They’re often no bigger than a small sentence, a phrase or even a single word.
But they have the power to stop forms being abandoned and visitors leaving; they can even improve what people think about your brand.
What am I talking about? Why, microcopy of course.
It might be the sales letter or landing page copy that gets all the adulation.
But short, punchy lines of microcopy can be just as potent in directing people to take action.
Micro copy has 3 basic uses:
1. Microcopy tells people what to do – Pithy lines of copy used in forms help people to fill them out correctly, provide the information you need and avoid them being abandoned after a flurry of error messages.
2. Microcopy builds trust – Little reassuring messages, reminding people that you won’t share their information or send them a flood of spam, can make all the difference in calming people’s objections and encouraging them to take action.
3. Microcopy builds your brand – The internet can seem a robotic, cold medium. But friendly, conversational copy, with a playful tone, can give your website a personality. Mail Chimp and Flickr are two such examples.
When writing website copy it’s often the landing page and body copy that get all the attention.
But remember that concisely worded instructions, reassuring phrases and witty signup links can dramatically reduce errors and increase numbers taking action.
Ignore them at your peril.