In today’s digital world, a well-written sales page can make or break your conversion. Whether you’re trying to convince someone to buy a product or service or just want to encourage them to pick up your app or game, you need compelling copy that will get them to buy from you.
What makes up a good sales page?
- A good opening sentence
- A hook
- A call to action (e.g., “Learn how to write effective marketing copy…”)
- A compelling headline
- A brief description of what the product or service is
- Three or four persuasive sentences
- A brief conclusion
- Good, quality content
- Short, snappy paragraphs
- Images (e.g., product shots, graphics)
- Calls to action in several places
With so much competition, it’s crucial that you stand out from the crowd. You can do this by using persuasive writing techniques and combining them with cutting-edge marketing technology.
If you want to become a better writer, here are some tips on how you can use marketing technology to supercharge your copywriting skills and to produce writing that will engage your audience and compel them to take action.
Learn From Excellent Writers
To begin with, you should always consult with an experienced, professional copywriter to get help with your project. This is not only because you’re not a good writer, but because you may not know how to effectively use the tools available to you as a copywriter.
The best way to learn how to write compelling copy is by studying the work of experienced writers. You could begin by looking at bestselling books or articles by prominent authors to see how they do it. You can also find online courses that will teach you how to write the bestseller’s style of the pros.
Use Marketing Technology To Build A Writer’s Craft
The very best way to become a master copywriter is to continually train your brain to produce compelling material. Like any other craft, you can practice and improve your skills by reading excellent examples of what professionals are doing and by taking advantage of the various tools that can be used to build a better manuscript.
The first step is to make sure that you have the basic building blocks of a compelling sales page in place. If you’re looking for inspiration, you can always find thousands of well-written sales pages on the internet. Search for “marketing copy” or “sales copy” and you’ll see pages and pages of content.
One of the best things about the internet is that you can use tools like Scrivener, which allows you to collect and organize your ideas into a single manuscript, or WordAi, which helps you generate unique content from your existing writings, both published and unpublished. With these tools, there’s no limit to the amount of content you can generate for your writing practice.
Along with Scrivener and WordAi, there are a number of blogging platforms that can be used to enhance your practice, such as HubSpot, which can help you manage and organize your blog content; or WordPress itself, which is arguably the most popular and widely used blogging platform in existence.
As you build and practice your craft, you’ll find that blogging not only helps you organize and focus your thoughts, but it also helps build your reputation as an expert in your industry. When you consistently post valuable content that is regularly shared and viewed by others, you’ll begin to build a following that will eventually become a buzzworthy name in your industry. Plus, you’ll gain experience that will help you become a better writer.
Use Data To Optimize Your Writing
When you’re learning how to write, nothing teaches you how to write well like good, solid data. The best way to determine what works and what doesn’t is by testing different marketing approaches and comparing the results. With some of the tools mentioned above, you can easily set up automated keyword searches and A/B tests that will allow you to quickly pinpoint exactly what content is performing best and make changes as needed.
If you were to write a sales page for my health supplement company, you might begin with something like this:
- A good opening line
- A hook
- A call to action (e.g., “Learn more about…”)
- A brief description of what the product is
- Four persuasive sentences
- A conclusion
The first thing you’d do is look at which of the above elements are performing well in attracting attention and encouraging people to click through to your site.
If you’re struggling with inspiration, you can use this list to help you come up with a creative idea for your next sales page. You can also use it to find discrepancies in your current work – either you’ve underperformed in some areas or you’ve performed exceptionally well in others. This is a great way to identify strengths and weaknesses, which you can then work on improving.
Short, Snappy Paragraphs
Besides using data to find the most effective ways to write, you should always keep in mind the brevity principle. Just like good photography, good copy requires concise and precise writing. Every word, sentence, and paragraph you write should contribute to the overall message you’re trying to get across.
To write concisely but effectively, you need to keep your writing to a minimum. You should aim for short paragraphs that are easy for the reader to understand and that contribute to the main point you’re making. For example, if you’re writing about the dangers of water pollution, you might write something like this:
- Paragraph one
- Paragraph two
- Paragraph three
The above paragraphs are okay, but they could be much more effective if they were shorter and more to the point. You could write something like this:
- Shocking revelations about the state of our oceans!
- Odds are you’re drinking water that is harmful to marine life.
- Don’t be fooled by the clear, innocent eyes of these beautiful creatures!
- Your purchase of this book will help save the oceans!
With just a few changes, the above passages would become much more effective and would draw in the reader with an immediate appeal. Plus, they would be able to pack more information into the same number of words. While the above passages are extreme examples, every paragraph and sentence should have a goal of making the reader better informed about the topic at hand so they can become more inclined to take action — such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
Images
Images are another essential part of any good copy- and they’re not just limited to using photos to illustrate your text. With the right use of images, you can greatly enhance your writing without resorting to overly descriptive text.
To include images in your writing, you need to locate them first. You can either include a “call to action” button that will take the reader to the image you’ve chosen or you can link to an image on another site. If you choose the second option, you must make sure that the image you’re linking to is of a high enough quality to avoid coming across as unprofessional.
For instance, let’s say you’re a fashion stylist trying to convince someone to purchase a pair of fashionable sunnies. Instead of just writing about the cute little kitten-style sunnies, you could use imagery to make your point more effectively. You could write:
- “Cute as they are, these little kittens don’t provide the best protection from the blazing sun. To buy a good pair of sunglasses, you need to look for a designer brand like Gucci; they’ve got what it takes to keep up with the trends while staying true to their roots.”
- “Don’t settle for cheaper brands when it comes to buying sunglasses or anything else for that matter. Sometimes, the cheapest option isn’t as good as you think it is.”
- “It’s not just about the looks of the product, you need to look into the materials used to make it and ensure it’s of high quality.”