Product Copy [back to archive] Many people fail to realize that product advertising copy should be well crafted. Often their objective in creating a printed catalogue or catalogue-style website is to cram in as many products as they can with descriptive copy kept to a few mis-spelled words in tiny type squashed into a corner. These people are the on-paper equivalent of the "stack ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap" species you encounter in retailing. However in a retail environment customers can usually pick up the products, have a good look at them, read the on-pack copy and find out all they need to know. So the fact that they're in a no-frills environment doesn't matter too much. When a product is pictured in the small, two-dimensional environment of the printed page or computer screen it's not only no-frills but also very lonely, unless the product has the support of some well-chosen words to inform readers and encourage them to buy it. Considering that for many organizations their printed catalogue and/or catalogue-style website is their only shop window - or at least represents, potentially, a very significant revenue stream - you would think that everyone's attention and skill would be focused on its written content as much as its other elements. But no. All too often this type of product copy looks as though it has been written by a mono-syllabic 8-year-old who was busy playing a computer game at the same time. What do you need to say? Some products that get sold "off the page" or "off the screen" do not need a lot of description and the only words you need to include are choice of colours/sizes/quantities etc. However there is always the temptation to use the product copy space, however small, to inject a bit of sales impetus in addition to the factual information. Although a little sales nudge here and there is no bad thing, a catalogue or website in which every block of product copy text is loaded with glowing adjectives gets boring to read and loses a lot of impact. Quite apart from the fact that finding umpty-dump different ways to describe computer printers or sports clothes is very difficult even for pro writers like me, it also lacks credibility. Current marketing trends recognize that the buyers - whether consumer, B2B, technical or otherwise - have become fed up with being overtly sold to over and over again. Of course, much depends on the nature of the product you're selling. But in my experience whatever the product type, what potential buyers want today is good, clear, thorough information. And anything but the occasional product eulogy merely irritates them and puts them off. "How to order" messages I don't know about you, but if I'm thinking of buying something from a printed catalogue or catalogue-style website there's nothing that puts me off faster than having to spend a lot of time figuring out how to fill out the form, work out what's in my shopping cart, where the checkout is, how to pay, etc. It's not difficult to get the process right. Simply work out the steps you want customers to take, write them down simply, and then try them out on your mother, your brother, your neighbour, a college professor, the milkman, or anyone else - provided they are not involved with your organization. That's a cheap and fast way of discovering any flaws in the system, especially small goofs that can get overlooked so easily if you're too familiar with them. Beware of including too much information on catalogue or website ordering pages. It's very laudable to supply as much information as you can to help your customers arrive at their buying decision. However you don't want to stuff so many facts and figures into their faces on a single page or screen that they fail to spot the "sign here" or "submit" slots. Keep the ordering process as simple and straightforward as you can. Put the additional-but-non-critical details somewhere else and refer customers to them if they want to look at them separately. And here's another one, fortunately pertaining to printed catalogues only. How many times have you looked at a catalogue only to find that crucial information you should keep (like contact details for ordering, delivery information etc) is placed either on the order form itself or on the back of the page the order form is on? The result is when you mail off your completed order form you're obliged to mail that important information away with it. Stupid, huh. At least with websites you don't have that problem. Common sense prevails There is no mystery about creating good product copy for catalogues and websites - only common sense. It's perfectly okay in my view to keep your writing crisp and concise because it helps to use the space more efficiently. But whatever you do, never lose sight of the fact that the way this text is written and designed says a lot more about your organization than you think. If it is cluttered, unclear and illogical, customers will think your company is too. If it is busy but accessible, clear and easy to understand and logically planned, well - need I say more? Retailers spend fortunes on the design, layout and flow of their instore displays. Supermarkets can increase or decrease their turnover by thousands, simply by moving the fresh produce from the back wall to the side wall or by putting the bakery beyond the delicatessen or by increasing the aisle width by a few centimetres. Think of your catalogue/website as a paper-/screen-based store or supermarket, and you'll find it easier to give it the consideration and respect it deserves.
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