Basics of Copywriting

When you are writing sales copy for the Internet, there are many important things to keep in mind. You need to use keywords to get good placement in the search engines. You need to make the benefits of your product crystal clear. You need to keep your potential customers' needs in mind. First and foremost, once a visitor has found your page, you need to get his attention.

The most obvious way to do this is through the headline. It is (or should be) the first thing on the page and hence the first thing a visitor will see. Obviously you need to make it large enough and bright enough to attract attention. But what you write there should also get attention and make the reader want to read more.

The Headline

With all of the information available on the Internet, users are accustomed to finding what they need quickly. Studies show that you only have about 4 seconds to get a reader's attention. While short, your headline needs to be nothing less than stellar. Here are some ideas for an attention-grabbing headline.

* Solve a problem for the reader. You will definitely need to do this within your copy but using this technique in your headline can work as well. Just be careful not to give too much away. The idea is to make the reader want to continue reading.

* Ask a question. The answer should be your product or service or something that it does.

* Make people mad. Not at you but at a situation that your product or service can solve. If you sell a product that helps people start a home business, for example, use a headline that discusses the negative aspects of working a regular job.

* Use exciting words. Adjectives such as "astonishing," "fascinating," "exclusive," and "phenomenal" get the reader fired up about your product or service.

Other Opportunities to Grab Their Attention

While the headline is vitally important, it is not the only place you can get attention. Interested readers will often skim over your page instead of reading it word for word. That means that you can also use subheads and bulleted lists to get their attention.

Subheadings break up the text and divide it into convenient sections making it easier to read. They do not have to be as short as the main headline but should be to the point. You can also use sub-subheadings but be sure to make each level of heading progressively smaller to avoid confusion.

Bulleted lists present information in an easy to read format. They are ideal for lists of product benefits or problems that your product can solve. Lists should not run together however. Each one needs to be clearly identified.

Bold, highlighted and italic text and capitalization can provide variety and call attention to important words or points. But they should be used sparingly especially in the case of capitalization. All caps are considered yelling online so it's best to capitalize only one word every so often.

Underlining should be reserved for linking text in online sales letters. When people see something underlined on a web page they expect it to be a link. Underlining words other than links or failing to underline those that are links can be confusing and frustrating.

Getting the attention of your reader is essential to the success of your copywriting particularly when it is online. Using powerful headlines and calling attention to major points within the copy can draw your reader in and make him want to learn more. That is an essential first step to getting an order.

Once you have gotten your reader's attention you need to get them excited about your product. This is critical when selling online because they cannot experience your product firsthand before purchasing. Stirring the reader's emotions will make them want to learn about your product and possibly purchase it.

In order to excite your audience you must first determine who your audience is. Is it business professionals, housewives or football enthusiasts? Different things are exciting to different people. Knowing your audience and their interests will help you figure out how to best get them excited about your offerings.

The colors you use on your sales page are an important part of getting your audience's attention and getting them excited. Tranquil, peaceful colors are great for a spa because they are soothing. They are not good for a sales page because of the exact same reason. Using high contrast, complimentary colors will put your audience in the right mood to read your message and act on it.

Action Words

Using action words in your copy is an important part of marketing. Writing in a passive voice slows down the pace of your writing and does little to entice your readers to act now. The various forms of the verb "to be" should be avoided as much as possible. In some cases you will have to use them but if you can find another way to state the same thing in a more active way it will be to your advantage.

For example, take this sentence "Jane Doe is the best wedding planner in America." It lacks punch and action. Try this instead "Jane Doe will organize every aspect of your wedding to produce the ceremony of your dreams." This replaces the inactive "is" with two action words and adds greater detail.

Build Value

One of the primary concerns of consumers is value. Is the product they are considering buying a good buy for the money? Are there other products available that will provide more bang for their buck?

This provides you with another opportunity to get readers of your sales copy excited. Telling them all of the problems that your product will solve will show them how great your product is. Comparing it with other products on the market and giving evidence of how much better your product is will have them clamoring for it.

Charts are great ways to compare products. Your product's benefits can make up most of the comparison items. Prices should be listed at the beginning or end.

Deadlines create added value as well as a sense of urgency. You could make your product available for a limited time only especially if it is an intensely hands-on service. You might choose to offer a discount for a short time. Whatever you decide to put a deadline on, stick to it. Not doing so will cause you to lose trust and losing trust means losing future sales.

Getting readers excited is a step in copywriting that should not be overlooked. The ambivalent are not likely to buy your product right away and with the Internet's notoriously short attention span they will usually not return. Excited readers will be enticed to purchase right away, or at least sign up for your mailing list. So if you don't get the sale right away, you can keep yourself fresh in their minds until you do.

The purpose of writing a sales page is to sell something. In order to do so we must get a response from the reader. That response could be an order or a signup to a mailing list. In order to get a response we must give the reader a reason to respond.

The primary reason for one to respond to a sales letter is the product itself. If the product will solve the customer's problem then its benefits are clear. If it is proven to be a great value then the product could stand alone as a reason for a response. There is much more you can do to trigger the response you want from your readers.

Bonuses

Everyone loves getting something for free. Adding a bonus or package of bonuses to your product will encourage readers to respond favorably to your offer. There are numerous things you can offer as bonus some of which do not cost you a dime. Here are some ideas:

* Special reports and short Ebooks make great bonuses. You could write these on your own and your only investment would be your time. You could solicit permission from a fellow marketer to use a special report he or she wrote as a bonus. This gives him or her added exposure while providing you with a valuable bonus for your customers.

Another option would be to pay someone else to write a special report for your use. A ghostwriter will write a report for you and allow you to put your name on it. Prices vary, but the cost should be easily recoverable with a few sales.

* Free trials are valuable bonuses. They allow customers to try out subscriptions or memberships without paying. Again, the program or publication could be your own or someone else's.

* Checklists and other supplementary tools complement your product and add value. These work especially well with information products but you can find something to go with just about anything.

Discounts

A limited-time discount gives your readers a reason to respond and a reason to do so quickly. Deadlines are the key here because an immediate response is what you are looking for. Sticking with the deadline is an absolute must if you want to keep the trust of your customer.

A package discount could encourage customers to purchase multiple items if you have them to offer. If selling tangibles, you might offer a discount if buying two or more. This increases your sales and gives customers a bargain.

Free E-Courses

A free E-course is a great way to get the reader to join your mailing list. This could be offered on its own without a purchase to encourage the reader to return and purchase at a later date. It could be offered as a bonus to keep other offerings in your reader's inbox.

In order to get a response, you need to give readers a reason to respond. Laying out your product's benefits clearly might be enough. Adding something extra will make your offer even more palatable.

So you've got your reader's attention and they are excited. You've even gotten a response from them in the form of either a sale or a lead. Now what?

You want your readers to come back. If they didn't make a purchase you want them to when the time is right. If they did, you might have something else to offer them. In both cases you need to keep yourself fresh in their minds so they will return.

Mailing Lists

One of the primary ways to keep visitors coming back is through a mailing list. A mailing list may take several different forms such as the following:

* Site updates - If you have a website that is relevant to the product or service you are selling you could encourage prospective customers to sign up for site updates. This does, however, limit your contact with them to the occasions when you update your site. That doesn't mean that you can't include information about products and encouragements to purchase them though.

* Newsletters - Newsletters allow you to touch base with your readers on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis. They allow you to share valuable information with them and gaining trust along the way. You can also use them to promote special offers or upgrades.

* E-courses - An E-course is a set of informational mailings sent out at regular intervals. Ideally it should be closely related to the product you are promoting, but should not give everything away if that product is also informational. An E -course can help establish you as an expert in your field and leave your visitors hungry for more. Those two things can lead to more sales.

Loyalty Programs

Customer loyalty programs are often offered offline but there is no reason that you can't offer them online as well. You could offer gift certificates or a percent off of the customer's next purchase after a purchase of a certain amount. If you are selling tangible products, free shipping can be offered to reward repeat purchases.

Before you institute a loyalty program it is important to weigh its costs against its benefits. You are, after all, in business to make a profit. Discounts or freebies should be significant enough to please customers but small enough to maintain profitability.

An Informative Website

Setting up an informational website or blog with regularly updated content is an effective and inexpensive way to keep your customers coming back. Providing fresh articles and news for your visitors will breed confidence in your expertise and give you the opportunity to promote your products or services extensively.

If you are blogging setting up an RSS feed allows your visitors to have the latest from your blog delivered to their desktop, feed reader or other applications. This will keep you and your offerings fresh in their minds.

Some people take longer to make a purchasing decision than others but if you let them forget about you it could result in a lost sale. That's why keeping customers and potential customers coming back is a key concern in online marketing. Offering free information or incentives will give them a reason to remember you and leave a good impression that will stay with them until they are ready to buy.