The selling is accomplished by persuasion
Advertising is salesmanship multiplied.
Nothing more.
And advertising copy, or copywriting, is salesmanship in print.
The purpose of a copywriter's job is to sell. Period !
The selling is accomplished by persuasion with the written word, much like a television commercial sells (if done properly) by persuading with visuals and audio.
Creating effective sales pages is no different. You are trying to get your prospects (visitors) to buy your product.
This lens should give you a good idea of the basic elements of a really effective sales page and of some of the skills and tools that you can use to create effective sales pages.
Nothing more.
And advertising copy, or copywriting, is salesmanship in print.
The purpose of a copywriter's job is to sell. Period !
The selling is accomplished by persuasion with the written word, much like a television commercial sells (if done properly) by persuading with visuals and audio.
Creating effective sales pages is no different. You are trying to get your prospects (visitors) to buy your product.
This lens should give you a good idea of the basic elements of a really effective sales page and of some of the skills and tools that you can use to create effective sales pages.
Effective sales pages TELLS more !
The More You Tell, The More You Sell !
The More You Tell, The More You Sell !
The debate on using long copy versus short copy never seems to end. Usually it is a newcomer to copywriting who seems to think that long copy is boring and, well long. "I would never read that much copy," they say.
The fact of the matter is that all things being equal, long copy will outperform short copy every time. And when I say long copy, I don't mean long and boring, or long and untargeted. To create effective sales pages you must find the proper balance.
The person who says he would never read all that copy is making a big mistaking in copywriting: he is going with his gut reaction instead of relying on test results. He is thinking that he himself is the prospect. He's not. We're never our own prospects.
There have been many studies and split tests conducted on the long copy versus short copy debate. And the clear winner is always long copy. But that's targeted relevant long copy as opposed to untargeted boring long copy.
Some significant research has found that readership tends to fall off dramatically at around 300 words, but does not drop off again until around 3,000 words.
If I'm selling an expensive set of golf clubs and send my long copy to a person who's plays golf occasionally, or always wanted to try golf, I am sending my sales pitch to the wrong prospect. It is not targeted effectively. And so if a person who receives my long copy doesn't read past the 300th word, they weren't qualified for my offer in the first place.
It wouldn't have mattered whether they read up to the 100th word or 10,000th word. They still wouldn't have made a purchase.
However, if I sent my long copy to an avid die-hard golfer, who just recently purchased other expensive golf products through the mail, painting an irresistible offer, telling him how my clubs will knock 10 strokes off his game, he'll likely read every word. And if I've targeted my message correctly, he will buy.
Does that mean every prospect must read every word of your copy before he will order your product? Of course not.
Some will read every word and then go back and reread it again. Some will read the headline and lead, then skim much of the body and land on the close. Some will scan the entire body, then go back and read it. All of those prospects may end up purchasing the offer, but they also all may have different styles of reading and skimming.
The debate on using long copy versus short copy never seems to end. Usually it is a newcomer to copywriting who seems to think that long copy is boring and, well long. "I would never read that much copy," they say.
The fact of the matter is that all things being equal, long copy will outperform short copy every time. And when I say long copy, I don't mean long and boring, or long and untargeted. To create effective sales pages you must find the proper balance.
The person who says he would never read all that copy is making a big mistaking in copywriting: he is going with his gut reaction instead of relying on test results. He is thinking that he himself is the prospect. He's not. We're never our own prospects.
There have been many studies and split tests conducted on the long copy versus short copy debate. And the clear winner is always long copy. But that's targeted relevant long copy as opposed to untargeted boring long copy.
Some significant research has found that readership tends to fall off dramatically at around 300 words, but does not drop off again until around 3,000 words.
If I'm selling an expensive set of golf clubs and send my long copy to a person who's plays golf occasionally, or always wanted to try golf, I am sending my sales pitch to the wrong prospect. It is not targeted effectively. And so if a person who receives my long copy doesn't read past the 300th word, they weren't qualified for my offer in the first place.
It wouldn't have mattered whether they read up to the 100th word or 10,000th word. They still wouldn't have made a purchase.
However, if I sent my long copy to an avid die-hard golfer, who just recently purchased other expensive golf products through the mail, painting an irresistible offer, telling him how my clubs will knock 10 strokes off his game, he'll likely read every word. And if I've targeted my message correctly, he will buy.
Does that mean every prospect must read every word of your copy before he will order your product? Of course not.
Some will read every word and then go back and reread it again. Some will read the headline and lead, then skim much of the body and land on the close. Some will scan the entire body, then go back and read it. All of those prospects may end up purchasing the offer, but they also all may have different styles of reading and skimming.
Write To Be Scanned
When creating effective sales pages your layout is very important in a sales letter, because you want your letter to look inviting, refreshing to the eyes. In short, you want your prospect to stop what he's doing and read your letter.
If he sees a letter with tiny margins, no indentations, no breaks in the text, no white space, and no subheads if he sees a page of nothing but densely-packed words, do you think he'll be tempted to read it?
Not likely.
If you do have ample white space and generous margins, short sentences, short paragraphs, subheads, and an italicized or underlined word here and there for emphasis, it will certainly look more inviting to read.
If he sees a letter with tiny margins, no indentations, no breaks in the text, no white space, and no subheads if he sees a page of nothing but densely-packed words, do you think he'll be tempted to read it?
Not likely.
If you do have ample white space and generous margins, short sentences, short paragraphs, subheads, and an italicized or underlined word here and there for emphasis, it will certainly look more inviting to read.
Proof and Believability
3 tried and tested methods that will help:
When your prospect reads your ad, you want to make sure he believes any claims you make about your product or service. Because if there's any doubt in his mind, he won't bite, no matter how sweet the deal. In fact, the "too good to be true" mentality will virtually guarantee a lost sale even if it is all true.Pepper your copy with facts and research findings to support your claims.
Be sure to credit all sources, even if the fact is common knowledge, because a neutral source goes a long way towards credibility.
If applicable, cite any awards or third-party reviews the product or service has received.
If you've sold a lot of widgets, tell them. It's the old "10 million people can't be wrong" adage (they can be, but your prospect will likely take your side on the matter).
Include a GREAT return policy and stand by it!
This is just good business policy. Many times, offering a double refund guarantee for certain products will result in higher profits. Yes, you'll dish out more refunds, but if you sell three times as many widgets as before, and only have to refund twice as much as before, it may be worth it, depending on your offer and return on investment. Crunch the numbers and see what makes sense. More importantly, test! Make them think, "Gee, they wouldn't be so generous with returns if they didn't stand behind their product!"
A few more about Effective sales pages
by SalesTextTutor
I believe that almost anyone can run a successful online business as long as they have the knowledge and the tools to do it efficiently.
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