A picture might be worth a thousand words, but it takes more than a glossy photo to make your products pop online. When shopping online, customers don’t have the luxury of calling over a staff member to answer questions, or getting a hands-on trial of the product they’re considering. A well-written product description is the best way to fill in those gaps, and provide the customer with the information they need to make a confident purchase.
Writing a powerful product description starts with putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. Consider your own experience as a customer, and remember that accuracy is important. If you want to earn repeat customers, the item that arrives in the mail needs to live up to its description on your website. Product descriptions are an important, underrated part of website marketing for your Calgary business, so let’s take a deeper look at how you can craft product descriptions that turn curious prospects into satisfied customers.
Product Descriptions with the Customer in Mind
It’s easy to say that you need to “put yourself in the customer’s shoes,” but what does that actually mean? Writing from the customer’s perspective starts with defining your ideal customer. That means asking some questions, and getting specific with your answers.
- Who buys your product, and why? If you’re a “fun” company that sells recreational items to college students and twenty-somethings, mixing some humor into your descriptions might be perfect. If serious business-people are your target group, you’ll do better with hard facts and no fluff.
- Give your ideal buyer a name, face, and age. What are they interested in, and how do those interests relate to what you have to offer? How do they earn a living? Every bit of information adds shape to your target buyer.
- How do you see your company? This goes hand-in-hand with the first question. The tone of your descriptions should match your desired image as a business.
Describe Accurately Without Going Overboard
You want your passion for your products to show in your descriptions, but it’s important not to lapse into hyperbole. Phrases like “best ever” and “world famous” typically raise red flags for readers. Don’t just tell the reader that your product is great. Show them why it’s great with an accurate list of features, and the benefits those features provide. Create a list of the features you want to mention, then work on turning those basic details into vivid descriptions.
- Your company story shows your business in its best light, and your descriptions should do the same for your products.
- Let’s say you sell microwaves and other counter-top kitchen appliances. You could say something like, “this microwave measures 20 x 30 x 30 cm.” Or you could say, “this 20 x 30 x 30 cm microwave packs all the power of larger models, without filling up all of your counter space!” Both descriptions deliver the same information, but one sounds much better than the other, right?
- Appeal to the senses whenever possible. Describing how an item looks, feels, sounds, and smells gives the customer a more robust visual of the item. Not every sense applies to every item, of course. Describing how your microwave tastes would be weird, and the research would be very unpleasant.
- Do you have any discounts or promotions running? If so, make sure the reader is aware of them, even if you just show the regular price next to the discount rate.
- Make your descriptions easy to scan. This step is absolutely vital if you want to create descriptions that move your reader. Lists of facts and descriptions work best in bullet-point form. Use subheads to guide the reader through each section, choose colors that contrast well, and stick with simple fonts to ensure easy reading.
Powerful product descriptions are a perfect example of the intersection between art and science. The science comes in how you format the page, as usability testing confirms the layout tips mentioned above. The art element comes in turning basic facts into vivid descriptions, and in how you connect with your audience. Identify the right mix for your company, and you’ll be well on your way to crafting excellent product descriptions.
Need a little help crafting website marketing content that moves your readers to action? The content creation experts at Emphasize Design have the skills and experience to deliver content that works as hard as you do to promote your Calgary business.
