Conversion Rates Part Two
Boost Conversion Rates In Three Easy Steps
What is your conversion rate?
- Sales Leads
- Sales Inquires
- Sales Conversions
Boost Your Conversion Rate In Three Easy Steps
When I critique, edit or rewrite sales copy, I discover
that many of my clients commit common errors. Granted, they're not writers. But most of
them fail to drive customer actions not because they lack writing skills but because they
fail to look at their copy from their readers' perspective. They're so involved with their
web site, business or product that they forget their prospects.
Let me share with you three simple steps you can take
immediately to increase the readability of your copy, the excitement level of your offer
and the responsiveness of your readers.
Lace Your Copy With Headers
Online, people don't read. They scan. Unlike a book that's
read from cover to cover, people don't read entire web pages from top to bottom. How often
do you read entire newspapers, for example? More than likely, you scan them quickly and
stop at any headline that captures your attention, picks your curiosity and pulls you
into the article. On the web, that behavior is more prevalent.
Moreover, reading web copy, particularly long copy sales
letters, is a wearying task. So, write to be scanned. Keep your paragraphs short, and
incorporate many headers throughout your copy in order to direct your readers' eyes and
attention. Add a header at every two to five paragraphs, and use different sizes, colors
or fonts.
Avoid over used, stale and hackneyed expressions, like
"Welcome to [Whatever]." Lace your copy with powerful yet brief headers that are
inviting, invoking and important. Look at it this way: when your readers scan your copy,
headers must force them to stop what they're doing and to feel what follows cannot be
ignored. Write a header with the assumption that the preceding text was not read.
Let's say you promote business opportunities or show people
how to find them. Instead of a header that says, "Home-Based Business Success,"
use, "Uncover Profitable Opportunities Hidden In Your Home!" Rather than,
"Affordable Diamond Business Opportunities," say "Mine Your Own Business
... At Rock Bottom Prices, Too!"
Blend Your Copy With Bullets
Directing the eye is an important tactic. In order to
direct your readers to act, you first need to direct their attention. Another tool for
accomplishing that consists of bullets. Bulleted lists are captivating, intriguing and
pleasing to the eye. And they can help to reinforce the offer, give readers a visual break
and are clustered for greater impact, especially with long copy offers.
In fact, an effective way to use bullets within the heart
of your sales copy is when they follow "you get" and "reasons why,"
such as "with this [product], you get" and "here are the reasons why [you
must buy now]." They grant the reader the ability to know, instantly, what they get
out of reading further or responding.
Here's an example. Let's say you sell a home exercising
machine that helps to strengthen the abdominaless. You can say, "With your Abdominoflex
Toning Machine, here's what you get," followed by a bulleted list of the various
benefits a customer receives
- A system that provides an easier yet intense workout that
will burn off unwanted calories more rapidly and enjoyably;
- A scientifically designed exercise regimen laser-targeting
specific areas for a faster, firmer and shapelier figure;
- A compact, lightweight and space-saving machine that can be
stored right under your bed and pulled out only when needed;
- ... And a so on.
Paint Your Copy With Pictures
Another strategy is to use words and phrases that help to
paint vivid pictures in the mind. When people can visualize the process of doing what you
want them to do, including the enjoyment of the benefits of your offer, you drive their
actions. So, use imagery and picture words to invite, entice and incite your audience.
We think in relative terms. And we are predominantly
visual, too. Our brains need to translate messages into visual equivalents in order to
appreciate what they are being told. In other words, the mind thinks in pictures, not in
words or numbers. For example, if I told you to think of a garbage can, you're not going
to think of "G," "A," "R," etc. You're going to visualize a
garbage can.
During a televised newscast, a reporter, flying above the
scene of a recent forest fire in her stations helicopter, was asked, "How big is the
fire?" In a voice drowned by the whizzing sound of helicopter blades, she reported,
"It's over 140 acres of land, which is about 200 football fields back to back for you
and me."
In the same way, use examples, analogies and metaphors that
your readers can intimately understand. And tell stories. Copywriters are storytellers.
And above all, compel readers with vivid words and mental imagery. The more vivid the
words paint, the easier it will be for the mind to translate the message you are conveying
into something readers can understand, relate to and act upon.
In Conclusion, Remember This ...
I agree that copy-writing is not an easy task for many. But
one of the most important steps you can take is to look at your web site through your
readers' eyes. Imagine stumbling onto your web site for the first time. What would you
read? Where would your eyes go? What would your mind think? Above all, what would you do?
If you hesitate at any point, realize that hesitation on
your part is confusion on the part of your readers. And confusion leads to
procrastination. Your readers will simply do nothing.
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