Tuesday, 5 November 2013

Listing Tips ~ How to Write Great Handmade Jewellery Descriptions


Your handmade jewellery descriptions have to persuade someone that your jewellery is worth buying...
And just making a list of materials just doesn't go very far.
That's why spending time to hone your description is so important to your ultimate long-term success.
Here are some tips for making those product descriptions more likely to make the sale:

Tip #1: Think of the Title as a Headline
A great description has to first catch your readers attention. Make sure the title of your product is something that catches the eye and makes someone want to read further. You'll want your title to be both descriptive and representative, and not vague and "artsy". Remember, your title won't always be seen with the photo of your work. In search engine listing for example, the title and brief description is all the reader will see. Artsy titles will appeal to the reader more when they actually see the item on your product page.
Here are some examples
  • "The Perfect Mother's Day Bracelet" is a much better title than "Crystal Bracelet".
  • "A Summer Bracelet for Lazy Casual Evenings Out" is better than "Summer Shades".

Tip #2: Benefits are More Important Than Features

Focus your description on benefits (what's in it for me?) first before the features.
A quick overview of features vs. benefits.
What's a feature? A feature is a descriptor.
Here are some examples:
* Handmade, one of a kind piece
* Sterling silver components
* 16" long.
What's a benefit? The benefit is what that feature does for your customer.
To know what benefit to emphasize, you'll need to know your customer. What are they like? What is important to them? Are they looking for a feeling or experience? Do they need admiration and status? Or are they more concerned with getting something that doesn't break easily?
Here are some examples of benefits:
  • One of a kind There is non other like it in the world (Feeling unique is an emotional benefit that's important to lots of people)
  • Sterling silver Real silver is a luxury and we all need to be pampered sometimes, don't we? (Feeling pampered is sought after by many)
  • 16" long the perfect length for showing off a V-neck and to highlight the face. (Feeling attractive is a strong emotional desire that could be a benefit of your jewelry item.)
  • Strong Chain Links Durable and long lasting, and won't break when a baby pulls on it (Logical benefit)

Tip #3: Include Emotional Benefits and Logical Benefits

People buy for emotional needs, but rationalize with logical benefits so it's a good idea to hit on both. A good rule of thumb is to include 3 emotional benefits and 2 logical ones.
Examples of emotional needs:
  • Feeling loved
  • Feeling attractive
  • Feeling caring or nurturing
  • Feeling altruistic (this is a good one if a portion of your sale goes to charity)
  • Feeling spiritual
  • Feeling intelligent
  • Feeling unique
Examples of logical benefits:
  • Solves a problem (for example if it's a great gift solution for Mother's Day)
  • Money saving (like free shipping or a coupon savings)

Tip #4: Write Conversationally.

Throw out whatever you learned in school. No one wants to read formal, stilted descriptions full of self-important big words. Don't write a dissertation, and you're not making a legal argument either. Write like you speak, and you are much more likely to engage your reader.

Tip #5: Speak Directly to Your Reader

Here's a trick: Pretend you are talking to your best friend. One person only. If it sounds like you're having a chat with a friend, you'll build trust and likability, which ultimately is what will tips the scales for making your sale.

Tip #6: Use "You" instead of "I"

The sweetest word to a reader (other than the person's own name!) is the word "You".
So instead of talk about yourself and what you like about your product, talk about what the product will do for them.
For example...
"You'll feel like the Belle of the Ball on your wedding day"
is infinitely better than
"I created this necklace to suit the bride who wants to be the Belle of the Ball on her wedding day".

Tip #7: Stories are a Jewellery Seller's Best Friend

People often buy handmade jewellery so they can feel wise or insightful and you, believe it or not, YOU are often the biggest selling point especially is your work is very distinctive and unique, or if you yourself are distinctive and unique.
Depending on your market, you'll want to make decisions about what types of stories to tell.
Here are some jewellery story ideas:
  • How you came to be inspired for a piece
  • What funny thing happened that made you think to make this handmade necklace
  • The story behind an interesting found component
  • How one coincidence became a necklace.

Tip #8 Offer a Guarantee

You should always offer some kind of guarantee to increase your customer's comfort level and trust. The guarantee is up to you, but the sales increase is significant for people who offer guarantees, and you might be surprised to know that refund requests are about the same (or even less!) for those that are up front with their guarantee so it only makes sense to offer one.

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