The Art of Effective Sales Copy
The Art of Effective Sales Copy
You’ve got five seconds or less to attract your reader’s attention. If your headline fails in this regard they will click away. In fact, your entire page hinges on your headline’s ability to capture and hold a reader’s attention. The best headlines pose a question that requires further investigation or clarification. They are not questions that can be answered simply with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Such as “Have You Made These Investment Mistakes?” that require further reading to identify which mistakes the author is referring to. Titles that promise solutions such as “How To…” or “5 Ways to …” are usually a safe bet and effective.
Build Interest
The next step in holding your readers attention is to pinpoint a problem or need in a way that readers can identify with. This may take some research on your part but it is well worth the time. Briefly outline the problem. Be unique, don’t just talk about the same things your competitors are. Don’t beat a dead horse. Dare to use a different approach to the same problem. Search the internet for top sales letters and study them. The internet is full of sites that are carbon copies of automatically generated lead pages. I can spot them a mile away. Remember, web surfers are savvy and can instantly spot these types of sites.
Create Desire
Before offering a solution, get the reader to imagine what he/she would do if this problem or dilemma no longer existed. Here’s an example, “Imagine how building an successful online presence will increase your customer base and grow your business revenue. What would this do for you? How would it improve your life?” As the reader continues he visualizes his business growing, orders pouring in, a new store location, more money, better lifestyle. This tactic is vitally important because it touches an emotional cord. One of the first things you learn about marketing is that shopping is 90% emotional. The key is to get them involved and visualizing.
Use Your Own Experience
Speaking out of first-hand knowledge, something like “I’ve been there…” can resonate with your readers and keep them further engaged. Don’t loose sight of your objective. Anticipate the questions going through your reader’s mind and answer them.
Benefits vs. Features
The definition of a benefit is “something that has a good effect or promotes well-being,” that’s what your readers are looking for. How will your product or service help them. A feature describes a distinctive part of something. So instead of writing, “This book comes in hardcover and is 200 pages long” you should focus on the benefits to your consumers, “Powerful techniques copywriters use all of the time saves you money”. The best way to list the benefits is to use bullet points. Construct each bullet as you would a headline.
Return on Investment
Value does not equal price. In fact, your goal is to create a far greater value for your product or service so that price is of no concern. Believe it or not, you already know how to do this. We are constantly bombarded by advertising in print, television, radio, and online. Someone is always selling you on something. The way they do that is to create far greater value for a low price, “You get this fabulous knife set along with the revolutionary can opener, the Ginsu knife and the indestructible cutting board all for the low price of $19.99!” Effective sales copy must build value over price.
Create a Sense of Urgency
Creating a sense of urgency motivates your prospect to take action. Whether it’s to sign-up for the newest release of your most recent e-book, or hit the “buy now” button, your goal is to get them to act. Remember, shopping is almost entirely an emotional response to a stimulus, in this case your lead copy. Continuing on the last example of selling the knife set, a sense of urgency is created with, “These items regularly sell for $40 a piece but you can get it today only for the incredibly low price of $19.99. This is a one-time promotional offer, act now and save!”
Answer the question, why?
Last but not least, you reader will undoubtedly be looking for a catch. He or she is thinking, why is this guy selling all this great stuff for so little? Tell them. Perhaps it’s because it’s all done online, no middleman or retailer to pay, it costs you little to sell and you want to pass along the savings, etc.
Give your customers a safety net.
Always offer a 100% money back guarantee, no questions asked. Make it real easy for them to buy and still feel safe if it does not meet their expectations. How you handle these returns will also affect future purchases from the same buyer, so be courteous and efficient. They will remember their positive experience with you and are more likely to purchase from you again.
The Art of Effective Sales Copy - To learn more about this author, visit Annette Novoa's Website.
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Five Seconds and Countin
You’ve got five seconds or less to attract your reader’s attention. If your headline fails in this regard they will click away. In fact, your entire page hinges on your headline’s ability to capture and hold a reader’s attention. The best headlines pose a question that requires further investigation or clarification. They are not questions that can be answered simply with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Such as “Have You Made These Investment Mistakes?” that require further reading to identify which mistakes the author is referring to. Titles that promise solutions such as “How To…” or “5 Ways to …” are usually a safe bet and effective.
Build Interest
The next step in holding your readers attention is to pinpoint a problem or need in a way that readers can identify with. This may take some research on your part but it is well worth the time. Briefly outline the problem. Be unique, don’t just talk about the same things your competitors are. Don’t beat a dead horse. Dare to use a different approach to the same problem. Search the internet for top sales letters and study them. The internet is full of sites that are carbon copies of automatically generated lead pages. I can spot them a mile away. Remember, web surfers are savvy and can instantly spot these types of sites.
Create Desire
Before offering a solution, get the reader to imagine what he/she would do if this problem or dilemma no longer existed. Here’s an example, “Imagine how building an successful online presence will increase your customer base and grow your business revenue. What would this do for you? How would it improve your life?” As the reader continues he visualizes his business growing, orders pouring in, a new store location, more money, better lifestyle. This tactic is vitally important because it touches an emotional cord. One of the first things you learn about marketing is that shopping is 90% emotional. The key is to get them involved and visualizing.
Use Your Own Experience
Speaking out of first-hand knowledge, something like “I’ve been there…” can resonate with your readers and keep them further engaged. Don’t loose sight of your objective. Anticipate the questions going through your reader’s mind and answer them.
Benefits vs. Features
The definition of a benefit is “something that has a good effect or promotes well-being,” that’s what your readers are looking for. How will your product or service help them. A feature describes a distinctive part of something. So instead of writing, “This book comes in hardcover and is 200 pages long” you should focus on the benefits to your consumers, “Powerful techniques copywriters use all of the time saves you money”. The best way to list the benefits is to use bullet points. Construct each bullet as you would a headline.
Return on Investment
Value does not equal price. In fact, your goal is to create a far greater value for your product or service so that price is of no concern. Believe it or not, you already know how to do this. We are constantly bombarded by advertising in print, television, radio, and online. Someone is always selling you on something. The way they do that is to create far greater value for a low price, “You get this fabulous knife set along with the revolutionary can opener, the Ginsu knife and the indestructible cutting board all for the low price of $19.99!” Effective sales copy must build value over price.
Create a Sense of Urgency
Creating a sense of urgency motivates your prospect to take action. Whether it’s to sign-up for the newest release of your most recent e-book, or hit the “buy now” button, your goal is to get them to act. Remember, shopping is almost entirely an emotional response to a stimulus, in this case your lead copy. Continuing on the last example of selling the knife set, a sense of urgency is created with, “These items regularly sell for $40 a piece but you can get it today only for the incredibly low price of $19.99. This is a one-time promotional offer, act now and save!”
Answer the question, why?
Last but not least, you reader will undoubtedly be looking for a catch. He or she is thinking, why is this guy selling all this great stuff for so little? Tell them. Perhaps it’s because it’s all done online, no middleman or retailer to pay, it costs you little to sell and you want to pass along the savings, etc.
Give your customers a safety net.
Always offer a 100% money back guarantee, no questions asked. Make it real easy for them to buy and still feel safe if it does not meet their expectations. How you handle these returns will also affect future purchases from the same buyer, so be courteous and efficient. They will remember their positive experience with you and are more likely to purchase from you again.
The Art of Effective Sales Copy - To learn more about this author, visit Annette Novoa's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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