As I was scrolling through Facebook the other day, an ad popped up for a brand I recognized. I glanced at the picture and briefly looked over the content, planning to move on.
But I paused—and not because of the picture or what the ad actually said. I paused because the first sentence of the ad contained a grammatical error.
It was subtle, and some people may have overlooked it; but, there it was nonetheless. I’m no grammar police, especially online. Still, I found my respect for this brand sagging just a bit. It was a simple mistake, but for an organization that should have been the epitome of poise, professionalism, and on-top-of-it-ness, it felt like a big blunder.
The content you put in your Amazon listings speaks volumes about your brand. From your tone and grammar to diction and the detail in your listings, you’re teaching your customers how to treat you and how much to respect you, and showing them whether or not you actually know them. And who doesn’t want to connect with their customers and sound (and be) well-informed? Whether you’re confident your content is killer or you admit it’s a bit lackluster, take a look below to learn four key ways to spruce up your content to better reflect your brand and, in turn, your audience.
Top-Notch Content Key #1: Grammar
Despite being the easiest error to make, a grammar mishap is often seen as the most shocking. Just as a flawlessly edited product listing can show professionalism, attention to detail, and respect for your brand and your audience, a misspelled word or missing period can make you look sloppy, frazzled, or uninterested. That’s why poor grammar should be number one on your kill list. Luckily, getting clean copy doesn’t have to be difficult. With a careful read-over, a boost up from online resources like Grammarly, or help from a professional editor, you can skip the embarrassment and publish perfectly edited listings.
Top-Notch Content Key #2: Detail
If grammar is the bread and butter of evaluating content—that fundamental first step—then the amount of detail in your listings is the honey to your buttered-bread goodness. It’s a step above grammar because it takes a little market research. We’re not talking about anything crazy here. We’re just talking the basics: what do your customers look like, how do they talk, how old are they, what gender are they, what is their job. Of course, the better you know your target audience, the better you can frame your writing to that consumer.
So let’s put this in context of detail. Let’s say you sell baby products on Amazon. While still adhering to Amazon’s category character limits, you will likely change up how much you write depending on what kind of baby products you sell. For example, if you sell organic baby clothing, you will likely write more than someone selling something like simple plastic toys. Why? Because your audience is looking for something specific that requires careful research on their part and, in turn, more detail from you. You’ve got to picture those young, concerned parents looking for information like how the clothes were made, how they feel, and how long they will last.
The better you can focus the amount of detail in your listings to match your audience’s needs, the more appealing your listings will be to that audience. And the more appealing those listings, the more likely you are to sell.
Top-Notch Content Key #3: Diction
While market research is helpful for things like detail, it is essential when it comes to diction and tone. Diction pretty much just means your word choice, and it’s your diction that really helps your content start to shine, showing off how well you get your audience. In his article, ''How to Use Reviews to Make Your Amazon Listings Shine'',” Eric Stopper spills one of the industry secrets to success in this area. When doing your market research, consumer reviews are your new best friend. Not only can you find out exactly who is buying your products, you can also snag words directly out of the mouths of your clients—and your competitor’s clients.
For example, let’s go back to the baby products. Let’s say you’re reading reviews and clients write that your baby clothes are cute or soft or modern. Despite what words you think you should use to describe your baby clothes, make sure to flaunt that you sell cute, soft, or modern baby clothes. If you sell plastic baby toys and clients call your products durable, classic, or small, you better believe your listings should say your toys are durable, classic, and small.
The more closely you write to the way your consumers talk, the better able you can connect to them: consumers will be drawn to your listing when they read it. Plus, chances are, if consumers use those adjectives in reviews, they probably use those words when they’re looking up products in the first place. So not only does it give you a leg up when customers get to your listing but it also helps your audience find your listing.
Top-Notch Content Key #4: Tone
Tone ties closely to diction and is the finishing touch that really pulls it all together. You know who your audience is, how they talk, and how much they want to read. By piecing together what you know, you can create a tone that gives the audience what they want.
If you’re the baby clothes seller on Amazon, you can create a pretty clear image of your customer: careful, conscious, on-trend, likely young parents. So, in crafting tone, you use their diction and then add what they’re looking for in a brand: likely knowledge without stuffiness to appeal to their carefulness and desire to be on-trend, self-awareness with a whimsical flair for their consciousness and age. On the flip side, if you’re the plastic toy seller on Amazon, you can picture a functional, no-fuss, perhaps seasoned parent. In crafting your tone here, you use the same tactics, but you’d come up with a totally different tone: a mix of fun and spirit to set your toy listing apart, but without all the fuss of hip language.
Our Team Lives and Breathes These 4 Keys
We get that with all you do to run an effective business, really honing in on your content may not be your top priority—or something you feel comfortable doing. That’s why Buy Box Experts is here to help. Our team of experienced writers, SEO specialists, and editors are well trained to consider grammar, detail, diction, and tone—and much more—to perfectly match your customers, their wants, and their needs. They’ll create cohesive listings that blend together well-written and customer-focused content so you don’t have to put in the work. Ensure that you get top-notch content by contacting us today.
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