The 3 C's of Conversion Copy

Your copy’s #1 goal is to convert – whether that’s getting leads, downloading content, or making the sale.

In order to convert, your copy – at the very least – needs to be customer-focused, clear, and clean. While a lot more than this goes into conversion copy, mastering these three basics will help ensure you’re connecting with your target customer and removing any barriers to the sale.

1. Customer-focused

Your customers are the center of your business – and should be the center of your copy as well. Copy is more likely to convert if it’s properly targeted and focused on your customer’s needs and desires.

Before you even start writing copy, ask yourself:

Who is my target customer?

You probably know basic information about your target customer, like occupation or geographic location. But what about the problems they’re facing, how they make buying decisions, or what channels they use to get information? Getting to know your target customer as a human can help you craft relevant copy that will help grab their attention and build trust in your brand.

To help you get to know your target customer better, start by looking at your current customer data. If your data leaves a lot to be desired, the next step is collecting additional information through surveys or market research.

Finally, you can build a buyer persona based on the data you collected. This data-based persona will help you focus your copy around your target customer.

What is my target customer’s stage of awareness?

Effective copy meets your customers wherever they are in the buyer’s journey. Eugene Schwartz’s classic copywriting bible Breakthrough Advertising outlines five stages of customer awareness:

Unaware – These customers don’t know they even have a problem that needs solving. To reach them, you’ll need disruptive copy to help challenge their thinking about their current lifestyle and buying habits.

Problem aware – These customers know they have a problem, but don’t know how to solve it. To reach them, your copy needs to acknowledge their problem and offer a solution that ties in with your product or service.

Solution aware – Customers at this stage know how to solve their problem, they just don’t know the specific products or services that can help them. Your copy needs to position your product or service as the solution they’ve been looking for.

Product aware – Once customers get to this stage, they’re ready to buy at any moment. They already know about your product – and your competitor’s. Your copy needs to clearly show the advantage of your product or service and give them an offer, like a free trial or discount, to help close the deal.

Most aware – These are the customers your business is built on. They’re current buyers or subscribers, so your copy’s job is to maintain loyalty through valuable content and by upselling or cross-selling additional products or services. Some of these customers may even become brand ambassadors, leaving you positive reviews and sharing their experiences with your product on social media.

2. Clear

Your copy will be dead on arrival if it doesn’t make sense to your target customer or looks like a chore to read. You don’t want muddy copy to get in the way of a sale.

Here are some things to keep in mind to help you write crystal-clear copy.

Clear > clever

One of the biggest beginner copywriting mistakes is trying to be too clever at the expense of clearness. They think their customers will be drawn in by their quirky copy full of puns, pop culture references, and innuendos.

But data has shown that clear copy converts more often than clever copy. So, don’t try to be clever. Just be as clear as possible so your customer immediately knows what you want to say and what you want them to do.

Speak their language

You want your copy to use the same language your target customer uses. (You can uncover this through voice of customer data.) This helps you appear relevant while making an immediate connection with your customer. Speaking their language makes them feel like you “get” them.

However, AVOID JARGON. If there’s a jargony word your customer uses often, by all means, use it in your copy. Otherwise, jargon makes it look like you’re trying too hard to impress.

Make your copy scannable

Most of your customers probably won’t read your copy from start to finish. They’ll do a quick scan to assess if it’s something worth their time to read further. In fact, you probably did the same with this blog post (admit it).

Making your copy easily scannable can help draw your reader in and make it look like less of a chore to read. Use cross-heads, lists, short paragraphs, and boldface to break up the text.

3. Clean

Last, but not least, make sure your copy is clean – error-free and formatted properly. Don’t let things like typos and formatting can get in the way of the conversion. Clean copy is converting copy.

Proofread. Then proofread some more.

Misspellings, grammar mistakes, and other typos are a distraction and make you appear untrustworthy. Have you ever read a spam email? The numerous typos are a sign you probably shouldn’t click that link. You don’t want to give your prospects the same feeling.

Before your print, publish, or send your marketing piece, be sure to proofread it thoroughly. Then proofread it again. Maybe a third time. Better yet, get somebody else with fresh eyes to proofread it. Or, at the very least, use a tool like Grammarly. Typos are sneaky, so you can never be too careful.

Check the formatting

I’m a stickler for proper formatting. Stuff like uneven spacing, incorrect font size, and even unsuperscripted trademark symbols stick out like a sore thumb. Like typos, formatting errors can be a distraction and a barrier to conversion.

While proofreading, be sure to pay close attention to your copy’s formatting. Does it adhere to your brand guidelines? Is it consistent? Does it help or hinder the buyer’s journey? A graphic designer (AKA, a copywriter’s best friend) can help ensure proper formatting across all your channels.