CXL Institute Conversion Optimization Minidegree Review (2/12)

This is a second of a twelve-part (2/12) review of conversion optimization mini degree by CXL Institute. If you are interested in part-one (1/12) and want to read why I have enrolled in the CXL Institute conversion optimization mini degree click here.

In this review, I will cover how to communicate with your target audience and use psychological “tricks” to guide them to purchase.

Awesome Sales Copy on Your Website Is a Lot More Important Than an Awesome Website Design

You will not hear many website designers say this, but the truth is that — most people browse the internet searching for answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. Sales copy or copywriting is often underestimated by a lot of business owners and website designers.

The best sales copy is data-driven and developed through in-depth research of existing customers.

To get the data for your copy you can:

• Conduct surveys and polls
• Search and analyze online reviews
• Remote user test
• Conduct 1-on-1 interviews

If you are launching a new product or a service and don’t have any customers try following this framework to write a unique value proposition:

1. List your product’s key features
2. Pinpoint those that are unique
3. List customer pain points for each feature
4. Define desirable outcomes for each pain
5. Score pains and outcomes by severity and frequency
6. Edit top-scored pain and outcomes into UVPs
7. Score the UVPs (and go with the best one!)

The Basics Of a Good Website Copy

Make your sales copy (whether data-driven or not) SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER by following a few simple, conversion-focused principles:

1. MEClab’s conversion sequence heuristic
2. Cialdini’s 7 principles of persuasion
3. Claude Hopkins’s scientific advertising

With the help of these principles and insights from the data you collect from your customers, you can craft an irresistible offer that will help you increase your conversion rate and profit.

1. MEClab’s Conversion Sequence Heuristic

MEClab’s conversion formula: C = 4M +3V + 2(I — F) — 2*A

This is not an actual mathematical equation you need to solve. This formula is here just to explain the correlation between different factors on which you need to focus when optimizing your conversion rate.

Motivation (M) — You can’t influence a visitor’s motivation, but it is the most important part of this formula with a multiplier of four. People have an expectation and a reason why they are going from one site to another, including your sales page. The higher their motivation is, the more likely they are to make a purchase.

Value proposition (V) — The second most important factor in this formula is the clarity of your value proposition. Speak the language of your customers and make sure they understand your offer.

Incentive (I) and Friction (F) — Give your users a reason to buy from you and make it easy.

Anxiety (A) — Reduce your customers’ anxiety by removing risk if they commit to buying from you

2. Cialdini’s 7 Principles of Persuasion

These are the seven proven principles you can use to make people buy from you.

1. Reciprocity — Be generous, give first and people are more likely to say yes to you
2. Commitment (Consistency) — Getting someone to do a small act will increase the possibility they’ll say yes later on
3. Social proof — We trust things that are popular or endorsed by other people we trust (e.g. Most people say that these shoes are good)
4. Authority — We’re more likely to take action if told to do so by a trustworthy figure (Media, Press, Influencer…)
5. Liking — We are more likely to believe, trust, or buy from people we already like
6. Scarcity (Urgency) — If people know that there are a limited amount of resources they’ll want to grab them as soon as possible
7. Unity (us vs. them) — People want to belong and be part of the group

3. CLAUDE C. HOPKINS Scientific Advertising (First conversion copywriter)

• Be specific and make specific claims — A man who makes a specific claim is either telling the truth or a LIE.
• Offer your customers help — The best ads ask no one to buy, offer customers the information they want to know, and let them make a decision
• Tell the full story — It does not matter how long your sales page is, make sure to complete your story.
• Write as you talk

Understand different types of copy

There are different types of copy for different purposes. Here are some of the most common types:

• Attention-capturing copy (SERP snippet, PPC Ads, display ads, Facebook ads)
• Persuasive copy (home page, PPC landing page, product details page)
• Transactional copy (cart page, order summary, checkout page, sign-up page)
• Confirmation copy (payment success message, first-time UX copy)

Turn copy into a wireframe

After you create your sales copy, you need to build a clickable prototype so you can adjust your sales copy to match the layout of the page and share it with your clients and team.

When designing your prototype, remember to include these seven design factors that can dramatically influence your copy’s effectiveness:

1. The position of each piece of copy on the page
2. The size of each piece of copy on the page
3. What order you put your pieces of copy in
4. The amount of space and clutter around your copy
5. The typography of your copy
6. Directional cues toward (or away from) your copy
7. Color contrast vs. background, imagery, button

Why wireframe and prototype your copy?

1. Copy and design are two sides of one coin: communicating a persuasive argument
2. White space and readability changes once the text is converted to actual-size dimensions
3. Copy length and the interactive appeal is more easily judged in prototype form

My thoughts

There are a lot more things to consider when writing a sales copy and doing in-depth customer research and if you want to learn more on this topic I would suggest you check out: CXL Institute — Conversion Optimization Mini degree program.

So far my experience with their program has been really good and I have learned a ton of new and useful information regarding conversion optimization and user behavior.