The following is a sponsored post by Commune Media.
We’ve all heard it a thousand times. (And we preach it ourselves.)
When writing for the web, don’t bore your readers with long text. Be concise.
But while that rule generally holds, there are exceptions.
These include landing pages (which are essentially sales letters) for products and services.
In fact, landing pages with long, detailed descriptions often outperform punchier pages that offer the same product and price.
So if you aren’t giving readers enough food for thought, chew on these five reasons why long copy increases conversions.
Why Long Copy Can Work
By writing more, you can:
- Let your readers scan. Web readers are far more likely to
skim your content than read it word-for-word. And with long copy, you
can bold out key phrases and use bullets to catch their attention. Do
it right, and they’ll double back for the rest. - Rank higher in searches. Long copy lets you tactfully load your content with keywords and links—without looking desperate for Google’s attention.
- Eliminate anxieties. Potential customers have plenty of
fears. With long copy, you can anticipate and assuage them one by one
by creating a natural, friendly dialogue with your readers.
- Weed out non-customers. Sure, plenty of surfers will skip a long sales letter. But guess what—they’re the ones who aren’t interested in spending anyway. If someone’s thinking of buying, they want to read about their purchase.
- Create commitments and encourage consistency. Once someone
has read a few paragraphs, they’ve made a commitment that—thanks to the
hardwiring of the human mind—they’ll want to be consistent with. After
investing their time in something, they feel foolish not taking action.
When to Break the Conciseness Rule
Of course, short copy still has its place.
The last thing you want
to do is bore your readers with an endless "About Us" page or a
rambling email blast. And short paragraphs, sentences and words are always in order.
But if you’re selling something, you owe it to potential customers to spend time informing, educating and easing them through the conversion funnel.
Here’s the rule of thumb: the more expensive your offering, the more words you need to convince readers to buy it.
The takeaway? Be concise, but don’t sell your offering short.
