The Most Common Mistake People Make When Writing Sales Copy

As a skin care entrepreneur it goes without saying that you are passionate about your products. You created them, you live them, you breathe them and doubtless you would eat them for breakfast if you possibly could. It is therefore completely understandable that when writing copy for your website or for sales promotions your desire is to communicate that passion to your customers.

Who, we think, could possibly resist the messages we give out about the gorgeous ingredients we use, the loving efforts we take in creating our products and our ethical stance on fair trade and sustainability and of course making sure that Orangatangs always have a good breakfast and an endless amount of trees to swing from.

Make no mistake here, I totally share all of those sentiments, the problem is that most of your potential customers are not prioritising in the same way that you are.  It is proven that a visitor to your website will spend precisely three seconds there before deciding whether to have a look around or to move on. Your customers have an immediate need that they want to satisfy and, if they are visiting a skin care site the chances are that they are there for one of the following reasons:

1. They have a skin care problem that they want solved.
2. They want to buy something that will make them feel good about themselves.
3. They want to identify with beautiful people and if possible become one.
4. They have fears around their appearance – when did those lines appear !
5. They are your competitors !  What are you up to ?

The mistake most entrepreneurs make when writing copy is to write it from their own point of view rather than their potential customer’s point of view. Many of us are so wrapped up in our own stories and brands that we forget that our customers have not shared our journey and, if I may be so blunt, are actually only interested in themselves and what our products will do for them. They may well value your ecological stance and your story but in reality their buying decision will be based on one of the first four factors listed above.

It is of course extremely effective to use wonderful photos to inspire our customers and to add authenticity to our claims by talking in latin and emphasising the science behind our formulations but reaching out to a customer’s needs, aspirations or fears rather than singing your own virtues is much more likely to have them clicking on your ‘buy’ button.