Copywriting For Resellers (Reader Question)
Most people get their start in online business by being a reseller in some form or another.
It might be in affiliate marketing.
Maybe they start a dropship store.
Or they might take horrid websites, improve them and flip them later for more money.
Is this the best way to make money? It has its advantages and disadvantages.
Among the disadvantages are that when you’re selling someone else’s product, you have to find some way to differentiate yourself from the potentially countless others who could also do the same thing.
Keep that in mind while you read today’s reader question.
Reader Question: How Does Copywriting Work For Resellers?
A reader emailed me a couple of days back with a question. I’ll paraphrase it below:
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Hi.
I run an e-commerce store and I was wondering how you would go about writing copy for a store if you only sell products by other people?
I worry if I write sales copy for the products then someone will think the product is great. But they will go and get it somewhere cheaper as I can’t compete on price.
Thanks,
[Name Redacted]
That’s a good question with a few elements that’d be useful to discuss. Let’s break this question down into a few yes/no questions:
- How does copywriting for e-commerce stores work?
- What if your store is filled with products you sell from other suppliers?
- Should you write copy for products at the expense of your store?
- How do you stop people from reading your copy and then buying the product somewhere else?
E-Commerce Copywriting
E-commerce copywriting is pretty straightforward, assuming we’re talking about a traditional storefront with a lot of products, good images and only a short description for each product as the copywriting project.
That’s because the product images and the title do the majority of the selling. So, we’re off to a great start before we write a word. Let’s add in another bonus as well:
SEO and The Sad Truth About Reseller E-Commerce
If you write a unique product description, no matter how terrible, you are ahead of the curve when it comes to online product sales via ecommerce.
The majority of your competition as a reseller are going to go down the “low investment” route and they’ll copy and paste product descriptions straight from manufacturer/merchant websites. Throw in the fact that they use the same stock images of the products as all the other competition and it all adds up to you not needing to do a lot to stand out.
With that said, let’s talk about short copy and whether you should write copy for your store versus the products.
Should You Write E-Commerce Copywriting For Your Store Or your Products?
You should do both and neither. Remember, with copywriting, you’re selling a solution to a problem.
Your homepage and storefront should concentrate on how your store solves the problem. If people want a solution delivered straight to their door, that’s what you sell.
Your product pages need to sell the product. This is obvious. However, there’s nothing to say you can’t seed your store into the product descriptions. An example:
“If you’re looking to cure your dog’s asthma, then the PetHero Doggy Dust-Buster is the best option on the market. It does X, Y and Z.
When you buy the Doggy Dust-Buster from us, we’ll also send you a free guide on dog diets that’ll improve your four-legged friend’s health.”
It’s a stupid example, but you can have an addendum at the end of every project description (or not even at the end) which sells the customer on you specifically. Another example:
“This laptop is sleek and efficient. Its processor is the most powerful on the market, but the silent fan technology means it’s quieter than a pin drop. And it can be at your door this time tomorrow.”
The key to reseller copywriting is to intertwine selling you with selling the product. Remember, it’s the solution that your customers are after.
- If you can solve their problem quickly.
- When you can offer more than the base offer
- If you can provide aftercare
- If you can provide an extended warranty
Or, if you simply understand their problem and the journey they’ll buy from you because you’re guiding them through their problem and solution.
That’s the secret ingredient to selling stuff when you’re one of a thousand other resellers.
Important Note: Most resellers don’t even know this, and even if they did, they’re not going to do it anyway. You’re welcome!
That said, let’s talk about those pesky consumers reading your copy and then buying from someone else!
How Do You Stop People Reading Your Copy And Buying From Someone Else?
If you’ve read the above section, then the pieces should fall into place. In essence, the key to getting people to buy from you as opposed to another provider falls under one umbrella; you have to incentivise them to do so.
There are a few ways to do this.
Firstly, you might want to consider adding some form of scarcity for your online store. Now, if you have a particular, permanent product line, then this might seem impossible. It’s not. You could try:
- Free shipping until midnight
- Throw in a freebie for the first fifty to purchase
- Temporarily take things off sale or raise the price
I’m generally a bit wary of using scarcity because it can backfire. Instead, let’s use some other incentives. Namely, the added extras that we talked about above:
- Better service
- Faster shipping
- Customer support
- Other magical incentives
This doesn’t mean that you have to go and write 27 e-books, throw in your family heirlooms in the shipping container or otherwise spend a huge amount of time and money on bonuses in order to secure a sale. In fact, you might be stuck for a simple idea or two, so start with this article on a great bonus you can give any customer.
Final Thoughts
Whilst you’re selling products, you’re not really selling products. You’re selling a solution to a problem. Your store can embody that solution in tangible and intangible ways, even if you’re reselling other manufacturer’s products.
Really though, this is all high level stuff when you look at the actual boots-on-the-ground reality of ecommerce copywriting, which is mostly a case of cut-and-paste product descriptions, bland product descriptions and storefronts that are clearly concerned with making money -nothing wrong with that – without even remotely trying to place their offerings as part of a solution to a problem. A lot is wrong with that, but you readers now know better.