Increase Your Website Engagement Today
Are you looking to boost engagement and get more conversions? It might not seem like it, but the little things matter significantly to optimizing your website’s user experience.
Do you know how powerful a few words of microcopy can be? It’s a game changer for entrepreneurs and small business owners. It has the power to improve user experience exponentially, increase online engagement with customers, and amplify marketing efforts.
Defining Microcopy: What Is It and Why Does It Matter to Your Business?
Microcopy is the small pieces of text, often in the form of labels, calls to action, headlines, or buttons on your website and other digital channels. Those brief bits of information guide customers through their journey and ensure they don’t get lost or confused.
Microcopy should make navigation easier, help prevent confusion, and reduce customer drop-off rates. For example: when customers are on the checkout page, you want them to be able to quickly find their way by reading the microcopy. You wouldn’t want them stuck because of unclear instructions or long information pages.
What Is The Difference Between Microcopy and Long-Form Copy?
When writing copy for your website, there are two essential types – microcopy and long-form copy. While both serve the purpose of describing and defining products, services, or other offerings on your website, they differ in how extensive they are.
Microcopy typically consists of short phrases or sentence fragments to provide quick and concise instructions, such as titles, CTA buttons, alerts, or labels. On the other hand, long-form copy consists of larger portions of text—including descriptions, instructions, advertising messages, or blogs—that communicate a more detailed message.
Both offer benefits; microcopy is excellent for making websites easily navigable and user-friendly, while long-form copy allows companies to provide more meaningful content and establish a connection with their target audience.
Knowing the differences between these two kinds of copywriting can help you craft the perfect message for your website and allows you to utilize your audience’s most effective form of communication.
Tips to Increase Engagement with Your Audience Through Microcopy
When used effectively, microcopy helps establish a personal connection between your customers and your business. That is why it should be tailored to your brand personality and make an impact with just a few words.
You can use several strategies to boost customer engagement, such as:
Keep it Short and Sweet
When it comes to microcopy, less is more. Your audience doesn’t want to read a novel, so keep your copy short, sweet, and to the point.
Use Emotionally Charged Language
Use emotionally charged language to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Words like “love,” “hate,” “fear,” and “hope” are all emotional triggers that can help increase engagement with your microcopy.
Make it Personal
Make your microcopy personal and relatable to your audience. Use “you” instead of “we” or “us” to create a more personal engagement with your reader. For example, “You can increase your sales by 10%” sounds more personal than “We can increase your sales by 10%.”
Use Active Voice
Use active voice when crafting your microcopy. Active voice is more engaging and easier to understand than passive voice. For example, “We increased sales by 10%” is written in active voice, while “Sales increased by 10%” is written in passive voice.
Call to Action
Use microcopy in your call to action (CTA). What if we changed “Download” to “Send me my free e-book”?
Additionally, strategically placed microcopy can help provide helpful navigation cues, reinforce educational content, and draw attention to important points you want customers to remember. Another great approach is to include rewards or incentives that encourage customers to return to your site.
Ways to Incorporate Microcopy Into Your Website/App
Microcopy should be used throughout your website or app to offer helpful information and support customer interactions. Here are some easy ways to incorporate microcopy into your web presence:
Headlines
Headlines are the longest form of microcopy. Write a great headline and instantly compel a visitor to read on. For example, instead of “Learn about our products,” use “Discover the Possibilities for Yourself.” It will draw people in, pique their interest and encourage them to explore further.
Tooltips/Hover Text
Tooltips are small pieces of text that appear when a user hovers over a specific item, like an icon. This is great for providing additional information without taking away from the design or distracting the user from their task.
Sign-up forms
Sign-up forms are a great way to elevate your visitor’s experience. Use microcopy to explain the purpose of each field and indicate if the information is optional or required. For example, microcopy can explain why customers should sign up and receive emails.
CTAs
As we discussed earlier, the call to action is one of the most powerful elements you can use microscopy for. Utilise CTAs by choosing a positive and active phrase. Rather than the dull “add to cart” or “sign up today” button, use something more creative like “join the club” or “start my journey.”
Error messages
Error messages are an integral part of any website. Instead of displaying a generic message like “invalid entry,” turn impersonal error messages into another opportunity to engage and delight your customer. This can help improve customer experience and reduce frustration.
Contact forms
Just like sign-up forms, contact forms can harness the power of microcopy.
Write concise and engaging instructions that explain how to fill out the form. Explain why customers should complete each field, what data is required, and what types of information are accepted (for example, “only positive numbers”). An engaging contact form should have a strong CTA and provide helpful information about how long customers can expect a response.
Conclusion
Microcopy is a powerful tool for customer engagement that can make an immense difference in website performance and user experience, from incorporating keyword-rich button labels to crafting insightful placeholder text.
It has many possibilities, so feel free to get creative regarding customer interaction. With thoughtful consideration of small details and copywriting savvy, you can unlock the true potential of microcopy and take your customer engagement strategies to the next level.