Are you wondering why a good product description is important?
Picture this. You’ve worked hard to create a product that you think will be a hit. You have launched the product but you realize that many potential customers are not able to understand the purpose of the product. This is particularly true, if your business or service is provided to customers directly and not to intermediaries. A product description fills this information gap, and seeks to educate users about the necessity of the product.
How to Write a Product Description
Start with the Customer Persona: Stephen Covey’s number one lesson is ‘Start with the End in Mind’. When writing a product description, think of the end user. A well-defined customer persona allows you to understand what motivates the end user of the product. Put yourself in the shoes of the user. Try and relate to their desires and needs. The most
successful product description focuses on how the product solves a customer’s need.
Focus on Solving the Customer’s Problem:
Many product descriptions are focused on the company and not on the end user. Consider the following product description sample
Example 1:
ZipLoan
1. Offers 1-5 lakh Loan
2. Can be repaid in 12-24 months.
3. Interest rate is 12-18 % p.a.
Example 2:
ZipLoan– Collateral Free Loans
1. Offers flexible loans ranging from INR 1-5 lacs specifically for small businesses.
2. You can avail a loan at a very reasonable interest rate of only 1-1.5 % per month.
3. You can choose to repay the loan as per your convenience between a period of 12-24 months.
Example 1 is focused on the company and is a generic description of its product. It is not engaging and does not seem to solve the problems of the customer.
Example 2 is focused on the customer and is designed to elicit curiosity. It discusses how the features will be useful for the customer. Example 2 will have a much higher rate of success.
Understand the Channel
Product description writing needs a good understanding of the channel. One needs to tailor their product description to the channel. Here is a brief guideline on how to write a product description for different channels.
1. Social Media: Writing catchy attention grabbing captions with some shock value is the right strategy for a social media product description. Most social media users have a short attention span and therefore it is better to deliver content that is eye catching. As a general rule, skip the boring factual bits about your product and focus on features that will trigger an emotional response among your target audience. Here’s an example.
Caption 1: ZipLoan offers 1-5 lakh loans for 12-24 months. Apply now to avail.
Caption 2: ZipLoan: Apply Now and receive a collateral free business loans in only 3 days.
Caption 2 is guaranteed to get you better engagement.It is not necessary to describe your product in detail on social media. Just identify the best feature and convert it into an engaging caption. If the user clicks on your caption he can be directed to your landing page where he will read the factual bits in any case. There is no need to provide extra information.
2. Blog: The key to communicating your product description through a blog is to create compelling arguments as to why your product is ideal for a user. A blog post gives you adequate space to cover all the features of your product and list the advantages of each. In depth and detailed coverage of different features is possible through a blog post.
3. Website: Adding a product description for your website can seem to be a daunting task. A website should incorporate the best features of the product with a list of benefits for the user. It should not be so short that it misses out on important aspects of the product. And it should not be so long and detailed that it becomes a task for the user to read. A product description for a website should be written with the intention of making a successful sale.
4. Printed Pamphlet: A printed pamphlet is a great way to reach customers who do not have access to the internet. Immaculate presentation and a good design layout is essential in a pamphlet. The product description should contain essential features in bold. You must make sure to provide contact numbers, email id and office address in case the customers are interested.
Remember, the product description is the key to engaging prospective customers and increasing sales.
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