Crystal Clear Communications Blog

Grab their attention with appealing words.

We all know our buyers are busy. At best they quickly skim our copy, if they even bother to open the email. Research shows that most buyers spend less than 15 seconds on your website.

How do you grab buyers’ attention?

How do you grab buyers’ attention and keep them reading? By using appealing words that focus on what’s in it for them.

Take a look at this copy from a healthcare technology website:

What sets us apart – A highly adaptable data architecture platform that can set the data free, soaring across system boundaries in pursuit of true interoperability.

Even if you’re in the healthcare industry, it’s hard to tell from that copy exactly what this company does. Every buyer is always thinking “What’s in it for me? (WIIFM?)” While the language tells you that this company has a data platform that will “set data free,” it doesn’t tell you why you need to set the data free. What will you gain as a result?

Wouldn’t you be more inclined to keep reading if this sentence came first:

Improve care and costs with a more complete clinical record.

That sentence uses appealing words to tell readers what’s in it for me. Now readers want to learn more, because of course they want to improve care and reduce costs. Everyone in the healthcare industry does.

Features tell; benefits sell

In a world of multi-tasking and short attention spans, you have limited time to grab your audience’s attention. The best way to do that is to tell them WHY they should keep reading or listening by using benefit-focused language that appeals to their needs.

Using benefit-focused language is tough. We’re so used to telling people WHAT our company does (product/solution features) that we often leave out the WHY (the benefits).

But benefit-focused language works. A study by Stratpack found that most top companies use benefit-focused language in their marketing copy.

Using a Message Map

I recommend a simple tool – a Message Map – to keep your messaging focused on the benefits for your buyers.

A message map puts the benefits for your buyers at the center of everything you do. So you grab their attention quickly. Once you get their attention, the proof points and examples on the map explain how you help them realize those benefits and what you do, exactly.

As you create your Message Map, think carefully about word choices. Try to view your Message Map through the eyes of your buyers and use words that appeal to their needs.

For example, instead of “consolidates all of your patient data in one place,” which is a feature, you could say “reduce physician burnout by making the information they need easier to find,” which is a benefit.

As you write marketing copy, think about words that will appeal to your audience. Words that make them want to read more, such as these:

• Improve (lives, care, outcomes)
• Easy; easier
• Succeed; success
• Better (care, quality)

A/B Testing

Not sure which words will appeal most to your buyers? Conduct A/B testing to find out – especially on headlines, subheads, and captions, which readers are likeliest to see as they skim a webpage. Use the results to adjust your copy, then continue to test and tweak to get the best results.

Your buyers receive thousands of messages each day. Help them pay more attention to yours by getting to the heart of what’s in it for them with benefit-focused copy.

Need benefit-focused messaging for your stakeholders? We can help. Email us today.

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