5 Secrets For Writing Sales Copy That Sells

What is the number one factor that will determine whether or not your marketing gets the response you desire? 

Effective Copy.

Don’t get me wrong… creativity has a role to play, but any form of advertising that merely entertains does not sell. Your perfectly targeted audience are just like you and I, they have certain triggers that must be pushed in order to complete a sale.

Does that concern you? If so - then follow these 5 secrets to writing sales copy that sells.Without good copy, they will never be educated as to the full range of benefits your products or service offers. They will never be forced to act on an initial interest and will instead become the customer of your competitor who provides the information and reassurances they are looking for upfront.

 

1: Make your copy readable

Even highly relevant copy can look boring or hard going.

• Make short, sharp statements that are no more than 8-9 words long.
• Paragraphs should be a maximum of 3 lines or sentences long.
• Present your key benefits as bullet points.
• Use subheadings and bold treatments.

 

2: Present the call to action early - and often

If the reader thinks they are being sold to they are less likely to read the whole letter at first. They skip and skim for the main points, and then decide if they are interested. So it’s critical to include a compelling call to action as early as the second paragraph and repeat it often.

Utilise the Postscript (PS) to provoke action. Did you know that 71% of readers read this part of the letter before anything else?

 

3: Link features to benefits

In direct response copy, it is important to remember that readers actively seek meaningful benefits in order to justify a purchase. So spell out the main benefits of your solution and always relate to them to the prospect. Another valuable tactic is to position the benefit at the front of a sentence, for example:

Wrong- “Our guarantee gives you complete peace-of-mind in the product you are installing”

(Feature before benefit)

Right- “Have complete peace-of mind with our 7-step customer service guarantee”

(Benefit before feature)

 

4: Sell the benefit of responding to your offer

Think of a good offer: Free information pack; Free Report: Learn the five biggest marketing mistakes companies make online and how to avoid them: Introductory discount voucher; Free consultation etc.

Sell the benefits that responding to the offer will have on their business. Alternatively, you can employ a `risk of loss` strategy that presents the negative consequences of not taking action.

Why is a good offer important? Because, in many industries, it is unrealistic to expect the reader to commit to a purchase (or change supplier etc.) as early as the first point of contact. However, by encouraging the reader to indicate an interest in your solution you can form a long list of warm prospects that can be followed-up by your sales team.

 

5: Include a headline

A powerful headline is the number one selling tool on any piece of direct mail. So why do so many copywriters get it wrong, or fail to include one altogether?

A headline grabs the reader's attention, it is what makes someone think 'I need to know more about this'. When designing your headline, get inside the mind of your target audience and understand what makes them tick.

 

Has this article helped you to write effective sales copy? We'd like to hear your stories or what you may have done differently in order to get the consumers attention.