10 Ways To Improve Your Product Descriptions

It is vital that you start writing product descriptions for the main target audience. All target audiences use different language and have different opinions and you need to tap into that. If you don’t have an ideal customer, then you could end up with weak content that speaks to no-one.

A good tactic is to imagine a conversation with them about the problem they’re experiencing that your product solves. What features make it the perfect solution. For instance, does your product have different color options or have larger print?

Remember to avoid jargon that you use and instead use their own language. This way you can connect with the audience much better. You should also try to use the humor and other behaviors that they would use in a conversation. This makes you part of their community, and improves the bond and trust you have.

One of the biggest mistakes made when writing product descriptions is that the writer concentrates on features. Instead you need to concentrate on the advantages of the product and how the customer will benefit.

A good example of this is memory sticks. When advertising, companies often don’t just say how much memory they have. They convert this into tangible benefits. So something like 1TB memory should become: 10 pictures, 1,000 songs or 48 hours of video.

Providing benefits allows the consumer to realize how useful your product will be. It also makes it more tangible to the audience.

Some benefits you might not have thought of include:

• How does the product make your customers feel?
• What issues does the product solve?
• Is there a way that the product saves time/money?

If you’re adding the product and writing the product description right, then you should be selling an experience of using your product rather than the actual product.

When writers are stuck for what to say about products they often stick to a selection of common phrases such as ‘excellent’, ‘great’, ‘high-quality’, etc. These aren’t that powerful because consumers frequently see this as just what every seller says.

The problem with this is that you don’t just annoy the audience, you make your brand less believable. Therefore, you need to change these unsubstantial phrases to more specific points that can be proven. For instance high-quality could be turned into 99% customer satisfaction. Be sure to have evidence of this.

The new phrases can also be tied into benefits, that we’ve mentioned in a previous point.

One of the key things you must do is to use important words that convey larger impressions to the audience. For instance, if you’ve got a patented or trademarked product, use these words in your product description. This gives the impression that the items are only available from you and that customers looking to shop around for better bargains are going to be upset.

Remember to provide proof of what you’re saying. If you’ve got customer testimonials for your product, use those within your copy. This can add social proof that your product does exactly what you’re stating.

Awards are a way to add credibility to your brand and the product. Even if it is a small award that isn’t mainstream, an award is valuable. Even a finalist position or notification can be an important way to add value to your product.

Make sure you include awards that your team has won, especially if you have a customer service award.

Research has shown that when someone holds a product in their hand, they are more likely to buy the product. The psychological impact is something that isn’t that difficult to imitate online. You just need to tap into the reader’s imagination and give them the impression that they already have the product in their hand.

To do this you need to tell them a story about them using the product in a positive manner. For instance, are they using the product for cleaning and it gets the job done quicker? Tell them the story of how they’ve been able to go to the spa or shopping later on because they finished the cleaning early. Or perhaps they needed to get the cleaning done perfectly to impress the in-laws? Tell a story your audience are likely to want to hear.

If you’re not sure on how to start this, try starting a sentence with the word ‘imagine’.

One of the big hurdles that you’re going to have is rational barriers. These are when people make decisions based on hard decisions. Product descriptions are always about emotions. You want to have your audience want the product because they’ve fallen in love with it.

Sometimes this about selling the benefits of the product and other times it is about selling a story. For example, telling a mini-story about how your product was developed, or why. These mini-stories cut through the rational thinking of customers and make them sympathize with the storyteller and connect with the product.

Many entertainment and luxury brands have been doing it for years and that is using sensory words to increase the connection between the audience and your brand. For instance, food items aren’t just sold on taste. Often they are sold on the sound, look and even the feel of the product.

Restaurant owners are often experts at selling dishes by using sensory words to describe dishes. So go to some top restaurants in your area to find out what words you could use.

There is nothing that is more important in selling online than social proof. While awards are good indicators as to the value of your product. The true value of your product is often determined as to whether the peers of your audience have bought it.

Shoppers trust reviews and recommendations from strangers more than your own brand. In fact, 81% will buy a product based on a recommendation from a friend. So use social media, reviews and other social proof elements in your product descriptions to improve product descriptions.