10 Words, 5 Graphic Elements & 1 Huge Tip For Boosting Sales Page Conversion

Category Copywriting | no comments »

Sales pages are one of the most finicky, most difficult, and most important pages you’ll ever create, and getting it right is absolutely crucial. Otherwise, you can send obscene amounts of traffic to the page and funnel them perfectly from various sources, but you’ll never make any more because you can’t convert them. Thankfully, I’ve come up with a list of words, graphics, and tips that will not only make landing page creation easier, but far more profitable!

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10 Words That Inspire Trust and Compel Visitors To Follow Your Call to Action

Sales copy has a number of different jobs to do. It needs to:

• Inform
• Inspire trust
• Push and pull the reader’s emotions
• Answer questions
• Show benefits
• Indentify with the target audience
• Convince them to spend money

That’s a lot to accomplish with mere words! In fact, I liken sales copy to painting a masterpiece; while it’s the entire picture that matters in the end, it’s the individual colors and elements that make all the difference between a Picasso and a playschool chocolate pudding doodle. When it boils right down to it, the exact words you choose to use will ultimately determine the power of the copy.

Here are ten magic words that can significantly boost profits for almost anything:

1. Free — Who doesn’t like free?

2. Guarantee(d) — No risk, which means ‘nothing to lose, everything to gain’, at least if you do it right!

3. Results — This is the whole point of buying from you or signing up, isn’t it?

4. Fast — Customers want a solution, but they don’t want to wait and who can blame them?

5. Easy — Buyers don’t want to work hard. They want you to do this part for them. Makes sense.

6. Save — Even the world’s millionaires want to save money/hassle/etc.

7. Money (specific amounts are even better…Numbers. They’re helpful too!) — We all love money!

8. Now — Like ‘fast’, no one wants to wait, but this works for you too by convincing them not to wait.

9. You — It is all about the reader after all!

10. Discover — This word plays on a reader’s instinct. Customers want to know, they HAVE to know. Now.

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5 Must Have Graphic Elements For Landing Pages

If a site is going to appear trustworthy and make money, it absolutely has to look the part. And just like copy, it’s the basic elements that often make the most difference. So, here are 5 elements you want to make sure your sales pages have:

1. Action Button — Whether it’s a ‘buy now’ button, a send button on a contact form, or a button that takes the visitor to a destination page, your sales page has to have some sort of an action button. But, this can’t just be any old button. It has to be instantly identifiable as the page’s destination, people have to know what will happen when they click it, and while this might sound stupid, it has to actually work! (You’d be amazed if I told you how many times someone sends me a link to a sales page with a buy button that takes me back to the home page! Just. Don’t. Do. It.)

2. Seals — I don’t mean the ones who balance beach balls on their noses and slap flippers. I mean graphic seals. Verisign by Visa, certification (from real companies/organizations!), awards (again…real ones only people), Better Business Bureau, and other reputable seals put the customer at ease. In short, they make you look trustworthy and show the customer you know what you’re talking about.

3. Picture of the Product (Hero Shot) — Comparing sales pages with and without a picture of the product is a lot like comparing a 1-900 number to a webcam dating site. Sure, she might sound pretty, but are you really getting what you pay for? Customers want to see exactly what it is they’re paying for.

Hold on, you say, what about services? Well, you might not be able to take a picture of the service, but you should be able to include an image of the results. If you clean cars for a living, for instance, a picture of a sparkly, fancy vehicle is just the thing. If you’re a lawyer, show pictures of you in court, happy clients, and even money (you handing it to someone, not taking it. Just thought I’d clarify that).

4. Font and Formatting is Everything — The font needs to be easy to read, but you also need to cater to visitors who skim pages rather than reading them. This requires a careful use of bold/italics/underline, bulleted lists, color, and even font size. When you’re done, the visitor should be able to get an understanding of your product or service just by reading these stylized portions of the text.

5. Space — Just because the space is available doesn’t mean you need to use it. Include only the elements you see as necessary on the page and forget the rest. It also helps if you make the most important graphic the most prominent on the page.

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Drum Roll… One Big Tip for Landing Pages

Take the time to test everything and analyze the results.

But, don’t just go all gung-ho on the thing. Test as many things you would like, but only test a couple of elements at a time. Otherwise, you’ll notice improvements or failures, but have no idea exactly what caused it.

And most importantly, write down and keep track of exactly what you tested, when, and what the outcome is. If you track things properly, you’ll be able to tell exactly what effects the tests have on the sales funnels as well. Lastly, don’t underestimate the small things. Even something as simple as changing the color of the text by a few shades can have a huge effect.

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How To Improve Trust and Credibility With Copy

Category Copywriting | 2 comments »

No matter how good your copy and site design is, no two visitors will ever think the same thing or have the same experience. Every element, color, and letter will prompt different ideas, thoughts, and actions. ‘Well, how the hell do you maximize your conversions then?’ you’re likely wondering. Simple, my friends, simple.

By communicating and identifying with visitors in some way, they’ll naturally want to follow your call to action. You need to talk to each visitor just as you would a dear friend who’s going through a crisis; by listening, validating, and understanding them on a level that others normally don’t. Then, you want to guide them and help make the connection between you and their desires and needs.

In fact, beer and fast food commercials use this technique all the time. Here’s a good example:

Aside from the fact it’s absolutely hilarious, you’ll notice the beer at the end of the commercial is described as ‘fresh’, ’smooth’, and ‘real’. Also, when they show the beer, it looks as if it has just come out of the cooler because it has water and little ice crystals sliding down the side of the bottle. It LOOKS delicious, refreshing, and makes you want a beer, even if it is 7am!

This is the power of suggestion at work my friends! Commercials that feature a gorgeous broad making ga-ga eyes at a beer guzzling guy use the same type of technique. Same with makeup commercials that consist of a beautiful woman surrounded by muscle-bound hunks. If you buy their product, you’ll look sexy get what you want, and everything will end perfectly.

Using Suggestion In Your Copy and Site Design

The first thing you need to do is get inside your visitor’s head. What is the main thing they looking for? Peace? Relief? Satisfaction? Everyone might have a different concept of what exactly that is, but it should still fulfill most of your visitors in a specific way.

If you have a site that sells chocolate, the last thing you want to do is remind visitors about their diet, sugar levels, or costs/bills. You want to create a site that reminds them of the smooth, silky, and sinfully sweet heaven they’ll be taken to the instant the chocolate touches their taste buds. Why? Because when they search for ‘chocolate’ and land on your site, that’s exactly what they’re looking for.

But how do you know what your target audience is looking for? Simply ask ‘is what?’ after each main thought until you find the ultimate answer. So, for example:

Chocolate…is what? Junk food>> Savory Treat>> Delicacy/Luxury>> Indulgence>> Satisfaction/Captivation/Bliss

(If I were selling tulips, it’d look something like: Tulips>> Sign of Spring>> Flower>> Plant>> Fresh>> Pretty>> Natural Beauty >> Simplicity)

If you’re aiming at middle aged moms, paint a picture of a woman who has worked hard all week. She cuddles in on the couch with a good book and a deliciously expensive glass of red wine. There’s soft music in the background, candles glowing, no kids interrupting, and nothing to worry about.

But, if you’re marketing a chocolate bar that’s going to fill a hungry stomach until mealtime, use a mom in the middle of household chaos. She takes a quick coffee break, bites into the chocolate bar, and the noise disappears, instantly transporting her somewhere else.

This trick works for taglines, headlines, the main concept for the site, and other short quips that are often really difficult to determine. In the case of the Tulips, I’d be looking to do something with simple, natural beauty.

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Identifying With Visitors Builds Trust

If you think back to the exact time an acquaintance became a friend, when did it happen? I’d be willing to bet that a majority of the time it happened when you realized that other person really understood you and could honestly relate to your situation. When you get right down to it, you’ll discover that all the people you trust the most ‘get you’ in one way or another. So, if you want to inspire trust on your website, showing site visitors that you ‘get’ them is one of the most important steps you can make.

Want to know a few other ways your copy can enhance your site’s credibility?

• While you may choose to customize each conversion path for a specific visitor, be careful not to contradict yourself. Each ’story’ should complement the rest of the site’s content!
• Negative things such as acknowledging one of the company’s shortcomings isn’t as horrible as it seems. Not only does it make you sound human, but admitting to mistakes helps you become more trustworthy because you didn’t try to bury it in a closet somewhere.
• On the same note, connecting directly with customers is a fantastic idea. However, be aware that eventually you’re either going to get negative feedback (see the previous bullet point) or you’re going to get a question you can’t answer. Don’t try to hide it. Instead, admit you don’t know the answer and offer to find out.

How does your website help build trust and credibility?

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GUARANTEES that knock customers off the fence

Category Advertising, Copywriting, Email Marketing | 2 comments »

Put yourself in your client’s shoes. No, strike that.

Put yourself in your prospect’s shoes (a prospect being someone you’ve never marketed, sold to or married before).

She doesn’t know you; she doesn’t trust you, and she couldn’t care less if you drop dead tomorrow.

But, through deft marketing-you’ve captured her attention! Her eyeballs are yours!

And she believes, as she scans your sales copy, that you just might be selling something she wants. No, strike that.

She immediately realizes (via a great headline and lead) that you’re selling exactly what she wants-or something she thinks she wants (same difference).

Let’s say, it’s a book, a cream, a doctor, or a pill that’ll help her lose weight.

Now if you’ve ever tried to sell weight loss products you know how sisyphusian a task that can be. Weight loss products are a wasteland of failed talismans, potions and quackery (despite “A”-quality copy, offers and celebrity endorsements).

Why? Because…

There’s only one way to really lose weight-and keep it off

And if you think it’s through exercise or diet, or both-you’re half right.

The only way to lose the blubber is through the 3-D’s, otherwise known as determination, dedication and downright doggedness-anything else is just low-fat salad dressing.

But, I digress.

So your prospect, let’s call her Julie is hesitant to order your product because… well, there could be lots of reasons. For example:

• You didn’t provide compelling proof or credibility to back up your claims
• Your sales copy loses steam in the middle and runs off on different tangents
• You didn’t mine and exhaust the list of deep-down benefits your product provides, or you didn’t fully dimensionalize them
• Your sales copy, from beginning to end, doesn’t lead Julie inescapably to the “Order Now” button
• Your website/brochure/sales letter looks like it was created by a designer who wants to be and artist and win awards-not make sales
• You have no testimonials or endorsements
• You don’t clearly and unequivocally ask for the order, nor do you mention the terrible consequences of not ordering
• There’s not enough personalization and “you speak” in your copy (when Julie reads your ad/sales letter she has to feel as if you’re talking to her, not a faceless, festering blob of cellulite)

There’s more of course; the list goes on and on….

But let’s say you’ve provided all of the above, and more. Yet, Julie still won’t show you the money-even though you’ve absolutely persuaded her that your blubber pulverizer works.

Why might she still be hesitant?

Well, she’s fallen for other blubber blasters before, too many in fact-and still can’t zip up her pants.

And in these scary economic times-she can’t risk of losing more money on more blubbery promises-regardless of how much her hips, thighs and seat swell.

Allay her fears-remove all the risk

Offer Julie, what I call, a “gifted guarantee”.

I know, very few of us value or trust guarantees anymore-they’ve lost their marketing effectiveness (due primarily to thoughtless copy-cat construction).

Like so many newspaper ads, they’re a blur of meaningless, unconvincing verbiage.

Others are way over the top…

“Lose 50 pounds in one week! Erase all stretch marks in 3 days! And have the movie studios calling you by tomorrow night-or your money back!”

Such a guarantee is patently stupid-and would convince only the equally stupid.

And yet, even though Julie doesn’t believe or trust your guarantees-she still wants you to offer her one.

A guarantee is like a presidential election promise. Everyone wants to hear and applaud how Obama and McCain are going to lower taxes, grow the economy and keep America strong domestically and globally.

Yet, everyone knows, whoever becomes our next president, it’ll be business as usual on Pennsylvania Avenue come January-and nothing will change.

So, even though Julie is distrustful, cynical and maybe even scared-she still wants to believe you can help her.

She wants you to tell her everything will be all right and she won’t be taken to the cleaners, again (and have the waist on her skirts and pants taken out).

So how do you craft a guarantee that combines the eloquence and hope of Obama with the honest and straight-shooting no-nonsense approach of McCain?

How indeed do you overcome that last hurdle between you and Julie’s money?

Crafting an unusually effective and convincing guarantee

The fist thing you want to avoid is to make your guarantee read like everybody else’s.

If your guarantee sounds obligatory, perfunctory and commonplace, e.g. “Your money back if not 100% satisfied”, not only will Julie’s jaded eyes ignore or miss it-she’ll completely discount it. That is to say, she’ll not be in the least bit persuaded by it.

So rather than write a guarantee that reads like a limp handshake-power it up. Explain it, and sell it!

Explain why you’re offering it, why it’s worth more than the paper it’s written on-and why there’s no reason to doubt it.

Your guarantee is part of your offer-make it attractive and absolutely believable. Make it part of the running text and a few paragraphs long.

But remember, if it sounds too good to be true-you’ll lose the sale.

And by all means–be imaginative. If your guarantee is distinctive enough-it might even become your USP (unique selling proposition).

Domino’s Pizza…

…Built an empire base on their guarantee: Delivered in 30 minutes or it’s free.

Do the same thing with your guarantee! Think outside the pizza box. But never make a promise you can’t keep.

Instead of offering a typical and boring 30-day guarantee-make it a 6-month or 1-year guarantee.

Tests actually prove the longer the guarantee the less the returns.

Why? Because when Julie realizes she’s got only 30-days to ask for her money back-she’ll remember that, you can bet on it.

But, tell her she’s got a year-she’ll fuhgedaboutit!

And while you’re at it, if you’ve got a truly killer cannot-fail product-why not offer a double-your-money back guarantee!

Sure, you’ll attract a number of low-life’s trying to score some “free usage”-but they’ll be nothing compared to the increased traffic and orders you’ll receive when your offer/guarantee goes viral.

And whatever you do, at the very least-make your guarantee bigger, better and bolder than your competition’s…

And then… lo and behold… guaranteed success!

–Barry

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