Recently Internet marketers returned to the old issue of search marketing and traffic. However Google have always been quite clear that to be indexed and highly ranked in search engine results pages you need quality content. Yahoo said this before as did Microsoft back in the 90s. The other option is to use Google AdWords.
But what ultimately matters as Google point out to their advertisers are conversions. All sellers know nothing happens until something is sold.
And whilst it might be objective to focus on the numbers in SEO and SEM it’s ultimately the sales copy – content – on your pages that converts. But for some reason most sites seem unable or unwilling to publish content or write sales copy when in practice creating content and copy is a simple 6-step process.
The willingness to write sales letters is important because everything on the Internet is in writing. Content which feeds traffic to your site is written as are lead pieces, opt-in pages, email sequences, sales and offer pages, ads and landing pages. Even videos need a script.
Although some may fear writing, think they don’t know how and not appreciate the benefits, a piece of writing can be crafted in 6 practical steps.
Writing sales letters is a great way to start as direct response marketing is the best model for Internet marketing. My experience was sales letters beat high cost mailings by 1500%. Multiplying sales and profits. They were always opened, most were read and they were more likely to be acted on.
While most junk mail was trashed, letters were opened. It’s the same on the Internet. Buyers only spend about 15% of their time on flashy commercial sites. They spend near 40% of their time reading content.
The difference is like junk-mail many commercial sites shout at visitors with over-sized bright fonts and images. Have you ever seen a salesperson shout at their customer?
A sales letter talks to people in the same way a salesperson talks to their customer in a clear, quiet, sincere manner which is why buyers prefer to research tens of content sites weeks months before they buy and are heavily influenced by them.
Once your letter is opened the secret is to gain the reader’s’ attention and hold their interest. If your following story then offers something they want or wish to know, they’ll continue reading.
Google research proves people want information about the things they buy. Google 2011 data is evidence of buyers researching information over long periods of time on many different sites.
Good buying is based on good information. You simply tell those interested everything they want to know. Then they will act.
Once you have your readers’ attention you can tell your full story. Make every point you wish to make. Because people buy on one vital point that point must be in your piece of writing.
Your letter will only be read once so make the most of it. If you fail to tell something in your letter, it’s something your reader will never know.
This is your one chance to prompt action.
It doesn’t matter how long your letter is. It will be read if it’s interesting.
We buy sometimes with years of ownership in mind. A person interested in buying will read volumes if the copy is interesting.
A headline, logo, and offer are not enough for your buyers or Google.
So why don’t more sales letters get written?
The reason is copywriters are expensive and difficult to hire being overwhelmed with demand to write mountains of material for the Internet. Many have stopped writing on spec and publish their own money making sites. In addition to their sales know-how comes skills in planning, producing and publishing making them some the highest paid Internet marketing consultants in the world.
So why not write your own sales letters?
Writing is a practical task broken down into a 6-step process.
You don’t need to sit down and write. You do 70% of the work before you start writing.
You don’t need a huge ability to write. It’s a process of organising what you have to say into an understandable form.
If you can talk, you can write. And all salespeople can talk.
Copywriting is salesmanship in writing. It’s salesmanship multiplied. Where a salesperson talks to one person you can talk to thousands even millions on the Internet.
The process won’t require you to negotiate time, space and quiet, whilst one writes. You can do most of your writing anytime, anywhere. All you need is a recording device. I use a fountain pen and paper. You might prefer your smart-phone.
The first thing to appreciate is some sites like junk-mail say nothing whilst mistakenly trying to over influence. They try to be clever looking for applause and to please the sellers’ ego.
Sales letters express themselves clearly looking to please the buyer and make a sale.
Before starting to write a professional would 1) work out their purpose, 2) research and 3) plan a narrative. You can fast start these first three steps simply by answering 12 questions I posted asking what do you know about your products and customers? Then you can 4) write, 5) edit and 6) review completing the job.
If you think you don’t know how to write then think again. You’re writing about what you already know which are your memories, observations and senses of people and products you deal with on a daily basis.
The reason people fear writing is because we judge all things outside of ourselves. When you write you’re transferring ideas in your mind outside yourself onto paper. So you’ll naturally be your own worst critic and question your own writing as useful and interesting. That’s a good thing. Keep going until you find something useful and interesting.
The benefits of writing sales letters are more than just profiting from selling in writing. You’ll also develop skills in research, planning, producing, publishing and promoting on the Internet with all its opportunities and options.
If you’re not a writer first try writing a short story about your own life based on your memories. It’s a useful piece of writing I’ll tell you about another time.
Meantime, what do you know about your products and customers?
Regards
Ralph
