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It's a fact: Regardless of what you sell, your web site needs compelling salescopy!

Sure, you can put any old copy on your web site, but if you want salescopy that actually compels your visitors to buy your product or service, you need to make sure you're using copywriting techniques that are proven to produce results.

There's a big difference!

We know, because here at the Internet Marketing Center, we've been developing and testing different copywriting techniques for 10 years, and we've found the exact formula that works.

... In fact, we've used this formula in our own salescopy to generate over $60 MILLION in online sales!

In this issue of "Marketing Tips," I'm going to show you the seven copywriting elements crucial to building a highly profitable Internet business. I'll also show you how you can test your salescopy to make sure you're maximizing your traffic and converting as many visitors into paying customers as possible!

If you know the right copywriting techniques, absolutely anyone can write web site copy that SELLS.

Why effective salescopy can potentially EXPLODE your sales

The huge advantage of having an online business is that you have the chance to connect with millions of people -- and a ton of potential customers -- on the Web.

On the other hand, you don't have the opportunity to meet these potential customers face-to-face to tell them why YOUR product or service is exactly what they're looking for.

But your salescopy can do this for you!

Like a good salesperson, well-written salescopy captures your potential customers' attention and walks them through the sales process -- building trust, demonstrating how the product will benefit them personally, and overcoming objections as they arise.

... In other words, your salescopy IS your top salesperson.

The first thing you need to do is identify which kind of copy will work best for your business -- long copy or short copy.

• Long salescopy
  
  People used to think long salescopy would never work on the Internet... boy, were they wrong! We've tested it time and time again -- and so have thousands of our customers -- and we've used it on our own web sites to make millions in online sales.
  
  If you:
  
  
  • Sell a single product
    
  • Sell a single type of service
    
  • Sell a single product with limited variation (for example: 6 different kinds of water filters)

  ... You need long salescopy!
  

• Short salescopy
  
  If, on the other hand, you have a catalog-style web site with a TON of different products and product categories, short salescopy has proven to be more effective.

Whichever one you use, there are certain proven salescopy elements that are downright vital if you want to grab your visitors' attention and get them to buy from you instead of your competitors.

The seven ESSENTIAL elements of money-making salescopy

Any one of the salescopy elements I'm about to show you can increase your conversion rate on its own...

... But use ALL of these copywriting techniques together, and you'll create an unstoppable online salesperson that will sell your product or service 24/7!

1. Write to a targeted audience
   
   Unless money is no object, you have to define your audience beyond simply "people on the Internet."
   
   You must know EXACTLY who your niche market is and then target your salescopy to precisely what they're looking for if you want them to stay on your site long enough to buy something.
   
   Ideally you've already defined who your target market is -- How old are they? What is their education level? What problems are they trying to solve? (If you don't know the answers to these questions, consider going back and doing a little more research!)
   
   Whoever they are, you need to write in a voice that appeals to them. If your target market is teenagers, they'll be gone in a flash if your salescopy reads like something out of Business Week!
   
   And if your audience is looking for sump pumps, they'll probably be turned right off if you come off sounding like a surfer dude...
   
   Knowing your audience also lets you anticipate any questions or objections they might have so that you can address these in your copy... just the way a sales rep would in person.
   
   
2. Create an attention-grabbing headline
   
   A winning headline gets straight to the point and addresses the reason your visitor has come to your site. The MOST effective headlines promise an answer to the problem your visitor has arrived on your site trying to solve.
   
   Here are a couple of examples of irrelevant, ineffective headlines:

   "Welcome to www.MyWebsite.com!"
   
   "WidgetWorld -- the solution to all your drainage problems!

   Now, take a look at these compelling, eye-catching headlines from two entrepreneurs we interviewed for our private "Secrets to their Success" web site.
   
   From Penny Halgren's How-To-Quilt.com:
   

   "Now, In Just 9 Easy Steps, You Can Transform Ordinary Fabric Into a Handmade Quilt That Your Family and Friends Will Love, Admire and Cherish – Even If You Have Never Made a Quilt Before!"

   And from Darren Salkeld's Down-Feather-Bedding.com:
   

   "Have you been searching for luxury goose down comforters -- at places such as Amazon.com, Bizrate.com, Overstock.com, eBay.com (just to name a few) -- but cannot decipher all the hype from the true quality!?

   Finally... Get all of the facts that surround the luxury goose down bedding business -- including insider information AND closely guarded industry secrets -- so you can make a totally informed decision for your entire family's well being!"

   See the difference?
   
   The last two headlines address precisely what the target web site visitor is looking for. If you keep your headline highly relevant, simple, and specific, chances are good that your reader will continue on to read more of what you have to say.
   
   And don't worry if your headlines are long -- long means you can include more detail, which will attract a more targeted audience!
   
   
3. Establish your credibility
   
   Put yourself in your visitors' place. They've landed on your site looking for the solution to a problem, but they're just two clicks away from dozens or even hundreds of other sites that also offer a solution.
   
   Why should they believe what you have to say? You have to prove very early on that what you're about to tell them can be trusted.
   
   There are a few ways you can do this...
   
   
   • Give your credentials: Written a best-selling book on your subject? Got a related PhD or 20 years of experience in the field? Are YOU the inventor of the widget you're selling? Have well-known people bought your product or used your services?
     
     Detailing your credentials helps to establish you as an authority on your subject in the eyes of your reader, and will put you one step closer to making the sale.
     
     
   • Tell a story: How did you come up with the idea for your product or service? Were you trying to solve the same problem as your potential customers and decided to create your own solution? Or did you go to the ends of the earth to find a solution, and here it is?
     
     Explain the story behind your business and your readers will relate to you as a person, rather than just seeing a faceless commercial web site. As a bonus, your story will keep them reading.
     
     
   • Use testimonials: Results-packed testimonials from happy customers are the MOST powerful trust-builder of all.
     
     The key is to make sure your testimonials are specific, describing the exact results your customer experienced by using your product or service. Include the person's name, company name, and URL if possible to show there is a real live person behind the rave review.
     
     While it's always great to hear back from a happy customer, when it comes to using their feedback in your web site copy not all testimonials are created equal.
     
     Here's an example of a testimonial that doesn't pack much of a punch:

     I really like your product. It's great. Thanks!

     Compare that testimonial to this one from one of our Internet success stories, featured on our main site, www.MarketingTips.com:
     

     "We have sold many thousands of Powerballs, and made over $1,000,000 last year from faithfully applying the advice and operating principles to our business model that your company has given!

     You have also given me the necessary tools... to be able to finally sit back and enjoy the wealth that the web has helped to create for me."

     Rory McLoughney,
     RPM Sports Ltd.
     www.powerballs.co.uk

     The most effective testimonials spell out the concrete results your customers have achieved after buying your product or service, so visitors can see that you deliver the goods.
     
     
   • Add a strong guarantee: Considering that your product or service can't be touched or sampled over the Internet, many consumers are understandably cautious about buying online.
     
     A strong guarantee showing you stand behind what you're selling helps alleviate their concerns and reduce the risk of buying from you.
     
     Take a look at how Mark Bowden of Spex4Less.com builds confidence with his ironclad guarantee:
     
     
     
     By offering a no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee, you DO run the risk of dealing with refunds and returns. But considering that you'll likely get more sales than you would have without the guarantee, the reward definitely outweighs the risk.
     
     Also, the longer return period you allow, the better! We recommend a minimum 90-day guarantee.
     
     Anything less is simply too flimsy, and may cause your customers to stress about the short length of time they've got... and then fire returns back to you.
     
     On the other hand, the longer guarantee period you offer, the fewer returns you'll get! With an extended time period, most customers know they have all the time in the world to try out your product, and most won't want to deal with the hassle of sending it back.
     
     For some of our products, we even offer a lifetime guarantee!
     
     
4. Talk about benefits, not just features
   
   Your potential customers want to know how your product or service will make THEIR lives easier. Drive this home by focusing on benefits, not just features.
   
   What's the difference?
   
   A feature is a particular highlight of a product or service, while a benefit is what the buyer actually gets from using the feature.
   
   Here are a few examples:

   Feature: "The Grade A Gardening Shovel is ergonomically designed to remove weeds more efficiently than traditional shovels."
   
   Benefit: "Get your weeding done in half the time AND reduce wrist soreness!"

   Here's another one:

   Feature: "Acme Deluxe Cleaner cleans both floors AND windows."
   
   Benefit: "Buy fewer cleaning supplies and save your money!"

   Attaching a benefit to the feature answers your visitor's question: "What's in it for me?" and gets them to imagine using your product to take care of the problem they're trying to solve.
   
   Put them in the picture by using "you" and "your" to create an immediate connection with what you're selling.
   
   
5. Add a sense of urgency for immediate sales
   
   Now that your readers know where to find you on the Web, they may decide to surf around some more, think things over, and come back later. This means you lose the momentum you've created so far in your salescopy, and chances are that once your visitors leave your site, they won't be back.
   
   You need to give your visitors a good reason to buy NOW rather than later. Offering a limited quantity of products or offering them only for a limited time can give them the nudge they need to pull out their credit cards.
   
   Coupons or discounts that expire also motivate potential customers. Another option is to offer a special bonus item for a limited time. For example: "This special bonus is available ONLY to the first 200 people who order!"
   
   
6. Format for easy scanning
   
   Have you read every word of this newsletter? I doubt it.
   
   The Internet has changed the way people read. In fact, when it comes to web pages, they don't! They scan. Only 16% read word by word, according to a study by Jakob Nielsen.
   
   Long essay-style paragraphs simply look like too much work to read, and they're a surefire way to turn visitors off and sink sales. Your visitors should never have to work to find out what your product or service is about!
   
   Even though your potential customers probably won't read every word of your salescopy, you CAN encourage them to go through it from top to bottom by making it scannable.
   
   Break up your text with these techniques:
   
   
   • Use bulleted lists and subheads
   • Make short, chunky paragraphs of one to four lines -- and mix them up
   • Emphasize important points with bolding, highlighting, or italics
   • Use a plain font like Arial or Verdana
   • Use only relevant graphics and images
   • Put your text on an unpatterned, white or light background
   
   
7. Ask for the order
   
   Okay, so you've attracted your readers' attention, and drawn them through the salescopy by explaining the features and benefits of your product or service. So NOW what?
   
   Ask for the order!
   
   At this point it's crucial that you spell out EXACTLY what you want your reader to do. Here are a few ways to spell it out and ask for the order:

   To order now and receive your copy within minutes, click here!"
   
   "Click here to take advantage of this limited time offer!"
   
   "To get your widget -- backed by our 100% risk-free guarantee -- click here now!"

   If you don't make the next step absolutely crystal clear for your readers, there's no telling how many sales might be slipping through your fingers.

An attention-grabbing headline, credibility, benefits, urgency, scannability, and clear direction to a targeted audience... add these elements to your web site and you'll create a sales powerhouse!

To see all of these essential salescopy elements in action, check out the salesletter for our best-selling "Insider Secrets" course at http://www.marketingtips.com/tipsltr.html.

We spent 15 days performing 28 separate tests on this salesletter to make sure every element is as compelling as it can be... which reminds me:

Why you MUST test your salescopy for maximum results

Your salescopy is the cornerstone of your online business, and not knowing how well it's performing is like betting the bank on a blind racehorse!

If testing is something relatively new for you, a good idea is to modify one element of your salescopy each week and monitor what happens to your conversion rate. As you make each small change one at a time, it should become apparent if your modification has a positive or negative effect on your sales.

You can try:

• Modifying your headline
• Swapping in new testimonials
• Adding revamped features and benefits
• Moving your price up or down
• Changing your formatting

You'd be surprised how a small change to one element of your site can mean a BIG difference to your sales!

A great beginners' testing tool you may want to try out is www.CrazyEgg.com, a software program that runs silently and transparently on your web site. A free trial version allows you to track up to 5,000 visitors to see how they react to the salescopy on your site.

For more in-depth detail on testing, check out a previous issue of our newsletter at: www.marketingtips.com/newsletters/?article=art_july05. (Scroll down to the second-last section to find the material on testing.)

Final thoughts

When it comes to your online business, your salescopy is your one and only chance to communicate directly with your potential customers and tell them WHY they should buy from you over someone else.

Since so many Netrepreneurs overlook the importance of well-written salescopy, you're already ahead of the game just by making sure your copy includes the crucial elements we've talked about here!

And by testing the different components of your salescopy -- regularly! -- you'll know how well your site is performing and what, if anything, needs to be changed to prevent potential sales from going down the drain.

If you're intimidated at the thought of writing salescopy, or simply don't have the time to tackle it, consider hiring a professional to do it for you.

... Just make sure they include the seven important elements we've talked about here! (You can find freelance writers at Elance.)

On the other hand, if you want to learn copywriting techniques for yourself, turn to the experts to get the tips you need to write money-making copy.

In our Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet, we lay out exactly how to write successful salescopy in 12 easy-to-follow steps. With these copywriting techniques and a little practice, you could be turning a whole lot more of your web site visitors into paying customers!