How To Super-Boost Your Conversions Using Micro Copy
Majority of the time we focus on SEO keywords, content, images, headlines, colors and CTA buttons when we want to improve our branding technique.
While they are our immense importance, we would like to reveal the significance of micro-copy on conversions and how when used in the right manner it will result in a significant increase in your conversions.
So, what is micro-copy?
Micro-copy is the small words and sentences that seem to be meaningless for visitors at the first glance.
For example: the text that is visible after the product description or 404 error pages.
We generally tend to ignore these words and do not think of them as the real content; not worthy of promoting our brand, in reality these words are a source and an opportunity we can use to intermingle with our visitors.
As an example we would like you to have a look at laundry instructions on this t-shirt and tell us what did you miss at the first look?
it says:
100% Cotton
Wash cold inside out
Hang out to dry
Call your mother
Why Micro Copy is so important to increase conversions?
Micro copy is of immense importance as it provides you the opportunity which you can use to reach out to your customers by interacting with them in their language.
By using mirco-copy you can make your website appear cool and a fun filled experience for your visitors, while others are still busy with same old uninteresting way of writing.
Micro copy is the best place that can be used by you to increase your conversions, it is short and targeted and rests within context.
Some examples:
This is micro copy:
Notice how Facebook added “What’s on your mind?” and not the “Write here…” as usually is the case with text fields. Since, Facebook is a place where people usually share their thoughts considering it a space of their own, this works perfectly and serves the purpose.
So is this:
Above is another great example of how little words and phrases that are used for visitor interaction can be used and turned into a micro copy which will maximize your websites potential. The headline is written in a way which is approachable while it also creates a sense of sympathy with people.
Have a look at the information on the top of the form in the example. It contains important information about signing up; such information eliminates all uncertainty attached to pricing that the visitor may think might occur.
Also, the usage of words such as ‘your’ and ‘my’ creates a sense of belonging for the visitors, that the thing is theirs, not about the brand or others.
Lastly, the steps to create a password explain what needs to be done, in a polite and friendly manner.
Here is another example:
Classic Episode IV reference. There is a wonderful illustration in the above 404 Error page to let the visitors know that the page does not exist anymore. You can then see a micro copy underneath it which informs the visitor what else he can search for in Github.com
Have a look at the micro copy at Conversioner’s 404 page which tells the visitors ‘not to be upset’ and also recommends some other cool stuff they might be interested in.
So now you understand what micro copy is. What’s next?
The initial piece of advice from us after you have understood what micro copy is to use it.
What you need to do is open up your website and examine, are you using the kind of language than enhances the user experience? Is it dull or boring and creates no excitement? Is it unique and is written in a way your users expect?
You should also have an idea about how your visitor’s thought process.
To start off, think as a visitor, what would you want to see on the website you visit? This will help you make your website better because a lot of times we think that our website is delivering the message we want it to deliver and the language is appropriate and reachable.
Majority of the time we are too indulged and concerned about SEO campaigns and abide by the SEO methods or are occupied with writing more blog posts in order to achieve a better ranking and drive extra traffic towards our website.
What we would like to make you understand and realize is that yes, all of those things are important but are not everything.
If your website does not contain what your visitors expect, it doesn’t fulfill their expectations and thus your visitors may move to your competitor and that can be really painful.
Micro copy best practices
For your guidance, we will now present some examples that will explain several ways you can use micro copy.
EXAMPLE #1: APPLE.COM
If you are looking for inspiration, we would recommend you to have a look at this page created by Apple. The way that the page welcomes its visitors and interacts with them in a language of their own is quite inspiring. Here, instead of focusing just upon the “size guide”, Apple’s page focuses on “which size guide is right for you”.
Next, rather than just displaying information about series 1 and series 2, the page instead displays “what is the difference between series 1 and series 2”. What is attractive about such phrases is their simplicity. This creates the feeling that YOU are actually inside a shop and taking to a sales person.
As we scroll down the page, we see a heading “what’s in the box?” Here we see a method known as “questioning of questions” and it is really productive. What it initially does is, it keeps the visitor at an exact pace you want them to be at. Such questions also keep the visitors interested and captivated, while the visual answer proves to be amazing.
EXAMPLE #2: NIKE.COM
We will now review the product page and the funnel that Nike created.
The first phrase that we see is “Take them for a trail run return your shoes for any reason up to 30 days” instead of the regular return policy we are used to seeing. This indeed creates a sense of desire for the visitor, who needed a new pair of shoes and might actually become more willing to buy them right away after reading that the running shoes can be returned even after a month of use.
As we scroll down further we can see a very well built review section. It first displays the number of reviews of the product and then mentions “96% of reviewers recommend this product”.
Due to this amazing micro copy, without even reading any reviews any visitor will for sure realize that this product is highly recommended,
Moving forward, we can see the “Add your review” button which again makes it more about the visitor.
Final words and takeouts
Now that we know what actually is micro copy and how to implement it in websites, we now intend to summarize our topic and present a short list that contains the do’s and don’ts:
- Always use dead areas of your website for branding it. Its good having a witty 404 error page, but inserting a bulky micro copy in a small button is a bad idea.
- You should aim to make things easy for your visitors. For instance, if you want them to perform a certain action such as creating a user name, use a micro copy and show them how to exactly do that. You cannot trust your visitors to always do it themselves.
- Your instructions and phrases must be in sync with the action you want your visitors to perform. For this you need to stay in context, nothing might prove to be worse than making visitors follow various instructions and nothing happens in the end.
- Think like a visitor would. What are the ideal words in which you would want to explain your user flow? What would you expect to happen next?
- Always use A/B testing and never assume anything. Include a micro-copy and see how your visitors react.
