Whether you already have a product or not, your online sales page will be the home base of your product and/or business. It's useful to think of your sales page as an over-sized advertisement, because it is. It is your connection to the public and world, and it is too important a task to pass on to anyone.
That being said, where do you start? Or how can you improve your existing sales page? Here are 9 easy and important steps to easily create your very own irresistible online sales page (or sales letter).
9) Get Attention
This should do it
Data shows that you have 6 seconds to convince a website visitor to stay on your site before they move on forever. This means you must capture their attention immediately. These help:
A Captivating Headline: Entire chapters of endless books and blogs have been written about headlines, and that's because they are hands-down the most important part of your sales page.
Your headline is your first connection to your prospect, so you must immediately connect with them. You can ask a question, identify your audience, describe your ideal outcome, and more.
An Introduction Video: Video is the path of least resistance when it comes to consuming media, since the viewer essentially has to do nothing but sit back and watch. People have simply become accustomed to receiving information via screens, and you can tap into that powerful channel.
Color & Design: Bright contrasting colors and clear simple design always appeal to the eyes. Choose a color or 2, and apply them to design elements organized throughout your page.
Aim for simplicity at first, and point people's eyes in the direction of your offer and call-to-action.
8) Gain Credibility
Their main resistance is fear. Your main weapon is credibility.
Ray Edwards
Copy That Sells
Once you have their attention, immediately explain who you are and why they should listen to you or consider your product.
Introduce Your Self / Product: Get right to it. Tell them about yourself or your product and what you've done to warrant being listened to. Include some relevant features and benefits. Maybe give yourself a title to add prestige. Include pictures in any case.
Media Features: If you have existing content, you will eventually be able to place a "as seen as" section where you will then display logos of icons of media outlets you've been mentioned or wrote in.
Tell your Story: Build rapport by sharing a personal struggle or finding a common enemy.
7) Identify Your Audience
Although you probably mentioned it already in on near your headline, now is the time to re-state and/or clarify the problem(s) your product or service promises to solve.
Who it Is and Isn't for: Many marketers don't like the idea of eliminating any segment of potential customers, but you must narrow your target market to the point of calling them out. Don't aim too wide and got lost in the marketing storm. It is better to start narrow and expand from there.
Twist the Knife: Clarify the type of problem your product solves, and extract some of the worst effects that the problem can lead to. Show them that not solving the problem is affecting the rest of their life negatively, and why they should buy your product right away to fix it.
6) Present Your Solution
Now it's game-time. Now that you've clarified and aggravated the problem, it's time to present your reader with your almighty solution; your product or service. Here are a few things to include:
Present Solution: Now is the time to tell them which product will help them cure their problems and move towards a more prosperous and happy life. You are not presenting your full offer yet, but only mentioning which kind of product you will be attempting to sell them.
Big Promise: I will assume you already know your product's big promise whether it be to lose weight, or gain money, or run faster. Of all the benefits your product offers, summarize or choose the best benefit and make it your over-arching big promise. Make it a personal transformation.
A Product Demonstration: This may be the best thing you can do to get a prospect to imagine themselves owning your product, which is huge. In addition to including pictures of everything you offer, displaying an actual product demonstration quells many fears and works wonders for selling.
5) Neutralize False Beliefs
If your reader is still with you at this point, then they are at least considering buying your product. This is also the time human psychology kicks in, in the form of doubtfulness or skepticism.
Not to worry, this just means it's time to address any questions a reader may have about your product.
Keep breaking false beliefs until there are no more objections to think up.
Russell Brunson
Dotcom Secrets
An FAQ Section: Your FAQ section is one of your more valuable marketing tools because many people will read them and you can include whichever facts you want the reader to know about. Lack of information is a big reason people don't buy, so answer any questions that might come up.
Vehicle / Internal / External: 90% of your readers' buying objections will address your solution vehicle (the product), internal factors ("I'm not smart enough"), or external factors ("My wife says no"). These have many variations but make it a point to address each of these 3 excuse factors.
Emphasize Ease and Speed: Nowadays, people want what they want, and they want it yesterday. This means one of their main hold ups to buy is that results will take forever or be difficult.
Show how easy and fast your product is to set up, implement, and use to extract the big promise.
4) Social Proof
What do you do before you buy a new-to-you product on Amazon? If you're like 95% of people, you read the reviews first. Same goes for for mechanics or restaurants on Yelp. This is not an accident.
The point is that people put a lot of weight into the opinions of others, for better or worse. You can use this to your advantage by including multiple elements of what marketers call "social proof".
Testimonials: Testimonials (especially on video) are the best ways to connect with prospects. As long as they don't look or sound too fake, readers will generally trust them or at least read them.
Digital Assets: Digital assets include any interactive "online real estate" you own, such as your website blog or social media accounts. These show that you are at least somewhat accountable to the public and humanizes your product/brand since they know they can publicly interact with you.
Media Features: You will want to share all of your notable collaborations, mentions, and features, such as interviews, product reviews, and company featured stories. Also mention any digital or print publications you've been published in. Display "As seen in" and include those logos and icons.
3) The Irresistible Offer
The irresistible offer is an identity-building offer central to a product, service or company where the believable return on investment is communicated so clearly that it’s immediately apparent you’d have to be a fool to pass it up...The irresistible offer must be the very core of your business. The irresistible offer must be your starting point.
Mark Joyner
The Irresistible Offer
Now we get to the "meat and potatoes" of your sales page. The offer is such an important piece of your sales page (and business) that many entire businesses are based around their great offer, such as Domino's (delivered in 30 minutes or it's free) or McDonald's (consistency in taste at every location).
Having a great offer (or not having one) can make or break your business, so here are a few components to make sure you include in your offer:
A Sense of Urgency: Of all the mental triggers you can arouse, establish a sense of urgency. You can do this in many ways, such as only making your bonus available "if you buy today".
Focus on the Transformation: Remember that no one ever buys your product. He buys the personal transformation your product will help him reach. Focus your offer around that final end goal.
A Guarantee: No offer is complete with a risk-free component. Create a custom guarantee for your product, name it, and flaunt it anywhere it might be useful on your sales page.
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2) Build Value
The human default setting is inaction, so many readers will invariably still be on the fence about buying, even if you've said everything right. This is where you build value to push them over the edge.
An Unexpected Relevant Bonus: Everyone likes a "free" bonus. It's just that simple. Make it relevant to the main product and valuable, but not so valuable that it outshines the main product. Make your bonus assist and simplify the use or implementation of the original purchase.
The human default setting is inaction, so many readers will invariably still be on the fence about buying, even if you've said everything right. This is where you build value to push them over the edge.
Explain Discount: It is extremely important that you give a reason for your temporary discount. Whether your merchandise is "water damaged from a sprinkler malfunction and everything must go" to pre-sale discounts, you must explain away your special temporary price/offer/deal.
Diminish Price: Soon after revealing your price, work fast to diminish it. Break it down to the price of a cup of coffee every day, or some other small, somewhat insignificant expense.
1) Call-to-Action
As I've mentioned before, the human default setting is inaction. This is why you must have a call-to-action which tells them exactly what to do next.
Be Specific: Given that humans are wired toward inaction, you will literally have to instruct them on every single action you want them to take. Yes, that means typing each instruction out, from "scroll down" to "click here" to "add these extras", and most importantly to "buy now".
Scarcity Reminder: I heard Russell Brunson say on his Marketing Secrets podcast that scarcity may be the only true way to make people buy. By adding a deadline on a bonus or discount or something else, you tap into human psychology and instill the urgency necessary to get them to buy.
The Call-to-Action: the place where we ask for the order and tell them what to do.
Ray Edwards
Copy That Sells
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