While attending HubSpot’s INBOUND 17 last month, we were lucky enough to attend a presentation on persuasive content by Nancy Harhut, the Chief Creative Officer at HBT Marketing. The information was powerful and demonstrated the importance of word choice in content marketing strategies.
It doesn’t matter if you are writing email marketing, landing pages, Facebook ads, or anything else, the words you use, and the order you use them in, can make the difference between a sale and a pass. Here is a look at some of our favorite ways to incorporate persuasive copy into your content marketing:
Explain the Why
You can ask someone to buy your product or service and maybe get a response, but if you explain to them why they need your product or service, they are much more likely to take action. The word “because” is the perfect leeway into the why.
Take Advantage of Authority Figures
Whether it is a celebrity or an industry expert, people listen to authority figures. If you have the opportunity to use them in your content marketing, do it.
Use Magnet Words
While you are writing the copy for your content marketing, you are paying attention to every word; however, the reader is skimming. Choose words that are proven to stand out over other words, such as: easy, quick, improve, and secret.
Offer Deals
Nobody wants to pay more than they have to, and these days, very few people will pay full price. Don’t be afraid to offer coupon codes or discounts to help close the sale.
Provide a Guarantee
When someone is spending their hard-earned money, they don’t want to waste it. By offering a satisfaction guarantee with your product or service, you remove that obstacle and further encourage the user to commit.
Choose the Right Phrasing
In content marketing, even the smallest tweak can make a big difference. By properly framing your sales content you can improve your conversion rate. For example, offer a ‘small $5 shipping fee’ versus just a ‘$5 shipping fee.’ Or when offering an add-on to a purchase, use the yes and no buttons, but on the no button, explain what the customer is missing out on if they say no.
Bring Peers Into It
A lot of people don’t like to be the only one doing something; they like to follow the lead of others. Use this to your advantage in your content marketing copy with phrases like: five just sold; customers like you also bought; and reserved by others.
Ask Questions
Questions are a very powerful tool in content marketing. Use the 5 W’s and the H in your copy to demonstrate that there is some information the reader does not know, and then show them how your product/service will give them the answers.
Have Them Visualize
If people can recall an example of something, they are more likely to take action. So use your content marketing to help them visualize a time in the past or in the future where your product/service could have helped the situation.
Let Them Know What They Will Lose
As great as positive language can be, when it comes to your content marketing strategy, pointing out what people can lose is a much more powerful method. If they are going to lose a valuable discount or a store credit, they are more likely to respond immediately.
Do you want more tips for using persuasive copy in your content marketing strategy? Stay tuned for Part Two, coming soon, or contact our content marketing agency today.
