Let’s get one thing straight from the start – a copywriter writes to sell.
Pure and simple.
Of course, their sale writing also has to be interesting enough to make someone want to read it in the first place.
That’s all well and good, but how can you ensure your reader will actually buy your product when they land on your website?
Well, there are no guarantees – everyone is different and their motivations for buying are different therefore no one can guarantee sales.
But what you can do to maximise your chances is to put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Imagine yourself browsing the web. You come across a web page. It looks quite attractive, it has some good images, the copywriting is persuasive but your not completely sold on the fact that the product is for you.
What do you do next?
I’m guessing you go back to your search results and take a look at another site. Would you return to the first site you landed on? Probably not.
Therefore if your reader navigates away from your website it is highly unlikely they’ll come back. So to get your visitors to buy as soon as they land on your website you must create a sense of urgency to make them buy rather than wandering off to browse other sites.
How you can create a sense of urgency
One of the easiest ways of creating a sense of urgency is by including a time limited offer.
No one likes to think they are missing out on something whether it is a discount, free bonus, stock availability or even getting in quick before the price goes up.
If you hear there is a time limited offer on an item you instantly start to think that it’s going to sell out very fast – so it must be really popular – so it is the thing to have – the thing all my friends will have – I SIMPLY MUST HAVE IT NOW!
Below are a few illustrations of time limited offers:
- Get your order in now before August 11th’s price increase
- All orders before midnight on 13th July will get a 30% discount
- Place your order before October 10th and get your free bonus worth £25
- Order now while stocks last. After October 2nd we can’t guarantee availability for Christmas
Recognise some of them?
As I said earlier, there are no guarantees – just because someone lands on your website doesn’t mean they are going to buy from you. But if they are interested, the addition of a time limited offer will usually get them reaching for their wallet.
Give it a go and see what different it makes.
Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter (Briar Copywriting)