Online sales copy mistakes can make or break your business. Writing sales copy is the process of creating persuasive content that makes your audience take action and buy. Sales copy is most often used on a sales page, in an ad, or on other marketing materials.

Making mistakes on your sales pages is not likely to induce people to read your entire page or click on the buy button at the bottom. Raise your sales rate and reputation as well as avert the consequences of making these top 10 online sales copy mistakes.

Mistake #1: Focusing on Features Over Benefits

Many people get so focused on listing all the features of their product that they forget to tell their audience about the benefits. Customers don’t care about features unless they understand why it should matter to them.

Customers are far more interested in how the solution can benefit him or her than they are of the bells and whistles it provides. When listing out the features, always include the reason why it matters, how does it benefit the customer? Provide information that they can relate to and identify with. Link the problem with specific emotions to create a stronger inclination to purchase the item. 

Mistake #2: Not Testing Different Types of Copy

Regardless of how good you are, or how good your copywriter is, you need to test different forms of copy. Conduct A/B testing of your sales copy to find what works best for your audience.

Some audiences prefer long sales copy. Others prefer short copy. Videos on the sales page or complete video sales copy are often preferred by millennials. Unless you test the different types, you won’t know which will generate the highest returns.

Mistake #3: Using the Wrong Layout

You want to build a beautiful sales page but what you think is beautiful is not necessarily what makes the most sales. In most cases, a single column sales page is much easier to read than one with columns of information.

Clean layouts designed to work regardless of platform are very important. Many potential customers use and shop using their mobile devices. They’re not going to switch to a PC just to buy your products.

Your website and sales pages need to work on any device. Don’t try to be too creative. Keep the format simple, yet attractive. Use website themes that are responsive and meet your needs.

Mistake #4: Using the Wrong Examples

Providing proof that your solution works through examples is a great way to improve sales. However, you must ensure that they are examples your target audience can identify with; that are specific for them. If they cannot identify with the example, they will become confused and take no action.

If your sales page is receiving a lot of traffic but few sales, there is a good possibility that the content and/or the examples don’t represent your audience’s experiences and therefore they cannot relate.

Mistake #5: Few Persuasive Writing Techniques

Creating sales copy requires you to learn new skills. The words you choose to tell your story or convey information are important. Each word can elicit feelings of joy, fear, loss, or desire. Writing effectively for your audience requires niche, topic, and audience research so that you know what emotions and words motivate readers to take action. You also want to understand how to build their trust enough to purchase from you.

If you want to learn about writing and avoid sales copy mistakes, you can join The Elite Writer’s Lab to learn about the details so that you can up your game and make more money.