Make your words work hard at selling

You can’t beat face-to-face conversations for selling to customers.

We’re not always there to talk though. That’s when the power of written words really counts. In ads, web sites, brochures, newsletters and more, it’s the written words that have to make the sale.

Grab attention

If someone lands on your web site, you have seconds to persuade them that they should hang around and read a bit about your business. The same’s true for any leaflets, brochures or ads you produce. Write yourself some really interesting headlines and make every word count.

“Who you talking to?”

In the sales and marketing world, it’s all about the customer. Think less about what you want to say, and more what your customers will want to hear. A great tip is to put yourself in your customer’s shoes and ask yourself “So what?” about everything you write.

Take this example from WigglyWormers, who have the unenviable task of making socks sound interesting. Their socks are made from pure goats’ hair. “So what?” you say. And Wiggly has the answer - it means they’re warm in winter, cool in summer and stay fresh for days (a great sales point for the single men in your life).

Or take any piece of technology. For most people it’s not the power or widgets of their laptop, phone or camera that interest them. It’s what that technology can help them do to make their lives better.

Keep it simple

When you’re writing to sell you want to help people take in information quickly and easily. So short sentences and paragraphs as well as words that are familiar to the people you’re selling to are all really helpful.

Make a few lists

Bullet-point lists can work well to make the page look more interesting. Keep each point short though – just a word or a single phrase is easiest to read. And just like when you’re planting out the herbaceous border, odd numbers seem to work best. Go for three or five, but no more than that.

Don’t forget the detail

Have you noticed ads that forget to mention important points, like names, locations or dates? Make sure people know how to find you, in person, on the phone or online.

Get the horse to drink

You’ve persuaded your readers to take the next step in buying from you. But what is that step? Whether you want people to pick up the phone, create an online booking or request more information – make it clear and make it easy.

Check it over

When you’ve worked so hard to build up your credibility, you don’t want misspellings and dodgy grammar to ruin the effect. If there’s no one around to proof read your writing, print it out and look at it later yourself.