Internet Marketing
Strategies
Part Four: Writing Effective Website Sales Copy
By Shelley Lowery
A professional looking website is a very important part of making sales.
However, without effective sales copy your website will be useless. Words
make sales, not fancy websites.
Your words are the entire foundation of your business. Your product, your
website and your marketing strategies all depend upon your words. You must
learn how to write persuasive words specifically written for your targeted
customer. You must feel your customers needs and write your copy with passion,
excitement and benefit.
Your text should be written in a black, legible font with a light background.
Avoid using fancy fonts or backgrounds that will make your text difficult
to read. When you begin writing, write in small blocks of text with a space
between each block. There is nothing that will make your visitor click away
faster than a sea of black text, so make sure you use plenty of white
space.
Begin your sales letter with a powerful headline that demands attention.
This headline is the most important part of your entire sales letter. If
it doesn't grab your potential customer's attention, they won't bother to
read the rest of your letter. Your headline should be displayed in a larger
bold font and demand your potential customer's attention to intrigue them
to read on.
Use subheadings (headlines) throughout your letter to capture the attention
of those who just scan your text. Your subheadings should provide highlights
of each section of your sales letter and be displayed in a larger, bold
font.
Once you've captured your potential customer's attention with your powerful
headline, you should now direct their attention to your introduction. Write
a brief paragraph about your product to let them know exactly what you have
to offer them. Keep your introduction brief and to the point with no filler
content.
Once you've written your introduction, continue to write and tell your potential
customer why your product is the solution to their problem. Tell them exactly
how your product will benefit them. Identify a specific problem and promote
your product as the solution. This can be accomplished with the use of questions
that identify a specific problem that your product will solve. Ask your potential
customer questions that you know they can identify with -- feel their needs.
Every word, sentence and headline should have one specific purpose -- to
lead your potential customer to your order page. When writing your sales
copy, direct your words towards one specific person. Use words like "you"
and "your" rather than "them" or "their." Write as if you are speaking with
just one person -- one on one. Write to persuade, that's the bottom line.
Use the following formula when writing your website sales letter:
A - Attention - Use a powerful headline that demands attention
I - Interest - Intrigue interest and create curiosity
D - Detail - Provide details about your product or service
A - Action - Call for action
Many Internet users are apprehensive when it comes to making a purchase on
the Internet. You must put their mind at ease by displaying your full name,
company name and contact information. In addition, you must completely remove
their risk. Provide your potential customers with a solid, no risk, money
back guarantee. This will put their mind at ease by building their confidence
in you and your product. In addition, include some of your testimonials within
your sales letter. Make sure you don't create a separate page for your
testimonials, as they most likely won't be read. Place your testimonials
throughout your sales letter to ensure their visibility.
Studies have shown that long sales copy out-sells short sales copy. However,
some visitors do prefer a short sales letter. To accomodate both types of
preferences, you can provide both. For those visitors who prefer a short
sales letter, provide them with an opportunity to click through to your sales
page throughout your sales letter.
When writing a long sales letter, keep in mind that with each additional
click, you will lose a percentage of your potential customers. Have you ever
read a sales letter page that forced you to click through several pages to
continue reading the sales letter? Many Internet users find this very frustrating
and just click away. Try to keep your sales letter all on one page for the
best results. Your visitors would probably much rather scroll through a long
sales letter than click through and load another page. Their time is very
valuable -- accomodate them.
Once you've written your sales letter and packed it with all of the benefits
your product has to offer, your next step will be to "call for action." Ask
for the order and provide an easy ordering process. Continue to reassure
your potential customer by reminding them of your personal guarantee and
lead them to your order page.
For potential customers that still aren't convinced, provide them with free
bonuses just for purchasing your product. Many times, you will find that
your customers purchase your product just for the free bonuses.
Your final step will be to close your sales letter with a PostScript. When
your visitor scans your sales message, chances are, they'll read your headline,
subheadings and your PostScript message. Place your most important benefits
within your P.S. message. It will get read.
Write your words so that they seamlessly flow together from your beginning
headline through to your order page. Pack your copy with all of the benefits
your product has to offer and keep it simple. The simple, well designed sites
with great copy make the sales.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design
Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com
And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com
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