MozCon 2017: Customer-Driven Copy That Converts

The following post is part of WTWH Media Marketing Lab’s ongoing blog series from MozCon 2017. 

“Are you thinking about copy all wrong?” was the first question Joel Klettke asked the MozCon audience during his presentation. Well let’s think about that: Headline ✓, sub headline ✓, image ✓, call to action ✓, social proof ✓. We’re all set! As Klettke explained, it’s not quite that easy. There are probably gaps in your copy and you are probably missing some of the answers your customers are looking for.

Six things every potential customer comes into the page asking:

1. What is it?
2. Who is it for?
3. Why should I care?
4. How does it work?
5. Why trust you?
6. What’s next?

To put it simply, think like your customer and create your copy as if you are having a conversation with a person explaining your product or service. Understand their pain points, anxieties, priorities, and outcomes. What frustrates them? What are they worried about? What problem are they looking to solve? What do they wish they could do? Answer these questions so a customer is not walking away still questioning what your product or service can do for them.

“You are not your customer. Stop trying to think for them,” Klettke said. If you do not have the answers to all the questions, don’t just write what you think customers want to hear or give them useless information. Use customer interviews, email surveys, or reviews and testimonials to listen to customers are saying.

Questions to ask:

• What was going on in your business that sent you looking for a solution?
• What else did you try, and what didn’t you love about it?
• What almost kept your from buying from us?
• What made you confident enough to give us a try?
• What made           the best solution for you?
• When evaluating         , what was most important to you?
• What can you do now, or do better, than you could before?

Analyze their responses and use what is being said about your product or service.

Look for:

• Frequently used words
• Recurring themes
• Insightful quotes

Joel’s approach to listening to customers and understanding what they are looking for can help drive your results in a positive way.

As you can see here:

Joel Klettke is the owner of Business Casual Copywriting. After earning a BComm from the Haskayne School of Business in Calgary, he started a job as the Lead SEO Specialist at Vovia Online Marketing. Now he is focusing entirely on conversion copywriting and understanding how people make decisions.