Takeaways

  • Asking your clients the right analytics questions and gathering all the data means you’ll never have to guess when writing copy
  • Your clients will use data, like conversion rates, to assess how well your copy is performing
  • Knowing what kind of analytics your client has will help you clarify the scope of your project
  • Having data that shows the results of your copy will increase your credibility in the eyes of prospects

Why should you ask your clients for their analytics?

Because people love data.

Even though the mention of it sometimes causes groans, collecting it may take some time…

Anna Kendrick speaking. Text reads: Don't make that face. You love it.
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It’s the one thing all people (especially businesses) rely on.

When you write copy for a client, they will assess your work – using data.

If you’re hired to grow an email list through Facebook ads, your client will look at the conversion rate, click-thru rate and customer acquisition cost to determine if your copy worked.

If you’re hired to write a sales page for a course, your client will look at the conversion rate for that page to see if people bought more after reading your copy.

When your copy is being assessed using data, you better know what those numbers were before your copy went live.

Only then will you have the numbers to show your client how much their conversions (free or paid) increased while working with you.

Not only do these analytics play a role in determining your copy’s effectiveness, but they’re also a way to know your copy is connecting with the right audience.

When 87% of customers start their buying journey by researching the brand online, if you haven’t collected the voice of customer data and analytics from your client – you’re just guessing.

Asking the right questions allows you to see where your client is, what data they already possess, and the amount of research time you will have to put into the project.

Plus, asking these questions will help you know you’re not guessing at anything you write.

What analytics questions should you ask?

There are a bunch of questions you should ask your client at the start of a project.

Using these questions will help you get to know your client’s customers and how they interact with the brand.

In this Tutorial Tuesday, Jo goes over a comprehensive checklist of the data you’ll need from your clients before you even send a proposal.

As you’ve seen in the video, there are a lot of questions you can ask your client.

Some analytics questions depend on the type of project you’re taking on:

Ask your clients for the following

“Can I have your… “

  • Google Analytics (website and sales page projects)
  • On-page behavior tool (ex. Hotjar) (website and sales page projects)
  • CRM (customer relationship management) access (email and SMS projects)
  • Email performance reports (email and SMS projects)
  • Thank You page survey results (all projects)
  • Results of past customer surveys (all projects)

And some analytics questions depend on the part of the funnel you’re writing for:

Watch this Tutorial Tuesday to see how Jo collects and organizes data.

Top-of-funnel projects like a Facebook ad or other lead gen project where the focus is to build your email list.

  • What is your customer acquisition cost (CAC)?
  • What is your click-through rate (CTR)?
  • What is your conversion rate (CR)?

Middle-of-funnel projects like a welcome email sequence where the focus is to have the prospect sign up for a small ask (book a call, sign up for a trial, purchase a low-cost item).

Bottom-of-funnel projects like a sales page where the one focus is getting the prospect to purchase (sign up for a high-ticket course, purchase a high-cost item, book a service package).

  • What is your average order value (AOV)?
  • What is your churn rate?
  • What is your conversion rate (CR)?

Of course, when you’re asking these questions to your client, review the meaning and type of analytics you’re looking for.

One example is conversion rates. People often think that “conversion rate” means paid conversions.

But not all conversion rates are based on paid conversions.

For example, the conversion rate on a sales page is based on the number of people who bought the product or service from the sales page.

But in a lead generation funnel that aims to grow an email list, the conversion rate would be based on the number of people who joined the email list.

As the copywriter, you need to ensure your client knows which conversions you’re analyzing, whether it be free or paid.

Why do you need to ask these analytics questions?

Clarify the project scope

For the most part, gaining access to your client’s analytics gives you a better understanding of the project’s scope.

You can see how much research and data collection time you’ll have to put in before starting any writing.

For instance, if your client has the Thank You page survey results collected over the last year, that’s a huge bonus when looking at customer data regarding why they purchased from your client.

And if they don’t have any voice of customer data, well, you’re going to have to dig in and start from the beginning – possibly adding a few more hours to your estimated work time – and, therefore, your rate.

In 10x Freelance Copywriter, Jo teaches you how to become a pro at positioning yourself as an expert by knowing which analytics questions to ask.

She also offers this piece of advice for new freelance copywriters when it comes to collecting data and explaining to clients why you need to conduct research.

10x FC "It's part of your process - not a line item."
10xFC lesson

Track your results

The analytics questions based on the part of the funnel customers are in (mentioned above) can be used to collect data after your copy is live on the client’s website or emails.

In the second Tutorial Tuesday video, Jo provides a spreadsheet to track the CAC, CTR and CR for 6 months following the launch of your copy.

Not only will seeing the data help you optimize your copy, but it will give you the numbers to show your client when they ask to see the results of your copy.

Similarly, having these analytics will enhance your credibility in the eyes of potential clients because you can provide the numbers they want to see.

Just like on Kira Hug‘s site,

The analytics questions are answered by showing the results Kira achieved for her clients. Text reads: Look, Mom – I'm legit! How Kira Hug helped Business by Design drive almost $500,000 in one launch. How Kira Hug helped Rick Mulready earn over $355,000 in a single launch.
Source

Having proof that you can write great copy is a way to overcome hesitation in a potential lead, especially since 93% of consumers say that reading reviews influences their buying decisions.

Write better copy

There’s no doubt that having the answers to as many of the analytics questions as possible will help you write more compelling and better-performing copy.

The data will prevent you from guessing what the customers want to hear and having proof to justify why you wrote what you did.

However, if your client doesn’t have a lot of this data to share with you, that’s ok.

You can conduct this research as part of your project and then provide your findings to your client as you go through your copy with them.

Regardless of how much research has already been done, it’s your job to find the connections and turn all that data into copy that creates a relationship with the audience.

And generates conversions.

For more learning, there’s an Analytics for Copywriters course in Copy School taught by Nicole Luke if you want to dig deeper into the data side of the job.