Key Takeaways
- Make your USP clear. Explain why a prospect should choose you and connect that difference to a benefit they want.
- Tell a story that helps sell. Build an emotional connection while giving prospects a reason to believe your claims.
- Use visuals with a purpose. Product photos and credibility elements should help visitors understand the offer and feel confident ordering.
- Focus your copy on the customer. Turn features into benefits and answer the questions that can hold back a sale.
- Make buying easy. Clear shipping information, a credible guarantee and an easy checkout help remove obstacles to buying.
- Use your data. Customer information and website analytics help you identify missed opportunities, test improvements and encourage repeat purchases.
You may be like many marketers who email or call me. Their problem:
Their website is producing disappointing results.
They have people leaving the site too soon. They have few people motivated to go to the shopping cart.
They have a confusing checkout process, depressing response.
Their website is failing to turn enough visitors into buyers.
And they are not Answer Engine Optimized (AEO).
Let me tell you how one entrepreneur turned her website into an e-commerce sales powerhouse.
Dorothy Pryor Rose, president and chief baker at Mommie Helen’s Bakery, was about to get the opportunity of a lifetime. Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine was ready to release a glowing review of her pie shop.
The only problem was, her website was static, lacking enough benefits and information for prospects to make a positive decision. It also had a weak online ordering process.
And I talked to Dorothy, discussed her amazing pies and how I would like to meet her on my first visit to her store. I gave her a road map for her landing page. She liked the idea.
My team of experts at Creative Direct Marketing Group, Inc. built her a six-step game plan to get her ready for a massive boost in response from the coming publicity… and beyond.
Step #1: A Powerful USP
First, we identified and articulated the Unique Selling Proposition (USP), telling the prospect what was special and unique about Mommie Helen’s Pies.
Your USP should answer one critical question: “Why should I buy from you instead of someone else?”
It must connect a meaningful difference in your product or service to a benefit your customer wants. A vague claim like “great quality” gives your prospect little reason to choose you.
Make that difference clear near the top of your page. Then support it with specifics and proof.
On too many websites and landing pages, you can’t find a clear USP at all.
Step #2: Tell a Compelling Story
Then, we told Mommie Helen’s story in a compelling way that evoked emotion in the reader. Our goal was to bring prospects into a story that made them want to buy.
Mommie Helen’s Bakery took on a personality: We created a short story explaining how Mommie Helen’s began…from homemade pies at hometown gatherings to word-of-mouth business to a fully operating bakery.
Your story should help your prospect understand what makes your product special and why it matters to them. Give them a reason to care—and a reason to believe.
Step #3: Direct Response Graphics to Boost Response
We used enticing photos of her unique pies to help prospects picture what they would be ordering.
And, of course, CDMG secured rights to use the cover of O Magazine on the landing page, reinforcing the credibility of the magazine coverage.
Your photos and graphics should do a selling job: show the product clearly, reinforce its benefits and support your claims. Arrange them so your visitor can easily find the offer and the next step.
Step #4: “You”-Oriented Copy to Create a Connection to Readers
Throughout the landing page, we used direct response copy to capture reader interest and prompt orders.
The copy strategy included a personalized letter from Dorothy to the
prospect, explaining her bakery’s benefits and how her pies stood out from factory-produced pies.
“You”-oriented copy means more than using the word “you.” It means explaining what the customer gets, why it matters and what to do next.
Turn product features into customer benefits. Answer the questions that could keep your prospect from ordering.
Step #5: Optimize the Shopping Cart
We also improved the site’s order-taking and shipping capabilities to handle the surge of new customers from Oprah’s national press announcement.
This included critical direct response elements, from a 100% money-back guarantee to an email capture feature to a streamlined one-step shopping cart.
The goal: Make it easy to complete the purchase with confidence.
For your own site, explain shipping costs and delivery expectations before the final purchase step. Remove unnecessary fields and make sure checkout is easy to use on a phone.
A clear guarantee can help reduce hesitation. A simple checkout helps keep that hesitation from turning into an abandoned order.
Step #6: Collect Data to Improve Response and Build Future Sales
Finally, we set up a system to collect prospect and customer information and website analytics so we could see what was working and build a database for future sales.
For your site, track the actions that matter: product views, items added to the cart, completed orders and where visitors leave before buying.
Use that information to identify problems and test improvements. With permission to send marketing emails, you can also follow up with prospects and give customers a reason to buy again.
With greater focus and advanced search engine optimization, Dorothy’s site was now ready for business.
The opportunity brought visitors. The website needed to be ready to turn that attention into orders.
And the strategy worked. Mommie Helen’s Bakery saw a 250% increase in total sales.
FAQs:
Q: What is a Unique Selling Proposition, or USP?
A: A USP explains the meaningful difference that makes your product or service worth choosing over alternatives. It connects that difference to a customer benefit and supports the claim with specifics or proof.
Q: Why might my website get visitors but few sales?
A: Visitors may not understand why they should buy from you. Your page may lack persuasive benefits or proof. Unexpected shipping costs, unanswered questions and a confusing checkout can also stop an order. Review your analytics and purchase process to identify where prospects are dropping out.
Q: What makes website copy “you”-oriented?
A: It focuses on the customer’s needs, questions and desired outcome. Instead of simply listing what your company offers, it explains how the customer benefits and makes the next step clear.
Q: How can I make my checkout easier to use?
A: Remove unnecessary steps and fields. Make shipping charges, delivery expectations and guarantee terms easy to find. Check the entire buying process on a phone as well as a computer.
Q: What website data should I monitor?
A: Monitor product views, cart additions, completed purchases, sales revenue and where visitors abandon the process. Compare results by traffic source and device to help identify which changes deserve testing.
Action:
Could your website or landing page be costing you sales? If you’re getting visitors but too few orders, let’s look at what may be holding back your response.
Call Michael at 615-933-4647 or email him at [email protected] for a FREE website critique.
Find out where your USP, copy, product presentation or checkout could be making it harder for prospects to buy—and what you could improve to turn more visitors into customers.
Call Michael today at 615-933-4647.
About Craig Huey
Craig Huey is one of America’s leading direct response marketing and advertising experts. He is the founder and president of Creative Direct Marketing Group (CDMG), a direct response advertising and marketing agency specializing in direct mail, digital, and multichannel campaigns. CDMG has worked with hundreds of companies, helping them generate leads, sales, and measurable results through targeted, data-driven marketing. Craig is also the publisher of the Direct Marketing Update, a newsletter read by marketing professionals, business owners, and executives who want to stay ahead of the latest trends in direct response marketing.
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