Short Copy, Long copy and Jon’s Drill
A common misconception is that short copy is better than long copy, as our customers do not have time to read pages of copy about a specific product. The thing is, whether you use short or long copy really depends on the following
o What you are selling/ how much it costs
o The customer plus their emotions
o How much thought is going to go into the purchase.
Here’s an experience of mine,
About a year ago I was looking to buy a cordless drill. I had recently moved into a new home and like many others I was tasked by my girlfriend to start getting things on walls and putting various pieces of furniture together. One place I’ve brought numerous things from in the past is Screwfix (They are a shop that mainly sells to trade professionals). I looked there for a good drill and recognised some of the good brands for power tools. I also looked on websites of DIY stores. I instantly realised both businesses are selling cordless power drills but when you look at the web pages, they are very different in the way they sell the product.
Why is this?
Well, in this case the customer is the biggest factor. The customer at Screwfix is likely a Professional. Someone who knows exactly what they want from a drill and is down with all the different terms and what they mean when it comes to a drill.
The customer at the DIY store (me included) … not so much. They need a bit more information to help them understand what drill is right for them. The features will need to be explained and exactly what the drill is capable of is important for the customer to compare to others.
When we include the thought process in this scenario also, we understand that a professional doesn’t need to read lots of copy. I however did. I read up on the other websites and then compared them to the ones at Screwfix and then even starting googling terms, so I knew what the hell a brushless drill is over one that has brushes. Fascinating stuff! Because of this I also spent more time choosing what drill to buy.
Now I’ve maybe bored you with my drill story. Know that when you write copy for your business make sure you consider the most important factor of all. The customer. Getting into their shoes from a buying position will help you write good copy for your product. It will help you determine what you need to write and long or short.
