Product descriptions really do matter. Even though there is no hard evidence to show that they tremendously affect sales, a poorly-written description can make potential customers change their minds about your product and decide not to purchase. With a few tweaks, however, you can turn a bad product description into a description that sells. By offering some practical tips, this guide considers how to write product descriptions that sell.
10 tips to help you write product descriptions that sell
1.) Have your target customer in mind
Who are your ideal customers and what do they like? Why do they need your product(s) and what is the most efficient way to get them to purchase? These are some questions to consider before you attempt to write a product description that sells.
Knowing the answers to the above questions will help you determine what information to include and emphasize on, as well as which ones to leave out or downplay. Bearing in mind factors like the age, gender, demographics, interests, language, and income of your potential buyers, you can write an effective product description that would sell to that audience.
2.) Be original
If you retail products from a manufacturer in your online store, resist the urge to copy the manufacturer's description word-for-word. This is because Google and other major search engines do not favor plagiarized content so your store would hardly be made visible if your content is not unique. To create sales-converting product descriptions that match your personal brand, write your own.
3.) Use words that sell
Some words are persuasive by nature and these words would help when writing a product description that sells. Without being forceful, you may use words that influence potential buyers into actually buying by placing such words in your description strategically. Here are a few examples of some of the most influential words that you can use to make your description more persuasive:
Suddenly
Introducing
Amazing
Sensational
Revolutionary
Quick
Hurry
4.) Optimize your description
Your product descriptions can be easily found online when you optimize them for search engines. Thus, it is important to research relevant keywords for your product and include them in the description, especially in product titles and/or bullet points, as well as any other strategic location in the description body, and even in the ALT tags for that product. Optimized product descriptions mean more people get to see it and this results in an increased sales potential.
5.) Make it easy-to-read
People rarely read. And even if they want to, they might not have the time or focus to do so. Thus, more often than not, people skim rather than read. So, make it easy for shoppers to find the important details. One of the easiest and efficient ways to achieve scannability is the use of bullet points. The use of short sentences and separating technical details from basic features and benefits are other good ways to make your description easy to read.
6.)Highlight the product's benefits
You can mention the great features that your product has in its description and this could move a number of people to purchase. But to motivate several more to buy, you need to highlight the benefits of that product – 'why' the potential buyer needs to make the purchase. To do this, you might make a separate heading for the benefits, highlight the perks of the product along with its features, or both.
7.) Mention all the necessary details
Be honest. It would be wrong to claim that a product has certain features when reviews prove otherwise. This will not only hinder sales of that product but might also have a negative bearing on your brand's reputation.
Help the customer make an informed decision by providing all the necessary details, perhaps including what other users might have complained about. This transparency will leave a positive impact in the minds of most shoppers and will give potential buyers a realistic expectation of what to expect from the product. While doing this, however, do not emphasize the shortcomings but see how you can turn your weaknesses into strengths. Better yet, have defects fixed and include it in the description that such defect(s) have been fixed.
8.) Use the right tone
If your brand's tone is playful and witty, then your product description should also have a casual and witty tone. On the other hand, if your brand's voice is more straight and professional, the way to go is to keep that same tone in your description.
Besides tone, remember to keep up with your brand's style; such as in text format and use of words. This way, customers can easily identify your brand every time they come across your product. And it just builds brand consistency.
9.) Keep it casual
Even if your brand's tone is usually formal, add a reasonable measure of casual to your product description. This would make it easy for the shopper to want to purchase, rather than feel coerced into doing so. Balance is key, however, as you do not want to go over the top and lose the point of the description.
10.) Use good images
Visual representations of your products are an important addition to your product descriptions. Using quality images is vital since many shoppers only skim through or completely skip the product description and rely on pictures and product specifications when deciding whether to purchase.
The images used should be an accurate representation of the item being sold. And if possible, it should showcase the essential features of the product, thus complementing the text in your description. This way, the images could effectively stand alone to influence the shopper as the description would have. After all, a picture worth a thousand words. Where applicable, including videos that show a product in action is also great.
Conclusion
When done right, product descriptions can do much to convince a potential customer to purchase a product. A good product description will encompass all necessary details about the product, presenting such details in a convincing though not forceful manner. Product descriptions that sell are original, suitable for the audience, honest, and easy to scan. They also retain the tone of the brand while keeping it casual.
Summarily, to write product descriptions that sell, use relevant keywords to optimize your descriptions and keep the description brief, “skimmable”, and concise – without omitting essential details and features of the product. Also, use convincing or powerful words that have the potential to get people wanting to purchase an item. To find out which product description type works for you, consider split testing two or three formats and stick with the one that appears to yield the best results. Overall, as long as it offers all that your customers need to make their decision in a concise manner, it will most likely work great in promoting sales.