ØØ5: Coda Payments
Occam’s Razor suggests that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one.
This Razor is often accurate. For example, if your 2002 Toyota Camry doesn’t start, check and see if it has gas before disassembling the engine.
However, this idea doesn’t always apply in marketing.
Even basic necessities like drinkable water need a unique angle. There’s boxed water, black water, French water, and spring water. Every brand is doing its best to stand out.
On the other hand, complex concepts like EVs, SaaS, and DeFi are often simplified so that even a third grader can understand them.
What’s something both simple and complex brands can benefit from?
Context.
The more context, the better. Adjectives and adverbs are helpful, but they aren’t enough. You’ve heard “better,” “faster,” “quietly,” and “safely” your whole life, but compared to what? Is it faster by a few feet or a mile? Quieter than a stick of dynamite or a vacuum? “Would you like some more?” How much is more? Do you see what I’m getting at?
For brands solving significant problems—like those whose failure could impact global infrastructure—context is crucial.
Even something as intricate as global payment processing can benefit from more context.
Benefit how?
By taking your click-through rate from 1% to 2%.
In today’s ad write-up, we’re redoing the homepage for Coda Payments.
ØØ5: Coda Payments
If you visit their homepage, they have the Occam’s Razor part down. In as few words as possible, they give you a general overview of what they do.
Great start.
However, they’re missing a few important pieces–let’s stick to context for now.
As for how I’m going to show an entire redone homepage, I think the best way will be to ‘inspect element’ and copy-and-paste my copy in place of theirs.
Here’s their “Our Solutions” section:
Briefly, before I show you what I wrote, look at the insights.
Ten years is a lot—impressive, actually—but what is the “latest in conversion and monetization analytics?” Also, as a customer, why would I care? What does that do for me? I don’t care if you use an abacus and a typewriter to keep tabs on everything. Can you be more concrete?
Look, MOST people won’t notice these missing details. Their subconscious will glaze over it, and all will be fine. Yet, when you add potent words that are concrete rather than abstract, going from 1/100 to 2/100 people clicking doesn’t seem far-fetch.
Okay, on to what I wrote, along with the other pieces:
Notice the difference? You’ll grow faster. How much faster? Up to 5x faster. Faster than who? Your competition. Ah, got it. Numbers can easily replace adjectives and adverbs. They function as context AND proof at the same time.
On to the next part—here’s their current “Why Coda?” section:
Not going to beat a dead horse, nor do the math on the above—you should be able to see where it can be improved.
Here’s the same section with context, in bullet format:
The ‘Our Payment Methods’ section is fine. Coda offers over 300 of them. Imagine 300 types of jam at the supermarket. How easy would it be to pick a jam? Exactly. Some forms of context won’t improve the customers journey, so be mindful here.
We’re almost out of time, ladies and gents; let’s move on to the headline.
Current:
How? By monetizing your game everywhere, specifically in over 25 markets.
So that became the “new” headline:
Minus the design flaw, which do you think will catch the reader's attention more? Which evokes a bit more curiosity? I didn’t use a percentage or numerical value here, as they offer multiple services, and not everyone may need all of them, so the headline could be misleading.
Alrighty, got to go.
Remember:
Turn the vague into visuals.
‘Til next time,
Adrian
