Long Copy Sales Letters On The Web: Hype Or Not?
|
|
I have written before about long sales copy on the web. But I have more to say on the subject.
First, let me be clear about what I'm saying here. I'm not talking about long content pages within dozens of other pages on a site. I'm talking about stand-alone pages...a long, direct response sales letter online, often with its own domain name.
Next, let me say this: long copy works, online and offline.
If you can hold someone's attention with your writing, a long page gives you the space to deliver all the benefits, cover all the features and address a myriad of reader questions and concerns. So long as the letter carries momentum and holds the reader's attention, people will keep scrolling.
And you'll get a better conversion rate than you would with a shorter page. This is true offline, and on the web also.
However, what I have found is two distinct approaches to the long, online sales letter. Both work, but do so in different ways.
Long copy style #1: Selling with Hype
You probably know the kind of page I mean. Here's an example of the kind of copy you can expect:
"Income For Life? is the same program being praised by the true experts as "...a new breakthrough method that will probably lead more people from broke to millionaire status than 'Think & Grow Rich,' 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad,' and 'The Science Of Getting Rich' Combined!""
The copy style is fast, packed with superlatives, thick with unsupported promises and bulging with testimonials given by people who appear to sprinkle amphetamines on their wheaties.
The template for these sales pages is fairly consistent. Lots of highlighted subheads and indents. A breathless pace...and the promise of a better life. Success. Wealth. Happiness.
Well, we all want to be happy and most of us could do with some extra wealth.
But how is it that this approach works so well? Many of us look at these letters and are incredulous. And many of us would claim never to be persuaded by such an approach. But hundreds of thousands of people are.
How come? This copy approach has a hypnotic quality to it. It makes promises with such strength and enthusiasm. And in some way, it tempts us into a state of submission. We submit to the endless waves of promises and testimonials. We succumb to the thought that maybe, just maybe...this might work...and we might find that extra wealth or happiness.
And yes, even you will turn off your critical faculties from time to time. If you have ever purchased a lottery ticket you have been in this 'space'...where your desire for a better future overcomes your more rational thinking process. Hey, someone has to win. Right?
The same is true if you have ever felt your brain go soft in the face of an enthusiastic car or electronics salesperson. One half of your brain knows you are being persuaded to buy extra features you don't need and probably can't afford. The other part of your brain is whispering in your ear, "Hey man, chill. This feels good. Go with the flow, listen to the man."
This happens to us when we WANT to hear what we are hearing. When we WANT it to be true. When we allow ourselves to dream.
This is how hype works. It deepens our state of submission and creates a state of almost dreamlike optimism.
And it works.
The significant downside to this approach is that most of us wake up from the dream and find that the promises were empty. Or, to put it another way, we bought the ticket, but didn't win the lottery.
So if your aim is to build long-term relationships with your readers, prospects and customers, using hype is not the way to go.
Long copy style #2: Selling with a Human Connection
The second style of long copy approach is quite different. Again, these are often stand-alone pages, many screens long. Again, you'll find the headings, the subheads, indents and testimonials.
But you'll find a very different approach in the writing style.
If you have ever read a sales letter from Bill Bonner, Ken Evoy or Allan Gardyne... this is the kind of writing I'm talking about.
These are still long, enthusiastic letters...and the pace still draws you down, line after line.
But here are some differences, and they are very significant.
- Within the text you will hear the genuine voice of the writer. You're not being sold with copy written by the 'Dream-O-Matic 2000' ? you're being sold by a recognizable human voice, the voice of Bill, Ken or Allan.
- You are not succumbing to that state of dreamlike submission and suspending your critical faculties. You remain quite rational and quite clear in your thinking.
- You are hearing a voice that sounds and feels infinitely more trustworthy.
- You don't have to suspend your disbelief. Instead, you feel comfortable and believe what you are reading.
At the end of a letter like this, you make a choice...buy or not to buy. And it's a choice you are much less likely to regret.
Online sales letters like these are the children of traditional direct response letter writing. Good direct mail letters are written in this second way ? by making a genuine connection with the reader and earning his or her trust.
There is a big upside to this second approach. It builds trust and loyalty. If your strategy is to build a list of happy prospects and customers who will come back again and again, this is the style you will want to adopt.
Conclusions
Long copy works, and it works in more than one way.
If you can reach a big enough readership (no small feat) and want to make big money, right now, hype might work for you.
But if you want to build a long-term list of repeat customers... be yourself and write to your audience with an enthusiasm that is built on a foundation of honesty and respect for your readers.
--
Article Resource: If you would like to learn how to write like a traditional direct marketer, read my review of Michael Masterson's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting.
Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocat of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his Excess Voice site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at his Freelance Writing Success site.
|
|
|
Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites
Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE NewsletterDo Your Website Yourself - 4 Simple Steps To Get Your Dreams On The Web
Many people hire professional web site designers for as much as a thousand plus USD! You can, and very easily, make a web site for almost one hundredth of that price, and pro...(related: Web Design)
Imitation, The Smartest Form Of Flattery
Unless you are an inventor, most likely you are selling a product or service that is being offered by someone else, somewhere, at some time. The first person to start your type of business would have gone through a lot of trial and error. Thank that person, as now you can not only profit by not repeating the same mistakes, but by learning what they do to get business.
How To Choose The Right Web Design Company
1. Size does not equate to competencePeople sometimes assume a company with more money, employees, office space etc will be more capable than one with less. This is not necessarily correct. In fact much smaller businesses (or individuals) if they apply themselves intelligently/effectively, are often likely to be able to deliver better quality-and more personalized-services than bigger ones. My advice it that you get authentic proof of competence in form of past web design projects (website addresses) the individual or company you want to choose has handled. Go one step further, if possible and request for client contact details so as to verify the claims made.2. Do they have a business philosophy that protects you, the client?Customers naturally often complain about unreliable service providers -including Internet-related servi...(related: Web Design)
Affordable Web Design In Birmingham
If you have a business, big or small you may be thinking of getting yourself a website.The world wide web is another way of spreading your message or selling your product.First you need to find somebody or a company to build and design your website. Some web designers charge a huge amount of money so it is quite difficult to make the right choice.One area you could try first is online auction websites such as ebay. There may well be a new company who is just starting out and who are looking at building up a portfolio. They may well at this early stage be offering their services quite cheaply. This method also...(related: Web Design)
Choosing Your Web Design
We would all like to have the best looking website, that's a fact - but if we keep in mind that our main objective is to finally sell our product or service online, we'll realize that maybe design is not the most important factor when it comes to achieve this objective.Professional design is probably the most time ...(related: Web Design)
Choose & Use The Best Colors
The Psychology of ColorAre you using the best colors for your web site? Many web designers often overlook the issues of color in web design. When choosing colors for your web site there are three main areas that should be addressed.1) The psychological effect of colors,2) The effect on the readability of your site, and3) The complementary...(related: Web Design)
How To Create A Stunning Drop Capital Effect On Your Web Pages
Drop Capitals are frequently used in many newspapers, books and magazines in the offline world. You will frequently see the large capital letter sinking down into the first paragraph of articles, stories and chapters in the majority of publications you come across.
The drop capital gives the page a nice finishing touch, and certainly adds a more professional looking feel.
Online, the drop capital looks just as good on web pages as it does in print. The only drawback is that you can easily get the whole effect wrong, and end up with a less than appealing result.
The wrong way...
When most people attempt to create a drop capital effect on a web page...(related: Web Design)
Choosing A Web Designer : A Plan To Guide You Through The Minefield
Choosing a web designer can seem like a daunting task. They come in all shapes and sizes ? from freelancers working at home to glossy new media agencies, and there is as much variation in prices and service as there is in size.So how do you choose the right one for your business?Select Your MarketplaceFirstly, decide what market your would like to select from: local , national or overseas.If you would feel more comfortable meeting your designer, and running through your project face to face (maybe it's the k...(related: Web Design)
Web Designers Beware!
As a web designer, I have a personal interest in a new trend which threatens to put me and my kind out of business. That "threat" is Web Design Templates. In short they are ready-made web design products which can be used as a basis for a fast and high-quality website. You usually receiv...(related: Web Design)
Web Designing Tips
Easy That's how you'd like life to be, right? Especially when you're creating a website on your own. But that doesn't mean you want the site to look severe and just functional. you...(related: Web Design)
Save Thousands Of Dollars By Creating Your Own Web Site
With the advent of the Internet a whole new vista of business has opened up. Many erstwhile opportunities otherwise not available to us, many markets which were previously inaccessible are accessible to us now. We can transact with anyone anywhere across the world sitting in the comfort of our home.For e.g. a person in New York, USA can send flowers to a person in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India in real time, i.e. almost within 1 hour the delivery of flowers can be arranged. similarly, transactions of mone...(related: Web Design)
Building Your Website To Save You Money
Does your website make you any money? Does it SAVE you any money?
Websites are more than just marketing tools, out there in Cyber-Land effortlessly promoting you and your products. While that's great, why not use that same website to save yourself some money?
How? Well, while I don't know your particular situation, I can provide you with some thought-provoking ideas that you can take back to your web designer for more input.
Reduce your support costs.
The Secrets To Successfully Learning Basic Html
If you'd like to create/maintain a website, having some HTML knowledge is necessary in order to create a standard page on the web. Learning the HTML basics is easy and ...(related: Web Design)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 Empower! Web Design | All Rights Reserved. | Web Design