|
Writing
Internet Sales Pages That Sell
Grab The Headlines
The first basic element of an effective Internet marketing (IM) sales
page is the headline. Just like a newspaper sells based on the front-page headlines, your IM sales page is going
to get viewers on the basis of the main headline. Thus, you have to be sure to make this as persuasive as
possible while listing in one sentence the single biggest benefit your product or service has to offer to the
potential customer.
Font Size Matters
Whatever your headline, you want it to be written in the biggest font
found anywhere on the sales page. That means that it is meant to grab attention, and using the size of the font
this way really sets it apart. Don't be too creative on the font type, as you want to make it very easy to read;
however, be very careful to make it the biggest text on the page, as that does matter.
Use A Big Trigger
There are numerous psychological triggers that will produce an immediate
reaction with your audience. You should study these triggers, understand the demographic you are marketing to,
and then choose one that is more apt to appeal to your market segment. For instance, say you are selling a
product that could have many competitors in the market. So, you want to make sure that whomever lands on your
sales page that they order from you, rather than taking the time to scope out the competitors and compare
offers. You find that your demographic consists of business people who are used to deadlines and want to get a
good deal. So, you implement a time limited offer to trigger buying behavior now and make it uncomfortable for
them to take the time to look elsewhere for fear of losing out on a great deal. In that case, you list your
biggest benefit, but you also make it clear that the offer is only available for the next 12 hours or until the
product is sold out.
The Three-Headliner Strategy
Some marketers like to make use of a three-headliner strategy. In this
example, you have a pre-headline to introduce the main headline. It is not as big as the main headline and
doesn't necessarily list the biggest benefit. It just sets the customer up to read the second, and main,
headline. The second headline is the one with the biggest benefit and trigger. It should be a statement or offer
that immediately provokes an emotional response. After that, there is a final headline that is much smaller and
that gives any additional information to clarify the main headline. This approach works well and provides more
space to be thorough with your main headline.
Introduction and Types of Triggers
Every good news story starts with a hook, and your sales page will also
want to implement this technique. A hook can be one or two sentences that really grab the imagination and
attention of the reader. There is a real art to creating effective hooks, but mainly it is something that will
cause the reader to pause slightly and that will trigger an emotional response. If the hook is effective, it
does just what its namesake says: It hooks the reader into reading the rest of your sales page.
Let's be clear here. No one likes to spend a lot of time reading sales
letters. Generally, a large number of people out there find reading to be a chore. So, you have to make it
interesting and exciting. You have to get the reader to want to read the rest of the story. Without the hook,
the headline isn't enough. You have to take into account the way people skim a story or sales page to decide
whether it's worth reading thoroughly. First, they read the headline. If that grabs them, they will read the
first few sentences. Then, they will most likely skip to the bullet points or the subheadings to decide whether
to dive into the sales letter deeper. If your first few sentences are a bore, that's about the time you will
lose that Web surfer to some other Internet marketer. You have to make those first few sentences count because
that may be the only thing a visitor reads to decide whether to go on with your offer or not. That's why using
psychological triggers to provoke a response is very, very important.
Types Of Triggers
As a sales person, you have to know that people buy on impulse many
times. They may give you a rational explanation after the sales is completed, but ultimately, much buying
behavior is an emotional response to a particular marketing trigger. Some of the triggers you can use
are:
l Ease of use
If you've found a solution to a problem that seriously uncomplicates people's lives, you will get a lot of
sales.
l Status
If your demographic is wealthy, then they may be seeking status symbols to set themselves apart from common
folk.
l Belonging
People join all kinds of groups where they feel a sense of community or belonging. If you can tie your product or
service to some group identity that is large and lucrative, you can get quite a number of sales using this
trigger.
l Risk
Aversion
If your customer stands to lose by not taking you up on a time limited or quantity limited offer,
they will bite to close the sale more often than not.
|