Takeaways
- Conversion copywriting is more than just words – it’s about getting people to say “yes”
- Use your customer research to guide your value proposition
- Learn the 5 stages of awareness and write your copy for the stage your customer is in
- When writing any copy for use online, remember: One page – One goal
The free conversion copy course from Copyhackers was my introduction to conversion copywriting.
I discovered there was a method behind all the websites and sales pages I’d read – and I could learn how to write them!
Learning what “conversion” meant changed my entire perspective on copywriting and allowed me to peek inside what Copy School would be like.
Here are a few of the lessons from Conversion Copywriting 101 that stuck with me.
What conversion copy means to a copywriter
The first lesson in the conversion copy course covers what conversion copywriting is (obviously).
Conversion copy is written to motivate someone to take action and increase sales.
As copywriter Jessica Noel says,
“Effective copywriting should boost conversions and increase profits.
Whether you want to sell a product or service or promote a brand.”
In this tutorial, Joanna Wiebe walks through the process and elements that go into writing conversion copy.
Conversion copywriting uses research and testing to create compelling marketing materials (emails, sales pages, websites) to move your audience to say “yes” to your offer.
Course tips on how to write a value prop
A value proposition is what you promise to deliver to your customers.
It outlines why prospects should buy from you and not someone else.
But writing your value proposition is never an easy task.
Trying to think of all the ways you can stand out from the competition is hard work!
The lesson from Eddy Piasentin in the free conversion copy course offers 5 ideas to remember as you write.
Your value proposition must be:
- Unique: something your competitors can’t or don’t say
- Desirable: something your prospect wants that you offer
- Succinct: expressed as simply as possible
- Memorable: something that will stick in your prospect’s mind
- Specific: not vague and says what it needs to say
Eddie says that although going through the process of developing your value proposition is tough, it’s worth it for us copywriters.
“They help you to focus.
Fighting through that development is really important.
Not only is it valuable for your prospects on your homepage or on your website, but also for you as a businessperson.
It really forces you to figure out what exactly your offer is and how you differentiate from your competition.”
Eddie Piasentin
Start with your customers
Writing your value proposition begins with your customer research.
This is where all that voice of customer (VOC) data you’ve collected comes into play.
Your data will give you a huge insight into how to write a value prop that speaks to the prospects you want to attract.
Using your value prop as your homepage headline helps prospects know they’re in the right place when they land on your site.
On Freshbooks‘ site, they have different value props for their different audiences.
They tell you exactly who their software is for on the homepage: business owners.
This value prop is made more specific once you select which type of business owner you are.
For freelancers, they add in two problems their software will help alleviate: staying organized and connecting with clients.
By changing the value prop slightly for each type of business owner, Freshbooks can make a promise that fits the exact needs of their customers.
There are different stages of awareness in conversion copy
Before I took the conversion copy course, I had very little idea about the stages of awareness.
Let alone that you should change your copywriting techniques depending on the stage your prospects are in.
Eugene Schwartz first brought up stages of awareness in a book from 1966 called Breakthrough Advertising.
It’s a great read for understanding the way humans make decisions and how we, as copywriters, can begin to use that knowledge in our copy.
The 5 stages of awareness:
- Stage 1: Completely Unaware (customer doesn’t know they have a problem)
- Stage 2: Problem-Aware (customer knows they have a problem, but doesn’t know there’s a solution to it)
- Stage 3: Solution-Aware (customer knows there are different solutions and wants results, but doesn’t know your product could be the solution)
- Stage 4: Product-Aware (customer knows there are products available to solve their problem, but is not ready to commit to yours yet)
- Stage 5: Most Aware (customer knows your product is the solution to their problem and they want to purchase it)
In one of the course modules, Marylou Tyler takes us through the stages of awareness and how they differ from each other.
Marylou explains that every 100 visitors to a website can be broken into the different stages of awareness as follows:
(I made a quick graph to help visualize her visitor breakdown)
What do these numbers mean for your copy?
Using the 100 Visitor numbers, Jo and Marylou then discuss the implications these numbers have on the copy and content you write.
Customers in the Problem Aware stage for instance, want to find out more information about their problem.
Problem Aware customers will read blogs and social media content that can educate them and direct them toward a solution.
For example, Toggl has an extensive blog exploring everything from productivity to hiring.
They know their customers are interested in finding ways to work more efficiently – that’s why they’re on the website.
Compare this to customers in the Product Aware stage who will spend time gathering more information on your product and company.
Product Aware customers want to see sales pages, customer reviews, and promotions (like free trials) to help them decide if your product is the right choice for them.
This product-specific page from Toggl includes trust icons, customer reviews, and a call-to-action to sign up for free.
Looking at the stages of awareness and their corresponding numbers in the 100 Visitors graph will help give you a direction and starting point for the type of copy and content you need to create.
One Page. One Goal.
A page goal is the reason you have a specific page on your website.
In this lesson, James E. Turner teaches that each page on your site should have one goal you want your customers to do while on that page.
For every page on your website, guide your writing with the one thing you want your visitors to do.
For example, the About page can build trust or enable people to relate to you.
The Contact page can either serve mainly as a way to contact you or be used to qualify leads.
To follow this, Sam Woods walks students through a great website page layout using the One Page – One Goal concept.
Sam says that having a clear value proposition, a compelling call-to-action, and trust builders on your site will keep visitors reading.
And the copy your visitors are reading on each website page should lead them to your One Goal for that specific page.
For example, the Rosetta Stone homepage only has one goal for visitors.
As the visitor moves down the page, they’re presented with reasons to say “yes” to the offer.
There are testimonials and explanations of how the course works – but the copy never asks the visitor to do anything with these pieces of information.
Instead, the visitors are presented with a single call-to-action at the top and bottom of the page: “Join Now” and “Start Practicing”.
Rosetta Stone’s One Goal for their homepage is to get visitors to enroll in their language classes.
By keeping their copy focused on a single call-to-action, Rosetta Stone can keep it simple for their visitors to take the desired action.
What can you learn from the conversion copywriting course?
This post is about some of the lessons I learned while in the course, but you could pick up on completely different moments when you take it.
The conversion copywriting course offers 14 modules with videos that won’t take you longer than 10 minutes to watch.
So, if you’re new to Copyhackers or want a quick intro to what Copy School life might be like, give Conversion Copywriting 101 a shot…
And start converting like a mofo. (real title of a course module!)
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