Turning Browsers Into Big-Spending Buyers

Converting Tire-Kickers into Big Spenders

So, you’ve picked a niche, picked a product line, and picked a platform. Your next step is to set up your store and start creating your listings so you can convert browsers into buyers.

But hold up there for a moment…

A lot of store owners do this step as quickly as possible. They are so anxious to get going that they slap some pretty weak descriptions and product photos up. And then they pay dearly for it later when sales are running as slow as an elderly snail. Except they don’t realize that their listings are the source of slow sales.

So let me be really clear with you here…

Your product listings can make or break the success of your store, no matter what platform you’re using. Yes, the listings matter THAT much. And that’s why it’s so important that you take your time to create your listings the right way.

Take a look at these important factors…

Creating Titles

One of the most important parts of your listing is your title.  Here are two reasons why:

1.    Your title needs to be compelling enough to grab attention. If your prospects say “meh” to themselves after reading your product title, you can bet they won’t be clicking on it. And there goes the sale.

2.    Your title may help funnel traffic to your listing. This is particularly true on platforms like eBay, where the default search function is to search titles for keywords.

So what you need to do is create a sizzling listing title that captures attention and gets clicks.

Here’s how…

Step 1: Consider Your Keywords

First, determine if you’re going to include keywords in your title. You can determine these words in two ways:

·         Use keyword tools. These tools (such as WordRecon) generally show you what types of searches people are inputting into the search engines. This will help you attract search engine traffic as well as internal traffic from platforms such as eBay.

·         Do a little brainstorming. In other words, spend some time figuring out what sorts of words people might type into a search box to find your item.

For example, let’s suppose you have a dog collar. Ask yourself: What similar words may people use in lieu of “dog” when searching for a collar? Most likely, someone might search for “puppy,” and in rare instances they’d search for “canine.” Generally, using “dog” would be sufficient, though you should add “puppy” if the collar is indeed suitable for puppies. Next…

Step 2: Describe Your Item Succinctly

Now you need to determine the most important aspects of your product. You can help determine these by asking yourself the following questions.

Take note that not all questions will be applicable to every product:

·         What is the product?

·         Who is it for?

·         What does the product do?

·         What color is it?

·         What is it made out of?

·         How big is it?

·         When was it made?

·         Who made it/brand name?

·         Where was it made?

·         Is it rare in some way?

·         Is it new or used?

·         Is it an antique or collectible?

For example, let’s go back to the example of selling something as simple as a new dog collar.

Your prospects will be interested in the following:

·         What is the product? Dog collar (and puppy collar, if applicable).

·         Who is it for? Dogs, yes… big dogs? Small dogs? Sled dogs?

·         What does the product do? This is important if it’s a special kind of collar, like a choke collar.

·         What color is it? Black, brown, red, purple paisley, red polka dots, etc.?

·         What is it made out of? For example: leather? Nylon? Something else?

·         How big is it? Here you might list the length and width of the collar, OR what breeds it fits. Or if you have a variety of sizes, you can leave this out of the title and provide the options in the description.

·         Who made it? Some people may be interested in the brand name.

Since this is a new collar, generally the other questions are irrelevant.

So now you might have something descriptive such as:

“Small black leather dog collar”

Not bad. It’s descriptive, but not exciting. So, let’s polish that up…

Step 3: Polish Up Your Description

Your last step is to put a little spit and polish on your description so that it captures attention. The descriptive title is going to bring the traffic and help qualify it, but it’s the little sizzle in the title that’s going to get the clicks.

Now in most cases you don’t have a lot of room to add this sizzle – you may only have two or three words. So, make ‘em count.

One way to add this sizzle is to add a benefit into the title. This could be a benefit of the product itself, or a benefit related to the ordering or shipping process.

Here are examples:

·         Very stylish small black leather dog collar

·         Small black leather dog collar – cute!

·         Small black leather dog collar (fast shipping)

·         Small black leather dog collar (free shipping)

·         Your dog will turn heads with this black leather dog collar

·         Surprisingly affordable small black leather dog collar

·         Small black leather dog collar (high quality at a low price)

·         Small, stylish black leather collar – will last for 20 years

·         Best small black leather dog collar online – check it out!

·         Fancy small black leather dog collar

·         Amazingly soft/durable black leather collar for small dogs

·         The #1 toughest black leather dog collar for small dogs

·         The #1 choice black leather collar for small dogs

Again, those are just examples pertaining to a dog collar. You need to get creative and polish up whatever product title you’re creating by inserting a benefit or emotionally laden words.

Ideally, you should test different titles to see which ones get the clicks and conversions.

Crafting Sales Descriptions

Another very important factor in your success is to create a compelling sales description for every product you list.

Heads up…

If you’re using a dropshipping service like AliExpress, rewrite the descriptions. That’s because most of their descriptions are awful and won’t generate sales. Plus writing your own descriptions will help you stand out.

So, what you need to do is start with the list of questions above, which covers the basics of your product. Then ask these questions:

·         What are the features of the product? These are the actual parts of a product. For example, a feature of a dog collar is that it’s made of nylon.

·         What are the benefits of the product? This is what the features of a product do for the customer. List as many of these benefits as you can think of.

For example, while a feature of a dog collar is that it’s made of nylon, the benefits of nylon include quick drying and ease-of-cleaning. This is a great advantage for dogs who like to go swimming. Nylon is also lightweight for small dogs, and durable for rough and tumble wear.

·         Who is the product most suited for? When applicable, list who would benefit the most from this product.

In the nylon dog collar example, we could say the collar is suitable for any dog, but the quick-drying collar is especially good for dogs who like to swim, such as labs.

·         What are the potential flaws of the product? And how can you rationalize and overcome these flaws? In other words, raise and handle potential objections to help people make the buying decision.

For example, perhaps one flaw of the collar is that it only comes in bright green, bright red and bright orange. You can turn this perceived liability into an asset by saying that these bright colors put your dog’s safety first.

·         Does the product require any special care? For example, if you’re selling clothing, you would note if it’s dry clean only.

·         What are the product’s measurements and size? This includes length, height and even weight.

·         How is this product different from other products on the market? In other words, why should people buy this particular product? What makes it better than the competition?

Let’s go back to the dog collar example. Perhaps it has a “quick-release buckle” that ensures a sporting dog never strangles himself when he gets snagged by a tree branch.

·         Are there any discounts or freebies available? This includes things like free shipping, as well as any discounts that may be available.

·         Are there any bonuses included? For example, if you’re selling shoes, perhaps you toss in an extra pair of laces or even some shoe polish for free.

·         Does the product come with any sort of guarantee? If so, what are the terms of this guarantee? Do customers need to pay return shipping? What is the length of the guarantee? Is it a money-back guarantee, or do you only offer product replacement?

·         Is there anything else the prospect should know that will help them make the buying decision? Go ahead and list everything that comes to mind, even if it seems trivial.

Now that you’ve answered all these questions, you can write your product description and incorporate as many relevant details as possible. Be sure to focus on the benefits of the product, and include a call to action at the end that specifically tells people to purchase the product.

TIP: At this point, the most important thing you can do to improve your listing is to learn the art and science of writing good sales copy.

Editing Images

Your images are another important factor when it comes to your conversion rates. If you have poor images, you’re going to have low sales.

So, keep these tips in mind:

·         Take good pics. If you’re selling your own merchandise, or if a dropshipper doesn’t have good pics, then invest in a good camera and take your own photos (or hire a photographer to do it for you). Be sure they’re crisp and clear, with a minimalist background (preferably white) so that the focus is on the product.

·         Take pics from multiple angles. Be sure to take close ups that show every inch of the product.

·         Edit the pics. You can use image editing tools such as Photoshop.com, Gimp.org (a free alternative), or even web-based tools such as pixlr.com.

·         Show videos too. This works especially well when you can demonstrate how a product works.

Increasing Conversions

The three things we’ve talked about so far (good images, good titles and good descriptions) are all going to do the heavy lifting when it comes to increasing your conversions.

However, if you check your chosen platform, you’ll probably see apps and add-ons that may increase conversions. Generally, these apps and add-ons are going to set you back a few bucks.

Question is, are these add-ons worth it?

Answer: not yet.

If you’re just getting your store set up, then focus on polishing those things that will have the GREATEST impact on your conversion rates. And three of those factors are the ones we talked about above: titles, descriptions and photos. (Others include prices and your overall offer.)

Once your store is up and running and you’re getting some traffic to it, you can start testing and tracking different parts of your listings to figure out what’s really working for you. You’ll find out how to do that just a little bit later in this guide.

For now, FOCUS on the core of your business. Get your store set up. Get your products listed. Get a good running start so you can see some results in terms of getting traffic and making money. Then think about those conversion boosting add-ons later.

One more thing…

“Whoa… Listing Products is a Lot of Work!”

Now as you’ve been reading this section, it may have occurred to you that listing products actually requires a bit of work. Even if you’re doing it the easy way – such as using Shopify, AliExpress dropshipping and the Dropified App—you still need to rewrite product listings in order to generate sales. It’s all a bit time-consuming. And that’s why now is a good time to determine if you want to do it yourself or outsource this task.

Simply put, it may be a better use of your time to focus on marketing your store, rather than writing descriptions and taking product photos.

So how do you determine if you should do it yourself or outsource?

Ask yourself these questions…

What would it cost for you to do it yourself rather than outsource the task?

A lot of people think it’s “free” to do a task themselves, but that’s not quite true. That’s because time is your most valuable resource since it’s limited, so you need to figure out the best use of your time.

The first thing you need to do is figure out what your time is worth. You can determine this by figuring out what your income goals are for the year, and dividing that by the number of hours you intend to work to achieve those goals. That will give you an idea of how much your time is worth per hour.

What sort of end result can you produce?

In other words, are you skilled at this task? Or would it be better to hire a professional to get a better result?

As mentioned, your listings can make or break the success of your store, so it’s very important that they’re as compelling as possible. If you don’t have any copywriting chops and your photography skills are lacking, then outsource the task. Even if it costs considerably more to outsource than to do it yourself, remember that this really isn’t a cost… it’s an investment. And if you hire the right person, it’s an investment that’s going to pay you back many times.

Do you like the task?

Maybe you’re good at it. Maybe you’ll produce great results. Maybe it’s even a high-value task, so you feel like it’s worth doing.

But the question is, do you actually LIKE doing it?

If not, outsource it. Because if you really don’t like a task, you’re likely to drag your heels and slow down your business growth. It’s a much better idea to hand it off to a professional who’ll get it done fast and get it done well.

If you outsourced your listings, what would you work on instead?

You only have a limited amount of time in a day. That’s why you’ll want to focus your time on high-value tasks, such as marketing. So when you consider what to outsource, leave the lower-value tasks to freelancers, while you focus on the higher-value tasks.

What is your outsourcing budget?

Chances are, you don’t have an unlimited budget, right? So in that case, you need to use the questions above to figure out which tasks you should be outsourcing. Next, rank these tasks in order of which ones you definitely want to outsource, and which ones you’d like to outsource if your budget permits. Then allocate your outsourcing budget accordingly.

Quick Recap

So there you have it – if you want to see good results, then job #1 is to be sure your listings sizzle. That means they should get attention and get people clicking the order button by focusing on the benefits of the product.

Not sure if you can create these sorts of cash-pulling listings? Or maybe you don’t have the time? No problem… in that case, you can outsource the task. Check the bonus resource guide to discover places to outsource these sorts of tasks.