Archive for the ‘Sales Copy’ Category.

Advanced Copywriting Techniques

Now that you thought about the basics of creating autoresponder messages, building relationships, and making money, it’s time to consider advanced copywriting techniques. While you’re not writing full-length sales letters, a lot of the techniques still apply.

Applying these time-proven methods can increase your profits substantially. These are very powerful, so make sure you always use these techniques ethically and responsible.

Create Scarcity

One of the ways to make money as quickly as possible is to create scarcity when you present an offer. People have very busy lives and will put off making a purchase until later — often forgetting in the process. If you create a sense of scarcity, they will be a lot more likely to make a purchase immediately rather than waiting.

There are many different ways do this.

Only allow a certain number of a product to be sold.

If you’re an affiliate, you can limit the number of bonuses that you are presenting with that offer.

Offer a product at a very low price to begin with, with the price rising at a point in the near future.

People don’t like to feel like they are missing out, so scarcity tactics work very well. Be sure you are always truthful about this scarcity, though. If you aren’t, it can make you look dishonest.

Give a Reason

Studies show that responses increase if you give a reason for taking a certain action. It doesn’t matter whether the reason for buying is a good one or not, as long as you give a reason for people to do so.

Psychology expert Cialdini notes a study where there was a line at an office where everyone was waiting for the copy machine. The researcher asked to cut ahead. The response was not very good.

However, when the researcher asked to cut ahead “because I have to make a copy” response increased substantially, simply because a reason was given.

The same thing can be applied to your copywriting. If you give a reason for people to make their purchase now, they will be a lot more likely to do so.

Use Reciprocity

If you do something nice for people, it is natural for them to want to do something nice back to you. This is one of the reasons why creating a relationship with your list can be very lucrative for you in the long run.

If you give someone a gift, they feel a sense of obligation to help you out too. In this case, it might be buying a product.

Offer Social Proof

Social proof is another amazing way to boost your sales. Nobody really likes to make the first move, in case we make the wrong one. The same can be said when people are buying an offer. They don’t want to take the risk of it being a bad buying decision.

If they see that other people have already purchased and have enjoyed the product, they will be a lot more likely to buy it themselves.

Some ways to incorporate social proof are…

• Include actual numbers when talking about results.
• Include case studies or before and after videos or pictures.
• Include some testimonials and even a picture of people who have used the product you are promoting.

You don’t have to do this within the e-mail copy itself, but you want to do it in the copy that you link to. You can even give some sales figures if you think that will boost their confidence.

Focus On Their Emotions

Many people make their purchases based on their emotions. If you feel very strongly about something, the chances are that you’ll make a purchase, right? That is why niches based on hobbies, desperate situations, and passions are so easy to make money in.

Step into your customer’s shoes to see what their emotions are, and how you can showcase your product so they feel that it will take care of their needs or fulfill their desires.

Hitting those emotional hot buttons is often what makes people purchase quickly. If you can incorporate some honest and real emotions into your emails, you’ll stand apart from the competition.

Use Contrasting Prices

People are very cost-conscious. If you are able to show a contrast in price between your product and another you can often make yours seem far more appealing.

For example, if you are  selling a strategy used to eliminate stress from your life, you can compare the cost of your information product to going to a doctor to get expensive medicines.

You often put things in a different (better) light when you present them in this way.

Give People a Reason To Trust You

On of the most important things you can do is make sure people know that they can trust you — and give them a reason why they should trust you. People are very skeptical so be sure to clearly spell out why they should listen to you by telling a compelling and true story.

How To Create A Headline That Will Make You Money!

The truth of the matter is that a headline by itself won’t make you money, but a headline is by far the most important part of your sales letter. It gets the reader’s attention and draws the reader into your sales copy.

Read the headline I used for this article, “How To Create A Headline That Will Make You Money!”

It appealed to your self-interest. You wanted to know how you could create a headline that would make you money.

It also aroused your curiosity. You wanted to find out how to create a headline that will make you money.

The best headlines appeal to the reader’s self-interest and includes benefits for the reader. The reader wants to know,”What’s in it for me?”

Headlines that give news are also effective.

And then there are the headlines that arouse your curiosity, which are also good.

A great headline will stop a reader in his tracks. The reader will say to himself, ” That headline is offering me a solution to my problem. I need to read more and see if it will help me.”

If you want headlines that make you money then follow the Five Rules for Writing Headlines by advertising legend John Caples, author of Tested Advertising Methods.

  1. First and foremost, try to get self-interest into every headline you write. Make your headline suggest to the readers that here is something they want.
  2. If you have news, such as a new product, or a new use for an old product, be sure to get that news into your headline in a big way.
  3. Avoid headlines that merely provoke curiosity. Curiosity combined with news or self-interest is an excellent aid to the pulling power of your headline, but curiosity by itself is seldom enough.
  4. Avoid, when possible, headlines that paint the gloomy or negative side of the picture. Take a cheerful, positive angle.
  5. Try to suggest in your headline that here is a quick and easy way for readers to get something they want.

If you can combine self-interest, news and curiosity in your headline then you probably have the best headline possible for your sales letter. 

Recommendations:

aWeber Autoresponders - Quickly create and run your campaigns with powerful, easy-to-use email marketing tools.

Go Daddy – Where I purchase all my domain names.

Hostgator – Very reliable and low cost hosting service which I have been using for about ten years.

15 Steps to Help You Build Your Internet Business

Here are the 15 steps you should take to build a profitable Internet business.

Step 1: Visit forums and use newsgroups that relate to your target market niche in order to find problems that people are having. You will bullet the solutions to these problems on your web site sales page.

Step 2: Get to understand the frustrations of your market niche and find solutions to their problems. Then you will either create or find the products and/or services to solve their problems.

Step 3: Learn how to write sales copy for your web site pages. It is not really that hard to do. It is just like writing a letter to a friend about something you are very passionate about. You’ll want to list many benefits. What will the product do for me?

Step 4: Learn how to write compelling headlines that shout out to your web site visitors and tells them, “WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?” Use a headline that appeals to the reader’s self-interest and is based on reader benefits. A headline which offers something the web visitor wants and can get from you.

Step 5: State what your web site is all about in the opening headline.

Step 6: These are some of the questions your web site visitors want to know. What do I get? What will it do for me? Why should I buy your products? That’s what people want to know and that’s why they’ll read your sales copy.

Step 7: State your unique selling proposition (UPS) in your opening sentence. State what people can get from you they cannot possibly get anywhere else, and why they would be crazy not to do business with you.

Step 8: Your sales copy must be believable and be sincere, conversational which is in the present tense, second person. Keep using YOU, YOU, etc.

Step 9: Create a sense of buying urgency in your copy.

Step 10: Highlight all the benefits in your web site sales copy with bulleted points.

Step 11: Include a strong guarantee for all your products or services to allay the fears of the purchaser.

Step 12: Include a photo of yourself on your web site since this will help your visitors to relate to you and they will know they’re dealing with a real person.

Step 13: Ask for testimonials from everyone that buys your product or service. It is important to have testimonials on your web site.

Step 14: Include a phone number and contact information on the web page.

Step 15: Automate as many aspects of your business as you can.

Follow these 15 steps and you will be well on your way to having a successful Internet business.