Brands We Love: Bellhops

Oh, the joys of moving house.

Roping in friends and family to help. White-knuckling the steering wheel of a rental truck that you probably shouldn’t be able to drive with a regular license. Wondering how you ever managed to accumulate so much stuff. Vowing to live a minimalist life. It can be a stressful time.

So, what if a brand could promise to make your moving experience fun?

This is Bellhops’ bold claim. They’re a moving company in the US who have disrupted their industry and achieved incredible success over the last 8 years. With over 140 000 moves under their belt, thousands of 5 star ratings and more than 20% of their customers using their services multiple times throughout the year, they seem to be doing a lot right.

In fact, there is a lot I could say about Bellhops, but what really captured my attention was their website copy. Every element on their website is focused on quashing customer objections, explaining their difference and clearly explaining what they do. It’s not trying to be too clever, and it’s beautifully concise. Best of all, it is all geared towards making the sale. And, that’s what your website copy needs to do— convert.

So, today, I’m going to be focusing on just 3 elements of Bellhops’ website copy that I think they’ve nailed and why.

1. The homepage hero

In my opinion, some of the biggest mistakes you can make with your home page headline include—

• Forgetting that your audience knows nothing about your business and being too obscure or vague about what you do;
• Overcomplicating your sentences by trying to say too much;
• Trying to please a really broad audience by being generic and boring;
• Or making it all about you (read more about why you need to stop being the hero here.)
  

This prime real estate needs to tell your website visitors a) what you do and b) why they should care, and do it in the simplest way possible. When done right, it should immediately communicate that they’re in the right place and encourage them to keep on reading.

Even though visitors will spend ~57% of their time looking at above the fold content (the info at the top of the page) people will scroll, so you don’t have to say everything, just what’s most important.

Bellhops’ headline ‘Imagine if moving were fun’ is an aspirational headline. It’s asking visitors to envision a desirable possibility for their future. It also hits on both what they do (moving) and why visitors should care (it will make your move fun).

Here are some other things I like about this hero section—

It focuses on the customer first

Notice that it’s focused on the customer first by addressing their desires (moving should be simple, fun, stress-free, easy). It doesn’t start with how Bellhops are the best moving company because it wouldn’t grab attention in the same way.

It serves up some social proof

They then come in with the humble brag ‘it’s made us one of the fastest growing companies in our industry.’ This immediately tells the visitor that this company is popular, which gives them some instant credibility before they’ve even scrolled.

It includes a clear call to action

Finally, they’re not shy about asking people to ‘book a move’. I like the specificity of this CTA as it tells people exactly what they should do next and what they can expect once they click (they will be able to book in a move with Bellhops).

The takeaway— First impressions count, and your home page hero section shouldn’t take too much energy to read or understand. It must say what you do and why it matters in a clear, succinct way.

2. Meet the Bellhops

I'm guessing that one of the biggest objections that people would have with the Bellhops service would be  ‘I don’t know if I feel comfortable with strangers in my home, moving my personal items and valuables.’

It’s an understandable objection, and I love the way they’ve addressed this concern on a dedicated page, called ‘Meet the Bellhops’.

First, they acknowledge the validity of the concern—

• “When you put your life in boxes, it matters who carries them.”
• “Your stuff isn’t just stuff.”
• “...moving is an intensely personal experience…”
• “Bellhops respect that they’re not just entering your home—they’re entering your life at a time of change and, often, stress.”
  

Then, they explain how they address the concern—

• “Sure, strength is important. But it takes more than just strength to be a great mover. It takes experience and a great attitude. Prior to joining our platform, every bellhop undergoes a background check and a thorough interview process.”
• “Their job is to provide comfort by guiding you through the experience and eliminating the burdens—both physical and mental—of moving.”
• “Bellhops know how to read a room.”
  

And how they want to make you feel—

• “...feel comfortable and in control.”
• “when [moving is] done right, a connection occurs.”
  

And they back it all up with proof—

• “Take a quick look at our reviews and you’ll see that customers in every city we service refer to bellhops by their first names.”
• Encouraging you to ‘meet’ some of their Bellhops — Jeffrey, Ace and Carlos.
  

As a side note— All of this copy is powerful, but, I don’t think it would be nearly as persuasive without the photos on this page. They’re portraits and working shots of Bellhops. Being able to put a face to a name helps to put people at ease about trusting Bellhops with their belongings.

The takeaway— What objections do your customers have about your product or service? Is there a way to can quash them by addressing them head on? Consider using a page or section on your website to tackle common objections.  

3. The promise & the process

Most people move pretty infrequently, so I’m guessing that most of Bellhops’ customers will be new customers, who’ve never used their service before. This makes their promise and their process crucial sections to include on their website to manage expectations and explain how their service is unique.

The promise

This section highlights what people can expect from Bellhops, and draws attention to some benefits of working with their brand over other companies. These points of difference aren’t just different, they are valuable to the customer and touch upon common industry pain points.

The process

If there are too many unknowns, it might cause a potential customer to hesitate in making a booking. Having a clear process puts them at ease and helps to set expectations.

Bellhops have a 5 step process that walks their customers through how they work and shows them how simple it will be. I like how they’ve woven in potential customer concerns too, like ‘how do I book?’ ‘how will I know who my Bellhops are?’ and ‘will I need to have cash to pay them on the day?’

The takeaway— Put your potential customers at ease and help them to justify their purchase by highlighting your points of difference and walking them through your process on your website.

I think Bellhops' website shows a wonderful example of copy that's been optimised for conversions. Every word on their site is strategic and purposeful— whether explaining what they do, selling their value, offering social proof or dispelling objections. It's delivered in skimmable, scannable sections, and is never waffling or overly complex.

There's a lot more to say about the Bellhops brand, but when it comes to asking customers to take action online, their messaging will make all the difference to their bookings, just as it will to yours.

So what do you think of Bellhops' website copy? Were you inspired by any of their messaging strategies? Let me know in the comments. And, if you know someone who could benefit from reading this article, don’t forget to do them (and us) a favour and share it!

All images via getbellhops.com