In this blog post you’re going to learn how to plan and write a sales message or a sales letter with great conversion rate.
Point-wise, this is how to write a great sales letter:
- Write from the customer’s point of view.
- Have a well-defined flow to lead your reader through the entire sales process.
- Make it easy to read.
- Use call-to-action words and expressions to prompt your readers to take a decision.
- Keep your readers interested so that they want to read more and know more about your business.
- Cater to their sense of urgency.
- Remain truthful.
- Always sell the benefits, not the features.
No matter what you publish on your website, on your blog, or even elsewhere, ultimately what matters is your conversion rate: how many people become your paying customers and clients?
A big part of business writing or online writing is writing sales messages or copy that intends to sell.
Although, the entire essence of content marketing is not selling and simply providing useful information to people so that they can make up their minds about whether they want to do business with you or not, selling is a part of everything.
Selling doesn’t mean “come, come do business with me because I’m great!” but somewhere, you need to tell your customers and clients that you are open for business and you are a professional.
If all the time you’re educating your prospective customers and clients, they may end up thinking that you are an educational website and you’re not interested in getting paid assignments or selling stuff.
Here is an interesting take on how to write killer sales messages to improve your conversion rate. The gist of this blog post is:
- Write your sales message or your sales copy the way you talk.
- Cut the hype and tell the truth.
- Write in a language people understand, avoiding jargon as much as possible.
- Stick to the point.
- Get to the main point as quickly as possible.
Let’s now expand the points mentioned above quickly.
Write your sales message or your sales copy the way you talk
When you write the way you talk, people feel as if you’re talking to them. They get a sense of engagement.
How do you talk normally?
You don’t use difficult words. You don’t go on and on. Your sentences are shorter, crisper, and to the point.
Don’t manipulate words.
Cut the hype and tell the truth
There is reason why most of the “money making” email messages go to the spam folder automatically.
This is because they make big, unrealistic claims. Spam filters can read such messages.
Stick to the truth.
I’m not talking about lazy and greedy people, but everybody is a realistic person. They can see through your tall claims.
Write in a language people understand
Every target audience has a different way of talking and writing. You will know that people in the fashion industry talk differently. Doctors talk differently. Scientists talk differently. Writers talk differently.
Although in most of the writing advises you are advised to avoid jargon, I’m not averse to using jargon. Just make sure people are comfortable when reading your sales message and they don’t have to refer to a dictionary.
Stick to the point
This is very important when you are writing a sales message. No scope for rambling or for making irrelevant points or references.
Remember that anything can distract your reader. There are already so many distractions around him or her. There are also distractions within the device and you don’t want to add to those distractions by including information that is not needed or that distracts.
Get to the main point as quickly as possible
The same as above. An average reader is in a great state of distraction so say your thing as quickly as possible.
It is recommended that your reader should be able to understand the gist of your sales message above the fold – he or she shouldn’t have to scroll to understand what you’re trying to promote.
Concluding remarks on writing sales messages with great conversion rate
This is standard advice – the points mentioned above.
A sales message – a message that you use on a landing page or in a promotional email, or anywhere you need to sell a product, a service, or an idea – is a mode of convincing.
It is rightly said that one of the most difficult tasks in the world is making someone give you money for your product or service.
On the Internet it is more difficult because when people come to your website, you are not directly talking to them. It is your text. It is your sales message that needs to convince them.
This is why it is very important to appear truthful.
Spell out the benefits of doing business with you in as plain a language as possible. By “plain” I don’t mean using very bland, uninspiring language, what I mean is, don’t mince your words and don’t ramble.