4 Copywriting Mistakes That Kill Conversions

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4 Copywriting Mistakes That Kill Conversions

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Want to know the copywriting mistakes that business owners and copywriters make that kill conversions and drive potential customers away? Learn what you may be doing wrong so you can boost your conversions and grow your business.

4 Common Copywriting Mistakes That Kill Conversions

You’ve done it. The digital marketing plan you implemented was a success. You SEO-optimized your website, your Facebook ads caught people’s attention, social media pages were exciting, content marketing created loyalty, and thus a large number of prospects and visitors became real leads. You have properly used the AIDA formula and people are genuinely interested in your product or service.

Now, they’re on your sales page. This means they’ve warmed up to you and are thinking about buying what you’re selling. They’re reading on and on, and then something happens…

Their interests start to become smaller and smaller as they read the sales page. Their lowering interest starts to turn into confusion and then into apathy. Then they just decide to X out of the page and forget all about your business.

This happens all the time.

It doesn’t just happen on landing pages. This is happening all the time on newsletters, email marketing, PPC ad, social media posts, and all other kinds of online advertisements.

So do you want to know what happened? Want to know the mistakes to avoid so you can make that sale and make the conversions that your business should be making? These are the mistakes every failed business made, so do everything you can to avoid them. What are they? Let me tell you.

Copywriting Mistake #1 – You’re Not Writing to Your Audience

One of the most common copywriting mistakes, and actually in all of the digital marketing, that people make is that they’re not writing to their intended digital marketing. It is either completely wrong or much too broad. Good copywriting doesn’t just say “buy me, anyone”. Good copywriting speaks to a certain group of people, it makes a specific audience stop and pay attention, keeps their interests, and makes them feel like you can fix their problem.

If you’re selling a set of pots and pans, you need to write copy and content in which people who use pots and pans a lot will be interested. You need to narrow it down and understand those specific problems that that demographic faces and why YOUR PRODUCT can fix it.

Another example, if you’re a life coach specifically for women then you won’t be writing content that is so broad that men and children may even relate to it. You may be writing about how to achieve clarity in life when the children leave the house, how to face pregnancy, or how to have a better relationship with their SO. You won’t be writing about masculinity, being a dad, or how to tie a tie.

This is a common mistake that many businesses make. When it comes to copywriting, stick to your niche.

How to Avoid Mistake #1

Do your market research and understand your digital marketing. Don’t just see the demographic but understand their likes, dislikes, problems they have, and their lifestyles. Fill out a buyer persona template and use it to make your writing clearer.

Copywriting Mistake #2 – You’re Listing Too Many Benefits

First off, one of the first rules I learned when it came to copywriting was to not focus on features of a product or a service but to rather the benefits. What does that mean?

It means that if you have a fitness app that tells me how many calories I’m consuming, it’s better to tell me why WHY that is good for me instead of simply telling me that’s a feature. Here are some easy examples:

  • Don’t: This app can track calories
  • Do: Track your calories so you can eat less and lose weight

 

  • Don’t: This car has six seats
  • Do: You can fit your whole family in this car

 

  • Don’t: This pan is stainless steel
  • Do: Never buy another pan again

Second, when you make a long list of benefits or features, your copy becomes long-winded and it’ll inevitably become boring to read. Keep the reader wanting more by listing some benefits but keep them guessing and wanting to learn more. This’ll enhance the desire to do the Call-To-Action at the end of the copy.

How to Avoid Mistake #2

If it you have a short copy,  then focus on one benefit and build your whole piece around it.  By doing this you erase the chances of having a long boring list and you can focus on how this one benefit may be good enough to create the conversion.

If you have a long copy, keep the list short and focus on these benefits. Keep the reader guessing and wanting more by mentioning some of the benefits and leading them to the CTA for more information.

Copywriting Mistake #3 – Weak Ending

Many businesses often make this mistake. You may be writing a killer headline, sub-headline, and they’re good enough to persuade the reader to read the first line of copy. Then, the copy slowly becomes boring. It isn’t emotional connecting, not telling of the benefits, too many benefits, not being written to the write audience, the words are boring and nothing stands out. Essentially, your copy lost its momentum.

This happens a lot with long copy such as sales pages or landing pages because you’re really trying to make a big sale with a lot of information. You’re trying to answer all the questions that the reader is probably thinking and it may be just long-winded.

Good copy really does one thing: makes the reader want to read the next line. No matter how long the copy is, the reader must be interested enough to want to know what is coming next.

How to Avoid Mistake #3

  • Reread and proofread your copy over and over again.
  • You need to “trim the fat” and get rid of anything that’s unnecessary.
  • Read your copy out loud to yourself and perhaps to others as well.
  • Use facts and words that elicit emotional triggers and keeps interests.

Copywriting Mistake #4 -You Sound Too Salesy

When you come across an ad that appears like the old-times ads with big words, numbers, too-formal-for-normal-language, and it’s obvious something is just being sold then people’ defenses come up.

When you sound too salesy, the customer feels as if something is taken away from them, not giving or helping them. You come off as pushy and manipulative. This is a major mistake many copywriters make when it comes to writing their copy, especially on sales pages when they’re in the last stretch of their marketing funnel. You must sound like an actual person that wants to help, not just some smarmy salesman.

How to Avoid Mistake #4

Imagine yourself at a cafe with a friend of yours. How would you speak to them? Write like that. Your words on your copy should just sound like a casual conversation. You don’t need to use any fancy language and definitely don’t use any sales or marketing language that can possibly confuse your customer. Be relatable, understandable, and sound like a person so you can get that conversion.

Conclusion

I hope that you were able to read this article and take a look at your ad copy. Perhaps, you read this article and you thought “Oh no! I’m making this mistake.” If you did and are making some of these mistakes, no worries. Many businesses and copywriters make these mistakes and they’re easy to fix. Though, these are only a FEW of the mistakes that are commonly made.

If you’re interested in learning what more to avoid, how to improve your copy, and sharpen your ads then contact ClickDo for a free consultation. It’ll make a huge difference in your conversion rate.

Author Profile

Francis Nayan
I'm an expert in copywriting, content marketing, and SEO. I help businesses rank higher in Google searches to help turn website traffic into conversions. Reach out to me to find out how to be ranked 1# in your city's Google search.
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