Selling products and services can be tough, but with the right sales copy in place, it will drastically enhance you getting more business and making more sales. Sales copy is writing with the intent to sell. Whether you are selling a product or a service it’s vital to have a formula in which you communicate to your customer.

If sales copy intimidates you, you’re not alone. Even skilled bloggers or content marketers have the tendency to get sales to copy wrong when they’re just winging it.

They write their sales page the same way they write their blog posts or newsletters and hope for the best.

Sales pages are different than the average blog post, though, because they have a different end goal.

When you’re writing a blog post you tend to be aiming to inform, and hopefully gather a few email addresses along the way. With sales copy, on the other hand, you’re hoping to get people to part with their hard-earned money and commit to a transformation that you can offer.

That means you need to convey two things: the value of your product and the urgency to enroll now. You start with, “Choose my product because it will make your life easier,” and close with, “But you should hurry because time is limited.”

1. Define your audience

Is your product or service a perfect one-fit-solution for anyone and everyone?

If so, you shouldn’t advertise it to everyone in such away. If you are selling your product or service to a specific person communicate to that specific person. Don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to your communication. 

It’s important to really narrow down who you are actually communicating to and get into the problems that exist in there life and demonstrate how those problems can be solved by your product or service. 

Before you write a line of copy, figure out exactly who your target audience is.

Consider these factors:

• Is your product or service better suited for novices or someone who already knows the basics?
• As you answer these questions, a persona will start to emerge, and the more specific you can get, the better (Imagine one person, maybe someone you know).
• If you know that your target persona is a 55-year-old male who is a first-time entrepreneur honing his business idea., it’s much easier to develop a voice that’s persuasive. You’ll be able to talk about technology and business in a way that makes the most sense to him, which will make it a no-brainer for him to take your course. After all, you get him, and he can trust you.

2. Make your sales page digestible 

Your sales page should be easily scannable and digestible. Your audience is likely to first scan the page before diving in so they can see if reading your sales copy is even worth their time in the first place.

Divide your sales page into very clear sections divided by images, graphs, and color blocking that clearly differentiate section a from section b from section c.

You can also use plenty of bolded text and colored text to make certain points and statements stand out.

Again, this makes the sales page very scannable.

Your audience members should be able to take a very quick, 15-second look at your sales page as a whole and already have an idea of whether or not your product or service is going to be a fit for them.

Based on an initial scan, your audience will decide whether they should stick around or if maybe your product or service isn’t going to be the best fit for them.

Plus, we need to be honest: people are easily bored and easily distracted. If you don’t have something on your sales page to catch their eye right away they are likely to click to another tab and never think of your sales page again.

To make your page super digestible, I recommend including these elements:

• Use very clear headers – You can use headers to break up different sections in your sales page. They can be simple (i.e. “Testimonials”) or a bit punchier (i.e. “What people are saying.”) Regardless, including headers will help your audience know what to expect and prompt them to read your page.
• Vary text size and color – A huge wall of text is going to overwhelm your audience and encourage them to click away from your sales page – and fast. Breaking up that wall of text with a variety of text types will make your page easier to read and encourage your audience to stick around and read more.
• Include negative space to make your page easy to read – negative space is simply the area on your sales page that has no text or images. Adequate negative space keeps your page from looking too busy or overwhelming and invites your audience to stick around a bit longer.
• Add images to break up the text – much like the other tips mentioned here, images are going to make your sales page less intimidating. Images also serve to draw the reader’s eye – so make sure the copy surrounding the images is persuasive.

This one step will encourage significantly more people to stick around and take the time to read your page, giving you more opportunity to win your audience over via your superior sales copy.

3, Tell a Story

As cliche as it might sound, telling a story on your sales page can really help your audience connect with you and your product. By painting a vivid picture of who can benefit from your product and the problems you’re going to solve, you can help people connect with your product. Start with telling your own story, or sharing a case study of a friend or client you helped.

Describing a clear pain point that your product or service is going to solve and then explaining how it will help your student overcome that pain point is very valuable in creating a powerful sales proposition.

4. Overcome objections

People naturally try to talk themselves out of making any big purchase—whether it’s a new vacuum cleaner that they have a practical need for or software that can transform their life or business.

You need to nip that tendency in the bud.

Address any rational concerns someone might have when it comes to buying your course, and frame your product or service as the best possible solution for the problems that your audience is having.

Common Objections  

• The product or service is expensive. If you haven’t effectively portrayed the value of your course, people may think of it as expensive rather than valuable. One way to prove the value of your course is with language like, “The product or service in this course is worth well over $900, but I’m selling it for just $150,” or, “This product or service will help you earn $1,000, but I’m giving it away for just $150.”.
• “But how do I know I can trust you?” When it comes down to it, to someone you don’t know. Especially with internet sales chances are your customers who have never met you, and you could be anyone hiding behind a fake online identity. Building trust online is a very important component in making sales. One way to build trust is through testimonials. Testimonials show that other people trusted you and are glad that they did.
• “How often can I get the most.” When it comes down to it, to someone you don’t know, you’re just a random person on the internet. Chances are your customers who have never met you, and you could be anyone hiding behind a fake online identity. Building trust online is a very important component in making sales. One way to build trust is through testimonials. Testimonials show that other people trusted you and are glad that they did.

5. Use clear calls to action

A call to action is exactly what it sounds like text or an image that’s calling out to your reader to take an action.

It can be as simple as “Enroll now!” or a little punchier, “Join the fun and buy today!” It’s easy to worry about being salesy and opt for softer calls to action, like “Learn More.” But if your copy is doing its job, your future customer is looking for a clear button that tells them exactly where to purchase. 

So be upfront and ask people to purchase or sign up for your course, because that’s why you brought them to your sales page in the first place (and that’s why they’re there).

There is your 5 point sales copy checklist to improve your sales copy. Be sure to do the following. Define your audience, make your sales page digestible, tell a story, overcome objections, and use clear calls to action. 

For a free sales, copy consultation be sure to book a free 30 minute sales copy consultation. Click here.