Let me start at the beginning. What does a sales letter do? Why do you write it? How different this is from web content? Once you have these answers clear in your mind, you would be able to understand what a good web copy is.
A sales letter is normally a direct-response advertisement. Nothing more, nothing less. This is a hook that is laid out there to lure in customers to the web through direct action. This vastly differs from web content which is meant to basically entertain and/ or inform the customer about different aspects of the product or services offered by the website. A good sales letter is that which compels the reader to take action; action which would change these people from browsers to customers.
The Basics Of A Mastermind Sales Letter
Much to the contrary belief, anyone could write an excellent sales letter provided they know and respect the basic rules. For this you must get familiar with the concept of AIDA:
A - for attention – you need to capture the attention of the browsing person and hold it
I - for interest - you need to get them interested in what you say
D – for desire - you need to build desire in their minds for your service or product
A – for action - you need to compel them to take action NOW
Now this is not so difficult, right? No, it is not. In fact it is the ‘how’ that is more critical than the ‘what’.
How To Write A Sales Letter?
1. Grabbing attention – you need to grab the attention well enough to hold it in the first five seconds that the browser glances at it. This is pretty tough. If you pass this hurdle, the rest is a piece of cake. For this you need an excellent punch line or a burning question that the reader would indeed want an answer for. This should make the reader stop and look for more.
2. Generating and holding their interest – the next step is to make an offer that cannot be refused. Use the best USP (Unique Selling Proposition) here because this is what would differentiate you from your competitors. Your USP should place you on the top of the list in the mind of the reader (for example, ‘Domino’s pizza – 30 minutes or free’ – this indicates that no one else can deliver a great pizza in 30 minutes).
3. Inflame the desire for what you sell – focus on the reader and only the reader. Play up the desires by highlighting the features and major benefits he/she could get from the product or service. Try using bullet points as this is fast to read and scan. The answer to their desire should be made so easily attainable that the reader should want to avail of it immediately. This is also done by adding testimonials where others express their agonies before they used the product/ service and their utter delight after they used it. This is in many cases what clinches the deal, so be very painstaking when wording the testimonials.
4. Induce urgent action – you have already built the desire in the reader and he/ she is happy with what they have learnt about the product. Given the human tendency, they would be tempted to wait and see whether better offers would be available on the Net or elsewhere. Here you need to push for action now by:
a. A time limit high discount offer
b. Warning about fast dwindling stock
c. Offering a gift if singing in NOW
d. Warning about rising prices
You also need to keep in mind here that the call to action (CTA) should ask them to do something – such as ‘click here’, ‘type in your email id’, ‘clink on the link’, etc. The reader should know exactly what to do - so they do not have the time to think or change their mind while searching.
*****************************************************
Copyright © Vad de Blower of http://softblower.com
Providing Internet marketing insider info and tools ( yes, free once too)
*****************************************************
Reprint right: You have a permission to reprint this article
without any alteration (including about athor resource box).