Don't Kill the Deal
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If your Sales Pages consist of just the specs and manufacturer’s canned descriptions of your product, then it’s a good bet they’re underperforming. It’s too competitive today to settle for the same pitch that everyone else is using.
Thing is, without the right content elements in the right places, you may be losing prospects at the very place they’re most likely to hand you their credit card info.
It’s too bad that businesses put so much effort into their website design but forget what it takes to move their prospect to click the Buy Now button. They make the same mistakes over and over…but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Turn Your Dull, Listless Sales Page into a Profit Driven Money Page
The sales page is where your visitor decides to actually pull the trigger and buy your product. It’s your website’s money page. It’s where you reap the benefits of good SEO and an engaging, well organized website.
Here’s where you answer your visitor’s questions about your product, describe its features and benefits, and secure a Buy Now click to the shopping cart or quote page.
So why isn’t your Sales/Product page performing?
5 Problems with Sales Pages and How You Can Fix Them
Your Sales Page is comprised of three different elements: 1) the headline, 2) the body copy, and 3) the call to action. Keep these elements in mind as you look at the points below. It might be a good idea to head over to one of your Sales Pages right now while looking at these important tips:
Mistake 1: The Headline Does Not Attract and Engage Attention
You have to put more into your headline than just a product title. Make it interesting and include a benefit that will please your visitor.
For example, from a Sales Page I wrote for a beauty salon:
“Safe, Gentle Microdermabrasion Facial Rejuvenates the Skin Without Chemicals or Lasers”
We could have just placed Microdermabrasion Facials at the top of the page as the headline. But note here the soothing features in this headline: Safe, Gentle Microdermabrasion Facial.
And the enticing, healthful benefits: Rejuvenates Without Chemicals or Lasers. Which one draws you in?
Mistake 2: First Few Lines are Unimaginative or Nonexistent
You have your visitor hooked with the headline, now bring them in with a lead that gets them to envision how great their life will be after using your product. And start making friends with your visitor.
Here’s the lead from the page mentioned above:
“Rejuvenate, smooth, and repair your skin with this soothing facial that exfoliates with crystals, stimulates the skin, and re-energizes cell activity.
“It’s much gentler than chemical and laser peels and is virtually painless. It can also be combined with other therapies to treat the following skin conditions:...”
You can picture yourself there at the salon, getting rejuvenated and re-energized. And your questions about the treatment are answered quickly in a friendly, getting to know you way. Is it painful? Can it treat my skin condition? The answers are there right away at the beginning of the page.
Mistake 3: Canned Manufacturer’s Product Description
I’ve seen so many products listed on websites with the exact same description as all of the other companies offering the product. Why are they the same? Because they are the manufacturer’s product descriptions offered to all of the reps.
One way to break up those canned descriptions is by adding benefits to the product features in the manufacturer’s description.
Check out this description I wrote for a farm and construction equipment distributor:
"The Rascal Dump Trailer series is just the thing for the smaller loads on the farm or around the house. Our Low Trailer Dump Series are versatile trailers with a low deck height perfect for loading and unloading lawn tractors, mowers, and other equipment."
Notice how specific we get here with the trailer’s use, “smaller loads on the farm or around the house” and for “lawn tractors, mowers, and other equipment.” And it’s conversational, like we’re speaking face-to-face with our customer.
Mistake 4: No Offer of Proof
Remember, unless someone has bought from you before, you’re selling to strangers. How do they know you’re telling the truth? This is where testimonials work to verify that your product does what you say it will do. And 3rd party certification from studies or tests if you can get them are very helpful here.
Mistake 5: Not Clearly Asking For The Sale
You’ve worked hard to get your prospect to the Buy Now button. This is not the place to lose steam. He/She really wants to buy from you, so it’s your job to make it easy for them.
So, at the Call to Action you can remind them about your free shipping, or the bonus gift, or the 10% discount. Hit them with a quick list of reasons they should get off the fence and buy now.
And maybe you can do better with the Buy Now button. Instead of Buy Now, how about, Get Your Soothing Facial Today. Or, Let’s Get Started.
There are loads of ways to achieve all of the above goals. And the same mistakes are made on Service Pages for such businesses as accounting, insurance, and architecture. Just make sure your Sales Page works as hard as the rest of the pages on your website. Let’s start by renaming your Sales Page.
We’ll call it the Money Page.
Until next time,
Nick
Other posts about sales pages you might be interested in:
Sales Writing from the New Yorker...or the Usual Gang of Idiots
Nick Burns is a Web writer specializing in persuasive copywriting and content marketing. Nick’s services include SEO Web writing, website information architecture, content marketing, consulting, and publishing. He provides clients a winning online strategy plus the content writing to make it work. You can contact Nick here.
