test the different variations of the copies. There is no sure way of predicting how well the copy will do. So, it is always suggested to start split testing with multiple versions of the copy.
Now that we have some understanding of the conversion copywriting, let’s talk about one of the important aspects of a copy — “Value Proposition”
A value proposition is the main thing that determines whether people will bother to read more about your product or hit the back button. Ramona Sukhraj in one of her blogs mentioned that “ you know what you do. Your employees know what you do. Your mom knows what you do (usually), but do your website visitors know what you do? ” Let’s define the value proposition for the people in the back -
The value proposition is an innovation, service, or feature intended to make a company or product attractive to customers.
In a nutshell, a value proposition is a clear statement that:
- Explains how your product solves customers problems or helps improve their situation
- Delivers specific benefits
- Communicate the reasons why an ideal customer should buy from you and not your competitor (unique differentiator)
You don’t have to present your value proposition as the first thing a visitor sees on your homepage, but it should be visible in all major entry points on the website.
→ Evaluate your current value proposition by checking if it answers the following questions below:
- What product or services is your company selling?
- What is the end benefit of using it?
- Who is your target customer for this product or service?
- What makes your offering unique and different?
What’s the best way to optimize a copy? Peep Laja suggests that if you wrote the copy, it would be ideal if somebody else reviews it with you. The optimization can be done based on 2 rounds of editing —
→ Round 1: “Would you read more” test
→ Round 2: Value, Clarity, and Credibility (VCC) test
“Would you read more” test is the most straightforward way to test and optimize your copy. This test is about turning boring into interesting. In this test, you request 5–10 people from your target audience to review your copy in detail. Have them explain which areas are interesting, and where they lose interest. Take out anything that doesn’t draw their attention.
Value, clarity, and credibility (VCC) test is very simple in nature, yet very effective. We go through the whole copy, line by line, and evaluate each statement for value, clarity, and credibility.
- Value: Do the sentences communicate value?
- Clarity: Is it clear? Can it confuse the reader?
- Credibility: Is what you’re describing believable? Avoid superlatives, unless you can back it up with specifics
Note — Perform a VCC test even if you have outsourced or hired a copywriter
Using Video is sometimes better to deliver your content. Including short videos in your value proposition sections can be useful, especially for products that need more explanation/awareness than others.
Shorter is better — Various studies proved that the shorter the video the better it performs. A shorter format also forces you to focus on the core message. If your video is long, make sure to frontload it (place the most important, essential information on first, then follows it with supporting details.
Review —
I find the CXL CRO Minidegree very insightful. The instructors are champions in their fields and they know exactly what they are talking about. Being an experimentation analyst, I understand the importance of experiments (A/B testing) and I have seen numerous examples where the outcome of the test was contradictory to public opinion. The emphasis on testing and learning from it is something that I admire the most about the course.
The material that I went through for the first week helped me understand the basics of copywriting, the best practices one should follow to gain maximum profit out of the process. The detailed walkthrough of performing user experience research and quantifying the results into actionable insights. I am eager to learn more about social proof, and people and psychology during my week #3.
That’s all folks. See you next week!
