Sales Letter Writing Basics

Think of what a sales letter actually does. Your sales letter is responsible for three things:

By introducing the customer to the product.
Arguing persuasively about the merits of that product.
Inspired by the customer to actually purchasing the product.

This seems like a simple structure, but requires the use of three distinct ways to write about everything, and transition seamlessly into one another. It also requires you to do this in a fairly short period of time (which we'll discuss in a moment.)

The first section of the sales letter is your introduction. Within the introduction, we want to clearly state exactly what your product. This is not the place to get persuasively about your product: This is simply the place to describe its essential nature so that every customer knows, right in front, what you're selling. A new type of corkscrew should be described, until the front, as a new type of corkscrew. A new online fantasy novel should be described, in front, like a new fantasy novel online.

Our third fundamental principle of the direct design of site response is here: keep it simple, stupid. Online customers are millions of other websites that may be visiting, and if your sales letter also begins fancily, obscure, or densely, they're going to leave your site to one of the millions of others. So do not try to impress readers by going into the long history of sculpture in order to promote your handmade wind chimes, and does not preach about the history of art and information to promote the package design web software. The first line should always read something like: "Bob is a new kind of brilliant designers of Acme Widgets" - where Foo is the product, its description and Widgets Acme is the name of your company. Immediately, the customer knows what they're selling, how the product will pour into their lives, and that is making the sale. You have the cards on the table - and with this level of simplicity, your customers will be much more willing to take them and play.

The second part of your sales letter - the argument - is where you can start getting fancy, the introduction of some dazzle in the presentation. Your customers know what they're selling now are waiting to sell to them. Use whatever tools are appropriate to the product. For a mechanical gadget or device, you could talk about how the product specifications to overcome many of the leading brands in your market.

For a work of art, we could talk about the high level of training and handmade by the artist, or about the prestige and pleasure that a well-made piece of art can give. For a piece of software, you might discuss the benefits of the product is in terms of compatibility, efficiency and utility - all while emphasizing the latest technology and history of innovation in your company's marketing software. Anything goes, as long as its persuasive - and as long as you do not get too wordy at any time. You want to convince your readers, not to lecture them - and certainly do not want to lead them to leave your site.

Once you've said your piece, it's time to move smoothly into the third and last part of your sales letter: the conclusion, that transforms the reader from a passive admirer of your product in an active consumer of that product. As the first part of your letter, you do not get with this fantasy. A simple call to action will do: "Try not to wait Foo today by clicking here.." By all means you should use the imperative voice: instead of telling your customers that "You can click here to try Foo", bid them " Click here to download / order / whatever. "

This shift from descriptive to the imperative - to tell the captain - is often all that is necessary to decide the question in the mind of an undecided customer. You can - and should - dress a little ', of course, "Try it today" we may close with a line lapidary, repeat the slogan or motto of your product, or simply settle for a standard closer, as long as not to bore the reader or spend too much time distracting them from work, click on "purchase" anything goes. (You could also direct them to other sections of your web site to learn more, whether it is appropriate for your product - as long as you followed our advice above and made it easy to order the product from anywhere on your site, of course.)

Sounds easy? It is and is not. As long as your sales letter reflects these three basic points, will be somewhat effective - but if you can not just give your clients persuasive arguments, but expressions of interest, if you can seamlessly move from one section of your sales letter for another without being noticed by their customers, and if you can use the language to enable the reader's emotions without making them aware of it, then you will delight and convince his readers even more - and will your answer by clicking on the "buy" connecting. So it's worth taking the time to make your sales letter all that can be - or worth spending money on a good marketing copywriter who can do the same. Your sales letter is the heart of your site, after all - sure beats .......