Kevin Elliott Copy

Tough times? Time to invest: why Sales pages make sense.

AN ONLINE SALESMAN WORKING FOR YOU 24/7.

Everyone’s watching the pennies these days. Fuel costs, food costs, everything mounts up.

Saving money is essential.

But making money is another route to success.

And that’s true for your business as well as your household finances.

However well you’re doing, you’ll always want to have visitors spending more.

One way of turning visitors into sales would be to hire a salesperson.

Someone to help people see how what you sell can turn their life around.

Someone who understands why people won’t buy and knows how to change minds.

Someone to answer their questions and tell them about the customers you’ve made happy.

Yes, you say, but wouldn’t a salesperson cost a fortune?

You’d be right. Good salesman cost. And you’re trying to save money.

But there’s another route to success. The Sales Page.

WHAT THEY ARE AND WHY THEY WORK

A sales page is a piece of writing doing a salesperson’s job. They can be as long or as short as needed. They might include images, and links to other sites.

You’re probably a little cynical – how can words persuade anyone? How could a page handle something as complicated as a customer?

A salesperson can learn about the person making the enquiry: the prospect. They’ll know what questions to ask. What the prospects love, why they’re out shopping, and what they really desire.

And you might say a sales page can’t learn – it’s just words.

A salesperson can also learn if something’s bothering the prospect. The prospect might not believe the product will work. They could say they’ve tried something similar before which didn’t work.

A salesperson would counter those objections. Perhaps tell them about your previous customers who’ve lost weight or found success.

And again, you’d say a sales page can’t flex in the same way as a human.

But with the right preparation there’s every reason to believe a sales page can truly become a salesperson – one working for you every hour of the day. A salesperson you don’t have to pay each month, a salesperson who doesn’t demand commission on each sale.

HOW IT CAN WORK FOR YOU

I’m a copywriter, and I specialise in sales pages. Let me explain how I can help.

I’d start by learning about your product or service, and about you and your organisation. Who buys what you’re selling? How do they benefit? What makes your product or service better than the competition?

I’d build a bridge between what your company offers, and what your prospects want.

And wants aren’t always obvious.

For instance, the other day I passed a shop selling fishing equipment. Fishing rods, lines, seats, even catapults for scattering bait. An online sales page for this shop might explain each item’s features.

But that would be missing a trick.

Think what someone wants when they go fishing. They might eat what they catch, but they’re more likely after a peaceful afternoon, a few hours of quiet on a riverbank, and a few stories to tell their friends.

So my sales pages wouldn’t focus on the features of what’s being sold. I’d lead with the fishing experience. Emotion is a massive mover of sales, and as a copywriter I’d make sure emotion features in every story I tell.

How would it feel to use the shops rods and lines? What would a client feel when they land the ‘big one’? A few concrete words would help prospects imagine a great day’s fishing. And make selling those rods far easier.

Or I could show a prospect life without your product. If you’re offering a new weight loss programme, each day your customers don’t buy is a day when they’re stoking up health problems for the future - a day when they won’t feel the benefits of a slim figure.

A list of features can seem dry. But sales pages provide a sensation your prospects can feel. They’ll connect with your product on an emotional level. Much more convincing than a few features.

The people you’re selling to will have reasons why they shouldn’t buy. As a copywriter I can work with you to answer those reasons and write compelling sentences to show why the prospects should splash their cash.

If you’re selling a weight loss programme, your prospects might have tried stuff before without success. So let’s focus on what makes your programme different. How did you develop the programme, what success have people already earned, and what goodies are in your package? Details can drive sales.

Sales pages pay for themselves many times over. After all, a salesperson can only chat to at most a few people at once. A sales page can reach tens of thousands or more, around the world, and at all hours of the day.

A FEW EXTRA POINTS

Sales Pages make splendid homes for frequently asked questions. You probably have scores of satisfied customers, and their testimonials can live on your sales pages. Do you offer a guarantee? Pop it on your sales page.

Most companies wanting a sales page have competitors. They’ll want to stand out from those competitors, and sales pages can help. I’d sit with the client and learn why their solution was different. Do they offer delivery, or a money-back promise, or are they local? Let’s highlight these advantages on the sales page.

A sales page’s writing also suggests a personality. Would a client benefit from a friendly and youthful character? Let’s use a youthful voice for the sales page. Would a client’s prospects seek a mature and sensible voice when planning their investments? The sales page can reassure prospects they’re speaking to the right firm.

Sales pages can be a decent length, so they’re an excellent place to add any SEO terms you want to rank for.

Finally, a sales page can add that extra nudge to a prospect and show them why they should act now rather than delay a decision. After all, ‘I’ll do it later’, often really means ‘I’ll never do it.’ With a sales page on your side you’ll see more of your visitors taking that last step, and buying your product or service.

Sales pages mean real revenue, without you having to pay a salesperson’s wages each month.

Want to know more? Contact me for more information. Either through this web page or at [email protected]

Success comes from difference

One guru utters a statement, and his followers parrot his words. Soon the message is everywhere.

But repeating words doesn’t make them true.

It’s the same in marketing. We have marketing funnels. The first contact makes prospects aware of an issue. Parents want the best toy for their child, Pensioners want the best home for their savings.

The funnel seeks to lure people downwards. With luck, they get interested in a particular plaything or investment package.

With even more luck, they develop a desire to buy.

And the trouble is this can work.

Well, a rusty manual lawn mower works. But you can do better than a rusty manual lawn mower.

Avoiding the crowds

Sometimes people need telling about the problem.

But some already know the problem. Tell them again and you’ll bore them.

Aim for the funnel’s bottom. Aim for prospects who are already aware and interested and have the desire.

And there’s another reason to avoid the funnel’s top.

Imagine you’re writing a post for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

Add terms like ‘CRM tool’ to your blog posts and you’ll appear in lots of search results.

But lots of CRM providers will use that phrase. You’ll be a small fish in a vast pool, and you’ll struggle to get noticed. Many of your competitors will splash money around and keeping up with them will cost you.

So how can you stand out without spending a fortune?

Chasing the wise

The internet is massive.

Some prospects know the score. They’ll know why you shouldn’t use Excel as a database, why you shouldn’t write down passwords, and why copywriting brings success.

Let them bypass the funnel’s top.

Sit in these people’s minds. What pain points do they experience? Which problems must they solve? What benefits do they seek?

How will they use search engines? If they want CRM software which books Zoom calls with clients, think what terms they would use.

Specific search terms let you avoid that expensive scramble at the funnel’s top.
People disagree, and say people need guiding. They’ll say blogs should drive people to a funnel’s top. But these posts often look identical.

Aiming for the bottom

A thousand articles talking about the benefits of mowing your lawn, when people after a lawnmower already know the benefits.

Another thousand saying why children benefit from play, when parents want to know which toy will suit their particular child.

And hundreds describing ISAs mechanics, when investors only need to know which ISA suits them best.

Even worse, these articles are often dashed off by freelancers given a sketchy brief - freelancers with little real-world knowledge.

You’ll see bland and regurgitated content with nothing to lure prospects into purchasing.

Be different. Aim for the bottom. Your customers will search for the problems they want to solve, not to relearn what they already know.

Replace SEO terms like ‘10 secrets for a pristine lawn’ with ‘10 ways to pick the best lawn mower for poor soils.’

Get rid of broad SEO expressions like ‘Why playtime is schooltime,’ and use ‘Toys to get your daughter thinking.’

Ditch ‘The tax advantages of ISAs,’ and say, ‘The best ISA for pensioners with spare cash.’

You’ll see a boost in engagement. Your clients will see more visits. And more customers will ask you to write their blog posts.

After more details? Visit www.kevinelliottcopy.com

One tool can turn visitors into customers.


Being trusted gets results. Being likeable gets results too. Yes, people chew over price and features, but they’ll often buy from people they like and trust.

A recent report by BBMG says 73% of customers care about the company when buying, and not just the product.

It’s easy in the real world. A friendly smile, a firm handshake, and you’re halfway home. But how can you be cheerful and welcoming online?


An online smile


It’s all about telling your story. A basic website might offer your product or service. You might have a list of features and a ‘buy now’ button.

However, you’ll be faceless. No one will know who you are, or what struggles you’ve faced, or how you make your products.

Customers won’t know what you look like. They won’t know how you think.

Your website’s visitors won’t know if they can trust you.

That’s where stories can help.


A home for your handshake


An ‘About Me’ page tells your story to your visitors and answers their questions. Questions like:

What made you set your business up, and have things changed since then? If you bought the business, or if you’re managing it, what first caught your eye?
How does your business model work?
What sort of customers are you after?
How do you make your product or deliver your service?
Did you have any problems running your business? How did you overcome them?
Do you have any funny stories?
What do you look like? And what about your workplace?
What wins have you had?

It’s all about de-mystifying your organisation.

A bare bones website doesn’t say why a visitor should like or trust you or your company.

An ‘About Us’ page turns that around.


Why this matters


A recent study by KoMarketing showed 52% of respondents wanted to see an ‘About Us’ page on a company’s website.

And it’s easy to see why.

An ‘About Us’ page shows what you can do for your customer. It boosts your sales by showing visitors your brand and the people behind it.

People can’t trust what they don’t know.

Not everyone needs to like your brand. You can’t sell to everyone.

But add your business’s personality to your website and you’ll attract those people who like the way you handle tricky situations. Include photographs and they might even like the grin on your face.


To Sum Up


An ‘About Me’ page is the first step in developing a relationship with a visitor, and that’ll help visitors become customers.

If you don’t have an ‘About Us’ page, ‌set up a chat with me. The same goes if your current page needs a facelift.

Let’s add a face to your website, let’s tell your story, and let’s help your visitors learn to like and trust you.


More details at www.kevinelliottcopy.com

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