Writing good sales copy

In a traditional Business you have face-to-face, personal contact or speak over a

phone. However, on the internet the customer only has contact with what is written on

your website. Therefore, the importance of sales copy cannot be underestimated. In

most cases you may only have about 30 seconds to attract someone’s attention.

Explain the benefits not the features

When writing sales copy explain the benefits of your product or service not the

features. Customers want a reason to why they should buy your product or service. The

first thing you need to do is grab their attention, arouse interest, stimulate a desire to

buy and finally ask for the sale. In other words, direct the customer into action.

The Headline

As I already mentioned, you may only have seconds to grab the customer’s attention

and stimulate them into action. The first element of your sales copy is your Headline.

The headline is the attention grabber. It should be a short statement no more than a

few short sentences which is specific and promises a clear benefit to the customer. This

is the most important element in your sales copy because it usually determines

whether your customer will read on.

Headlines that compel you to read on

Below are some examples of attention grabbing headlines;

John Carlton:

Mysterious Arizona “Human Computer” Humiliates Wall Street “Experts” for 21st

Consecutive Year!

14 Ingenious (but perfectly legal) ways to reduce your tax!

How To Build Your Own Corporation Without A Lawyer For Under $50

The above headlines stand out. They arouse interest and compel you to read on. Your

sales copy must be noticed and an effective headline will draw in the customer. The

headline accounts for 80% of the success for any sales copy. It is an ad for your ad and

summarizes the benefit of your product or service. Most people scan the headline and

make a decision to read on based on the headline.

Headlines determine success or failure

The only purpose of the headline is to attract customers’ attention and get them to

read the body of the sales copy. Now that you have attracted the attention of your

customer, it is critical to hold their attention. The headline and opening few sentences

of your sales copy will make the difference between success and failure. Now you need

to hold their attention and the best way to do this is to appeal to their emotions. Make

it personal and get them involved. For example, you could tell them how you started

out and eventually succeeded. People relate to personal experiences similar to their

own. In this way you can hold the customer’s interest and compel them to continue

reading.

Establish credibility

Make sure that everything you say is the truth. Do not make things up! You need to

establish credibility and this is vital on the internet. Without it, there will be no sales.

Customers cannot see you face-to-face. They do not know you and most are highly

skeptical. How do you do this? Be specific in your statements. Use facts and figures

that are verifiable and quote your sources. Give specific amounts and timeframes when

quoting incomes. Do not use generalities when quoting figures. People want actual

figures not guess work.

Testimonials

Testimonials can offer the best credibility. Your testimonials can counter any

objections the customer may have. You can get testimonials by giving away your

product or offering a free trial. You should invite feedback from your customers by

offering a contact email address. Make sure you ask permission to use their testimony.

Be patient, this takes time but is worth it. If you can get experts in the field to endorse

your product or service that adds even more credibility.

Guarantees

Other factors to consider are guarantees. Money back guarantees can take the risk out

of buying your product and increase sales and credibility dramatically. Using bullet

points to accentuate benefits is a good idea. It makes it easier to read your sales copy

and directs the reader’s attention to why they should buy your product. It is easily scan

able and jumps out of the page. Remind the customer that your product saves them

time, money and effort. The price should help the customer feel they are getting a

bargain. Free bonuses and discounts also compel the customer to build immediately,

especially if it is time limited. You must create a sense of urgency so customers will buy

immediately. Having a newsletter and free tips is also a good idea and can help with

backend sales. P.S and P.P.S at the end of a sales letter has a powerful effect. It

summarizes the sales copy, main benefits, guarantee, bonuses, price, and time limited

offer. You can also give them a final opportunity to subscribe to your newsletter.

Write a book

Finally, writing a book can do wonders for credibility. You could offer this as one of

your bonuses. Make sure you are clear with your subject manner, research it properly,

proof read it and convert it into an eBook.

A final tip:

Study sites that sell internet marketing products. They all use the same basic formula.

If you model your sales copy on successful web sellers you should do well. Remember,

you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Just model yourself after other successful

internet marketers.