{EAV_BLOG_VER:e4bc3c05fe652067}Copywriting is a technique that is most overlooked in the internet marketing world. It is something so crucial and important factors that can make or break a landing page and a product sales page. Effectively writing a good copy will increase your chances of making money online, so take notes as I list some of the best ways to improve your copywriting skills.
Bullet points should be in “blocks,” not one Giant block Again, the human eye will fix on something, then “scroll.” Don’t let them get away, be ready to meet back up with the eye after the next scroll, and all over the “desire” section, halfway down the page, you will begin to place bullet points, explaining the features. Place a block of bullet points, then a testimonial or chart. Then another block of bullet points, this time they could be items that are included in your package, but nevertheless, the fact that you are not blowing your entire arsenal at once is a beautiful thing. It’s not about quantity here (Although since this is a competitive world, you need to pack on the pounds) but quality, so that 1st bullet point gets read, the 2nd, then the next 7 bullet points get ignored until the next block of bullet points: Again, the 1st bullet point gets read, the 2nd, the third, then “Ok I want to buy this!” Instead of: The 1st bullet point gets read, the 2nd, then “Oh man, this costs $24.95? Screw this!” Blocks of bullet points please!
Copy needs to answer all the questions and overcome all the reader’s objections. For example: “I don’t want to spend $24.95 on this!” Answer that objection: “You spend $600 a month of health insurance, and you can’t spend $24.95 or 30 cents a month?” Don’t be afraid to confront their skepticism and objections.
Copy should contain psychological techniques needed to press consumer “chemical buttons’ Lesson #1 The human brain is constantly being influenced, one way or the other. When someone is reading your copy, they are being influenced again & again. A good copy will continue to positively influence them and progressively influence them to buy your product, because every time they think negatively, they are presented with the right aspects to turn their thinking around at the next turn. Here is a crude example of a consumer “chemical button:” After you see some results, make sure to log back into the members section for updates” Now, some people immediately after reading this might think “Oh no, It doesn’t work well enough to produce permanent results, if it did, why do I have to “log back into the members section?” So, if it is entirely necessary to have that sentence, and you can’t think of a better way to write it, you can use the following sentence: If you need anything else after you begin enjoying your “new & improved life.” Now this is a remedy button, it only works at those times when you need to explain something that can potentially be disastrous but you make it have a positive effect & you turn it into a “reinforcement.” You are now better off than you would be without the entire sentence, it “kills two birds with the same stone.” A “turn on button” would be adding “perks” that are glorified benefits. That is, doing it without sounding so “hypey.” Too much hype ruins everything. You are better off saying “You know what? I don’t want to sell you this, you will become my competition, but I need too, it is in my publishing contract.” Darn it! The “hype thing can sound desperate: please, please, buy this, I’m desperate! It’s the best thing ever! A “turn on” button would look something like this: “I suddenly felt like I should maybe shut my mouth, because I didn’t want to explain to 200 people what I had learned” Or: I was one of those guys that thought “why doesn’t everyone do this?” “Then I found that everyone was doing this!” If the visitor can relate with you, they are sold.
Quote research that supports your claims Sometimes copy is not enough! Just the facts! Lay down the statistics; show them mathematically, socially and with statistics why they should buy your product. A good place to start to find out statistics for your industry is on google.com. Do a search for “statistics” then try “statistics for…(keyword.) Show your customer why they absolutely need your product to live, and why so many other people suffer or don’t get the right something without it.
Photos need to have captions, they are “fixing points”) As we were talking about before, pictures are very important. Your images should really tell a story, make a comparison, metaphor or give the prospect perspective. You should really give all of your images a good working through Photoshop before putting them on your page. Either giving them an overall shape or giving them all fixtures, photos should look like you gave them alot of attention and not just “thrown together.” Give your photos “captions.” A photo without a caption or title might as well have a big question mark next to it! You don’t want to put a caption next to every image on your page, but you should understand that not all of your images people will fully understand, especially if it is a graph, or an image portraying the way something in your product works technically. These are the pictures that could use a caption at the bottom of it. Pictures that are obvious, or consist of text already do not need captions. Just make sure to help your visitors better understand your images.
Give your benefits a picture! This is taking “captions” to another level. Your benefits? Give them a picture! Do you know what this does for your conversions? It assists your visitor visualize…yes, that’s right. Don’t leave everything up to your visitor to figure out visually. You supposed to be the one with the imagination. You are better off “dumbing down” your copy then assuming your visitor “can figure it out.” Even the smartest genius will not even want to put energy into figuring something out that does not “get through to them.” You need to be ready for them to love everything on the page, and then something goes wrong with the payment processor, not your page! Help them visualize the benefits on your page.
Use the word “You” more than the word “We” (75% to 25%) Your visitor does not care much about you, he cares about him or herself. A quick look over your page, keeping an eye out for the words “you” and “we” or “I” is a good proofing technique. Make sure there are many more “you’s” than “we’s.”
Have the copy tell a story with a tone like a one-to-one conversation great copy is told like a story, maintaining the “one to one” conversation. Assume that your visitor is by him or herself, browsing the internet and stumbles on your page. It’s just you and them. Engage them how you would engage someone on the street, and tell them your story.
List your credentials, awards, associations, great feats, number of years doing what you do, books written Your visitor wants to know how you are qualified to teach them this information or sell them material, so again, let them know why it should be “your product,” and not the other guy’s.
Use Product review comparisons A great thing to have is a “comparison table.” You want to try to stay away from using other brand names, or trademarked website names, but you can make a comparison chart from a times table that shows what your site has that the competition’s doesn’t.
Reviews by independent organizations: Have you gotten any reviews from independent organizations yet? If you are “reviewless” then it’s time to submit some complimentary memberships!
Use figures that are specific and that have not been rounded off When you “drop” numeric, use specific figures like “an average of 4476 jobs are lost” or $43.75 an hour. Don’t use figures like “Make $600 a day” That looks obviously el fakeroo!
Give the reader credible reasons that justify why you’re making the offer After you have told your story, presented the product and backed up your offer with testimonials, graphs, statistics, images and other reinforcements, explain to your visitor WHY you are selling this product. Give your visitor more than one sentence. Have a well-prepared explanation of why you are giving this incredible information or material away at such a cheap price.
Highlight text to create benefit “fixing points” because they only “glance” After the copy is all well and done, you need to highlight certain sections of text and underline & embolden certain words. These are again: “Fixing points.” Alot of the time when a “scroller” looks quickly through your page, they only give attention to the “fixing points.” And then perhaps read the sentence from there. You can do this in different ways, but the benefits should be the accented sections. The really important parts of the paragraphs should be highlighted, then certain sentences emboldened and words underlined. If you had a sentence like this: In 2 hours you will notice a difference that will make you jump completely out of your seat! Highlight “In 2 hours you will notice a difference” and “In two hours gets emboldened. See how it works? Do this all the way down the page.
Free bonuses or gifts offered as an incentive to buy After you have pitched the “deal” otherwise known as the “call to action” to your visitor, let them know they will get a free bonus if they order right away. A limited time offer works well to push them over the edge. You can produce an e-book, instruction resource or database, JV with someone who has a product that needs attention, or you can purchase “master resell rights” products to use as bonuses. With my products I make all my bonuses most of the time, but there are many ways you can go about it. Some ideas for JV’s: Offer a bonus with the permission of the publisher and give him a small percentage of sales. *Offer a bonus with the permission of the publisher and place his commission links on the bonus page in the members section *Offer a bonus with the permission of the publisher and then share revenue from a “one time offer” on your “thank you” page.
Make the call-to-action crystal clear and specific about what the reader should do This is the big moment. This is when your visitor opens their wallet and pulls out the credit card. You need to make this process as EASY as possible, and explain how to do it and what they should expect AFTER they purchase your material. Explain the entire process simply and clearly, without any information that you think may contradict itself or confuse the visitor.
Summarize the benefit details of your offer at the end of the letter Remind them again how their life is going to change after they sign up for your website. Remind them what benefits they will reap as a member of your site. Don’t forget to confirm what you have been telling them all the way down your page. Confirm it before you lose the customer. Help them make up their mind.
Positive “Try it free” not a negative “Money back if not satisfied” thing. If you are going to have a “money back guarantee,” think of a way to present them with this without sounding like the product might not be good. A good way would be “You will be the only person ever to get a refund” or “If for some bizarre reason…” or “try it free, no worries!” Don’t make it sound like you need to give it away for free because it is not selling, don’t sound too desperate. The best way to present a money-back guarantee is in a positive, legal way. Remember, if you offer a money-back guarantee you need to process their refund if they ask for one. I would use money back guarantees on products that have recurring billing, digital products and high content or software products. If you offer a guarantee, make sure to let them know in the members section that your product is intellectual property and it should be considered the same as opened software at this time.” Let them know it will be de-activated if they “break your terms of use.” Do not mention that they can get a refund in the members section. Do not. You will be in touch with your customers via email from the contact or support page in your member’s section.
Second guarantee with a “reason they have to pay” explanation A “second guarantee” with an example here: “We can only offer 50 memberships at this time. Your $35 donation will go towards further research into this exciting industry.” Or: We can only grant memberships to serious buyers who can afford the $35 one time fee.” Or: Why does it cost $40? We are hard at work producing music for you. All we ask in return is that you make a tax-deductible payment of $40 and we shall grant you access to our entire database. You can also remind them that other “similar” sites charge up to 20 times more or stomp the competition at this time.
“Sign the copy” with a handwritten signature at the bottom. Sign the “letter!” Scan or take a picture of your signature written by magic marker or Sharpie. Put it at the bottom of the letter, right before the “call to action.” Directly below your signature text caption with your name printed.
Add a postscript (P.S.) that re-emphasizes an important aspect of the body copy After the entire copy, “join button,” MasterCard symbols and call to action,” have a “P.S.” Example: P.S: “This product is going to grow little e-book legs and run away soon. Get your copy today, before it is too late.””
Use a (P.S.) to capitalize on people who read the end of the letter first. Example: We are going to get you playing piano in 6 days. If you don’t believe it, watch the video at the top of the page.”
Have a “closing” (P.P.P.S.) to finalize the entire presentation. Example: “Remember that you only have until midnight, the 6th of July to make an investment that will change your entire life: Purchase this e-book.” You can also add a ‘support” type P.S, similar to “We are available 24-7 for support!
Include an irresistible opt-in offer to capture the web visitors’ contact information Although we are going to get into “mailing list building” a bit later, you should have opt in boxes throughout your copy and a perfect offer to influence them to fill out the form and hand over their email.
Copy should be easily readable with short paragraphs and white space to create “air” A general reminder: Plenty of breathing space between paragraphs, easily readable copy and 4 to 5 line paragraphs only. Listen, I strongly encourage you to take a look at everyone’s copy out there. Keep a continuous look at other publishers and you might get ideas, find things out and confirm what we have been talking about so far. There is alot of great competition out there to learn from. Something I do right away when I start a new niche is, look at the competition’s copy and learn from it.