September 16th, 2008 — Tactical Copywriting
All right maybe your sales letter converts at a whopping 10%. It still stinks. Why?
Because even a mouth-watering 10% conversion means 9 out of 10 people are walking away from your site. Based on that I think it’s safe to say nearly all sales letters stink - even the ones I write. (Ouch!) Why is that?
Maybe it’s not your sales letter. Maybe it’s your sales process.
Think about this:
Someone searches for “peach jam” on the Internet. You make and sell peach jam. Your page comes up on the first page of a major search engine. Congratulations.
When they come to your site, visitors are slammed with your sales page offering them a special deal on your premium jam. Most take a look at your offer and leave. What’s going on?
First of all, it’s likely most folks landing on your page weren’t ready to buy peach jam right then. Maybe they were looking for a free Georgia rock concert. Maybe they wanted recipies. Maybe they sought an old girl friend from high school. Okay, so I’m stretching here.
In any case, it’s likely they never heard of you or your jam before landing on your site. Do your really expect most folks to buy right off the bat? Silly you.
What if, instead of a web site, you had a jam stand by the side of the road. Now if you’ve got a good sign out front, you may get some walk-in traffic. Once folks know about you, they’ll come to your stand when they hanker for your jam. If you put up some billboards with some toast dripping with tasty jam, you might get even more traffic.
The thing is you are now attracting people expecting to buy jam.
The second reason folks come to your site and don’t buy is…
They don’t trust you.
If someone shows up to your stand, they can see how good it looks. They can ask questions. They can see your business license. They can talk to other customers. You might even offer them a sample. None of this (or very little) happens on the Internet. You have to build trust.
Yet another reason is they’re not convinced your solution is the answer they want. While most folks can decide on a $3.00 jar of jam, if you’re asking them to spend $50 on your ebook, they might want to look around a bit.
Finally, your visitors don’t have a reason to act NOW. If they’re at the stand, they’ll have to come back if they want jam. Often that’s plenty enough to prod action. But on the Internet, what’s the hurry? If you don’t offer some incentive - a REAL incentive, not some lame buy by 12:00 midnight or the price goes up!
Offer something real and obviously limited. One of my all-time favorites was from Fly Fisherman. They offered a free fishing creel with a new subscription. But, they added, you’d better hurry because we may not be able to get any more. That bonus tied in beautifully to the magazine because it:
directly related to the audience
created real urgency
They never said how many creels they had. Or maybe they did in some letters and enjoyed a better response when no number was specified. One thing is almost certain - they tested their advertising.
So what do you do if your sales letter stinks worse than most?
You can live with it, try to improve it via testing or try an entirely new approach. If you’re getting any response at all, I’d lean towards testing first. However there are too many variables to say for sure. Every situation presents unique options. One thing for sure though - if you do have a sales letter that’s converting, no matter how pitiful the sales are, better to test it than simply replace it. Otherwise you may find your new “baby” is worse that the old.
God bless,
Andy
May 15th, 2008 — Tactical Copywriting
Few things strike more fear into a marketer’s heart than an “over the top” guarantee. I mean Gutsy with a capital “G”. And yet few elements of a sales page exude more power. Why?
Because your reader doesn’t trust you. Not at all. Few marketers have earned enough trust to risk even a few dollars for something “unknown”. Not all marketers have this problem…
A few years ago I bought a high ticket item from a marketer - it wasn’t even his product - he was an affiliate. By “high ticket” I mean over $1500. Online. And I didn’t blink an eye. Why is that?
I knew the product. The company it came from is a leader in the field. The marketer who sold it has a way about him I find very trustworthy. He is always helpful. He gives a lot of good information away at no charge. And I’ve never seen a “hypey” sales pitch from him. In short - he has positioned himself far above many of those in his field.
So my first suggestion to you is to follow this lead. Take the high road. Avoid anything that hints of shady practices or shoddy products. Be worthy of trust and people will trust you.
Secondly, gather as much proof as you can. Social proof (testimonials, etc.), scientific proof, endorsements, anything you can gather to back up what you say. And don’t say anything you can’t back up.
Finally, offer the absolute strongest guarantee you dare. This is where things get interesting. You see, when it comes right down to it…
You Don’t Trust Your Customers!
Why else would you fail to guarantee an information product forever? Do you think hordes of customers are going to way 7.33 years and then descend on you at once for a refund?
The most common objection for strong guarantees is thieves. Yes some people will take your product and then ask for a refund. You will get that no matter what guarantee you offer. Think about the psychology of a thief for a moment…
They lie, cheat and steal… right? Do you expect them to be patient also? How long do you think a thief will wait to get a refund? A year? Not if they can get it in minutes. Or a week. In other words, guaranting your product for a year will make NO difference with thieves. So what does that leave?
Marginal customers. Customers who bought your product but don’t really want it because it doesn’t meet their needs or expectations. It happens.
The fact is you should be EAGER to give a refund to marginal customers. WHAT! Why?
Because these are the customers who will tell you what’s wrong with your product or your sales approach. Not only should you be able to cut down on future refunds but you should also armed to get more customers by refining your product and/or sales letter!
On the other hand the general rule is the more solid the guarantee the greater the sales. Yep more people will buy if you convince them they have absolutely NO risk if they decide to buy your product. Just make sure you honor this!
Now for that “Gutsy” Guarantee…
If you really want to “Go for the Gutsy” here one of the most daring guarantees going:
FREE If You Choose!
At firt it even chills me to the bone, but think about it…
You’re selling a digital product so what are the chances someone will get the refund and then delete your product from their hard drive? (I do but I think I’m the exception here.)
What are you going to do otherwise? Go to their house and check? Yeah, right. So why not take advantage of this and say “go ahead and try it if you don’t like it, I’ll refund your money”
I’ve seen others do this, most recently, Brad Callen for his SEO Elite product. I was impressed. If you get something different it’s because he’s testing and you’ve hit an alternate offer - it happens.
Other Gutsy Guarantees include offering to give back more than the reader paid - 10%, 20% even double your money back! Frankly, such offers scare me as a buyer and as a seller.
The bottom line is you should offer the best guarantee you can and still sleep at night.
One final note - is this rule written in stone? No. One very successful marketer comes to mind… Matt Furey.
Matt offers NO guarantee at all. Matt makes far more money with his products than I do. I’m fairly certain Matt tests his messages but I’m still not convinced this concept would be valid in most markets.
I’ve done this myself on occasion because I offer a product so cheap it would nearly cost me money to refund it. I’m not a fan of this tactic. I’ve come to believe you are better off offering value and getting a fair price for that value.
The best overall advice I can offer is to test your own market. See what is acceptable to them. There’s no reason you can’t limit your tests in extreme cases to just a few hundred or even 1,000 visitors. Even if you have a 5% conversion rate and your “double your money back” guarantee doubles this you’ve only risked 100 refunds. If your refund rate remains less than 50% and you’ll still make a gross profit.
God bless,
Andy
March 24th, 2008 — Tactical Copywriting
Headlines are critical to any sales letter. Most copywriters and testers agree 80% of readers will take a look at your headline and then decide whether to read any more. I expect more marketers experience faster, more dramatic results from headline changes than any other element. All great information but what do you DO with it? Let’s take a look…
Right now, before you do anything else, get it in your head: No matter how good you think your headline is - you’ve got to test it. Don’t fudge here.
And that means you need to come up with at least two headlines - more is better.
We’ve already discussed the “hook” headline - where you take that unique, extraordinary fact and turn it into a sensational teaser. Think “National Enquirer”. Think “Cosmopolitan”. These publications live or die by attention grabbing headlines. When it comes to a “hook”, you just can’t beat the tabloids. But what if you don’t have a good hook?
Never fear, there’s other ways. Your headline should contain your strongest benefit. Think of the most powerful benefit your customer will get. Do NOT exaggerate! Make sure any claim you make can be substantiated with cold, hard facts. But it’s also acceptable to use the facts to your advantage also. How?
Let’s say you are selling a “gem dectector” that instantly reports what type of gem is in a piece of jewelry. You know one person used it to find a diamond ring that sold for $12,234 and she was able to buy it for $300. (Notice how this is ALSO a “hook”?)
“Soccer Mom Discovers Diamond Worth $12,234 at Rummage Sale Turning a $300 Invesment into a $11,934 Profit Using the Roncoid Gem Detective”
Subhead: “You too can find valuable gemstone jewlery almost anywhere for almost instant profits!”
Sometimes you can change a single word and see huge results. In the headline above I might change $11,934 into “3978%”
Famous Copywritier and Marketer Ten Nicholas says he writes at least 200 headlines for every product he sells. These days you could test every one but you shouldn’t have too. Some headlines you’ll be able to weed out just by looking at them.
Do you have to pump out 200 headlines for every sales letter you write? No, but if you do you increase you chances of success exponentially.
One other tip: Look for “hidden” and “obvious” benefits. Why obvious benefits?
For one thing what may be obvioius to you may not be obvious to your reader. And it may be just the thing your customer is looking for. Many marketers, including your competitors miss this. What about “hidden” benefits?
These take a bit more to dig out but they are nearly always worth the effort. Hidden benefits often require you look at customer perceptions rather than the product itself.
Toothpaste marketers know this. Fighting cavities is fine. Whiter teeth is a boone, but the hidden benefit of transforming yourself from a goofy nerd to a magnet for the opposite gender is golden.
One other thing, don’t be afraid to reword and/or restate your benefits in the body of your copy. Reiterate them in you bullet copy too.
Now you know why I feel your sales letter should start by looking for benefits. Benefits are the meat of your copy and are used again and again. Your headlines should contain your strongest benefit or a hook. Keep in mind your hook should also offer a benefit. While a good hook doesn’t HAVE to offer your strongest benefit, if to does, it is to your advantage.
Now go write that winning headline!
God bless,
Andy
February 28th, 2008 — Tactical Copywriting
First you researched your product, gathering all the intelligence you could about the product, the market and the competition.
Second, you worked up your offer to make it as enticing as you possibly could. There’s no reason you can continue to improve upon it but at least you’ve laid the groundwork. The next step may be considered controverial by some…
Write your guarantee. Make it as strong as you possibly can. A lot of marketers skimp on this part. Some groan and grumble every time someone asks for a refund. Another marketer refuses to sell again to anyone who “dares” ask for a refund. I think all of these responses are mistakes.
Sure you’ve got your sewer rats who gleefuly download product after product and then demand a refund. It happens. And you’ve got others who have no problem giving away your product because they can make unlimited (but illegal) copies. I think those folks are in the minority. Most folks are honest and too busy themselves to rip you off.
I know I’ve asked for a refund now and then. The reasons vary but mostly the products simply don’t meet my needs. And I do not use them after getting my money back. I expect others to act the same way. Am I living in a dream world? Probably.
On the other hand I don’t want to live in the “real world” if it means my word is no longer good and I have to cheat to get by. It’s just not for me.
Okay back to the guarantee. Most marketers find the longer the guarantee offered the more sales they get with no significant increase in returns. In other words - their fears of being stampeded by angry customers demanding refunds were unfounded.
So write your guarantee. Make it strong. Let your prospect know you have every confidence in your product. If it’s as good as you say it is - you’ve got nothing to worry about.
And when you do get a refund request - honor your guarantee. Treat the customer with respect. Talk to them. You might just find out something you didn’t know about your product or your market. It could be that refunder is desparately looking for something you can easily supply but never thought about. Something that opens up a whole new (and untapped) market for you. It happens.
God bless,
Andy
February 25th, 2008 — Tactical Copywriting
Your first step was gathering the research about your product. You listed all the features of your product and at least one benefit for each feature. You checked out your competiton and took some notes about them. Then you became your customer and found out what you wanted from your product. Now you’re ready to… Put your offer together. Don’t just take my word for it. Famed copywriter Ted Nicholas recommends this too. Your offer should be so packed with real value anyone who is a bona-fide prospect for your product would be insane not to snap it up. Do this and the rest of your copy should be easy. Well, okay, easier. What is value? Value is the biggest possible bang for your prospects buck. Suppose you were in the market for a car. You like Fords and there are two Ford dealerships near you. Both have the exact same car you want. Both are the same price. Which one do you buy? What if one offers a full tank of gas for a month? If all else is equal he just got the sale. Value. And that’s one reason you check out the competition. Even better if you can include something of real value the others can’t. Be that a free report authored by you, a personal consultation after the sale, or membership in your exclusive “buyer’s club”. Whatever you do don’t pile on “thousands of dollars” worth of bonuses. After the first thousand or two, folks begin to wonder if the bonuses are really all that valuable. And if so they wonder why your $10 product needs all those bonuses anyway if it’s as good as you say it is. If you have one bonus that is perceived to be almost as valuable (possibly a little more) as your product you aren’t likely to raise any red flags. But no matter what, you should be able to justify the price of your product on the merits of the product itself. If you can’t you should be asking yourself why you are selling it. You can always test bonus packages later on to see what works for your market.
