Anna Rose ThomasHigh-performing businesses have a secret weapon: the power to subtly guide customers toward making a purchase. It’s not about features or price (although those matter); it’s about understanding the psychology behind buying decisions.
You can unlock this power, too. Let’s dive into crafting compelling copy that influences your customers’ journey and gets them saying “yes!”
Table Of Contents
1. Understand Why People Don't Buy
Before we jump into the solutions, it’s crucial to understand the two main reasons why people don’t make a purchase:
a) They’re not your ideal customer. Imagine trying to sell a $33,000 guitar for $500 to someone with zero interest in music. Even at that bargain price, they’re unlikely to buy. The lesson? Target the right audience.
b) They’ve already bought from your competitors. If a potential customer just purchased a guitar, they’re probably not in the market for another one, even if you’re offering a great deal. Timing matters.
While these scenarios are challenging to overcome, the good news is that you’re in a great position to influence buying decisions for any reason.
2. Harness the Power of Emotion
Here’s a vital truth: People buy on emotions and justify with logic. Think about the last expensive product you bought. Chances are, you purchased it because it fulfilled a desire or helped you achieve a specific goal.
The problem is that many businesses focus solely on logical arguments, forgetting the emotional component. This approach can leave potential customers feeling disconnected and unmotivated to buy.
Tap into those emotions and use them to influence how customers perceive your products. You can do this by adding two critical types of benefits to your copy that most people miss.
3. Master the Art of Features vs. Benefits
Many marketers mistake features for benefits, which can lead to ineffective copy. Let’s break it down:
Features:
- Objective facts about your product or service
- Examples: 5 hours of premium video content, free shipping, a guitar signed by Eric Clapton
Benefits:
- Subjective and directly address customer needs and desires
- Create a connection with the customer and increase their desire to buy
You must include features and benefits in your copy to influence buying decisions. But here’s where it gets interesting—there are three types of benefits:
a) Common Benefits: These are your product’s general advantages. For example, vitamin B6 in a supplement can prevent anemia, improve mood, and promote brain health.
b) Personal Benefits: This is the real reason why your customer needs the product. Using the supplement example, a personal benefit might be “helps you fall asleep when you want to.”
c) Meta Benefits: These are the more profound, often universal desires behind the personal benefits. For example, a sleep supplement could have the meta benefit of “allowing you to take better care of your loved ones by waking up early.”
Download the step-by-step guide on how to turn features into benefits here.
4. Implement the Benefit Trifecta in Your Copy
To create genuinely persuasive copy, follow these steps:
Step 1: List all the features of your product or service.
Step 2: For each feature, identify:
- The common benefit
- The personal benefit
- The meta benefit
Step 3: Incorporate these benefits into your copy, addressing the most common human desires:
- Survival
- Enjoyment of food and beverages
- Freedom from fear, pain, and danger
- Intimate companionship
- Comfortable living conditions
- To be superior, winning, keeping up with the Joneses
- Care and protection of loved ones
- Social approval
Addressing these fundamental desires will create a powerful emotional connection with your audience. This approach makes it extremely difficult for potential customers not to buy because their emotions are telling them to purchase, while their logic provides supporting reasons.
5. Use Caution and Be Ethical
While this approach is powerful, it’s essential to use it responsibly. Be cautious when applying personal and meta benefits to products in sensitive industries such as health care. Always ensure your claims are ethical and appropriate for your product or service.
By implementing these strategies, you’ll be well on your way to creating more persuasive copy that influences buying decisions and boosts sales. Remember, the key is to tap into your customers’ emotions while providing logical justifications for their purchases. With practice and refinement, you’ll soon see the impact on your bottom line.
