A couple of months ago, the husband and I ventured out on our first date night in over a year.
We have two small children, and escaping the revolving door of potty training, clean-ups on aisle everywhere, and refereeing who hit who first is few and far between.
I researched several dining sites for an urban, cool, yet romantic spot for me and the husband to gorge our faces on good food and good (adult) conversation. After about an hour, I had a top three list of restaurants with great ratings, serving American/European cuisine, awesome locations, and the grown- and- casually sexy vibe I was going for.
(Yes, a ‘casually sexy vibe’ is totally a real thing.)
I had before me three restaurants that sold virtually the same product and service, had a site with beautifully styled photos of entrees and appetizers, and a bouquet of testimonials to back their awesomeness. So how did I choose?
I went with the restaurant that gave me the ‘this is so me’ factor.
The ‘this is so me’ factor is exactly what it sounds like. You stumble into a store or group, or onto a website, blog, or online shop. You start to browse, take in what they have to offer and what they have to say, when you realize (all wide-eyed and giddy) that this is so me! and you pretty much can’t get enough of.
Great web copy gives your right people their ‘this is so me!’ moment. It flirts with your senses, your wants, and what matters to you most, drawing you in to the point that
You wouldn’t think to buy a handbag, necklace, or home décor from anywhere else.
It differentiates you from every other person selling virtually your exact same product or service.
Here’s how you can start creating a ‘this is so me’ factor for your right people:
1. Know who you are and what you stand for—what’s your message? Your why? The reason you started and believe wholeheartedly in what you’re doing
2. Know who you’re selling to—the fancy phrase is ‘target market.’ Understanding your market and what makes them tick helps you create that moment for them
3. Create an experience—using your product, tell your customers a story that they can relate to (e.g. how an accessory can make you feel when getting dolled up for your mate on a hot date night)
As a free gift to everyone, check out the worksheet 6 ways to rock your creative business’ website for more ways to make your people feel at home in your shop.
And for 2 lucky winners, my book Read All Over: the Creative Girl’s Guide to Writing for her Business Website will show you the intricacies of writing (and reading) online, help you get clear on who you are, who you’re talking to, and the best way to communicate with them.
To enter, leave a comment telling us about what you struggle with most writing for your online shop or website. The giveaway will end Thursday, August 16th at 6pm PST. Winners will be chosen randomly and announced on the blog Friday, August 17th.
Thanks so much for this awesome gift, Tiffany!!!
Tiffany Clarke Harrison — Blah Cubed
Tiffany Clarke Harrison is a copywriter for women entrepreneurs creating businesses and lives they adore through their talents. Her goal? To help you gain a better quality of life and business by making you sound even more amazing online than you already are. You can find Tiffany at blahcubed.org, @blah_cubed on Twitter, or on Facebook.
I love writing to attract my ideal client but I often feel I’m going overboard. I don’t want to sound too informal so find myself slipping back into boring corporate speak.
I feel like a broken record when describing my products. I like to tell a story but find I have writer’s block more times than not. Thanks for sharing these tips. I’ll definitely do my best to apply those to my upcoming listings.
I have written for business for years, but writing for my own photography is a different kind of challenge. Could put the advice to great use!
I like to think of myself as a lively and fun person, but it’s so difficult for me translate my personality into my writing. I tend to be too formal and stiff in my product descriptions. And now that I’m writing a blog…it’s even more of a struggle!
When I write about my jewelry, I tend to get hung up in the concrete. I describe what the item is, but find it very hard to get to the feel of the piece or the idea that inspired it.
I generally have a hard time promoting my products. . . I need a little more of a push to tell how great they are when I am not face-to-face with the customer.
I have started a blog to practise, but could use quite a bit of help. Thanks for the chance!
For me, putting into words my inspiration or the story behind a piece and to make it (somewhat) interesting has been difficult. I appreciate your tips and look forward to using them in my business, thank you!
It’s really hard for me to view my descriptions from my customer’s perspective. I either get weighed down making things too, well, professional sounding, or I end up feeling like I’m writing for a J. Peterman catalogue (love J. Peterman, but not what I’m going for.) I really need to find a comfortable place for my own voice.
I struggle with my ‘Who’. I know that my items are more likely to sell to young mothers of girls, but I want to sell to 20 something, vintage-inspired women. Because of that my descriptions sound like I have no idea to whom I’m talking (because I don’t!).
Oh I have a really hard time with this! I always feel like I either say too much, or not enough. I also tend to write like I talk, which isn’t always a good thing. Plus, I seem to use the same words over & over. Hopeful that I’ll win this one!!
Thanks!
writing descriptions for my products one of the biggest challenges i face selling online. i know how great they are, how i agonize over every detail, but i can’t seem to communicate that.
My creativity is awakened in the studio. I goes into a coma when it comes time to writing…..ANYTHING!!!
My descriptions either ramble on and on like a legal brief or they have the excitement of a colonoscopy transcript.
I really need help.
I think I struggle the most with perfection. I want it to be just right so I either over do it or don’t even know where to begin. Then I struggle with repetition. If I do get it just right it is so easy to copy and paste to other items.
I struggle with being too wordy. I tend to wind on and on sometimes and when I try to shorten, find myself being to short on details.
Thank you Tiffany! One of the biggest challenges that I face in writing copy for my Etsy shop is to express what my item means to me, what inspired me in my voice but also be effective with SEO. There are so many wonderfully romantic things to say but they are not going to help me get found.
My biggest challenge is not sounding repetitive.
Oh Tiffany, I am sooo unsure of how to present myself on my blog -I’ve started a blog twice and deleted both of them after a few months of posts and now I’m afraid to start writing on the one I’ve set up recently! I have finally got the Room Of One’s Own I’ve been wanting my entire life and have started working in it this last couple of weeks and I feel I’m in the best position I’ve ever been in to start making it* work but I just don’t know where to start with my website. I’m scared of being too effusive or too stilted or just making people think that I’m an absolute nutter.
Agh!
*it being becoming a full-time, successful artist of course!
My biggest struggle is my sense of humor. It is wickedly dry and can be acerbic. I try to use it, but hold back frequently because I fear folks will be offended. Silly, really, because I rarely offend people in real life, I just don’t know how to translate it to descriptions.
Great article Tiffany! I struggle the most with sounding interesting without trying so hard. I wish that my writing style was more natural and persuasive.
My biggest struggle is finding my Who. I seem to have no trouble finding people who love my product, but love enough to buy is a bit more challenging. Sometimes I think my items stand out because they are so different, especially when I do craft shows, but I still struggle with finding the right venue to match my ideal customer. I really appreciate your advice, Tiffany, and certainly would love to win a copy of your book!
x, Val
I always have been short winded. My product descriptions are usually only a short paragraph. I think of creative ways of describing something but when I read over it it sounds frilly and fake. So I end yup just with mostly technical information about the product.
My biggest challenge is being bold with my descriptions (and bio). I write something risky or bold, and then rethink it 80 times and go with something safe and vanilla. Thanks for this chance! I need help with developing and communicating my brand/message.
I am a easy going girl, I like things simple, and I rarely over embellish.
I find it challenging to write descriptions or basically any of my web content with lots of descriptive words. I understand that is what’s needed, because you want to entice the customer to love something they can’t feel or try on. I embellish when I can, but it does not really sound like me. I would love to win a copy of your ebook for ideas on being a better writer.
Muy buen artículo, imprima más barato
I’m just getting ready to open up an etsy shop where I’m selling my own handcrafted goodies, and I’m struggling so much in this beginning stage- I know the kind of customer that I’m trying to appeal to, but have no idea how to convey that!
Wow – This sounds like a great book — I’m just in the product development stage with my line & it won’t be long before the writing must begin — would love to start off on the right foot!
Thanks for the great tips and the chance to win a book!!
Thanks for this post. Creating a convincing story about a handbag is a serious challenge for me. To avoid it, I get caught up in punctuation & grammar, leaving anything interesting behind.
My biggest challenge is my perfectionism. I agonize over word choice and write way fewer blog posts then I mean to because my phrasing is always not quite what I want or my photos not quite up to snuff.
My biggest problem is that I can’t put into words the feelings that I have. I am more of a closed off person than an open book. I don’t want people to feel like I’m bragging about my life especially now with the way the economy is and how some many are struggling just to make it every day.
My biggest challenge is that my English is not so good, because I’m from Germany. So it’s hard for me to find the exact words that explain my point of view.
I love to write and don’t struggle with writing what I consider “good copy,” but I am in my 50′s and I’ve discovered in the course of selling at a Farmer’s Mkt. this summer that my product (handmade pottery) seems very attractive to a certain class of young people.
So how do I write for them? I like them, but I have none of these folks (kids, in my mind) in my circle of acquaintances. Where do I go to find out what they relate to? How do I know what will spark that “this is so me” feeling for this up and coming generation?
I find it hard to put into words my reactions, emotions or what inspires me in my artwork.
Oh, man, have you hit the nail on the head! I struggle with writing my product descriptions sooooo soooo much! I always try to include an emotional appeal (how it’s gonna work for the buyer), the basics of specs (size, fiber content, color), and a detailed description of the item, so they know exactly what they’re getting.
It always (ALWAYS) ends up being just waaaay too much, so I take some out. Then it’s always incomplete, so I put it back in. It’s still too much, at a glance, so I try to format it better.
And I end up just hitting publish, because no one can buy it if they can’t see it.
I’d love to get some pointers I could easily use on each & every product!! My products are all so different, it’s hard to transfer descriptions from one to the other, but boy, would it save me some time (and angst!) if I could!!
I struggle to write enticing product descriptions. I can use keywords all day, but when it comes down to it, most of the time it still doesn’t sound interesting (or it sounds forced).
Hi! Thank you for writing this article!
The best way to describe my product-writing issues is to describe myself: I am a person who is mostly seen symbolically wearing my black suit with a pop of red somewhere. I am also the person who wears an all-red suit. I cannot seem to merge the two personalities in my writing. (Actually, I’m probably doing it right now, but when it comes down to doing the actual work, I am either too serious or too wordy – depending on my mood.)
Maybe I am too focused on writing to bring in money instead of focusing on writing about what’s so great about the product or what’s great about being a jewelry artist…
You know, come to think of it, if I could bring those personalities together in my work, it might be easier to write about the product, lol!
I have to say that I really appreciate your articles because they make me think. The articles help me to figure out how to do things my way !
This is a great topic for discussion! I just launched an Etsy shop and appreciate any tips. I struggle between writing creative descriptions of my jewelry and just listing the components used to create it.
You always hear these tips about “who are you?, who is your target audience?, why is your product for them?” and I get that. What I don’t get is how to figure out these things and communicate them!
I started my business because I love the creative side of it. The rest is all foreign to me but so necessary. I don’t even know where to get started! Thanks for writing this article!
Thank you ladies so much for taking the time to read this post and comment! A lot of what you all are addressing is covered in my book should really help the two lucky winners out. Just to address a couple of issues you’ve mentioned:
1. Your ‘who’ or target market–one of the best ways to determine who your market is is by creating a persona. Think about your ideal customer, what they look like, how they spend their day, and what types of things concern them. Generally, your target market is similar to you; either where you are now in life or where you used to be
2. Conversational vs. professional and talking too much– there is such a thing as ‘conversationally professional’. I just made up the phrase but, I always say to talk to people like you’re meeting a new friend for coffee. Use your filter, but don’t be a robot.
3. Putting your feelings/thoughts into words– start by writing what you’d like to know about the product (or you). Write until you can’t think of anything else, then go through and pick the parts you find most interesting, but keeping your target market in mind.
Hope that helps!
Thanks, Tiffany, for your writing solution comments. Your description of the ideal customer seems logically dead-on to me, but no one ever says that in the books I read on marketing!
And I like the thing you said about being ‘conversationally professional’: “talk to people like you’re meeting a new friend for coffee. Use your filter, but don’t be a robot” – I think I can do that… I think maybe I’ll write that down somewhere because that’s just the way I needed to hear that!
Thanks!
Between kids, housework, homework, etc… I struggle with consistency for sure. My current mission is to get organized room by room which includes my workspace. (I just had a baby so I somewhat have an excuse for the hiatus.) A big issue for me though is when I make something, I think “I love how it turned out!”, but then I struggle with putting that into words for a salable/appealing product description.
I have such a hard time talking about myself (about us pages, bio) and writing really great product descriptions. I could def use this book! Thank you for the tips!
The problem I have is that my ideal target audience typically earns more money than I do in a year. Being a frugal person myself, I try not to buy frivolous things or make impulse buys – but this is exactly what I’m trying to persuade my audience to do. I know my products are worth the price. How do I get past the guilt and convince my buyers that my products are worth a try?
My greatest obstacle is perfectionism. I also tend to undervalue my work and I can’t get rid of the feeling that I’m manipulating others if I’m using marketing “tricks”. I’m a total beginner here and I don’t have any professional background for guidance.