by Armando Roggio

Compelling, informative, and unique product descriptions can help your ecommerce business increase sales. Moreover, original product descriptions can help avoid Google's so-called "Farmer algorithm" penalty, which can affect retailers that copy product descriptions from competitors, or that use the exact descriptions suggested by suppliers.

Recently, a Practical eCommerce reader, Greg Jameson, posted an excellent comment about product descriptions, writing, "unique content and added value is what sells. The merchant is the salesperson, so sell them on what you have to offer, don't just regurgitate what someone else has already said."

The remark came in the context of "Google's 'Farmer' Algorithm and What It Means for Ecommerce SEO," my article about the recent change to Google's search algorithm that sought to reduce redundant search results and improve user experience.

But the Google algorithm aside, it has always been a good idea to write original product descriptions that engaged and inform shoppers. Remember, a competitor's website is only a click away, so if you cannot peak a shopper's interest, assuage concerns, or convey the value of buying the product and buying it from you, you may lose the sale to someone who can. With this in mind, here are some practical suggestions about how to write better, unique product descriptions.

Know Your ProductBefore you can write a unique and persuasive product description, you need to know something about the product that you're describing. This may sound obvious, but it is completely necessary. For example, consider this real description for a pair of Georgia-brand, logger-style boots.

• Black Oil Tanned Leather
  
• Unlined Quarters
• Cushioned Insole
• Steel Shank
• Oil Resistant Rubber Lug Outsole
• Repairable Goodyear Welt Construction
• Safety Toe Class I75/C75

The next to last line stands out, "Repairable Goodyear Welt Construction." What does this mean? Would the typical consumer shopping for logger-style boots understand it? Did the person who wrote (pasted) this description — which is almost an exact copy of the description from the Georgia catalog that is meant for knowledgeable footwear buyers — understand what it means?
In shoemaking, a welt is a piece of material that attaches the upper part of the shoe to the sole. It is often referred to as a "Goodyear welt" because Charles Goodyear, Jr. invented the first welt-making machine. Given this bit of knowledge, consider another product description for an identical pair of boots, this time from the Working Person's Store.

These black leather boots employ Goodyear Welt construction to keep them together. This technology uses heavy-duty waxed threads and welts to attach the oil-tanned uppers to the rubber soles. This creates a bond that is nearly impossible to break. However, if you should work so hard that it does break, not to worry, it is repairable.

Although this description reads much better and does a better job of communicating, it is still not perfect, because — based on a Google search for the phrase — it may be copied text, but it at least demonstrates an understanding of the product.

Here is another take on the Georgia boot description that is unique to this article.

These Georgia loggers combine the best of old-world artisan shoemaking and modern technology to give you a work boot that lasts. Take the Goodyear welt construction. Goodyear welts, which secure the boot's upper to its sole, have been around — in the best of shoes — since before George Washington was born. Improving on this classic technique, Georgia uses heavy-duty, waxed threads that create an almost unbreakable bond.

Write Like a ProfessionalVolumes have been written about what it takes to be a professional writer. Many people spend years learning the craft, so it would be presumptuous to imagine that one could capture the essence of professional writing in a couple of paragraphs published in the middle of an article.

There are, hover, a few professional writing concepts that can — at least at some level — be described here. I'll call these concepts "audience," "voice," and "structure."

The first of these, audience, simply means that you need to understand the person who will be reading your product description. From a marketer's perspective, this is the idea of knowing your customers. Consider the following description for some bikini bottoms from Roxy, a clothing retailer.

Wild Paradise Brazilian String Bikini Bottoms

Careful now, this string has some serious zing. And comes styled with a look-at-me-wow print to boot! Our Brazilian String bikini bottom has string sides and offers slim coverage with a low rise. 95% nylon/5% elastane crochet. Imported. Hand wash cold.Roxy's customers are young adults and teens, seeking primarily casual clothing. Does it sound like Roxy know its audience? Judging from the bikini-bottom description, the answer would be "yes."

Consider writing a description of your typical customers before you write descriptions of your products. When you do write product descriptions, keep these typical customers in mind.

The second concept, voice, might be described as the way your brand sounds. What you know about your audience should inform this brand voice. Look back at the first two sentences in the Roxy example.

Careful now, this string has some serious zing. And comes styled with a look-at-me-wow print to boot!

Phrases like "serious zing" and "look-at-me-wow" are indicative of the Roxy brand, which is young, relaxed, confident, and casual.

Conversely, here is a product description for a relatively expensive Le Creuset cookware set fromSur La Table.

Le Creuset pots, pans and grills are sand-cast, painstakingly polished and finished by hand, then sprayed with two coats of enamel and fired twice—no other procedure yields cookware that so evenly conducts and retains heat while withstanding the rigors of daily use. Porcelain enamel interior finish requires no seasoning and resists scratches and chips. Goes easily from oven to table for beautiful presentation.

The voice in this example is consultative, informative, and speaking with authority. To find your own company's brad voice, imagine how you would speak to your customer if you were face to face.

Finally, professional writers are conscience of structure. This may mean grammar. It may mean creating an outline that includes the points you need to cover, or it may simply mean always starting a product description with a particular kind of sentence or idea.

Take another look at the third Georgia logger description's opening sentence.

These Georgia loggers combine the best of old-world artisan shoemaking and modern technology to give you work boot that last.

This sentence might be described as a fact-to-benefit bridge. It states some fact about the product — "these Georgia loggers combine the best of old-world artisan shoemaking and modern technology" — and then explains how that fact benefits the customer — "to give you work boot that last."

You may wish to structure your company's product descriptions so that they always start with a fact-to-benefit bridge, or some similar idea.

Be PragmaticIn a perfect world, every product description on your site will have a well-written product description that encourages customers to buy. But you still need to be pragmatic.

If your ecommerce business's previous product description plan consisted of copying and pasting manufacturer descriptions or plagiarizing the competition, you may be facing hundreds or even thousands of descriptions in need of a rewrite, so focus on your most important — best selling, highest margin, largest inventory — products first, adding perhaps five new product descriptions each day until you've tackled them all.

You should also consider the product itself. Some products just don't need long descriptions.

Final ConsiderationsWriting unique and effective product descriptions may help an ecommerce business attract more shoppers, convert more of those shoppers into paying customers, and build more brand loyalty so that those customers come back.

As daunting as the task of writing unique product descriptions may seem, it can be done. As suggested above consider adding five well written descriptions each day.

Go big or go home? Forget that. These strategies for increasing your brand influence take hardly any time, and very little money.
Let's say you've got some down time between major marketing campaigns. Does that mean your marketing efforts have to go into hibernation? Of course not. You can fill in the downtime in your bigger advertising strategy with some mini-marketing campaigns that are often quick, uncomplicated and cheap—or even free. Experts from top marketing firms share some ideas on things you can do to run a smart—and influential—mini-marketing campaign that might even change the way you reach your customers in the future.

1. Experiment with new audiences.
"Throughout the year, large campaigns rarely stray from their core target audiences. But there are opportunities within secondary audiences. To draw on these opportunities, we usually turn to social first. We monitor social campaigns throughout the year and identify key questions and conversations we want to explore further. Then, when we have time, we survey these audiences, conduct small, targeted promotions, or post engaging messages to see what they have to say. More often than not, we learn something new that we weren’t considering for an upcoming launch or get added validation for a new idea or direction."
—Todd Miller, managing partner, The Archer Group

2. Go big with pop-up events. 
"Find a venue where many people who are your customers or prospects show up. Better yet, buy a booth or offer your services for speaking or host a party for customers and encourage them to bring friends. This gives you the chance to speak with current customers to learn what they like/dislike, but mostly it gives you the chance to prospect. Just don't make the mistake too many business people make after the event: failing to follow up on every lead. If you gathered hundreds of business cards or email addresses then send a thank you and invitation to stay in touch. Offer something of value in this email—a discount, a free newsletter, added features, etc.—then the people most interested will "hand raise" and identify themselves to you for further follow-up and marketing efforts."
—Linda Worrell, managing director, Red F

3. Sponsor conversations.
"People today love to talk and express their opinions. Blogs, chat rooms, comment sections are filled with loads of people expressing themselves. This, if you play your cards right, can be a great opportunity for your product or brand. Why not offer up topics for people to discuss? And make them topics that relate to your marketing efforts. Use Facebook or blog comments to start a relevant conversation where, at some point, your product can play a role. Be careful, however, not to appear to be 'selling.' Generate a conversation that is authentic to the topic, and that your brand can become a part of as opposed to a conversation that is about your product. People will happily talk about things that are interesting to them, and brands are not interesting. So make your brand a byproduct of the conversation, not the topic itself."
—Kevin Roddy, chief creative officer, Publicis & Hal Riney 

4. Attach yourself to large events.
"Sponsoring big events can be an effective but expensive way of connecting with industry leaders. Instead of going the sponsorship route, think of interesting ways to associate your product or service with the event to create organic buzz. For example, a cocktail hour at a nearby venue or a social-media driven game that incorporates panels and parties might be more cost-effective ways to leverage an event. Your campaign idea should provide value to event-goers; the reason Foursquare was a hit at SXSW was because it made it easier for friends to find each other. Keep in mind that early adopters can be your biggest cheerleaders, so connect with anyone going to the event who is an admitted fan of your product and reward them for sharing positive stories. People trust the advice of their friends and peers, so keep in mind that one good experience with your product can have a waterfall effect that goes viral."
—Maneesh K. Goyal, CEO of MKG, an experiential marketing agency

5. Emphasize earned media.
"Emphasize 'earned' media programs during these 'dark' periods in-between your big campaigns. Earned media, in the form of, for example, traditional public relations efforts and social media programs can be a cost-effective way to stay in market even when you don’t have ad budgets. We have found that emphasizing social media outreach and programs just as paid advertising campaigns wind down can be a highly effective way to keep an organizations message in market even after paid ads go away."
—Jose Villa, founder and president Sensis advertising agency

6. Try a new format.
"One of the things you have to look at when you attempt short-burst marketing is how much share of somebody's attention you can capture for the most reasonable share of money. What I would consider looking at social as an environment to capture market share. There's not much advertising in social apps. Usually, you get a large percentage or 100 percent share of voice within the application. Within that you're also getting a very engaged audience. Some offer the opportunity to buy in the stream of social activities people are performing across web and mobile. It's the most effective way you can spend your money for a short burst of time. The key is buying 'in activity:' as you send a gift, perform a mission, check in or set a status, that is when we perform our advertising. You're reaching an engaged consumer at the right time. As somebody performs a social activity, and you reach that consumer, that's when they're likely to share, that's when they're likely to 'like.'"
—Robert Victor, CMO of Appssavvy

7. Revisit old leads.
"One thing to do would be to recontact people that you've spoken to that have for whatever reason, in a friendly way, turned you down in the past. Revisit those people. If people have called you to inquire about your product or service but have not bought from you, it's always good to call those people back and re-pitch them. They've already expressed interest in you, they may or may not have been in research mode when they called. It’s a fruitful, no-cost list. You don't have to spend money to get that list. You know they're interested in your product."
—Dan Feldstein, cofounder and chief marketing officer, Red Ventures

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