Is PiggyVest’s Homepage Copy Leveraging Their Biggest Strength?
Having a great product is a starting point and a non-negotiable. How you communicate the value is equally as important because that’s how you get people to try it out. Use the words your customers use. The landing page is not a standalone experience and in doing these teardowns, I’m interested analyzing the copy and its ability to communicate the brand’s offering. In most cases, the prospect is not patient enough to figure out what exactly your brand does and why they should care. Be as clear as possible. Create a narrative that places them at the center.
With this teardown, I’m doing things a little differently. Instead of just talking about the copy, I’m going to rewrite the copy to some extent. I’m not saying mine will 100% move the needle towards better conversions, but that there’s an opportunity for improvements to be made. With any optimization project, there must always be a place for research and testing. What I do know is words matter and have the power to invoke a “meh” or “I need this right now” reaction depending on how you use them.
Good writing projects clarity, color, and mood economically
PiggyVest is a very secure online savings platform that makes saving possible by combining discipline plus flexibility to make you grow your savings.
This is straight off their website.
What does Piggyvest help users achieve:
- better control of their money
- the actualization of their financial goals
- the opportunity to make investments
- consistency in their saving
This is the narrative or in other words, ‘the job to be done’. I’m a user so I can speak on this. If I wasn’t a user, then as someone hired to craft the messaging, I will interview users to get an idea of what their desired outcome is from using the product. The product is just a means to an end. What you want to be thinking about is how your product fits into this narrative and helps users achieve the outcome they desire.
Contrary to popular opinion, users do know what they want. They know the problem they have and what they want is their problem solved. What they don’t know in most instances is how to solve said problem. This is where your product comes in, to be framed as the solution to the problem in a way that the user sees themselves in the narrative. All this to say, when you know where users are trying to go, you’re able to map out a relevant path to get them there.
N.B: I mention ‘relevant’ because it can’t be said enough. Design for your users, not yourself.
A. This headline is ok but could have more effect. A ‘better’ way? How is it better? What is the current way and how is this better? They make a claim that leaves too much room for interpretation. The goal with copy should always be clarity. If a claim is made then it needs to be backed up with facts.
B. This subheading at least explains what PiggyVest does. Why should I care? because I want to achieve financial freedom. Even though I personally think the promise of financial freedom seems a bit much, but I’ll put a pin on that. My gripe with this subheading is the saving responsibly part? What does it mean?
That I save frequently?
I have a certain percentage of my income saved?
Again, it’s not clear. The same goes for “invest on the go”. I get it but it’s not the most important thing a prospect (a potential user) cares about when deciding to participate in investments. Another way I look at it is, with the type of investments we have access to on the platform, it’s fastest fingers, vetted, and usually does not require too much research on our part. So “on the go” will be understood by someone already using the product and not a prospect.
What’s in it for a prospect?
- the ability to invest with as little as N5000
- the ability to invest with the assurance that you won’t lose your money because are all investments are vetted and insured.
- the ability to make investments even if you are a novice and don’t know where to start.
C. I love this. Deciding where to put your money comes down to what you stand to gain. Because I know what I can gain from using PiggyVest, I’m interested in checking it out.
D. Let the prospect know what is to come from clicking the button. The CTA text is ok and works for the purposes intended. I am curious though, about exploring other possibilities which I’ll explain in the next section.
E. Security is a huge concern and they know this, which is why they address this at the top of the page. Could it have been addressed a bit more? Maybe. I’ve found that to be the biggest objection people have.
MY EDIT:
Hack: I swiped the copy I used from the customer’s stories page and got some of it from Twitter as well. This is the power of message mining from your customers. I talk more about this here. These are just my thoughts and obviously there’s no guarantee if this will drive better sign-ups unless you test it. TRUST but VERIFY.
A. PiggyVest is a means to an end. Saving is a means to an end. What does the user stand to gain from using PiggyVest? Being in control of your finances allows you to plan towards your needs. There’s an emphasis on control to imply that the power is in your hands and PiggyVest is just a tool to help you get there. Think of it this way,
Me: I got this app that helps me save better and invest money.
Friend: So what?
Me: I can set targets and they automatically deduct the chosen amount daily, weekly, or monthly.
Friend: So what?
Me: I can put money away for a rainy day or so I can travel.
Friend: So what?
Me: Being in control of my finances allows me to plan so I’m not burdened by cashflow.
Friend: Hmm, that makes sense.
Bullseye. It gets to the heart of the matter and answers the question, “what’s in it for me?”
B. The problem with saving is not that people aren’t saving responsibly per se, but that they don’t do so regularly enough for it to build up. I then speak to the point of investing — to make more money than you put in. I addressed a possible objection head-on by stating the investments are verified so the prospect feels comfortable trying it out. If it wasn’t clear what making your money work for you means, I mention that these investments offer attractive returns so there’s no doubt in their mind what they stand to gain.
With this subheading, their current headline “The Better Way to Save & Invest” can flow into this. It’s a good headline but it made a claim that’s not backed up from the onset. It’s a headline that has worked for them in the very early stages of their product but as the product evolves as it is currently, there’s the need to position it differently. It also makes sense to begin priming your audience for this change however subtle so they start to think about the product as a tool that gives them control of their finances and not just helps them save and invest. My 2 cents.
C. I did not change a thing about this part. I do want to highlight how it really helps support the claim of ‘attractive returns’ I make above.
D. I think there’s a case to be made especially for B2C about how “create a free account” can be a turn-off. Creating an account is inevitable, but adjusting the CTA text to put more emphasis on the value of said action is worth exploring. For example, when you click on the button the resulting action is you get to “create a free account” the value of creating the free account is you get to “start saving”.
The proof is in the pudding. Give them a reason to try it.
A. Not sure what “saving smartly & responsibly” means. They go on to explain it further, but it can be said better. I can’t emphasize the importance of using your copy to build a narrative.
B. I always advise that if you have the numbers, use it to your advantage. Knowing over 100,000 are using this feature is great social proof for me. I feel that this feature is not described well enough. When you make a claim, you have to prove it. It’s going to be a question in the mind of your prospect anyway and you want to avoid leaving them with too many unanswered questions. I can reach my savings goals more quickly? How? It’s not answered. They help me to reach my savings goal quickly by allowing me to automate my savings which is worth mentioning.
C. I like this feature description because it goes on to tell me what I stand to gain from using it and not just what it does.
D. Same thing here as C. This is a much stricter option than PiggyBank and I stand to gain returns of 13% p.a which they let me know.
MY EDIT:
A. I create a scenario because it’s easier for people to insert themselves and see the value. As a user, one thing PiggyVest does to help me reach my desired outcome by keeping me accountable.
B. I’m of the opinion that the most impactful benefit of using the Piggybank feature is being able to automate your savings so you save consistently. It’s easy to forget to do so but by automating it, I’m able to save on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. From reading users’ experiences, a reoccurring comment was the ability to automate their savings. If there’s anything I’ve realized, it’s that a lot of Nigerians are more concerned with the returns they stand to gain from investing/saving than the concept of having “savings”. Not sure if that makes sense. All this to say, rather than keeping the money under their mattress (do people still do this? lol) or in an account not yielding interest, a huge plus with using PiggyVest is they receive interest on a monthly basis on the money saved. Which is why I made so to point it out.
C. By mentioning that the money can’t be touched, it sets the expectation and also communicates that Safelock is more strict than the other plans. This is favorable for people wanting more long term savings options.
A. For the headline, “on the go” really needs to be dropped. “Invest in bits” communicates how achievable it is for the average Joe. This subheading is gold. It supports the headline by setting the context and handling the main objection people have when it comes to investing — how expensive it is and getting started. It has set the stage for them to pitch their product by telling you they are affordable and offer great returns.
B. One thing PiggyVest tries to do with their product is to foster a sense of community. They make the idea of investing less daunting because you’re doing it with people.
C. Headline. Yes. You are the boss, and get to call the shots when it comes to what you invest in. It’s important to note that the use of the word “control” is key because it’s empowering. For the longest time, investments of any kind were pretty much controlled by a broker. Leaving you with little to no control over how the money is invested. This feature gives you a sense of ownership. It’s good they noted that the opportunities are pre-vetted because it gives you less to worry about and allows even a novice to participate in these investment opportunities.
D. The headline communicates such an important benefit of being in control of your investments. Watching it grow is rewarding.
Not doing an edit of this section because I don’t have much to add and it’s very well done already. One thing I think that’s worth mentioning is how little (N5000) you need to start investing.
A. It’s no secret that PiggyVest is customer-centric and this drives their product strategy. Using pictures of your users for social proof is a great way to build credibility.
B. In the spirit of fostering community, they highlight a saver every month who shares their story about what it’s like to save in Nigeria.
C. The headline tells me to Meet Robert which I’m eager to but the text tells me about their Saver of the Month and not about Robert.
D. The CTA is the same as the headline. It can be better.
MY EDIT:
I reworked this because so much wasn’t being leveraged. Getting someone to talk about your product is fantastic so MILK it!
A. I moved the description to the top so that section can feature a snippet of his story.
B. I went through his story and took out the part most likely to resonate with the audience. It gives a much better reason to want to read more about him now there’s a brief overview of what he talks about.
C. I also changed the button text because it was unnecessary saying ‘Meet Robert’ again when it was already said in the heading.
A. It’s good they noted these reviews are “verified”. It gives credibility to the reviews.
B & C. To some degree, you have no control over what is said about your product, but you can control which ones you highlight. See how not all of them are saying the same thing. These are stories from different people with different goals and a prospect coming on the platform is bound to find one that resonates. I, for example, am drawn to the ‘discipline’ PiggyVest gives me. Using pictures of these users also helps validate the review.
D. I’ve read their stories and I’m intrigued. The CTA allows me to read even more of these stories. There’s no better advocate for your product than the people who are using it and willing to talk about it. This is what social proof is about.
A. It’s encouraging knowing how much is collectively being saved on a monthly basis. This is another form of social proof letting you know, ‘hey, see how much people are saving, you have nothing to fear”. Because surely, if they can be in control of over N1 billion monthly then your N50,000 or N100,000 is in safe hands. Notice how seeing N1,000,000,000 has more of an effect than just saying N1billion.
B. To reinforce that your money is in safe hands, they emphasize this again in case you had doubts.
C. Clear CTA on what to do next.
D. This is a good addition to include letting you know that using the mobile app is an option especially for those who will rather create an account straight from the app.
A. In keeping it consistent with the change I made above, I use the same CTA.
How did they do? Ok.
What did they do well:
- They use and highlight their users’ stories to push the product which is their biggest strength.
- For a low trust environment like Nigeria, they have intentionally built a community around their product by leveraging social media. This is why a large portion of their acquisition comes from their referral scheme and word of mouth.
What can be better:
- The product is great and this is also their strength but the value of the product can be communicated better. The savings features explained need more context so they move beyond just being features to showing the user the benefit of said feature. I know more can be said because I’m a user, but the prospect only knows what you tell them so if your copy doesn’t communicate the value well enough, you might lose them. Yes, the website is just a single touchpoint in the customer journey but it cannot be discounted.
- More needs to be said about how people are currently saving or attempting to and how it falls short. It will set up the stage for a much better product pitch. As a user of the product, I know that before PiggyVest I had a separate account where I put in money that yielded no interest and I wasn’t even putting in money regularly. There’s been a myriad of ways that people have attempted to simply save that have fallen short that I think should be highlighted before pitching the product.
It’s a fantastic product and this article does not change that. Are there some things that can be optimized with the way they communicate their value? Definitely. There’s always a place for research and testing when building sustainable growth.
One more thing,
Do the adult thing and be more consistent with your savings. You can start here.
