Sales
Letter Copywriting and Logistics: the Method Behind
the Madness
1. How do I know if I need a sales
letter for my web business?
If you're selling information that
can be electronically transmitted, you need a sales
letter on the web. Maybe you're selling lessons by
email, or a comprehensive guide that's available in
downloadable pdf format. Perhaps it's a teleclass
and you're looking to fill X number of seats before
a certain date. A sales letter serves as a single
page where you contain every bit of information about
the product and provide a link to order. As I probably
don't have to tell you, your sales page functions
as a persuasive pitch for your product as well.
2. Why a sales letter? Can't I
just link directly to the Order Checkout page?
You should avoid discussing the
specific details of your product any other place than
your sales page. The reason for doing this is because
come the day that you decide to change the offer...
the price, the freebies that go with it, or whatever...
you won't have a hundred different blogs, ezines,
and networks to update. You can just do it on one
page, the sales letter page. Which of course you should
be linking to from everywhere you travel on the web.
3. Do I really need salesy copy?
Can't I just brief them on the product details instead?
Millions of marketers spend thousands
per year perfecting their persuasive copywriting skills.
They do it because persuasion sells. You have unlimited
space on your product page to say whatever you like.
May as well put that to good use with an energetic
pitch for your product. Suppose the product was in
your hand right now, and a potential buyer approached.
Would you just hold out the item and flash a sign
with the price listed on it? Or might you want to
say something that might help them make a purchasing
decision? You know what the answer is.
4. Why so long?
Some sales letters never end. They
share the seller's personal story, a barrage of benefits,
documented case studies, a stream of testimonials...
even a couple of stories about their dog thrown in
for good measure. If you don't feel comfortable publishing
a really long sales letter, make yours short but effective.
It's worth pointing out though, that the dreaded long
sales letter works as a slow conversion machine. People
will start to recognize it, and you, after seeing
it "around town." Eventually they might
find themselves at the bottom, clicking that BUY NOW
button.
5. Why shouldn't I link back to
other pages of my site from my sales page?
The sales page stands alone. It's
a sales tool that, when executed properly, should
lead your readers to click the purchase link, and
nothing more. It's worth noting here that any pages
which link TO your sales page should open the sales
page up in a new window. This way if people click
and don't want to buy, they can still return what
they were reading on your site. Two items to NOT include
in your sales letter:
- DO NOT include a navigation bar
that leads back to your Web site.
- DO NOT feature clickable links
to your friends' Web sites (although it is
common 'netiquette to list their unclickable URLS
along with their testimonials).
6. How many testimonials should
I include?
Between five and ten powerful testimonials
will prove the point that people are buying your product
and gaining satisfaction from using it. However, some
companies list as many as 20 or 30. Many new marketers
(friends of yours) will jump at the chance to have
their photo and Web site link featured on a "bigger"
marketer's testimonial page. So, include as many testimonials
as you feel comfortable with, depending on what you
want to achieve.
7. Is there a "sales letter formula"
for what works?
The "formula" that worked five years
ago may not work today, and the formula that works
on one demographic of customer may have the opposite
effect on another. It's your job to find the formula
that works best on YOUR target audience. Most sales
letters are loosely based on a standard format, but
nobody is holding a gun to your head to duplicate
that model. Who knows... you might just cause a new
sensation by NOT following any format.
If you're interested in using a sales
page to sell your information product and need hard-hitting
copy written by a seasoned expert, contact Dina [at]
Wordfeeder.com today.
