Will Better Ad Copy Endings Equal Better Sales?
Every business knows how important it is to offer a great value to their customers, but in the world of ecommerce, these values often come in the form of products.
While this may seem familiar, what you are really offering when you sell your product are the end-user's experiences and benefits. And one way that an online retailer can increase their chances for success is by perfecting their ending lines (or copy). In this post we'll discuss why better ad copy endings equal better sales, and show you just how easy it can be to boost your conversions by making small changes to your offer with just a few words.
It's the End, Not Just the Beginning
If you've ever taken a marketing class or read a book on copywriting, you might have come across the concept of "closing". The idea is that your sales letter should end on such an emotional note that it will draw readers into taking action. So how do you make this emotional ending happen?
There are two ways in which you can accomplish this…and without knowing these techniques, it's very possible that your closing statements will only depress your readers.
First off, unless you're selling something so exciting that people want to act right away, there's no need for you to write about the product (or service) itself. A lot of marketers will write sales copy that ends with "Order Now!" or something similar. But in fact, these phrases totally undermine your ability to move the customer to action. Why? Because they suggest that your readers have the choice of acting now or later–and when you give them a choice about when to buy, you're really giving them a way out of buying at all.
A much better solution is to ask for the sale instead. Consider this example: "Get these new pants and shorts today." Asking for the sale puts all of the power into your hands, and as an added bonus it prevents people from hesitating over their purchase because they know they'll be getting what they want right away.
Now that you've gotten a commitment from your customers, it's time to seal the deal. In sales lingo, this is called the "foot in the door" technique, and it works like this: Asking for a small commitment before you ask for a much larger one will help you boost your chances of getting what you want. So when you ask for that sale, make sure that your closing includes lots of small commitments (like "I'm so confident that I'll give you 30 days to try these pants and shorts", or "Order now because we have free shipping on all orders over $85"). By getting them to agree to these smaller requests, you're setting the stage for them to agree to the big one.
In the end, your goal should be to keep your customers from leaving before buying. And the best way to accomplish this is to keep them hooked until they've made their purchase decision. The end result is that you increase your sales and close more sales for less time.
Here's an example (with permission, of course) from Nordstrom : "Your clothes have been hand-picked by our team of style experts, who personally search stores in 20 countries before bringing back the latest fashions. Once you put them on, we'll ship them to you right away. No tax. No shipping charges. And free returns."
This ending line makes it clear that the product will be sent to them right away (thereby preventing them from leaving their house during the checkout process), and it also lets them know that there are no additional costs for this service. As long as your product is shipped to your customer shortly after purchase, you won't cost yourself any potential customers with a shipping charge.
Another example from Nordstrom's is: "Our stylists have shopped around the world for the most-beautiful shoes, bags, watches and jewelry. Select your favorites and we'll ship them for free. No tax. No shipping charges. And no surprises."
Here, the writer takes the time to remind their customers (and readers) that there are no additional costs to them (beyond product cost) for the service they're being offered. In this way, they don't just improve the conversion rate on sales of accessories…they also ensure that when a customer buys a handbag or pair of shoes, they don't have any hesitation over price at all.
By using these techniques, you can make sure that your copy is pushing your customers towards action instead of away from it. Keep in mind, however, that sometimes you have to end on something other than a simple request for action. If your customers are only just learning about the benefits of your product or service, it doesn't make sense to ask them to buy right away. Also, if you're writing copy for a site selling used goods (where the customer wants to feel like she's getting something at a great value), keep in mind that customers might be hesitant to buy new products if they don't know what they're getting or how much it'll cost.
So what do you do in these situations? You conclude your copy by making the benefit of your product abundantly clear. Also, consider adding a sentence or two that changes the order of things. In other words, instead of ending with a bold sales statement and no information about the product, consider pre-selling your benefits first and then asking them to buy afterwards. For example:
"We have a great deal on the new Kate Spade bags. They are $299 and include shipping and tax. Buy now, because you'll get a 40% off sale price."
In this example, Nordstrom is using the "foot in the door" technique to suggest that you're getting this 40% off sale price at any time within 30 days of your purchase–and if you don't act right away, you can always return or exchange your purchase later on. By implying that there's no risk to buying their product now, it's an easy way to get people in the door without dumping all their information on them first.
In the end, the goal with your closing statements is not to manipulate your readers. Rather, it's about getting them to feel comfortable enough with you and your product that they want to take a chance. After all, that's what good copywriting is all about: turning strangers into customers because they know what to expect from your business, and how much it'll cost them to do business with you.
Conclusion
A lot of people overlook their closing statements, but that's a mistake. After all, the question of where to end your sales letter is actually a small part of the equation. The real question is, what do you want your readers to think and feel while they're reading it?
The goal with writing copy is that you want to get your potential customers to say yes. So by extending your copy beyond the main body of your sales letter and into a closing statement, you completely change up their experience in a way that will help them reach the decision that you want them to make.