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How to Write Professional Sales Copy that Works
by Glen Hopkins
Trust me, sending out a few words in your ezine WILL NOT
generate the sales you want unless you write the ad very
well. Nor will a simple ad on your website -- especially a
banner ad.
Nobody clicks on banner ads
anymore therefore, if you put a short advertisement on your
website, make sure it is text based.
So how do you write 'killer' sales copy? You have two
choices, do it yourself, or hire a professional. I would
recommend first doing it yourself with a little help, since hiring
a professional can cost you many thousands of dollars.
Doing it Yourself:
Let's get right into it shall we? The following is basically a
break down of the do's and do not's of effective ad writing.
Don't
Use too many exclamation points!!!!! This gives the
perception of 'hype' which decreases credibility.
Most publishers allow 50 to 60 characters wide and 7 -10
lines. Don't feel you have to use it all. Blank white spacing
helps make your ad 'jump off' the page.
Don't make your URL too long. Long URL's scare readers and
they look ugly. If you have a long URL create a shorter
redirect URL. This will give you a more professional look.
If you must have a long URL don't let it split into two lines.
The reader will be forced to re-type it into his/her browser.
This will decrease your response rate dramatically. Always
make it as easy as possible for your prospects.
Don't try and sell your product to the reader with your ad.
The only purpose of your ad should be to get your reader
interested to take the next step. For example, visiting your
site to get the Sign up Now and Get $5.00 sample. From there you can continue
to build the relationship with your customer which will
eventually lead to the 'big' sale and loyalty to you and your
product or service.
Do:
Identify yourself and your company with a real email address
and URL. Customers like to know whom they are dealing with.
Would you prefer to buy from a real person with an identity
(glen@listopt.com) who you can contact if need be, or
an alias (ww3625ma@hotmail.com) who has no identity?
Give your credentials and testimonials.
Obviously testimonials are too long to put in your ezine ad
however it is a good idea to have a page on your site
dedicated to the testimonials of your customers. If you want,
you can place a link in your ad to this page.
Use headlines to capture your reader's attention.
If you don't get your reader's attention in the first paragraph,
the rest of the message is lost.
Use spacing, bullets and centering throughout the body.
White space will help your ad to stand out.
Use simple, direct speech. Write the way you would talk to a
friend. Remember that the average person reads at a grade 7
level. Big, fancy words are not good.
Try using the AIM Formula.
A is for capturing attention
I is for creating interest
M is for motivation to act.
A is for attention
The first sentence should be like a headline. It is used to grab
the reader's attention.
Imagine the front page of a newspaper having no headlines.
The chances of you being attracted to a particular article
would be MUCH lower. Test it yourself. Grab the front page
of a paper and cover all the headlines with masking tape.
Does the paper grab your attention now? Probably not!
A great way to get attention is to ask the reader a question.
"Have you ever wished you could be your own boss?"
People instinctively want to answer questions and so they will
read on.
Here are some common headlines. Modify them to suit your
product or service.
What if you knew who would win the Stanley Cup before the
final game?
Looking for a ______ that will _____ ?
How to make _______ in less than 30 days.
How to loss 10 lbs. in 30 days.
Have you noticed how many people _________ ?
I is for Interest
Once you have the reader's attention, you have to focus on
the features and benefits of your product or service and how
it will benefit them. The best way to do this is to tap into the
reader's emotion. People buy on emotion.
Offer guarantees, testimonials, and free samples.
The more bonuses you can offer the better. Customers want
the most they can possibly get without having to give too
much up front.
M is for Motivation
Call your reader to immediate action
Create deadlines
Offer discounts for quick action
Limited availability
Offer bonuses
Contests, sweepstakes
Make it EASY for customers to respond
Remind reader of benefits.
ALWAYS ask the reader to act.
Use an autoresponder link (more on this later)
Test your add.
Start with smaller test runs using multiple versions of your ad
before purchasing a large ad campaign.
Test various target groups and newsletters. You may be
surprised at the results.
Track the responses you get on an ad and compare it to
another ad for the same product or service. It is amazing how
slight changes in wording can dramatically effect your
response rates. Because you have to run various versions of
your ad it will cost you a little more up front. However, once
the testing is complete, it will save you, and earn you MUCH
more in the future.
Now it's time to put them to the test. Take your time to
create what you believe will be an effective ad and then give
it a try.
When placing your ad, there are many publications for you to
choose from including your own!
Check out www.directoryofezines.com
for a huge selection of advertising possibilities.
Okay, by now you should have a good idea where to start and
have some good ideas floating around in your head to write a
'killer ezine advertisement. Write your ideas down! You don't
want to forget them. Once you have polished your final copy,
don't forget -- test, test, test!
The second type of advertisement is called "Guerrilla
Advertising". Basically, what you want to do is write an article
that will be of interest to your readers and within the article,
sell them on your product or service. How do you do this?
Re-read this 'mini-course', I'm doing it now! The great thing
is, people will enjoy reading the material you write because it
is of value to them and what you 'soft sell' them within the
article is also of value to them.
To see another example of how you can write a guerrilla
advertising introduction to your website, visit:
http://www.motivational-messages.com/intro.html
On this
page you will see how I introduce visitors to my site AND refer
them to a friend and his exceptional software product. By
doing this, my visitors benefit from a product related to their
needs, and I benefit from the commission earned on each sale.
*KEY POINT -- Sales is all about presenting a solution to your
customers needs. A good sales person will only sell solutions
to their clients needs. Only poor salespeople try to sell their
customers something they don't want or need.
Finally, check out http://www.listopt.com/lbsignup.html to
see an excellent example of a professional sales letter. I
created this letter in about 5 minutes using and excellent
service called Instant Sales Letters. They offer exceptional
sales template letters. All you have to do is fill in the blanks
and presto! you have professional sales copy. To learn more
about this service, visit:
http://www.listopt.com/click-here/salesletters.html
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Glen Hopkins is the Founder and CEO of ListOpt Publications Inc.
Glen invites you to learn more about how you can explode the growth of your newsletter overnight
with ListOpt's List Builder Service. Visit them now at:
http://www.listopt.com/lbsignup.html
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