| 1. Write A Riveting And Intriguing Headline! | | | | advertising department, sales department and PR |
| Your headline is ultimately the single most | | | | (public relations) department all rolled in one, so it |
| important factor that will determine whether the | | | | is certainly in your interest to construct the very |
| rest of your sales letter (which incidentally | | | | best possible sales letter that you can! |
| contains your offer) will be read or not by your | | | | That means you should write short, |
| prospective buyer. Thus it makes sense to | | | | simple-worded and powerful sentences as |
| devote extra time and effort to create the | | | | opposed to lengthy mind-numbing dissertations. |
| absolutely best header that you can. | | | | Also try to use energetic words (verbs work |
| Oh! And it certainly helps if your headline has a | | | | best) with which you can paint powerful images |
| modicum of originality as opposed to being a | | | | that appeal to the emotions (don't forget that a |
| complete duplicate of some other headline that | | | | picture speaks a thousand words). |
| you stumbled across on some other sales page | | | | One very effective form of sales copy is a |
| on the internet? | | | | staccato, rapid fire style of writing, that is punchy, |
| Why bother with originality? | | | | short and to the point! Oh, another thing to avoid |
| Well it is quite possible that your prospective | | | | as much as possible using words your readers |
| buyer may have stumbled across that plagiarized | | | | might not be familiar with (a good example is the |
| headline of yours on some other website just like | | | | word "stacato" that I just used). |
| you did and if they happen to have had an | | | | 13. Emphasize Benefits Not Features |
| unpleasant experience on that other website | | | | Your reader is interested in what benefit he or |
| when they see a similar headline on your website | | | | she will derive from buying your product and how |
| that unpleasant experience will invariably | | | | it will improve their life not the one million |
| resurface, automatically encouraging them to click | | | | supposedly great features you took great care |
| away! | | | | and time to compile and mention in your sales |
| Don't get carried away by overly emphasizing | | | | letter! |
| every aspect of your header. Abide by the | | | | A good rule of thumb to remember is that |
| cardinal rule that if you emphasize everything you | | | | features appeal to the rational whereas benefits |
| are emphasizing nothing! One last thing to note | | | | appeal to the emotional. And as we all know now, |
| about constructing the perfect headline is that it | | | | emotion-charged letters are the ones that clinch |
| should be short, concise and taut (as much as | | | | the sale not those laced and oozing with cold hard |
| possible anyway). | | | | logic. |
| 2. Your Sales Letter Should Be One On One! | | | | 14. Identify The Emotional Reasons Why People |
| Remember that when you write to everyone | | | | Buy Then Focus On One! |
| you are writing to nobody! In other words | | | | There are a number of well-recognized emotions |
| structure the communication of your sales letter | | | | and reasons that motivate people to buy and |
| (or sales page) as if you were addressing one | | | | they include:o Fearo Loveo Greedo Comforto |
| person, and one person alone! When you | | | | Lazinesso Sexo Powero Self-Improvemento |
| construct your sales page your goal is to make | | | | Recognition |
| your reader feel as if you are having a | | | | The ideal sales letter should be themed around |
| heart-to-heart conversation with them alone. | | | | one of the above listed reasons, and one alone |
| 3. Address Your Readers Concerns! | | | | (remember that whole chat we had about too |
| That person reading your sales page is not | | | | many choices leading to confusion and apathy). |
| actually doing so because of its Pulitzer-quality | | | | 15. Sprinkle Your Sales Letter With Weapons Of |
| writing, but because that magnetizing headline of | | | | Mass Persuasion! |
| yours promised to solve a problem that has been | | | | What are the Weapons of Mass Persuasion |
| gnawing away at them! Most importantly they are | | | | (WMPs)? Weapons of Mass Persuasion include:o |
| even willing to pay you cold hard cash if your | | | | Testimonialso Screenshot Evidenceo Charts and |
| sales letter convinces them that you can actually | | | | images that backup your claims |
| resolve their problem. | | | | Quite understandably in this day and age people |
| 4. The Body Text Of Your Sales Letter Should | | | | are naturally skeptical especially when it comes to |
| Follow Through With The Promise Of Your | | | | the internet and the only way in which you are |
| Headline! | | | | going to be able to break through that barrier of |
| Make sure that the main thrust of the rest of | | | | skepticism is by backing up your claims with some |
| your sales letter reaffirms the offer promised by | | | | form of proof and evidence. |
| its headline. In other words do not promise one | | | | Perhaps the strongest weapon of mass |
| thing in the headline and then meander off in a | | | | persuasion in your internet marketing arsenal is |
| totally different direction within the body text of | | | | the testimonial! Why the testimonial? |
| your sales copy. This will only confuse your | | | | Because the average person's actions and choices |
| reader and ultimately lose you the sale! | | | | are pretty much based on what everybody else |
| 5. The Sales Letter Is About Your Reader Not | | | | is doing and choosing. That's right! Human beings |
| You! | | | | are little more than herds animals that |
| Remember this is not about you but all about | | | | subconsciously fashion their "unique" decisions and |
| your reader. So address their concerns and | | | | actions to mimic those of the majority! |
| issues, and as much as possible resist the | | | | Nobody except the most intrepid explorer wants |
| temptation to talk about yourself. The only time | | | | to navigate uncharted waters first! After all, who |
| when it is okay to paint yourself into the picture | | | | knows what horrors may be lurking in the |
| is when you wish to forge a stronger bond with | | | | depths? But if some else has done it before and |
| your reader by sharing a similar experience. | | | | testified that it was great then it has to be okay, |
| 6. Avoid Page Leak! | | | | right? |
| So what is page leak? Any element that can | | | | The power of the testimonial lies in what is |
| distract your reader's attention away from your | | | | known as social evidence...if other people are doing |
| ultimate goal should be removed from your sales | | | | it then it must be okay! |
| page. That means removing all outbound links | | | | 16. Create A Sense Of Urgency |
| from your sales letter (don't want your reader | | | | Human beings are hardwired to dread the |
| clicking on one of those and then being diverted | | | | consequences of loss even more so than they |
| to another website and getting permanently | | | | look forward to the rewards of gain. |
| distracted from that wonderful offer of yours | | | | So knowing this tells you that if a prospect is |
| now do you?). | | | | aware that they have a limited time only to buy |
| 7. Sell One Item Only! | | | | your product then they are going to be that |
| Too many choices, too many ideas, too many | | | | much more inclined to make the purchase right |
| options do not make life easier for your reader | | | | away than if they think they have all the time in |
| but paradoxically make it harder for them to | | | | the world! |
| reach a conclusion. When it comes to marketing | | | | 17. Professional Appearance! |
| an abundance of choice is actually not liberating | | | | Make sure that your sales letter exudes a high |
| but rather paralyzing. When a prospect cannot | | | | degree of professionalism both in appearance and |
| choose between one option and the next | | | | content with respect to grammar and use of |
| eventually all momentum they had to reach a | | | | language. A sloppy letter will set off internal |
| conclusion is sabotaged by apathy and they | | | | alarms in the subconscious of your reader and |
| simply stall to a shutdown! | | | | thus make it harder for you to claim the sale! |
| So do yourself, your sale and your prospect a | | | | 18. A Relevant Story Goes A Long Way! |
| favor, keep it simple! Sell one item only! | | | | Stories appeal to the emotional aspect of our |
| 8. Create An Irresistible Offer! | | | | minds and so if you can integrate an interesting |
| Figure out and make an offer that is just too | | | | story relevant to the theme of your sales pitch |
| good to pass up! | | | | then you'll exponentially make your sales letter |
| 9. Go Easy On The Hype But Knock Yourself Out | | | | that much more memorable (stories are easier to |
| With The Facts! | | | | remember). A good story incorporated within |
| It's a whole new brave world of internet | | | | your sales letter could be the difference between |
| marketing out there and hype is no longer a | | | | a miss or a sale! |
| credible currency (well at least it is a much | | | | 19. Have A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) |
| reduced one) these days. Your sales letter will | | | | Competition is not to be feared because it means |
| have a much better conversion rate if you back | | | | that the market you are targeting is evidently |
| up your claims with facts and credible reasons. | | | | economically viable; in other words profitable. |
| 10. Effective Selling Means Tapping Into The Right | | | | Competition does mean that you have to get a |
| Emotion! | | | | little more creative to get your product to stand |
| If you don't know this by now then it is high time | | | | out from the rest of the crowd. That "standing |
| that you did. People buy for emotional reasons | | | | out from the crowd" should be emphasized in |
| not for logical or rational ones! They merely | | | | your sales letter as your USP or Unique Selling |
| subconsciously delude themselves into believing | | | | Proposition. In other words your USP convinces a |
| that they made the purchase based on a rational | | | | prospective buyer why they should buy from you |
| decision. | | | | as opposed to your competitors! |
| Consider the case of the middle-aged business | | | | 20. Call To Action |
| man (and loving father of three) who went out | | | | It is amazing how many marketers overlook this |
| and bought a flashy red Porsche 911 on the | | | | very simple but all too important aspect of their |
| underlying premise that he would be able to | | | | sales letter. |
| negotiate the LA commute that much faster and | | | | Make sure that you have a clear and easily |
| hence ultimately be more productive. The truth of | | | | understood call to action! A call to action is just |
| the matter (which by the way his wife was well | | | | the marketing way of describing that button or |
| aware of) was that the man was merely trying | | | | instruction that tells them where to click to make |
| to relive his glorious youth when girls still checked | | | | their purchase. |
| him out (can anyone shout mid-life crisis)! | | | | It is advisable to have the call to action replicated |
| A sales letter that appeals to a person's logical | | | | many times throughout your sales copy (some |
| and rational mind is going to have very limited | | | | people are way too impatient to read through a |
| success! | | | | long sales letter and a timely inserted call to action |
| 11. Write The Way That You Actually Speak! | | | | could be the difference between a sale or a |
| Writing the way that people normally speak is | | | | person who clicks away from your site because |
| harder than you might think because we have | | | | they couldn't find where to pay). |
| been taught to do the precise opposite in school! | | | | Also ensure that your call to action form or |
| However writing to reflect natural speech, like | | | | button is very obviously that. You'd be surprised |
| pretty much everything else, becomes easier with | | | | at the number of lost sales that result simply |
| practice. It also helps if you read your sales copy | | | | because the customer couldn't readily identify |
| out loud to yourself (or better yet, have | | | | where they were supposed to pay! |
| somebody read it out to you). | | | | Well that's it! Judicious application of these tips |
| 12. Keep Your Sentences Short And Simple! | | | | should help you increase your conversion rate and |
| Remember that your sales letter is your | | | | thus ultimately make more money online. |