The goal of sales copy, whether it be a web page, an email, or a phone call, is to get people to form conclusions, not beat them over the head with proclamations.
Example: we had a construction client that loved to brag about his workmanship and quality. He would go to every completed job site and make a video and say things like "look at this marvelous job we did, our crew is amazing. The materials we used are supreme. Look how beautiful the finished product is. I'm so proud of my company and my team, we're the best in the word". And then post it on Youtube.
I tried explaining to him how his approach could be improved. I proposed something like this:
This customer called us to increase his home security so we met with him to discuss his options. He agreed our price was higher than others, but he chose us because of our great reviews and nearly 30 years in business. He reviewed all of the materials and chose the highest quality aluminum fence we offered. He asked us to exactly match the color of the security gate to his home and to keep working hours from 9 am - 5 pm so as to not disturb his neighbors. He also mentioned how important it was that we clean up after ourselves daily, which I assured him we always do. The entire job took two weeks and he was thrilled that we delivered 2 days early as he was leaving on vacation. He was surprised when we delivered a complimentary second set of remote controls for the security gate. Here is his testimonial video.
Do you see the massive difference here? The first example was full of bragging, proclamations, and what could be perceived as exaggerations. More importantly, where does the customer fit into the owner's diatribe?
The second example positioned the customer as the main character (as the hero if you will). It does a vastly better job at helping readers form conclusions in the their minds that are infinitely more powerful than any amount of claims. And it's because these conclusions were formed in their minds that makes them so powerful, because the reader decided on their own what to think of the company based on the story. Not to mention that the story spoke from the customer's perspective, which is the reader's perspective too.
The point is that conclusions must be implied, not overtly stated. And always speak from the customer's perspective.
Conversational tone is an important tenant for great conversions. For some reason, when people write copy for their websites, they often choose wording that sounds a bit robotic.
The goal of a web page is to engage the viewer in a virtual conversation. You want your web pages, and other sales copy, to read more like an in-person conversation. An easy way to to accomplish this is to use contractions for common words.
I know this flies in the face of what many of you learned in school as proper "writing". But bear in mind that your website is not a thesis. Its sales copy. And sales copy converts better when it reads more conversational.
