It creates a “sense of urgency” as one step in the path leading the prospect to the land of the customer.

Why use scarcity?

One of the primary reasons, maybe THE primary reason, is because people put things off. Most people excel at it!

That’s exactly what you do not want.

The fact is, if the person doesn’t do what you what you want them to do there and now the odds of them doing it later aren’t that good.

So the goal of scarcity is stop your prospects from procrastinating.

The problem is that with digital downloads is that it’s pretty hard to say “only 23 copies” left because, well, it’s digital so you can just make another copy.

But, scarcity is still alive an well.

Here’s how to use scarcity with digital products…
There are a number of ways to add urgency via scarcity.

While you can’t really limit the quantity (in most cases) you can definitely limit your offer in a number of ways.

Limit the Time

One common way to limit your offer is to make it available for a limited period of time.

So you can say that the offer is available for only 2 days or 15 minutes or whatever is applicable for your situation.

This should be real though, don’t say that something is only available for a limited time if that isn’t true, that is, people can get the same offer after the time deadline.

Otherwise, people will quickly learn that you do that and you’ll lose all credibility.

Note: at the time of writing this the credit card companies have released new rules and guidelines that frown upon the use of countdown timers, an effective way of pushing time sensitivity.

Limit the Actual Offer

This can be an excellent way to use urgency.

How you do this is by taking parts of your offer and make them available for only a certain period or for the first X number of people.

The “parts” can really be anything, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Some or all of our bonuses, be they the products or services that will be included.
• A “special price”, same sales and fire sales are common examples of this but don’t limit yourself to just those ways.
• You could offer a longer guarantee for fast action takers.

The thing is that if you do this you need to be explicit in that it will indeed end and be sure to provide a reason for the urgency; it must be a real, believable reason though or it plain won’t work.

Sort of like the digital version of “I only have 12 more on the shelf.”

Unlike a physical product though you can word it so that you “may change the offer” and if they wait it may not be available.

An argument can be made that this treads the line on being deceptive and I personally wouldn’t do it because I think you don’t need it but many, more successful people than I think it’s okay.

I’ll leave it to you to decide if you are comfortable with it and it can help sales.

Just do it right or it will really lose it effectiveness.

Updating The Product

Since it is a digital product you can easily change it or update it; you could even use release or version numbers.

The changes don’t even have to be large changes, a few changes here and there, update a resource page, update to add new information or even add a new chapter.

You may ask though “great, but how do I use urgency with an updated product?”

That’s another excellent question.

There are two simple ways to do that. Each are targeted to a different situation, let’s look at them.

1. Urgency With an Existing Product

The way this works is that you say you are coming out with a new version and that the price or other parts of your offer are going to change with when the new version is released.

So the urgency is created by the deadline of the release of new product and the lose of the existing offer.

2. Urgency With a New Product

You do this by having a “pre-launch” or “pre-release” or “early bird” or “introductory” offer that will be changed once the product is finally released.

A simple example using price would be $97 during the 1-week, pre-launch but a lot more during launch.

Time Sensitivity

Please note that I didn’t say time urgency but “time sensitivity”.

What I mean is content that is either very fresh with a short “shelf life” or is really only valuable for a certain period of time.

Maybe because when the information is widely known it loses its value or when an event, season, activity or even a news item occurs then the information loses value.

The information doesn’t even have to be the entire product it could just a part of the product, a chapter or a bonus or something that is time sensitive.

Since the information is time-sensitive, if someone buys after the “event”, then the offer has less value.

Resource Limits

Depending upon the product or service, you can use urgency very effectively using limitations of time and other resources.

Some examples of this would make it easier to understand.

Say you offer a service… the truth is you can only handle so much business because you have only 24 hours in a day and even if you have people to help you there are still limits.

So if you build Web sites, write articles, provide coaching, or plan weddings or whatever, since you can do only so many you have resource limits and these limits can create a sense of urgency.

“This is available for only the first X people because that is all I have the time to handle and retain the level of quality you deserve and I require.”

My friend, Jason Anderson, had, and used, some urgency in a launch he did recently for iFlashVideo.

He and his team creates TV-quality custom videos.

They can only create so many videos and keep the quality.

They made sure they mentioned that on their sales page because …

• It was true.
• It was something that people should know.
• It was good marketing.

You should always, truthfully, point out that after the limit is reached the offer will change go up because you have to cover additional costs and other constraints.

Notice, I said you should ALWAYS point it out.

Sure it’s common sense but that doesn’t mean people are conscious of it so pointing it out bring it to their consciousness and makes it much more effective.

Just be sure to be specific about the date, or number, available for when your offer is valid.

If you have something different than a service type of thing then you can point out resource constraints like disk space or bandwidth as obvious limits with associated costs when those are exceeded.

In fact, I’ve used that for a membership site because if I exceeded a certain number of members I’d have to move to a more expensive server to handle it and hire additional help.

Conclusion

Yes, you can easily use scarcity with digital products in a variety of ways:

1. Limit the Time
2. Limit the Actual Offer
3. Updating The Product
4. Resource Limits

Making something scarce, makes the thing more valuable and places more urgency on the offer; the basic law of supply and demand.

It’s an very effective technique and something you should always try to incorporate when you are trying to get someone to do something.

Do you have a great way you use scarcity?

Do you have any problems where you don’t know how to use scarcity?

Leave a comment and let me know.

Talk soon,

The Shameless (Ethical) Marketer
http://www.Twitter.com/DavidHusnian
http://GetYourBonusesNow.com

O.Y. Don’t forget to retweet this! Use the button on the page or Tweet this:
Scarcity: Does It Work With Digital Products? http://streetguidetocopywriting.com/blog/psychological-triggers/digital-scarcity (via @DavidHusnian)

.

This post from: Street Guide to Copywriting. To read more post like this, head over to Street Guide to Copywriting

Scarcity: Does It Work With Digital Products?

Last time we talked about building trust using testimonials.

Testimonials are just one form of credibility builders and this time we are going to look at more of them.

The more you can build your credibility with your prospects the more likely they are too buy; that explains why many professional sales letters spend so much time on doing it – it really improves conversions and puts more money into your pocket.

Great sales copy, meaning sales copy that converts well, always contains many types of “proof elements” and many of them don’t actually have anything to do with your product or service.

Not counting testimonials, I have identified 15 more ways to build credibility so let’s get started!

15 Credibility Builders

Here is a quick look at the credibility builders, we’ll look at some of them in more depth below:

1. Awards won by you, your company, or your product or service.
2. Biographical sidebars
3. Case studies
4. Contact information (address and telephone number)
5. Endorsements from celebrities or public figures
6. FAQ sheets
7. Media appearances
8. Photos of yourself and, to a lesser extent, of your product
9. Press clippings
10. Quotes from experts
11. Referrals and references
12. Sales figures or other “hard” proof that would be applicable
13. Scientific studies
14. Statistics or quotes from credible third parties
15. Tell your prospects you can’t solve all their problems, but you can solve a percentage of them.

That’s a lot of ways to build credibility and that’s good from you because it gives you lots of options and gets you lots of sales!

It All Starts with You

Ultimately, the prospect needs to trust you and that means you have to be out there; be honest and transparent.

Start by showing a picture of yourself. If you are using a persona then you need to find a picture that is representative of that persona.

Make sure the picture is appropriate for your target audience. By that I mean, is you are selling expensive financial information then formal business attire would be more appropriate (not a picture of you playing with your kids) whereas if you are selling sports equipment then an informal, sporty look may be just right.

If you have media appearances or photos/videos of you teaching the information that’s really powerful also.

Include some personal information about yourself, enough to get the prospect to start identifying with you and building a more personal, emotional bond than they would with a boring “sell-sell-sell” type sales letter.

One great thing to do is put your contact information on the sales page. Make sure the prospects feels that can contact you in multiple ways so include your address, your telephone number, your fax number, your e-mail address, even your Twitter name!

You can use excerpts from press releases as credibility builders. Even though they are originally written by you they do increase people’s trust in you.

Finally, use any organizations you’re associated with that will impress your prospects.

Let me give you a real life example of that

My aunt is a consultant to companies on cultural diversity, she has a Ph.D. in the subject.

She appears on TV as an expert, has published books and articles on the subject and she’s been consulting for many years for many large organizations.

She always used “Ph.D.” after her name but after she changed it to “Ph.D., UCLA” her conversions increased nicely.

She made only that change, nothing else.

She was afforded additional credibility and believability because she could now tap into the prestige of UCLA.

What Other Say About You

Testimonials fill this role but you can and should go beyond testimonials.

If you can get celebrity endorsements you’ll have one of the most powerful credibility builders there are. In general, they don’t even have to be associated with the product in any way although some products in some niches it is better to have a person who is a celebrity in that niche.

Note, you can frequently buy a celebrity endorsement and they aren’t as expensive as you’d think unless you’re going after a really big name.

You can get a certain amount of celebrity endorsement that is brand related rather than personal. For example, the “As Seen On …” type of thing still works great and isn’t that hard to get.

Quotes from experts and authorities are very good, particularly I some niche. For example, quotes from doctors and nurses in a health niche can really help build your credibility.

One way that people says things about you that isn’t commonly thought of is awards. If you or your product have won awards these can be tremendous credibility builders; display them and tout them.

Facts, Just the Facts

If you can show sales figures, income statements, traffic figures and other information that “prove” the value of your product or service this build some credibility and also gets people thinking that it would be something they want to have.

Scientific studies, statistics and data from highly credible third parties, even if it is only vaguely related to your product, give your prospects an increased level of comfort.

You essentially piggyback off the credibility of the third party, groups like professional associations (American Medical Association – AMA), government agencies (Food & Drug Administration – FDA), professional media (Wall Street Journal), consumer media (CNN), educational institutions (Harvard) and consumer watchdogs (Consumer Reports).

The Truth and Nothing But the Truth

You can also build credibility by telling your prospects that you can’t solve all their problems but then showing them how you can solve most of them.

For example: “We can’t solve all your debt problems but imagine what your life would be like with the 94.5% we can help you with.”

What this does is make you seem more credible and not just some scam artist trying to take them for everything they have; your claims won’t be as unbelievable and they’ll be more confident in you and what you are offering.

The use of a specific percentage increases the trust because it sounds like a real number that was actually calculated which makes a bigger impact on the prospect.

Ultimately, the truth is the best thing you can do. If you aren’t truthful it will come out in your copy and it will be noticed by your prospects, even if it is subconsciously.

Don’t give false or misleading figures.

Don’t give false or misleading deadlines.

Don’t give false or misleading promises.

Be truthful.

Once you lose your reputation of being honest then people will always wonder when you’re telling the truth and when you are not. This will hurt you more than anything else.

Conclusion

It is simple, the more credible you appear to your prospects the more cash you’ll get.

There are many ways to improve credibility and you should include as many of them as possible because there aren’t many individual credibility builders you can use that will be enough to get the sale.

Here are the 15 ways to build credibility we looked at:

1. Awards won by you, your company, or your product or service.
2. Biographical sidebars
3. Case studies
4. Contact information (address and telephone number)
5. Endorsements from celebrities or public figures
6. FAQ sheets
7. Media appearances
8. Photos of yourself and, to a lesser extent, of your product
9. Press clippings
10. Quotes from experts
11. Referrals and references
12. Sales figures or other “hard” proof that would be applicable
13. Scientific studies
14. Statistics or quotes from credible third parties
15. Tell your prospects you can’t solve all their problems, but you can solve a percentage of them.

Don’t neglect these. Make more money!

What credibility builders do you use?

What new ones can you add that have helped you?

Leave a comment and let me know.

Talk soon,

David

The Shameless (Ethical) Marketer
http://www.Twitter.com/DavidHusnian
http://www.8-8-8Sale.com
http://www.MusicForInternetMarketers.com
http://www.SecretsOfGoogleAdWords.com
http://www.MadMondaySale.com
http://www.2ForTuesdaySale.com

O.Y. Don’t forget to retweet this! Use the button on the page or Tweet this:

Explode Your Sales by Building Trust with Credibility Builders http://bit.ly/5S5Df (via @DavidHusnian)

.

This post from: Street Guide to Copywriting. To read more post like this, head over to Street Guide to Copywriting

Explode Your Sales by Building Trust with Credibility Builders

If the prospect doesn’t trust you it will be very hard to make sales; emphasis on VERY and HARD.

There are various ways to build trust, some of which we’ve talked about in the past, but one of the strongest ways to build credibility and trust are testimonials.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term testimonial, basically it is an independent 3^rd party verification that your solution does, in fact, do what you say it does.

Or, in other words, it is people raving about how great the product and you are.

When it comes to persuading prospects about how good your product is, testimonials are right at the top of the list.

Scattered throughout your sales copy, you continuously strengthen the various sales copy points you’re making, just make sure the testimonial supports the sales copy the prospect just read or is about to read.

We’re going to look at the various types of testimonials, how to create powerful testimonials and how to get testimonials even if you don’t have any customers yet!

Types of Testimonials

Testimonials can be so much more than the typical “your product is great” letters from customers.

Sure, those are great and you should use those that are believable and interesting; but enhance them by giving it an attention getting headline and be sure to include as much name, location and contact information as you can get; don’t forget that pictures really add to the believability.

But there are other testimonials, the ways are really limited by your own creativity but here are some ways that have proven highly effective to get you started:

• Write a “breaking news article” by interviewing some customers, about 4 to 6, about their experiences with your product.
• Get someone to interview your customer or do it yourself if you can’t find anyone. Ask tough questions about your product, play devil’s advocate and let the customer overcome your questions and objections; use the audio (or video) as the testimonial. This is a remarkably effective way of building trust with your prospects
• Create a case study about some of your customers, that is, a story about how a customer used and was helped by using your product.
• Ask your customer to create a video of them actually using your product or of results they’ve achieved (before and after work particularly good in video).

Creating Powerful Testimonials

You’ll find that many of the testimonials you get aren’t really that good. They might be poorly written, vague, sound insincere or just boring.

The obvious solutions it that if you don’t like them then don’t use them but, with a little work, you can get great ones or turn less than great into great!

Most people give the same type of testimonial, either one that says how great the product is or a sort of “before and after” testimonial; that is, they tell you their problem and how the product solved it, generally with some raving about greatness thrown in.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with those (get as many as you can but, to stand out and be more believable, you can’t stop there, go one step further.

What you want are much more powerful, more “get them where it counts” testimonials.

In particular, you want testimonials that talk about specific benefits and that tell a story about a real person who had a real problem and who is absolutely elated with the product that, finally, gave them a solution.

Now, you’re probably wondering how to get such a perfect, “dream”, testimonial.

Luckily, it’s easy. It’s just a matter asking for it. Here’s what to do:

• Contact your customers and interview them; don’t spend more than 15-30 minutes; use this to get that interesting, real-life story that your prospects will relate to.
• Then ask the customer if you can use the interview as a testimonial.
• Assuming they say yes, say that you’d be happy to create it for them but they will have final approval before it’s used; emphasize they will be able to say yes or no.
• Then take the interview and craft as compelling, heartfelt testimonial as you possibly can. If the interview was good you should have some great material to work with.

Here are some things you can do to help you:

• Figure out what you angle will be after you hear the story, comments and
• Decide what key benefits to you want to emphasize in this testimonial; don’t always emphasize the same thing unless it is the sole or wildly most important benefit. This could be about the product, the results or about the experience; all are important, necessary and can be powerful.
• Decide how you can best position this testimonial for maximum impact
• Decide what will make your ideal prospect say “I am just like that” or “hey, that’s my situation”

Getting several of these will allow you to judiciously use them throughout your sales copy since they are likely to focus on different things. Plus, you’ll probably get lots of little tidbits that you can weave into your sales copy!

Getting Testimonials When You Don’t Have Customers

If you have a new product that doesn’t have any customers you’re probably wondering how you’re going to get any testimonials.

Not a problem!

Here are a few ideas you can use to get testimonials if your have no customers yet:

• Provide free copies of the product to a select group of people with the understanding that that are expected to provide testimonials, good or bad.
• Send out review copies to people in the your niche and have them review it for their Web site, mailing list or an independent review site like e-opinions.com. Then quote those reviews giving proper attribution. This can be a good thing to do even if you do have testimonials.
• Do a small private launch at a drastically reduced price to get some customers and then get testimonials from them for the public launch.

Conclusion

We looked at how to use testimonials in a sales page to build trust and, ultimately, skyrocket your sales.

We saw some of types of powerful testimonials you can create, well beyond the standard “you’re great” letters.

We also looked at how to get testimonials when you don’t have customers yet.

Before I finish I want to show you how powerful testimonials can be I want to tell you a very short story I heard.

There is this star copywriter who put together a 24-page tabloid promotion that was about 80% testimonials; which is almost unheard of!

He really had to convince the company to try it because it wasn’t cheap to create and send out and there was great risk.

The copywriter felt that testimonials were so critical and powerful for this product because the main obstacle was trust in the product so he wanted lots of proof.

When I heard about it, it was about 15 months after and the client had mailed out over 10,000,000 copies and was still sending them out by the boatload.

Oh yeah, it had made them a substantial profit.

I wouldn’t suggest you try that except in very rare cases but it does point out the power that testimonials can have in making you lots of money you wouldn’t make otherwise.

Do you use testimonials?

If so, how and if not, why not.

It’s important enough to think about how and why/why not so leave a comment explaining it to help you understand your thinking better or to ask questions that will help you understand.

Talk soon,

The Shameless (Ethical) Marketer
http://www.Twitter.com/DavidHusnian
http://www.8-8-8Sale.com
http://www.MusicForInternetMarketers.com
http://www.SecretsOfGoogleAdWords.com
http://www.MadMondaySale.com
http://www.2ForTuesdaySale.com

O.Y. Don’t forget to retweet this! Use the button on the page or Tweet this:
Explode Your Sales by Building Trust with Testimonials http://bit.ly/2iicwi (via @DavidHusnian)
.

This post from: Street Guide to Copywriting. To read more post like this, head over to Street Guide to Copywriting

Explode Your Sales by Building Trust with Testimonials

This time we’ll look at 3 more steps anyone can do to improve conversions.

Step 2. The Swipe File: Legal Theft

Every successful copywriter has what is called a “swipe file”.

A swipe file is a personal collection of examples of sales material (copy sales letter, headlines, bullet points, etc.) that have proven successful. This collection can be from Web sites, magazines, newspapers, AdWords ads or where ever you get it from.

I don’t think anyone has done any research but I’d bet that there is a direct relationship between the quality of a person’s swipe file and the success of their sales copy.

So, if you haven’t, start collecting examples of SUCCESSFUL marketing pieces you find then before you start to create and sales material go through your swipe file and find something like what you need and use that as the basis for what you will be creating.

Before moving on to the next step I want to make 2 points.

First, a great swipe file comes from any media source and any niche or topic.

Good sales copy is good sales copy and if you find a good sales letter about horseshoes or a good ad about dung beetles SAVE THEM even if your niche is chronic fatigue syndrome.

Swipe from anyone, anywhere.

The second point is, DO NOT steal word for word. A swipe file is to meant to provide ideas and a foundation for your sales material to jumpstart your sales copy but you should not just take it and use it as your own; not only is it unethical but it is potentially illegal.

For example, a successful headline was “Lose Weight on a Full Stomach”, you could use that to create any number of headlines, a few off the top of my head are:

• “Save Your House without Emptying Your Wallet and Losing Your Family”
• “Fill Your Bank Account While Playing with Your Kids”
• “Stop Your Dog Barking Without Terrorizing Him”

Ugh, those aren’t very good, pretty bad actually, but they do illustrate the point.

With a swipe file you need to understand the essence of what makes it successful and base your sales copy on that.

In this case, the essence is how to get something highly desirable while not having to do something that you don’t want to do; not having to exchanging one bad thing for another, that is, not having to pick the “lesser of the evils.”

If you have no swipe file, start by going to http://www.HardToFindAds.com this should help you be always be on the lookout for sales copy that evokes emotion in your, then “swipe” it.

3. Split Test

Yes, yes, I am harping on this again.

But a simple step you need to do to get better converting sales copy is to continuously test.

Have 2 or 3 headlines, have different offer, use different testimonials, try different background colors, whatever – JUST TEST!

It’s simple just use Google’s Website Optimizer and start testing. Keep the winner of each test and test again.

4. Act

I don’t know how much time is wasted by sitting around and not acting.

If it is creating sales material then don’t wait, just start creating your sales copy.

Don’t edit, just create. You can always edit later but don’t stop your creative flow.

If it is split testing, don’t put it off. “Just Do It”

Create 2 headlines to test and test. Add or remove a bonus and test. Change the price, change the guarantee, change something and test.

If something is not going to work find out quickly and move on; fail fast.

Conclusion

To get the best sales copy your best bet is to hire a successful copywriter; there is not better option.

No question that you will sell/convert a lot more if you have a Dan Kennedy or Ray Edwards or Michel Fortin or Mike Morgan or any of the other successful copywriter creating your sales material.

This isn’t an option for most people and if you need to create or tweak sales copy then the steps we look at here are a way to improve your conversions quickly and easily without much cost.

So be sure to:

• Create a Killer Offer: Be focused, sell solutions, use value builders, have a knockout bonus package and an outrageous guarantee
• Have a Swipe File to Die For: Start all your sales copy with an existing (and proven) example and modify it to your needs; this alone will save you loads of time and improve conversions
• Split Test: Ruthlessly split test your sales copy, continuously improving it; you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes
• Act: Don’t spend your time waiting and thinking and planning. Those all have their place but it is so easy to get sucked into them. Don’t be perfect, fail fast and get better.

Following those steps won’t make you as successful as Dan Kennedy (at least at first but it will make you more successful than you currently are, probably much more successful, without a lot of time and effort and cost.

Do you have a swipe file? What are some of your best swipe?

Do you split test? What are some of your successes and what are some of your surprises?

Leave a comment and let me know; thanks.

Talk soon,

The Shameless (Ethical) Marketer
http://www.Twitter.com/DavidHusnian
http://www.8-8-8Sale.com
http://www.MusicForInternetMarketers.com
http://www.SecretsOfGoogleAdWords.com
http://www.MadMondaySale.com
http://www.2ForTuesdaySale.com

O.Y. Need a sales letter fast but have no knowledge or talent (or time!), try Armand Morin’s Sales Letter Generator

.

This post from: Street Guide to Copywriting. To read more post like this, head over to Street Guide to Copywriting

4 Steps To Fast and Easy Sales Letters, Part 2

Yes, good copywriting is difficult and arduous for most people, if they can even do it at all.

Now, if you want a million dollar sales letter your best bet is to hire a million dollar copywriter but if you want to craft a decent sales letter quickly and easily then I have 4 steps for you to take which will give you the most “bang for the buck.”

These speed copywriting “secrets” will help you get a converting sales page in a fraction of the time and it won’t empty your bank account while doing it.

Step 1. Create a Killer Offer

I heard Mike Filsaime say that Gary Halbert told him that the offer was the most important aspect of creating a sales letter that brings in the cash.

It’s true because with the right offer, everybody will buy what you are selling.

There are a few things that go into a killer offer, each of which is important in its own way.

Be Focused

It is important that the offer have a single focus and not try to be all things to all people. The focus should be on one of two things:

1. Solve a “Painful” Problem
2. Help the Customer Attain a Desired Goal

Find your focus in those things and then maintain that single-minded focus throughout the sales letter.

Don’t veer off, don’t add additional things to try to broaden your market and don’t ramble on about this feature and that.

Decide on the focus and stick with it.

Be sure to point out the painful problem in painful ways or bring their consciousness into imagining what it would be like if they attain the goal.

So find focus AND explicitly tell them about it, don’t rely on the prospect to figure it out on their own.

Sell Solutions

You’ve heard me harp on this before but people look for solutions so your offer must be solution based.

The typical example so many use of this is that don’t sell the features of a drill bit sell the benefits of the holes it can create because that is what people want.

Personally I find the example flawed but the point is good, that is, focus on what the ultimate end goal is.

Don’t make the mistake though that the typical example makes.

Most people aren’t looking for holes; that is still just a means to an end.

What they want is to hang a picture or attach something or whatever – identify and focus on the prospect’s end goal.

So while “makes nice, clean holes” is better than “carbon steel is used…” it is still not as good as “have that family portrait up in its honored place in seconds.”

Use Value Builders

Throughout the sales letter be sure to show the prospect the value of your offer. Some ways of doing this are:

• Compare it to something of known value.
• Show how the solution made big differences in the lives of your customers
• Show pictures, graphs and other visuals (even video) that will set their imagination free
• Show the cost of not having the product or service

Just keep stacking value upon value until they feel like they must purchase or they will be worse off for not having done so.

Have a Knockout Bonus Package

You want to add additional relevant bonuses that are so complementary and so valuable that the cost of the product seems small in comparison.

The classic example of a great bonus is giving away a razor as a “bonus” to selling razor blades.

Aim for a bonus package that is a real value 10 times the cost of the product that is the figure that really makes an offer compelling.

Also try to have 3-5 separate bonuses for products under $100, more for products that cost more.

Have a Strong Outrageous Guarantee

Make a guarantee so good that it removes all risk and then some.

My favorite guarantee, one that became almost a bonus , was Frank Kern’s guarantee for Mass Control.

Here is his exact guarantee:

My “Put My Money Where My Mouth Is”

Double Guarantee Ensures That Either YOU

Succeed Or You Don’t Pay…

Here’s how it works…

Guarantee #1: 45-Day “Free Look”

You have a full 45 days (more than enough time to go through the entire course) to see if my “30 Days To Mass Control Millions” is right for you. If you determine that it isn’t, just let us know and we’ll gladly refund your money. No hassles. No hard feelings.

But even if you go beyond the 45-day unconditional guarantee period you’re still protected by Guarantee #2…

Guarantee #2: Put My Money Where My Mouth Is…

This is crucial stuff so pay attention: Go through the training and complete all the Action Steps according to my instruction in the course. If by the end of 90 days you haven’t met your goal, let me know and I’ll personally work with you for an additional 90 days. (I’ll not only give you access to my private email adress, I’ll also allow you to schedule 30-minute calls with me if necessary). If after that time you aren’t where you want to be, let me know and I’ll not only issue you a refund, I’ll also cut you a check for $500 just for wasting your time.

How’s that for putting my money where my mouth is?

That’s how serious I am about wanting you to succeed, and that’s also how confident I am that my system really works! You see, if I don’t hold up to my end of the bargain, I’m not only $500 in the hole, I’m also out all the time that I spent working with you one-on-one (which frankly costs me a lot more than $500!)

Now that is a great guarantee. It makes you hope it doesn’t work in the first 45 days just so you can work directly with Frank! Plus even then, he’ll give you $500 MORE than you paid for the course.

Conclusion

To create good copy in the shortest time possible there are 4 steps you should take.

The first is the offer. To get the best offer in the shortest time do these 5 things:

1. Be Focused: find one thing (problem, goal, etc.) and stay focused on it with everything tying back to it
2. Sell Solutions: find the prospects end goal and sell a solution that gets them there
3. Use Value Builders: continually point out the value of the offer in different ways, each building upon the other
4. Have a Knockout Bonus Package: create a bonus package that is so strong it “knocks them out” and they feel that they can’t miss the opportunity
5. Have a Outrageous Guarantee: Make your guarantee so strong and standout so much that is “outrageous”

We will continue looking at the steps in the next blog post.

Please leave a comment, thanks.

Talk soon,

David
The Shameless (Ethical) Marketer
http://www.Twitter.com/DavidHusnian
http://www.8-8-8Sale.com
http://www.MusicForInternetMarketers.com
http://www.SecretsOfGoogleAdWords.com
http://www.MadMondaySale.com
http://www.2ForTuesdaySale.com

O.Y. Need a sales letter fast but have no knowledge or talent (or time!), try Armand Morin’s Sales Letter Generator

This post from: Street Guide to Copywriting. To read more post like this, head over to Street Guide to Copywriting

4 Steps To Fast and Easy Sales Letters, Part 1

A sales letter exists for one and only one reason… to sell.

You may sell a product, sell a service, sell a prospect on the value of being on your mailing list or you may even sell an idea but, every time, the sales letter’s purpose is to “sell” the prospect.

Whatever you are selling, you will be writing a sales letter to sell.

Unfortunately, so many sales letters forget this one simple fact, usually by making at least one of these 5 mistakes:

1. Focusing on the Seller Not the Buyer

So many sales letters focus on the seller, who they are, what they want, what they do, what they have and the like.

BIG MISTAKE!

It is a rare buyer who cares more about the seller than their own needs, desires and pain.

When sellers speak too much about themselves and their products then the focus of the copy is not on convincing the buyer that they’ve found exactly what they were searching for.

Which of these little blurbs makes you more likely to buy?

or

Most people will be sold by the second one because the first focuses on the seller and on the product, the second focuses on the buyers and their needs.

Time after time, sales copy like the second will bring in many times more sales than the first.

This single mistake is responsible for a huge number of lost sales.

2. Forgetting to Sell

While it is a good idea to provide lots of good information in a sales letter and not just “sell, sell, sell” don’t forget the purpose of the sales letter and neglect to (or be afraid to) sell.

Think about it, why have a sales letter if you aren’t actually doing any selling in it? It sounds like wasted time and effort to me.

That doesn’t mean the selling should be blatant and aggressive, in today’s world that will more often than not be bad.

It does mean though that you need to include subtle selling techniques and invoke emotional reactions in the reader that will have them wanting to buy what you are selling.

Of course, you make sure they know about that one way or the other (unless you are doing a sequence then sometimes, only sometimes, you can leave this out at the beginning of the sequence).

3. Boring Copy

People always say they don’t like those long sales letters but the truth is that what they don’t like is boring sales copy.

If something is boring then people won’t read it whether is short or long and it doesn’t matter if they are reading a story, a book, an article or a sales page.

Write interesting, exciting and compelling sales copy and people will read it just as they do anything else they find stimulating.

Start with a “killer” headline and each section should make the reader want to read the next section all the while becoming more convinced that they want to do what you want them to do.

Follow the AIDA principle I talked about in “The Most Important Marketing Principle”

4. Too Sales-y or Hype-y

Don’t make you sales copy sound like a used car salesman!

Too much sales hype will turn off your buyers and, on the Internet, they will be gone in a second.

Too much hype also jeopardizes credibility and people have learned to just skip sales copy that has too much.

Balance the hype with other important factors every sales letter should have. Have enough “hype” to attract but not enough to drive your prospects away.

5. Plain Old Bad Writing

Some sales letters are just so poorly written that people feel distrustful and turned off by them.

Not everyone can write well but everyone can follow the basic writing fundamentals.

This doesn’t mean you need to write so your English teacher would have given you an A; in fact, you generally don’t want to write like that.

A few grammar and spelling mistakes won’t detract, and may help, but lots of awkward language, misspelled words and incoherent phrases will make the reader uncomfortable and an uncomfortable prospect does not buy.

Another type of “bad writing” is to make sure you write to the audience.

By that I mean to write like your audience talks.

Use words and phrases like they would if they were talking to you.

Use the appropriate level of formality (or informality) so they feel comfortable.

Talk to them like you’re their good friend and you were having a conversation.

6. No Call to Action

Your “bonus mistake” is something you can see frequently in sales copy.

The copy is interesting, compelling, good sales copy but when they get to the end the prospect doesn’t know what to do next; they’re just left hanging.

After you’ve convinced a person to do what you want them to, then explicitly tell them what to do. Be direct.

If you want them to sign up then have a big button that essentially says “Click Here to Sign Up”.

If you want them to buy then tell them to “Buy Now!” (except don’t ever say “buy” except in extraordinary circumstances).

Whatever it is you want them to do, make sure that you tell them explicitly what action to take.

Conclusion

The above mistakes should be avoided at all costs because they will directly affect the goal of your sales letter, which is, of course, to sell.

A great start would be to avoid making these mistakes:

1. Focusing on the Seller Not the Buyer
2. Forgetting to Sell
3. Boring Copy
4. Too Sales-y or Hype-y
5. Plain Old Bad Writing
6. No Call to Action

You should see an immediate improvement in your conversion rates and the amount of sales you make.

Are you making any of the mistakes? Post a comment and tell me what mistakes you make or see other people make.

Talk soon,

The Shameless (Ethical) Marketer

http://www.8-8-8Sale.com

http://www.MusicForInternetMarketers.com

http://www.SecretsOfGoogleAdwords.com

http://www.MadMondaySale.com

http://www.2ForTuesdaySale.com

O.Y. If you want some software that will help you create great sales letters check out Interactive Sales Letter Pro

This post from: Street Guide to Copywriting. To read more post like this, head over to Street Guide to Copywriting

5 Key Copywriting Mistakes You Should Avoid

But, and it is a big but,  just because a sales letter is an ad doesn’t mean it should look and sound like one.

Why this bad?

Well there are several reasons, the first is that people LIKE to buy, but they DO NOT LIKE to be sold to.

There are many reasons for that including, among other things: a loss of control and mistrust that the seller isn’t going to necessarily have the buyer’s best interests in mind.

The second reason is that people have developed a sort of “blindness” to ads.

That is, when something looks like an advertisement people subconsciously tune out, sort of like fast forwarding through the commercials of some TV show you’ve recorded.

People will just skip right over something that seems to be trying to sell them.

This is, obviously, not good for copywriters, but can you avoid or overcome it?

One simple answer is that you do not make your copy look like an ad; duh.

But, since a sales letter is an ad, how do you hide your ad without requiring the skills and mastery of a Dan Kennedy.

One very effective way is to…

start your copy with valuable information led into by an editorial-style headline.

I can hear you are asking, “what are editorial-style headlines?”

Instead of a long explanation just let me just show you some.

• “7 Fatal Mistakes That Most Online Business People Make And How Not to…”
• “Can Using Video Increase Your Sales Conversion Rate 100-1,000%? A Startling New Survey, Conducted By a Leading Research Group, Reveals The Truth!”
• “10 Essential Facts You MUST Know Before Purchasing a Flat Screen TV”

Editorial headlines give the reader the impression that what follows, your sales letter, will give them valuable information that will bring them pleasure, alleviate pain or protect them in some way.

This will immediately attract them and will get them to read your sales letter; or at least start reading it.

But, if you are sharing valuable information how do you keep the essence of a sales letter – that is, to sell?

The trick lies in being subtle about the sale.

Weave your sales pitch in with the valuable information you are sharing in a way that makes it seem that your product or service is perfect for the situation — or be nearly perfect; it isn’t usually good to be perfect because then that sounds too good to be true).

For example, when talking about the 7 fatal mistakes that online business people make, weave into your copy how your product or service has helped online businesses succeed.

Another example is when going through the 10 essential facts they need to know about flat screen TVs make sure that your product is on the plus side of most of them and weave that into the sales copy but be sure to also include something that your product doesn’t do; this makes things more believable and trusted.

The key take away from this is to present the reader with factual, highly informative content that will excite, attract and educate.

They will then have the desire you’re looking for and, at that point, you integrate your offer in a “matter-of-fact” manner which makes them want to buy without you actually selling!

Do you have informational sales copy? Post a comment as I’d love to see what you’ve done.

Talk soon,

The Shameless (Ethical) Marketer
http://www.8-8-8Sale.com
http://www.MusicForInternetMarketers.com
http://www.MadMondaySale.com
http://www.2ForTuesdaySale.com
http://www.SecretsOfGoogleAdwords.com

This post from: Street Guide to Copywriting. To read more post like this, head over to Street Guide to Copywriting

Just Say No to Ad Sales Copy!

You may wonder what is wrong with that; it is called copyWRITING after all.

The fact is that doing that can be disastrous because, don’t forget, the end purpose is to sell.

Yet, how is it possible to sell something you don’t know?

Before beginning the writing process, there are 5 important steps that you should be take to be sure that the sales copy will best represent the product or service. They are:
1. Know Your Target Prospect
The first thing to do is understand your target audience.

You will be writing to them so the more you understand them, the more you can “be” them, the more success you will have.

You will be writing to their interests using words that are familiar to them.

Words have power, they can move people so you must choose the right words (those that will excite and comfort the prospect) and say them in the right way (the way they want to hear them).

This can be a powerful marketing ally.

2. Learn About the Product and Offer
Actually read, use, listen to, watch the product.

Analyze its strengths but make sure you understand the benefits to the prospects; find those benefits that prospects will actually want.

Always approach this from the point of view of the prospect.

What benefits will prospects desire?

Understand those or more properly feel them.

3. Find the Differentiators
Compare the product or service against other, similar, offers in the market.

What makes the product or service stand out and be unique?

Remember, be the prospect and ask yourself “why would I buy this product or service instead of another one?”

4. Plan, Plan and Plan
Every sales letter requires it’s own plan.

Most will require long sales copy, while others can do the job with less; the key is to make sure you have every word you need and do not have one word more than necessary – each word should “earn” it’s place and this is driven from the plan.

Most sales letters need a lot of “proof” and others shouldn’t have it because it could actually hurt credibility.

Most sales letters need to address many possible objections and others won’t need to.

Create the plan from your knowledge of the prospective audience and the product or service.

5. Don’t Try to Sell it if You Don’t Believe it
It is very hard for most people to try to sell something they aren’t convinced will truly help the prospect.

This lack of belief will subtly enter the sales copy and while you may not see it the prospect will feel it

Conclusion
After you’ve understood the target audience and the product or service then look for the differentiators (the Unique Selling Proposition).

Then create a plan and, if you’ve convinced yourself that it can help the prospects, you are ready to write your sales letter.

Talk soon,

The Shameless (Ethical) Marketer
http://www.8-8-8Sale.com
http://www.MusicForInternetMarketers.com

http://www.SecretsOfGoogleAdWords.com

O.Y. The person who was, and continues to be, the most instrumental person in teaching me copywriting, including how to best use Power Words for maximum effect, is Dan Kennedy. You can get 2 free months of his Inner Circle newsletter by going to http://www.StreetGuideToCopywriting.com/HighlyRecommends/GKIC

This post from: Street Guide to Copywriting. To read more post like this, head over to Street Guide to Copywriting

The 5 Most Important Steps to Do BEFORE You Write Your Copy

Time and time again I find the same things missing and one of the most important missing elements are “Power Words”.

Power Words are a great way to improve your conversions and to grab the prospects emotions and should be used, judiciously, in all your sales copy.

They are so important that I have a list of the most powerful ones pasted to my wall just next to the computer screen I am writing this on.

The best words make the reader “feel” and “imagine” an object, scene or situation; note imagine can be a great power word!

How they work is they tap into some of the more “primal” emotions and desires and trigger off more intense reactions than other words. Of course, not all words will trigger absolutely everyone but true power words will draw out stronger emotions is almost everyone.

The most common example, and the one some people call “the most powerful word in the English language”, is the word free.

The reason is people love to get something for nothing. This probably goes back to “cave man” days when it could be the difference between surviving and not surviving.

Another, non-marketing example that has power is the proverbial screaming “fire”, it usually trigger a strong emotional (and physical!) response.

With Power Words so critical in a sales letter and so many people are neglecting them I’m going to look at how to use them to really improve your conversions and your profits.

Psychology professors at Yale did a study of the English language and found that some words have significantly more “power”, that is, trigger stronger emotions, than other words. Their top 10 list of the “most powerful words”, and how to use them, is:

1. You: It was the most powerful word in every study reviewed. Try to put it in very important spots in your copy like your headlines, opening paragraphs, benefit lists, etc.
2. Results: This makes people feel more confident and comfortable with the product or service and helps them get beyond their natural skepticism. Put results in several places, after making claims and a reminder near the purchase button.
3. Health: Not a general marketing word but it can be used to good effect when it is applicable
4. Guarantee: A huge part of risk reversal, it helps ease fears of “being taken advantage of” and “making a bad decision”. The stronger the guarantee, from the point of view of the prospect, the better your conversions with be
5. Discover: People like to know this others don’t know and discovering something new adds some additional excitement. This is used when you are initially talking about your product or service as well as several places elsewhere to reinforce the message.
6. Love: Like health not a general marketing word but powerful when it can be used. Love, after all, is something everybody strives for from birth
7. Proven: Like results and guarantee this overcomes fear and skepticism. It is particularly good used after an announcement or claim that may seem astonishing or remarkable and the proof should be more remarkable than the claim.
8. Safety: Not specifically general although it can be used effectively in risk reversal sections.
9. Save: People want to keep more of what they have while getting more of what they want. This can be used to good effect throughout your copy.
10. New: Similar to discovery people most like things new both for the novelty and also for the “I have it and you don’t and that gives me a advantage” factor.

While many, if not most, of those words are on the standard lists of power words but, in truth, copywriters use additional and “stronger” power words, ones that dig deep and bring out visceral feelings; that is, words that affect a person’s inner core and produces almost overwhelming emotions.

A selection of these strong words that are on the list on my wall are: Announcing, Astonishing, Easy, Exclusive, Fast, Hurry, Last Chance, Limited, Phenomenal, Powerful, Revealing, Secret, Startling and Urgent.

They are all picked because of the psychological triggering of emotions they invoke in most people.

In addition to individual words here are some phrases that are powerful “Power Phrases:

• “At last, …”
• “Best of all, …”
• “I’ve got good news for you …”
• “Listen closely, …”
• “Buy one, get one free”
• “Major Breakthrough in …”
• “Do you make these mistakes …”
• “The most powerful …”
• “How to get …”
• “Can you imagine …” and “Just imagine …”

Just remember, the copy (the words on your Web page) should lead the prospect down the path you wish them to go; this is similar to using the carrot to get the horse to go in the direction you want it to.

You do this by invoking a planned series of emotional triggers, one after the other, so that the prospect eventually “decides on their own” that they want what you provide.

And the way you invoke those emotions is through words and Power Words are a key aspect of that.

Comment and let me know some of your favorite Power Words and Phrases.

Talk soon,

The Shameless (Ethical) Marketer
http://www.8-8-8Sale.com
http://www.MusicForInternetMarketers.com
http://www.MadMondaySale.com
http://www.2ForTuesdaySale.com
http://www.SecretsOfGoogleAdwords.com

O.Y. The person who was, and continues to be, the most instrumental person in teaching me copywriting is Dan Kennedy. You can get 2 free months of his Inner Circle newsletter by going to http://www.StreetGuideToCopywriting.com/HighlyRecommends/GKIC

This post from: Street Guide to Copywriting. To read more post like this, head over to Street Guide to Copywriting

Some Words Are Mightier Than the Sword: Powerful Words to Trigger Emotions

Its job is to sell your products.

To do that, so you are highly successful, the sales “gods” have passed down to us through the decades and centuries some “can’t fail” methods.

These methods were put together in a classic marketing principle around 1925 and I am amazed how many copywriters still don’t know about it; those are the ones struggling

Anyway, like any salesman, a sales letter should follow this long time marketing principle called…
the AIDA principle.

Whenever you see an ad, be it in newspapers, magazines or on television, it follows (or should follow) the AIDA principle.

Basically, almost every really successful promotion follows the AIDA principle.

What, you might ask, is this AIDA principle?

Simply, AIDA is an easy way to remember the most basic process in advertising; a process that covers everything from initial attraction to final conversion.

It stands for:

A – Attention

The first thing you should do is capture the attention of your prospects.

A sales letter should immediately attract your prospects enough so they are compelled to read the copy.

This is done with a powerful headline, an intriguing sub-headline and an engrossing opening paragraph.

I – Interest

After you’ve attracted a prospect’s attention you need to capture their interest.

You’ve got them to actually read your copy so you need to get their interest and convince them that it is important to them to continue reading.

D – Desire

As your prospect continues reading you need be building their desire.

This desire should be strong enough to make them want to purchase your product.

While there are many methods to do that, basically, you will be getting the prospect to feel that they really need what you’re offering.

“Hook” them with your sales copy.

A – Action

At this point, after you’ve hooked the prospect and they are ready to do what you want them to, you need to have them take action.

If you’re selling a product or service, that action is to purchase.

If you’re inviting them to join your mailing list, that action is to sign up.

Good copywriters have multiple calls to action within their copy and use various techniques to get prospects take that action.

Conclusion

All good copywriters and all good sales copy should employ the AIDA principle.

Get your prospect’s Attention, keep them Interested, make them Desirous and then have them take Action and you will be successful.

Don’t do that and, well, you should keep your day job.

Talk soon,

The Shameless (Ethical) Marketer
http://www.StreetGuideToResellRights.com
http://www.StreetGuideToWebTraffic.com
http://www.FromTheDeskOfDavid.com
http://www.8-8-8Sale.com
http://www.MusicForInternetMarketers.com

O.Y. The person who was, and continues to be, the most instrumental person in teaching me copywriting is Dan Kennedy. You can get 2 free months of his Inner Circle newsletter by going to http://www.StreetGuideToCopywriting.com/HighlyRecommends/GKIC

This post from: Street Guide to Copywriting. To read more post like this, head over to Street Guide to Copywriting

The Most Important Marketing Principle