Picture this.
You’ve put time and effort into creating valuable content to drive readers to your website.
Blog posts, social streams, nurture campaigns… You’ve probably forked out on a marketing automation platform, too. You’ve done it all.
And it has worked. Website traffic is up.
What next?
Well, footfall alone won’t get you sales. Email marketing is a very key piece of the marketing puzzle, but you’ve got to send your prospective customers somewhere they can actually buy from you.
You need a sales page. And that can feel a bit scary. Suddenly soft, friendly nurture emails are out the window and you can see hard-line salesmen at the doors in your dreams.
Don’t panic. In this blog we’re going to simplify the whole thing. Stick around whilst we run through seven elements of successful sales pages, starting with…
A Strong Headline
We’ve touched on this before because email subject lines act as headlines too.
Headlines often get ignored because they’re short, when in fact they are the most important element of your sales page. Your headline grabs the reader’s attention and makes them keep reading.
Good headlines aren’t too lengthy, are accurate and relevant.
Bad headline? No sale.
A Subheadline
Let’s assume your headline has drawn your super-warm prospect in.
Your subheadline should give a little more information, and encourage the reader to keep reading further still.
The subheadline should take a few seconds to read – double the length of your headline is a good guide.
Aggravate The Problem
Your customer should be well and truly hooked to keep reading. Now is the time to remind them why they need what you’re offering.
It’s bad cop/good cop. In that order.
Bad cop first. Using emotive language, highlight their problem by:
- Describing it
- Stressing how it negatively affects their life
- Pushing on the pain points
- Laying heavy on their frustrations
Then, enter good cop. Empathise. Build them up again. Show your customer you’re there for them and, most importantly, that you can solve their problem.
Introduce The Solution
Hold it! Don’t launch in with the details just yet.
Intro your offering slowly by describing what it is and what it does. No persuasion or pushy language, just dangle the carrot of a wonderful solution.
How It Works
In this section of your sales page you can delve deeper into selling your product or service.
Answer questions your customer will likely be asking, such as:
- How does it help me overcome my problem?
- How does it work?
- Why does it work?
Don’t forget to weigh in on your USP. What makes what you’re selling different?
Third-party Endorsement
Testimonials are social proof that you’re the real deal and what you’re offering will work.
Offering reviews from past customers lets prospects know what others’ think. This adds weight to your sales page because customers trust each other over business bods.
Ideally, the testimonials you feature will overcome objections you know your target audience will have.
Guarantee
Buying anything online comes with a higher perceived risk. Your customers don’t want to buy something they will later regret.
Offering satisfaction guarantees, like money back or extra help, aims to overcome this in two ways:
- Demonstrating your confidence in what you do or sell.
- Reversing the risk. By shifting the responsibility from them to you, your customers will feel compelled to take the leap.
Guarantees are written in the guise of protecting the customer. And they do. But, by filling that trust cup right to the top, on a sales page they are also a powerful marketing tactic.
Pricing and Call To Action
Let’s take a quick recap.
So far, your cleverly drafted sales page has:
- Engaged your prospective customer
- Kept them reading
- Reminded them what you can give them
- Reinforced why they need it
- And backed it up with past customers' testimonials
It’s time for the numbers.
The pricing section of your sales page should include:
- How much your offering costs right now.
-
A price anchor. In sales, this strategy plays on our tendency to judge pricing comparatively. Ever seen an offer formatted like this? Buy this really cool thing!
£99£49!!! Of course you have. Because it works. In this example £99 is the price anchor. Price anchoring alters our perception of value and attracts us to buy what’s being offered. - The deadline for purchase. Urgency pushes customers to take action. How many times have you bought that thing on Amazon because the web copy says “Want it tomorrow? Order in the next 2 hours 23 minutes…”
- A clear, attractive call to action. A ‘Buy Now’ button, or similar.
You’ve put time and money into nurturing your relationship with your customer, it’s time to convert them to paying customer status.
Why Now?
Following your CTA with a ‘Why Now’ section is a sharp elbow to the ribs of those who are still teetering on the edge of buying.
Describing what will happen if your prospective customer doesn’t buy from you (therefore failing to solve their problem) should urge them to click through and hand over their money.
A good sales page will convert prospects to paying clients.
It can feel daunting, but the seven elements we’ve covered in this blog provide a simple and solid framework for creating one.
Need help working on your wording for each section? Book a call and avoid losing hot prospects at the final hurdle.
