As we’ve established, sales pages are great projects for copywriters: They’ve got plenty of copy to be written, and, since they directly help your clients make money, they’re very valuable to those clients. Once your client hires you for a sales page project, it’s time to deliver a page with wildly effective copy that helps convert customers.
Now, it should go without saying, but this project (like every other) needs to start with a creative brief. No questions asked.
A great sales page includes everything that a potential customer needs to know to make a purchase decision. Which means there are a lot of possible elements in them:
- The overview (the benefit and introducing the concepts)
- About the company/owner
- The details of the offer
Bonuses - Results
- Testimonials
- Case studies
- FAQs
- Who it’s for and who it’s not for
- Pricing
- Guarantee
- And lots more
Today, though, we’re going to focus in on three elements that help make a sales page especially effective—three elements that help the perfect target audience identify themselves, identify that the product or service is right for them, and make the decision to purchase.
And, of course, the more people that purchase, the more thrilled your client will be! So let’s dig into those three elements.
1. The Transformation
You already know the importance of emphasizing the benefit to consumer when you’re writing copy.
But I want you to take it even one step further. Because people don’t really want to buy a product or service – what they want to buy is a transformation. They want their lives to be different, and they want this product or service to make their lives different.
And, as the copywriter, it’s up to you to tell them how that’s going to happen. To paint the picture for them of what full transformation will look like. How is their life going to change? The more detail you can put into this, the more you can make the potential customer really see themselves after the transformation, the more effective your copy will be.
2. Their Goals for Purchasers’ Success
This is an opportunity for your client to really connect with his or her potential customers.
There are a lot of programs/products that can’t guarantee a specific outcome. For example, a business marketing program can teach people the tactics to market themselves, but those people still have to take actions. The person selling that program can’t guarantee specific results like “double your business!” since that’s contingent on how the customer carries out the program.
But, if your client has a goal for what will happen for the clients who purchase, you can write about that. In the example above, you could write (from your client’s point of view) “My goal for you is to double your business” and then really detail the vision your client has for his or her customer’s success.
This can help customers understand the possibilities, as well as really get a feel for how important the customer’s success is to your client. It creates an immediate connection between them and that helps make it easier for a customer to purchase.
3. Facing Objections Head-On
Any time someone is thinking of buying something, justifications for not purchasing—or “objections”—are going to pop into their head. Some of the most common ones are concerns about price, concerns that it won’t work for them, and concerns that they won’t use it (when applicable) – though you may be able to come up with some others based on the product or service itself.
One of the most effective ways to help people overcome these objections is to address them head-on. Giving voice to objections—maybe even before the potential customer has a chance to—diffuses their power.
Instead of being scared of objections, you can embrace them and help potential customers understand why they’re not really a reason at all not to purchase.
You should also carefully mine the testimonials for anything that addresses these objections directly. Ones that start out with “I was so afraid to invest but…” or “I was scared it wouldn’t work for me…” or things like that are GOLD. You can also have your client get new testimonials with the prompt “What would you tell someone who’s considering investing in this?”
Okay, your turn! Which of these elements feels most powerful to you? And why? Let us know in the comments below.
Last Updated on December 18, 2022
These are great tips and I especially agree with #3. Facing objections head on demonstrates to potential customers that you are not hiding and seems less shady. And I love the outline you provide!
Hi Wendy,
Thanks! And I agree – actually bringing objections into the light is a great way to take away their power.
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki