What You Need to Know To Generate A Killer Sales Copy

Look..If you have a product or service that you
are selling online or wish to sell online,
it all starts with a good solid sales letter.

Having sales copy is an EXTREMELY important area
because once you get people to your site
you have to "persuade" them to buy.

I've noticed that people often get wrapped
up with getting traffic to their sites.
Don't get me wrong -- visitors are important,
but getting a ton of traffic isn't worth
a hill of beans if no one buys anything.

That's where your sales copy comes in.

Effective sales copy will convert those
visitors to buyers, that mean SALES for
you.

Even if you don't write well you can
create good Copy.

Think of it as writing an informative letter
to a friend. After all, it's a one to one
relationship so really talk to THAT PERSON.

One technique that works well for me is long
sales copy. Lots of website owners debate
the issue of long copy vs. short copy but
I've found that long copy works to my
advantage.

Of course, when in doubt you should always
test what works best for you, but I recommend
testing with long copy first.

The reason I recommend long copy is that
it has all the elements you need, you just
need to edit it down so that you aren't
rambling on.

Psychologically it's been proven that a
person goes through the following four
steps before they buy:

Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

If you can appeal to each of those steps
you'll make sales!

Here are the salescopy steps in a little
more detail:


Headline

The most important part of your copy is your
headline - You have to capture their interest
right away -- or else they're gone.

I like to include a headline and a sub-headline
that includes these three things:

A concept, a benefit and an emotion.

Introduce a main concept which is what your
product is about. This should also include
your main product keyword or key phrase.

Include a strong emotion and let them know
you have a solution, while including how
your product will help them.


Credibility

You must demonstrate that you know what you
are talking about as well as reassure them
that you WILL solve their problem. Convince
them that you are a credible and reputable
source.

You do this with:

Problem statements - Starting with a problem
statement that shows them you know what they
are going through.

Testimonials - Show them how others just
like them have purchased your product and
are happy.

Expertise/credentials - Tell them about
yourself, how and why you acquired your
knowledge.


Sell with Benefits

Here's where you introduce your product.

List the features of your product but also
focus on the benefits. Remember, your reader
is always thinking about what's in it for
them, so always keep that in mind.

Also mention in your copy how buying your
product will impact their lives, not only
on a practical level but on an emotional
level as well.

Here's an example:

Let's say your selling jogging shoes

Feature - gel insoles

Benefit - extra comfort when jogging

Emotionally powerful benefit -
You'll love jogging more which will help
get you in shape faster and provide the
health benefits you've always wanted!

Different audiences will respond to different
motivations so find what works best for your
audience and keep testing.


Price

Now that you have demonstrated the reason to
buy you can introduce price (not before).
The audience knows they have to pay for
products so as long as you justify it, put
it in perspective, then the audience will
accept it.


Bonuses

Offer additional value by adding powerful
bonuses.

They're at your site because they are interested
in your main product but it helps to tip the
scales in your favor just a little bit more by
offering them something extra that will make
them feel they are getting the best value for
their money.


Urgency

Most people are procrastinators so even
though they might want your product they
often put it off buying it.

To overcome this, create an overwhelming
reason to buy now.

Create a sense of urgency by specifying
a limited-time-offer. For example, a
limited bonus or a limit on the number
that you will be selling.


Guarantee

Help your viewer take the risk out of
buying by offering a strong guarantee.

Usually, the stronger the guarantee
the better the sales.

Not only will it help your sales effort,
you'll also get LESS returns because the
buyer is more comfortable with the buying
decision, therefore less likely to return
the product.


Make a call to action

Do this by simply asking for the order.

Be clear - TELL them what to do to get
your product. Better yet, remind them
why they should buy.


Postscript (the P.S.)

Many people will not read all your copy
at first, they'll just scroll to the bottom.
By having P.S. this gives you another
opportunity to get them involved in your copy.

Do this by repeating the strongest elements
of your copy in a short P.S. paragraph.

In Summary

If you meet all the above elements you'll
have a much better chance at making more
sales, however if you're not familiar with
writing a good sales letter it can be a
little overwhelming at first .