By a new sales page I mean for a new product or service but you could do this for an existing product too.
From here on out I’ll use the word “product” but the techniques are the same if you sell a service. I’m assuming you’ve used the product and you know it inside out.
Get some paper out and write down all the features it has - all of them. (A feature is something the product as or does.) Feature: Uses “AA” batteries.
Now for each feature write down at least one benefit. Benefits answer the question “so what?” Benefit: so you can use it anywhere you go.
You can use these as a list of bullets - one way is to list them in feature/benefit pairs.
Next make a list of all competitive products and their features. If you can’t do all of them at least try to get the best-selling or best-known ones near your price range. What makes your product different? Is it a better value? Why? What can you offer that your competitors cannot?
Now picture your customer (copywriter Ray Edwards puts it “BE” your customer). What does he want. What itch does your cusotmer have that can be scratched by your product.
If you’ve done your homework you can identify at least one itch only your product can best scratch. Even if you plan on hiring a copywriter to write your sales materials - you should have this research on hand to give to her.
It will save time and money if you’ve hired a decent copywriter because good copywriters usually insist on having decent information. (I say usually ’cause there’s always one wiseguy out there who has to whip up a cranking sales letter out of thin air. I’m not him.) This way you’re not paying a copywriter to research for you.
Oh, you made a package deal where your copywriter quoted a flat price and promised not to charge a penny more? And that was before you revealed you had almost no research about your product? Okay.
So, just assuming the copywriter based the price on the number of hours it should take to write your materials… what do you think she’ll do? Just spend an extra 4 or 5 hours on research or cut some corners? You tell me.
