sales copywriter Archives

13 Glorious Tips & Tricks For The Aspiring Sales Copywriter

by Adam Oakley | Oct 5, 2016 | Copywriting

Picture this..
You have a natural knack for writing.
You can string words together and create something fun and engaging.
But, when it comes to sales copy, writing those pieces that are meant to convert every time, you can’t seem to convey what you’re thinking into the right words.
Is that you? I get it. Writing content is not the same as writing sales copy.
As a sales copywriter, you need to speak to your reader, compel them, and force them to take action.
Think of that infamous hypnotist trick. You have a group of people the hypnotist gets to cluck like a chicken, dance funny and do just about anything they want. They are the puppet master.
You want the same power, but via words.
You want someone to read your sales copy and feel entranced. Without thinking, they will click through, sign up, or call.
While we can’t teach you how to make readers cluck like a chicken (or can we?), we can share some insight and tools that will help you transform your marketing drivel into compelling copy.
Might take a little time, and practice, but once you use these tips, you will be well on your way to sales copywriting mastery.

13 Ingenious Tools And Tips To Improve As a Sales Copywriter

1. Learn How To Build Trust

No one is going to do anything you ask if they don’t trust you.
You don’t have years to gain that confidence; you have seconds. So, every word on your sales copy has to count, and it has to compel the reader to believe what you’re saying.
Tossing in a “you can trust me” statement isn’t the way to go about this either.
Instead, you need to be authoritative and savvy. Georgina Morshdy at Copyblogger shared her ten tips for building trust with the audience, and it’s quite compelling.

How Does A Sales Copywriter Build Trust?

Give away
Be reliable and don’t disappoint the audience on what is promised.
Be consistent in quality.
Incorporate customer testimonials that are genuine.
Use case studies to show success.
Do not plagiarize the ideas and styles of others.
Avoid jargon.
Give an apology when it is due, such as correcting errors if they’re present.
Offer guarantees to customers (i.e. a money back guarantee).

2. Be A Virtual Salesperson

You have a goal to make a sale, so you need to act like a salesperson.
Put on your suit and tie and pretend you are on the sales floor talking to that customer. What would you say if you were face-to-face? What features, benefits, and reasons would you be throwing at them to get them to buy?
Whether you’re selling a car, washing machine, or a service, you need to picture yourself talking to one customer (not a mass).
According to Demian Farnworth at Copyblogger, all it takes is one bad salesperson to ruin the company; and you certainly don’t want to be that guy or gal.
So, picture yourself talking to one, but selling to many.

3. Use Compelling Headlines

A great headline is one that touches on a person’s spiritual, emotional, and intellectual levels.
What sounds great to you might not sound so great to others, and it is hard to tear yourself away from your copy and look at a headline as an outsider.
Luckily, you don’t have to.
There are tools out there that help you analyze the quality and power of your sales headlines.
Take Advanced Marketing Institute’s free headline analysis tool.

They don’t just give you a score; they tell you what you should aim for as a sales copywriter, why you’ve received the score you did, and how to improve.
CoSchedule also has a headline analysis tool that is also worth trying.

They break down your headline based on the number of words, keywords, emotional value, type of headline, and even preview it in the Google search results.
They dive into your headline, tear it apart, and let you know how it performs at every angle.
Do you have to use all of this information? No.
But, if there is a particular group or emotion you’re trying to strike, they may help you identify how successful you are in doing it.
Why does all of this matter?
According to Neil Patel, 90% of your advertising dollars go to the headlines. All it takes is a single word to change the click-through rate by as much as 46%. That’s rather important.

A Few More Tips For Attention-Grabbing Headlines

Include numbers
Add a creative adjective
Use call-to-action-worthy words

When you’re struggling, HubSpot’s Marina Barayeva has shared her formulas for crafting better headlines. She shares six formulas (i.e. Call-to-Action + Keyword + Promise = Headline), which help you create a compelling headline from scratch.
Give them a whirl and see if that improves your headline creation.

4. Give Readers A Reason To Act

A great sales copywriter doesn’t just tell people what to do; they give them an overwhelming reason to do it.
Your content is designed to make someone happier, healthier, richer, more successful, etc. So, use that when creating your call-to-action statement.
Tell them what they’re getting from you for taking the action you’ve requested of them.
Example:
You want people to sign up to receive your free ebook on marketing. You’ll use those email addresses to send out your monthly newsletter and hopefully receive click-through purchases later on.
Sure, you could say “sign up to get a free marketing book,” but what reason did you give other than a free product?
Instead, focus on what that free marketing book provides the user.
“Sign up to receive a free marketing book and use these tips to transform yourself into a sales expert.”
Now, you’ve provided them with their benefit and reason.

5. Quit Being So Cute With Your Words

You’re all about the cutesy phrases and words.
You love to be buzz worthy and toss in a few clichés.
Too bad your readers aren’t a fan.
Sure, you can toss in a few clever phrases here and there, but look at it as a cherry on top of a sundae. There’s no need to throw in the entire jar of cherries here. All it takes is just one to sweeten the deal.

6. Stop Yelling At Your Readers

Exclamation marks are the enemy.
You may think you’re making one killer point, but all your reader sees is you yelling at them; or worse, coming off like that obnoxious salesperson on TV.
Enchanting Marketing’s own Henneke discusses how the exclamation mark is not as powerful or useful as you think; in fact, she calls it the mark of a lazy sales copywriter. Instead of the exclamation mark, she recommends:

Using strategically placed pauses in your copy.
Adding more spaces in between sentences and experimenting with the flow of your content.
Posing questions instead of using exclamation marks.

7. Use Your Word Count Wisely

As a sales copywriter, you may be bound by a particular word count.
This shouldn’t strike fear in your eyes (especially when you’re being pigeon-holed into a short word count).
Instead, it should be an opportunity to build up your sales pitch while not getting too wordy.
When you’re writing short sales copy (i.e. something under 1,000 words), you don’t have a lot of white space to convince your reader to take action.
Instead, you must:

Know your target audience
Remember the power of tight and compelling copy
Be clear about what your goal is and the benefits
Tell the reader the promise early on
Include a rock-solid guarantee
Remove fluff and cut the excess

When you’re working with a longer copy, you have the opportunity to build up your audience and build up their interest. But, you have to do this wisely.
According to a stat sheet provided by HubSpot, when a post has more than 1,500 words, it receives 68.1% more Twitter shares and 22.6% more Facebook likes than a post under 1,500 words. This is a lot of power!
As we’ve already said before when you’re a sales copywriter, you’re speaking to one, but selling to many. So, if you structure and present your information just right, a long form sales copy could potentially reach more readers and customers.

Putting The Right Information Above The Fold

The term “above the fold,” used to apply to newspapers. This was the information that showed up after you opened the paper and kept reading past the captivating front headlines.
According to Moz’s Tim Allen, above the fold is highly relevant for online writing and the theory still applies today.
You must put your most interesting, captivating information above the fold so that readers scroll down to continue.
With long-form sales copy, this is a must.
Moz suggests leaving clutter out. Instead, your above the fold region needs valuable information, a strong value proposition, and a clear definition of what the user is going to get from the page if they continue to read.

Be “My Person”

The inspiration here comes from Grey’s Anatomy (true fans would already know this).

To write excellent copy, you need a bond like Christina and Meredith Grey. No, we’re not saying you need to become long-term best friend’s and survive plane crashes with your readers, but it might help to picture a bond with them that has gone through all of that.
Your readers need to feel as though you know them.
You should establish a close bond with them that lets them know you understand them. Your writing must convey how you know them, dig deep into their problems, and offer solutions.
Most importantly, you should speak to them as though they are your person (e.g. your best friend). You should have a natural conversation, the words should flow, and you shouldn’t sound like a disjointed robot trying to sell an entirely unrelated product.

How Can You Be Their Person?

Boost their self-esteem
Ask questions that you know they’ll answer “yes” to
Make them feel special; as if you hand-selected them
Make the opportunity seem exclusive (even if it’s not)
Add emotional value and sentiment to your writing

9. Drop The Weasel Words

Eddie Shleyner at HubSpot said it best when he suggested to his readers to drop the “weasel” words.
Weasel words are statements that are definitive and promise something.
While you want to make guarantees to gain trust, you have to be careful about what you’re guaranteeing.
Never guarantee what cannot be delivered.

For example, promising a product will “fight” acne. What if it doesn’t?
They are empty promises that cannot be validated.
The statements themselves are delicate, and your content is weak and useless.
If you use a weasel word, make sure you can back it up with real data showing that you’re doing more than fluffing up a phrase. If you can’t, get rid of the word.

10. While You’re At It, Drop Superlatives Too

Superlatives are adjectives or adverbs that exaggerate.
Unfortunately, these are useless fluff that weakens the copy and are a common copywriting mistake.
While you make think a superlatives add power to your words, your readers take them as insincerity.
Here’s a superlative-filled statement:
“We’re here to provide you with the best service in town.”
Can you prove that you are the best?
Instead of using an empty superlative, tell the reader why they should come use your company’s service without just tossing in the word “best.”
Example:
“With us, you will receive responses within 24 hours or receive a 10% discount off your order.”
Now, you have just told the reader what they can expect, and what they get if you cannot deliver the best service.

11. Be Persuasive In Your Call To Action

The best call to action statements are irresistible.
You feel compelled to click.
Most likely you have already seen great call-to-action statements out there, and some may have already tricked you into clicking.
Take Evernote for example.

They pull you in by reminding you of something simple: inspiration happens anywhere.
As a sales copywriter, you probably already know this fact.
But, imagine being able to capture that inspiration on your phone, computer, or tablet? Evernote highlights that concern and tells you how they can fix it.
Brilliant.

Elements Of An Enticing Call-To-Action

Jeremy Smith at CrazyEgg shares his insights for creating killer CTAs after comparing tons of call-to-action statements on the web and in print. He suggests:

Including a no-obligation statement; people like when they have nothing to lose.
Encouragement to respond immediately because there’s little time to take advantage (i.e. sense of urgency).
Offer up a “why not” argument that can help you create a great CTA even when there is no sense of urgency.
Make it all about the benefits.
Lead with the CTA too — meaning toss that CTA in your headline.

12. Incorporate Stellar Sound Bites

Have you ever watched a news interview and observed how they have taken away bits that trend all over the web?
Sound bites apply to copy, too.
The best sales copywriters out there know how to sneak in these creative sound bites that make the copy easy to remember, and in some cases, easier to share.
A sound bite is easy to quote, and will be shared by other bloggers and websites, according to Social Triggers. Derek from Social Triggers highlights a particular article in their post that had a stellar sound bite. This post was shared more than 200 times on Twitter, 100 times on Facebook and took over 9,000 hits.
To create sound bites, Derek suggest:

Using the power of contrasting statements
Using the power of three (i.e. I Came, I Saw, I Conquered)
Violating the user’s expectations

13. Find Your Writing Mojo

The best sales copywriters aren’t sitting at their keyboard waiting for the words to spew out. Instead, they’re moving, thinking, and going about their lives.
They also find that magic writing hour.
Whether it is 2:00 AM or 7 AM in the morning with coffee brewing in the background, they sit down and write their first draft of copy when their writing mojo is at its peak.
Only you can decide when your writing mojo hour is, and you may have to play around with different times of the day. When you write during your optimum time, you may notice the words flow easier, you’re more conversational, and your writing is effective.

Be The Best Sales Copywriter You Can Be: Write Up Something Crafty Today

Now that you have learned 13 tidbits to improve yourself as a sales copywriter, now is the time to put them to work.
These best practices are designed for copywriters of all levels; seasoned and novice alike.
When you find yourself struggling to write something brilliant, come back to this guide and see what you might be missing.
And, always look for areas where you can improve.
If you implement these tips and activate your drive for success, you will notice your copy turns from boring drivel into compelling works of art.

Express Writers employs some of the most talented sales copywriters, and they are ready to create inspiring content for your website. Check out our Content Shop to see what we can do for your company today.

How to Create an Awesome Sales Page for Your Business Website

by Adam Oakley | Jan 4, 2014 | Content Marketing

On day 4 of this New Year, we’re discussing a powerful customer conversion tool.

What do sales mean to you? Are they not the pulse of your company, the very lifeblood of your livelihood? After all, without marketing that converts to sales, your business might as well be declared dead on arrival. For this reason, we are spotlighting the importance of creating an awesome sales page for your business website as our fourth New Year’s Success Tip.

The Value of a Copywriter When in Need of a Great Sales Page

Before diving into the how to portion of our discussion, let’s get one thing straight. There is one major don’t when it comes to creating a successful sales page, the kind that converts and actively generates business: don’t write it yourself.

Now, hold up just one minute; a copywriter? Are you wondering if I’m for real right now? You’re probably thinking that you learned how to write in grade school and have only improved your skills since. Writing is a fundamental of business communication; it’s a basic skill practically every person on the planet possesses. Why on earth should you pay for someone to do something you know how to do?

You’ve no doubt hired at least one of the following since launching your business: a designer, a web designer, or a marketing professional. You probably envisioned your logo design, but you needed a designer to take care of the details. You might have known exactly how you wanted your website to look, but you needed a web designer to execute the behind-the-scenes Meta tagging and website programming that made your site more than just another pretty face. You’re the President of your company, and you know exactly how to best market your product or service. But you needed a marketing professional to oversee the nitty-gritty work and stay current on industry and marketing trends. Believe it or not, a copywriter is just as important as a designer, web designer, and marketing professional.

Michael Irvin, a marketing and graphic design expert, had this to say in one of his Biznik articles, “It’s a rare business owner who can write effective ad copy or web content let alone the myriad of pieces of copy that a good marketing plan requires.” It’s even harder for some business owners to understand how hiring a good copywriter makes them money.

Why Copywriters Are Experts

It is an unfortunate fact that far too many businesses fail to see copywriters as industry experts. Quality copywriters—the really good writers—opt for journalism degrees over business degrees. Writing comes much more naturally to them than any other type of person on the planet. What might take you days to write, takes them mere hours, which is just one reason why copywriters make you money—they save you precious time.

Quality copywriters are experts who know how to craft effective copy. They intimately understand how to wield words to motive potential customers. More importantly, in today’s technology driven age, they are experts on creating quality website content.

The Importance of Strong Website Content

In November of 2013, we discussed how low-quality copywriting can kill your website. One of the key points highlighted is the dramatic changes Google has introduced for ranking websites. Repetitive information, irrelevant content, misused keywords, keyword heavy content, poorly chosen links, and thin content used to mean nothing. But now each of these “minor copywriting details” can wipe your website right off the search engine map.

Copywriters, like designers, understand every detail of their field from microscopic to gigantic. They stay current on the ever-changing online scene, and this makes them invaluable when creating your website’s sales page. Not only will their word wielding expertise speak to and motivate potential customers, but their understanding of trending technology will save you time and make you money as your search engine rank rises.

In case you’re still on the fence about hiring a professional, let’s look at the consequences of poorly written copy:

Say good-bye to credibility. A copywriter doesn’t just craft opinion. They understand the importance of checking the facts, presenting supportive references, and educating your customer base. Educated customers are more likely to buy, and much more likely to be satisfied.
Forget trust. In order for people to even give you lead information, they must first trust you. Poorly written copy can break trust before it’s even built. Copywriters understand how to build trust through well-written and well-formatted copy. They write not just to sell your company, but also to reach out and connect with your customer base, building a relationship on well-founded trust.
Loyalty? What loyalty? Potential customers often see the quality of your web content as a reflection of your business standards, ethics, and values. The better the content, the stronger your credibility. The stronger your credibility, the more likely a customer is to trust you. Once you’ve established a trusting relationship with your customer base, customer loyalty follows. If you skimp on the copy, you can kiss this entire process and any hope of customer loyalty good-bye.

The point to take away, the one you’ve likely formulated in your head by now, is that hiring a great copywriter is a necessity. If you let just anyone write your sales page, NO ONE will convert. You will fail to generate maximum sales potential, and the pulse of your business will eventually die. Need some tips for picking a quality copywriter? You’re in luck; we discussed just this topic in 5 Keys to Choosing Your Content Writer before You Start Interviewing.

Creating an Awesome Sales Page

Your website sales page is your primary means of converting sales. You built your website because you wanted to sell something. If you have a single product, you probably kept it simple. You have a single page website spotlighting your product, explaining the benefits, offering relevant reasons to buy and providing a means of purchase. If you offer multiple products or multi-tiered services, your website is no doubt boasting meatier content and multiple pages.

Before embarking on the sales page of your website, first decide whether a single sales page will meet your needs. Will a single sales page grow cluttered, slowing the customer down, or will it give them a quick means to taking precise action?

Sales Page Length is Important

Neil Patel wrote a fascinating article for QuickSprout.com, in which he conducted an experiment about how content length affects ranking and conversion. He introduced two homepages to the web, one at 1,292 words and the other at only 488 words. The first homepage with over 1,000 words converted 7.6 percent better than the 488-word version. The leaders generated from the longer page were better quality and contributed to higher conversion. What’s the conclusion? Larger content length makes Google happier (your ranking increases) and your conversion rate increases.

On an average, your sales page should be in the 2,000 plus word length. Google prefers sites rich with content. At the same time, Google prefers sites with quality content.

9 Essential Tips for Generating Ranking and Conversion

According to WebCredible, the key to a successful sales page—the kind that increases your ranking and conversions—lies in “a basic formula to writing good copy.” It’s important to ensure your sales page includes the following essential elements:

Use well-written headlines. This is a three-fold element. First, you’ll need a pre-headline, which sets up the main headline. The goal is to capture your reader’s attention. Second, you’ll need the main headline to standout. It should be in the largest font on the page and spotlight the biggest benefit of your product or service. Third, you’ll need a post-headline, which should build on and clarify the main headline. Headlines draw readers in. Almost 90% of your audience will skim the page before deciding whether or not it’s worth their time to read. Stellar headlines will either pique their interest or send them away.
Create a compelling introduction. The opening sentences of your sales page have a sole purpose: snatch the reader’s interest and hook them so effectively that they dare not tear their eyes away from your content. A skilled copywriter will know exactly how to accomplish this.
Establish credibility. We keep talking about credibility, don’t we? That’s because credibility is especially important online. It must be established from the beginning or your potential customer could consider your business a scam and disappear forever. Copywriters are skilled at pointing out what makes you highly credible. Some information you can highlight to build credibility includes providing testimonials, using statistics, presenting specific numbers versus approximations, relevant expertise and credentials, product test results, favorable published reviews and displaying your contact information with an address so the customer knows you’re real.
Bullet out the benefits. Potential customers want to know the benefits of purchasing your product or service over the other guy’s. You can do this in a crisp fashion that stands out to the eye by using a bulleted list. Such lists are easy for the eyes to scan, and sometimes a customer will scan them over before reading the content, which means their interest in the benefits has drawn them in and they’re more likely to buy. Remember: benefits are not features. A single benefit can sell a customer. Be sure your list is not repetitious.
Present the features, specifications, and/or specifics. A list of feature or specifications tends to apply to a product more than a service. If you’re selling a service, list out the specific services or packages you offer. Unlike the benefits list, this section of your sales page is designed to tell the customer exactly what they’re getting, the product or service details.
Include a bonus. Depending on your company needs, including a bonus on your sales page is optional. If you can include something of value in additional to the primary product/service your advertising, you’ll attract even more potential consumers. A bonus doesn’t have to be another product. It can be something as simple and useful as a tutorial, quick start guide or a free sample. Whatever you choose to use, be sure it has a specific value.
Build-up and display your value. This is where you add in the monetary value of the bonus to the monetary value of the product or service. You goal is to clearly show the reader why the price is a great deal. You can further convince them of the value of your offer by comparing similar products or services that provide less and/or cost more. Use value build-up as an opportunity to create a sense of urgency, motivating the reader to take action now.
Ensure a pleasant purchasing experience. The first rule to placing an order is to ask for it. Utilize an “Order Now” or a “Request a Quote Now” link. Make the ordering experience easy. Instructions should be crystal clear in the form of step-by-step directions. Don’t forget to provide purchasing options so the customer has options such as the ability to order with a credit card, a PayPal account, a personal or business check, or by phone. It’s rare for a customer to opt for a check or phone order, but offer it anyway if possible.
Craft a conclusion. Never think of purchasing as the conclusion to your sales page, as this can lead the customer to thinking you’re only after their money. Instead, craft at least one final paragraph. Use it as an opportunity to repeat and summarize the important points on your sales page, and make one final request for the order or business.

Your Sales Page

Creating a fresh sales page or improving an existing one can feel like an overwhelming process. Unless you’re an expert copywriter, comfortable with even the most microscopic of copy details and able to quickly turnout a quality piece of sizeable content chalked full of audience and Google appeal, your most valuable investment of 2014 will be hiring a professional copywriter to tackle your website sales page.