Are you getting the most out of your Web copy?

One of the most important tools to use to produce results on your Website is traditional sales letter copy. The copy can be developed for various results from promoting a free eBook to the purchase of a product. As an Internet marketing company, we recommend that, if you haven’t already done so, take the time to develop a sales letter for your Website.

Understanding Your Customer’s Needs
In business school, they teach you about the three C’s of marketing. This is a great way to outline what you need to communicate and how you want to differentiate yourself. So how do you get started with your sales letter? First, outline your customer’s needs. It all starts by understanding what’s important to your customer. Then, outline your customer’s pain points. You want to understand what keeps them up at night and what pain they want to resolve. All of your copy should be based on satisfying their needs and curing their pain.

Performing Competitor Analysis
The next step is the second C, which is to analyze your competitors. A great exercise to accomplish this is to create a table (chart). On the left side of the table, list your customer’s needs. Across the top of the table, list your competitors. Then, check off the needs that your competitors are meeting. By performing this exercise, you’ll get an understanding of the needs that are unmet in your market.

Outlining What Your Company Does Well
The next step is the third C, which is to outline your company’s strengths. This gives you an idea of what customer needs you are well aligned to.

Writing Your Sales Copy
With this information in hand, you are ready to start writing your sales copy. Start with a hook in your headline to draw your reader into your content, which relates to their needs and pain. Then, develop body copy that expands on the benefits and relates to their pain to show your prospects that you understand what they are experiencing. Follow this by explaining how you are going to satisfy their needs and cure their pain. And be specific. It’s about being believable.

Support Your Claims and Call To Action
To ensure that your message is well received, reinforce it with social proof. It’s worth getting testimonials from your clients that support the value that you provide and how you have cured their pain. Then ask for the sale. And don’t be afraid to use a call to action at different points in your sales letter, depending on how long it is. To maximize your sales volume, give them a limited time bonus offer (if possible) to knock people off the fence and maximize your conversion. Lastly, minimize risk through a money back guarantee or free trial.

The bottom line is that sales letters work. And the psychology of personal selling works on the Web. If you have any questions about sales letter writing, feel free to contact us. If you’d like us to review one of your sales letters, we’d be happy to help.