Website Marketing Tips, Direct Response Websites that Sell More of Your Products and Services

Website “Salesmanship in Print”

David Glendinning — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:09:41 +0000

I don’t spend my whole day copywriting, nor claim to be a website copywriter, but if there is one main element that can really get your website to make more money, it’s…

Delivering the right message, to the right audience at the right time

Here’s what I mean. Imagine one night you have a splitting toothache that will not let you get to sleep… you know… that excruciating pain that you just can’t bear. (yes… I’m talking from experience)

You jump on the computer (remember… you can’t sleep) and type into Google “how to fix a toothache”. Up comes a whole pile of websites all talking about toothache pain.

The first website that you look at talks about the anatomy of the tooth, how decay gets in and starts to attack the nerve… causing you pain.

That’s all well and good… but it ain’t helping the pain that’s hitting your jaw like a jackhammer ripping through concrete.

Not quite the remedy that you want. Mind you, that type of information is typical of the content of many websites. In fact most of it is downright BORING!

Is your website guilty of that!

The next website you look at has this big headline “Get rid of toothache pain in 30 minutes or less”. You read on a little more and it goes into detail of remedies ranging from natural solutions to taking a heavy duty pain relief tablet that you should place on the tooth and let it dissolve.

Which website was most useful to you at that time?

You guessed it! The one that immediately solved your problem… the one that had;

The right message to the right audience at the right time

Think a little about what your website is all about. What problem are you trying to solve? Is the sales copy delivering the right message to the audience that you are trying to market to.

What you should be delivering is what’s referred to as “Salesmanship in Print”. It’s what great copywriters understand. And when applied correctly it will deliver a truck load more cash to your bank account.

When you take your message to the market, it’s complete, vibrant, and aimed to connect with your prospects.

It’s pure salesmanship. No matter what the media … print ads, direct mail pieces, websites, it doesn’t matter. The message remains the same.

And a lot of people don’t get this.

Most website content is all technical gibberish … like they are speaking some kind of different language. There is no connection there, no empathy or under-standing or pure emotion. It’s like they forget they are there to sell!

So get this straight…

When you’re writing website sales copy (you know, a sales piece that’s supposed to sell your product), write the way your target audience speaks. Don’t speak in big complex words… speak the way your target audience speaks.

That’s when you’ll get the connection you need to sell your stuff.

You see… most buying decisions are based on emotion… not logic… and when you connect with use of the right words you will hit your prospects emotional buttons.

You will identify their pain (toothache) and provide the solution (no more pain).

Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think.

About The Author

David Glendinning is a business coach and specializes in website design for direct response marketers. Visit his blog and signup free to get response- boosting online web strategies that pull in the orders and pays $$$ into your cash register. To get blog updates, news and more go to Direct Response Website Marketing Tips

Last 5 posts by David Glendinning

Share This Post

Share this post with a friend by clicking "share this" below. You may freely reprint or redistribute this article, provided the content and links are left intact, and the "about the author" section is included.

ShareThis

Give it Your Best… Your Very Best

David Glendinning — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:53:35 +0000

I love the Featured Video just opposite… I found this one on someone’s website not too long ago and that night went out and bought the DVD.

The message I want to give to my kids is that whatever you do, whether it be at school or at sport… is to give it your best shot… your very best.

And this video delivers the message really well… I especially like the bit at the end when the guy being carried tries to interrupt the coach. Just shows that giving your best will always exceed your expectations.

Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think.

Last 5 posts by David Glendinning

ShareThis

Web Content That Sells!

David Glendinning — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:59:37 +0000

Spent some time over the last few days checking out some websites, in particular the content… mainly what they say and offer in regards to their product or service.

I was checking whether the words they use are designed to SELL… Apply this test… when you visit a page are you ready to jump in and buy based on the words they use or the offer they present.

Guess what I found… 99% of what I saw couldn’t sell a dollar for fifty cents!

That’s why I consider the majority of business websites are just a waste of space.

Funny thing is though… most web pages don’t even have an offer… Most of the content is technical “mumbo jumbo” stating facts and figures or that they are the best and the equipment they use is top class, latest technology… not at all directed at the client… and NOT at all designed to SELL.

Here’s a classic that I found under the title of “skin rejuvenation”. I’ve replaced the product name just so no one takes offence and some scumbag tries to sue me…

“the product name” uses a unique combination of bipolar conducted electric current and optical (light) energy to isolate and effectively treat the problem area, leaving the surrounding skin free from potentially harmful side effects.

“the product name” requires no sedation or anaesthesia. The average procedure takes less than 45 minutes to perform. Immediately following the procedure, you can return to work or your daily schedule with no problems.

Sounds pretty compelling doesn’t it… don’t you just want to jump right in and buy… anyway, it goes further…

An overall improvement in skin texture can be seen even after one treatment, which will bring about a youthful, refreshed, firmer and younger appearance.

This revolutionary combination makes “the product name” a safer and more effective technology for skin tightening, wrinkle reduction and full face and neck rejuvenation. The “the product name” procedure is very affordable.

How much of that “rubbish” makes you want to BUY?

Does it serve any purpose? What are they really trying to get the reader to do? What action are they trying to get the reader to take.

Here’s my point…

Most website content is exactly the same as that… It fails on a number of points, but here’s a couple;

it is not benefit driven… it is feature based… OK, there’s a little bit in there about youthful, younger appearance but hardly enough to get a response.
Does not ask the reader to do anything… NO offer to respond to

If you really want to SELL something you need to identify the problem you are trying to solve. Here’s some tips that will instantly transform this content into something useful…

Attention Grabbing Headline – what about “Look Years Younger Without Surgery”… instantly gets the readers attention and identifies a main benefit…
Testimonials from those who have tried it… provides social “PROOF” that the treatment really works.
Include an OFFER… make an incentive to the reader to take action NOW… normally valued at $197 but here’s how you can instantly SAVE $100… just enter your details in the form below.

Guess what… you’ve just gained the contact details of an interested client… you can market this product to them forever .

I’m no accomplished copywriter… but it wouldn’t take too much effort to improve on this content to get a better chances of a SALE.

As I mentioned… the internet is littered with this stuff. Many have probably paid a fortune to a web designer for an ineffective website.

WARNING: Unless your website designer really understands direct response marketing and how clients make a buying decision, don’t rely on him or her to write YOUR message or develop your site!

Find someone that understands marketing!

Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think.

Last 5 posts by David Glendinning

ShareThis

Traditional Website, Online Sales Letters, Blog. Which one Works For You?

David Glendinning — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:44:46 +0000

How confused are you around this internet stuff? When I talk to my clients I discover that many of them are totally confused about what websites are all about.

You show them a sales letter site (direct response style) and they ask where is the website, you show them a blog and they wonder what that’s all about.

So let’s take a look at what it all means. Which type of website should you be focusing on? What’s the difference between them.

It could make the difference between you spending a LOT of money on your website and not getting sales (isn’t that the objective of any website?), verses getting heaps of sales from a website at a fair price to create it.

The “traditional” corporate style of website were the main option businesses looked at for presenting a positive image to the internet world, but they are not the only option you should consider - and may not get you the result you are searching for.

So first you need to understand each particular type.
Corporate traditional style of Website

This is the one you see that has the traditional company information such as products, About Us, Contact Us, and an overview of all facets of the business

Has links to other pages

Is about the business – written in more formal language
You describe your products & services & this only changes when your products or services change.
Is designed to provide an overview of your entire organisation activity
Is designed to impress the reader and build credibility for your business

In fact… I call it the “Business Card” online. Looks exactly like one and does not much more.

Sales Page Website – the Direct Response style

This is the long form sales page website - focused on getting the reader to make or take an immediate direct response

Starts with an attention grabbing headline
Might include lots of testimonials from satisfied clients scattered throughout the page
Is conversational, speaks directly to the person buying the product
You can buy directly from links that have been included on the page
Stands alone… Is not necessarily linked to other parts of the business
Is designed to sell one product or service only – you are seeking ONE outcome

Blog Websites

So what’s a Blog?

In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what’s new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.

So, unlike the traditional style of website, a blog is a collection of articles, content, catalogued and archived, based on your chosen niche.

The challenge here is to create a blog in such a way that it enhances your business… helps you get the reader, your clients, to come back more often to your website, creates more “traffic” to your website and makes you more money.

Blogs are dynamic - blogs are usually updated on a regular basis, daily, weekly.
Blogs can be interactive - people can leave their comments and participate in a conversation on your blog.
Blogs rank very highly with the search engines as the content is regularly updated - Google loves blogs because of this!

Not all web designers understand or have invested the time to study marketing… getting the client to buy from your website. And not all web designers will know how to guide you to get the best results from your website - most look at how to make your site look like a piece of art… with flashy bits and little tricks.

So make sure you work with a designer who understands marketing… websites that are designed to sell!

So, ask yourself this question… “what type of website design will work for me - a company website, a blog or a direct response online sales letter?”. I’d recommend that you make use of all THREE!

Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think.

Last 5 posts by David Glendinning

ShareThis

Website Search Engine Optimization

David Glendinning — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:15:47 +0000

As marketers and in making use of the internet to sell our products and services, we have at least a little understanding of the importance of search engines.

What good’s a website if you don’t have any web traffic? And that’s where search engines come into it.

It’s amazing how many clients I talk to that don’t have a clue about it. They may have a website but when you ask them where they rank in the search engines, many don’t have a clue.

Fact is… it’s NOT there fault! There’s a saying… “they operate up to their level of competence… or incompetence.” The get this website built, some by fancy web designers others by a friend or relative and they don’t consider search engines at all. They probably figure just having a website is enough.

And that was me! In a past business I had, I created a website, had it re-built 3 or 4 times… and eventually it ended up in a search engine. It was page 10 or 12 for my search term… but it was in a search engine.

Then I read something about linking from other websites… so I joined up with a link website and went and got a 100 or so free inbound reciprocal links. The effect was outstanding… within a month or so my site had got onto the first page… in fact it was ranked between 1 to 4, depending on the search engine.

And the result… tons more traffic to my site! Check out these stats…

And this result was gained from inbound links and some on page optimization for search engines. It wasn’t difficult, wasn’t rocket science… but it is a science… one that anybody who has a website could achieve themselves.

OK… so you get a lot of traffic to a website… what next?

Well… the strategy of any website based on direct response website design… is to get the visitor to take the action you want them to take. In the case of my business, I wanted them to fill in a quote form. And that’s exactly what many of them did.

Sometimes 20 a day… sometimes more.

And that simple looking website ended up bringing in over 20% of my sales revenue (which was hundreds of thousands of dollars). And it was from a market that I would not have ordinarily had access to. Many of them were international visitors to Perth, Western Australia who were looking for a car to rent… using the internet.

It didn’t matter how big my business was… it didn’t matter that I was just a Perth local and not a national company. So I could compete against the big guys with just an effective traffic generating website that had high rankings in the search engines.

Now if you haven’t gathered already, here’s my point.

Great rankings in the search engines is like gold to your business. It can generate huge sales. And as a website owner, or planning to be one… you need to understand a little about this.

Just the other day I found this fantastic resource… particularly if you are using Wordpress for your website or blog.

http://yoast.com/articles/wordpress-seo

Go and check it out!

Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think.

Last 5 posts by David Glendinning

ShareThis

Explode Your Website Profits With Backend Sales

David Glendinning — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:54:26 +0000

This is the website marketing strategy that many website owners… and website designers… just don’t understand.

And it is the one marketing strategy that will EXPLODE your business profits.

Let’s just take a minute to go back to the biggest mistake website owners make. That is, they go out and spend a small fortune with some technically brilliant “web designer” to create a website that promotes a specific business image… maybe even wins a website “design award”. Fact is though… it does not effectively SELL the clients products or service.

And remember… I want to create a website that SELLS!

I’m less concerned about the business image that the website creates, I don’t care if it wins a “website design award”… I just want it to SELL and put money into my bank account!

So what are “Backend Sales“?

These are the sales that you make to customers who have PREVIOUSLY purchased your products. These are the buyers who you have already impressed with your product.. the ones you have already built a relationship with.

And the fact is… they are the easiest to SELL more products to!

And if you’re not targeting these clients with more of your products… then you are missing out on the biggest opportunity for increased profits in your business.

You see… you have already spent the advertising dollars to attract these clients… so any further purchases they make will only cost you the production cost, or the cost of the good to you of your product.

Let me give you an example. I recently purchased an information product (an ebook) I was interested in for around $30. After reading the information, I was that impressed that I then went and spent $240 on another product from that seller.

It’s what I refer to as “Hidden Sales”. Are you possibly sitting on a gold mine and don’t even know it?

Think of hidden sales as “overlooked opportunities”. Think of them as flushing money down the drain when you don’t use them. It’s money that could have been in your pocket,but you just weren’t aware of it. By finding these hidden sales and taking advantage of them, not only will you increase your sales and income, but things will start to snowball.

OK… let’s take a look at Hidden Sales broken down into easier terms:

Fact #1: “Once a person buys from you, it’s easier to get them to buy again.” Realize that when a customer is already there and buying, you’ve got to keep selling to them. It is so much easier to sell more to an existing customer than to try to acquire and sell to new customers.

Fact #2: “Most people who leave your site won’t be back unless you get their contact information.” Before a person has a chance to leave your site, tap in to the tricks and techniques available to get them to stay, to get them to take action, or to get them into your funnel so that you can continue to advertise to them.

Once you understand these two facts and you learn to incorporate the hidden sales backend techniques presented to you in this course into your business, your sales will explode.

There’s plenty more to talk about as I have only touched the surface of the opportunity for backend sales to explode your website profits.

Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think.

Last 5 posts by David Glendinning

ShareThis

Are You a Website Beginner?

David Glendinning — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:56:14 +0000

I’ve been creating websites for around 5 years now. I’m no “website designer expert” by a long shot… but I do know how to create a website that sells stuff. And I’m becoming a pretty fast learner of the latest Web 2.0 strategies and techniques.

Fact is… there is no school that teaches you how to do this stuff, at least not one that will keep you up to date with the latest technologies out there.

But before I give you an idea how to fast track your own “expertise” in this area, let me tell you a little of my story.

I spent 15 years working with Telstra (the big telecommunications company here in Australia) and then went into my own small business. It’s there that I was introduced to the power of websites and the internet to sell my business services. Over the 8 years in that business, I had 4 websites built. I’d hate to add up how much that cost me, but in the end I had a website that generated around 25% of my total sales… and that was a pretty significant amount.

Was it a high tech website… NO! Was it full of fancy graphics… NO! Was it simple and easy to navigate… YES! Did it sell my services… YES!

One point to make though… I didn’t create any of it myself… Fact is, I struggled to make changes to it… I was at the mercy of an expensive website designer… and any changes to it took a fair amount of time.

Anyway… after that business I went and worked with my good friend Mal Emery. I went to an Internet Marketing seminar (actually I went to many) and it was there I was introduced to the many different opportunities that cane with creating websites yourself.

I started with Frontpage… that drove me nuts… then advanced to Dreamweaver. That was a lot better to use. Then through trial and error I became pretty proficient in creating websites for myself and my clients.

About 6 months ago I came to realize that a better solution for my clients was to create a website that gave the client the ability to alter the content themselves… a content management system (CMS). The problem I had though was where to find one. I knew some clients had them, but it seemed to be controlled by their website design company.

Then one day I received an email from a marketer that I follow and he spoke about Wordpress. He was telling me that he now created 99% of his websites using Wordpress and that it was an easy way to create a website with the content management system built into it.

Best of all… the Wordpress system was FREE! Simply install it on your server, log in and start creating the pages. There was no need to use Dreamweaver or any type of website html software. It was all there in the Wordpress software

Now I had heard of Wordpress… but I thought it was used for blogging. I had no idea you could create a website with it.

That started me on the Wordpress journey… Now I LOVE it! And I use it for all my client projects. In fact, this website has been created using Wordpress.

The “look and feel” of the website is a “wordpress theme”. Actually it’s the Revolution News Theme.

And when you start to look around at the different themes available, it’s quite simple to create your own website without knowing much about website design.

I’ll tell you a little more next time.

Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think.

Last 5 posts by David Glendinning

ShareThis

The Biggest Problem I See Website Owners Make!

David Glendinning — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:36:36 +0000

I pride myself in becoming a Direct Response Marketer. In my 8 or so years in a traditional style of business, some of the greatest gains I had in sales revenue were brought about by simple marketing strategies. In most instances, the strategies did not cost any money, in fact they mostly saved me money.

They were simple methods that were implemented once I understood the basics of direct response marketing. That is, once I understood the emotional aspects that convinced a buyer to do business with me. It was the way we spoke to the client over the telephone, it was the way we constructed our yellow pages ad, our advertisements and the way that we actually asked for the order.

It’s the same with websites. Now I’ve seen some great looking, so called “professional” websites. These are websites that are created to present a business image, to impress people when they visit the website, and even to get respect in the market place. They have fantastic graphics, very tricky designs… maybe even fancy flash presentations.

Me… I want a website to make MONEY!

Now I’m not against good looking websites… and I will spend some money on graphics. But the essential element is the intention to SELL something.

Many of my clients have spent small fortunes on getting their websites built. They look beautiful… but many have the same underlying problem… they DO NOT make the business any money. In fact, they are ineffective selling tools.

And when I ask the well qualified website designers who built these sites why they created a site like this, that doesn’t sell, and why the essential website marketing features have not been built into the site… they usually respond with a glazed look and say “That’s what the client wanted” or “The client was not prepared to pay for those features”.

So what’s the answer?

A good website is designed to SELL something. If you want people to BUY your product or service then you have to SELL it to them. If you want people to give you their email and contact information, then you have to SELL them on the benefits of doing that.

And that’s what I don’t see the typical website doing.

If you hire someone to write the words for your website, then they must be an experienced ad copywriter. And the BEST person to write the words for your website is YOU.

So you might tell me “I’m not a writer”. I’ll tell you “GOOD”… you’re qualified. Creating words for your website is all about being personal exactly like a simple face to face conversation.

You grab the visitors attention, tell them the benefits of your offer, show them how other people have liked it, and make it risk free to try it out. If you were to sit down with me and explain to me why I should buy your product, that would be 90% or so of your website sales copy right there.

And that’s the biggest mistake I see website owners make. They forget about the art of SELLING and they get caught up in making their website a glossy brochure… and pay a fortune in doing so.

Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think.

Last 5 posts by David Glendinning

ShareThis

What’s A Direct Response Website?

David Glendinning — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:08:23 +0000

What’s the purpose of your website? I doubt many website owners have asked themselves this all important question. Take a look around at many of the websites online. Many of them think that they have to showcase their products, give away free information or they could even think that it’s to build a brand name.

That’s RUBBISH!

If you’re a business, the purpose of your website is to SELL something. Forget about anything else. Your website should have ONE main focus. That is, when a visitor comes to your website you should have ONE intended course of action.

So, when someone comes to your website, it should be clearly obvious what ONE action you want them to take.

There are only two possibilities for this one action.

Option 1: Buy a product or service
Option 2: Leave their name and email address for future follow up

If your strategy is option 1, then the best way to achieve that is to use a strong selling letter as the main text on your website. You don’t want a lot of links, you don’t want them to have to press “continue” to view the rest of your sales piece. The MAIN focus of your website is the sales letter.

Now don’t go thinking your business is different… The answer is clear. Your product or service is not different.

Why?

Because you’re still selling to humans and the psychology of buying is all based on emotion. If you target that emotion in your sales copy then you will have a strong chance of success in making the sale.

What about option 2? If you’re selling a $2,000 product to a cold audience of web visitors then that’s going to be hard to achieve. They’re not going to make up their mind straight away after looking at your website the first time.

So what do you do? You offer them an ethical bribe… you give them reason to provide you with their name and email address and possibly other contact information. This could be in the form of a free gift, a free report that provides valuable information or even a free online course delivered by email.

You can then follow them up through effective email marketing. You may not sell them today, but you may have a strong chance of selling to them in the future. Having a qualified (interested in your product or service) targeted opt-in email list is as good as money in the bank!

So when you are building your website you have to choose what your primary goal is. If you’re selling a product under $50 with a proven high conversion rate then option 1 may be for you. But depending on your strategy, option 2 may prove more effective.

That’s the basis of a Direct Response Website… a website that has a clear identifiable course of action for your visitor… and one that is designed to sell.

Please leave your comments below and tell me what you think.

Last 5 posts by David Glendinning

ShareThis