In the last installment of How To Write Perfect Salescopy we talked about the first step in writing effective salescopy: creating compelling headlines and sub-headlines.
Step one is important because your headlines need to grab your readers' attention and get them to read the rest of your salescopy.
Now that you've hooked your readers with a good headline, it's time to move on to the next step in the process...
Step 2: Make your readers visualize the problem.
Towards the beginning of your salescopy, you should state the problem that your product or service is designed to solve for your customers.
Sometimes including the problem right in your headline isn't necessarily the best option.
If you have a good headline and sub-headline that doesn't define your customers' problem, then it will encourage them to keep reading and you can state the problem in the first paragraph.
This is where you can really go into detail about the problem and hook people into reading more in order to learn how to solve it.
Presenting a problem to your reader makes their need for your product or service personal because it shows that you understand what they are going through and can really relate to them.
This gives the reader a reason to keep reading your salescopy and moving through the various steps in the buying process.
How you present your offer in your salescopy is what will make or break you.
When you describe the problem your product or service will solve, keep it very personal and exciting.
If you are selling winter coats, for instance, don't just tell people they need them because they are warm.
Tell them that last winter you froze your behind off and missed weeks of work from being sick all the time and that this year you won't let that happen again with your 100% wool winter coats.
Relate to what your audience is going through and the frustration they feel when they are faced with this problem.
Show them that you've been there and that you can help.
This is not being sneaky or manipulative-you are being honest, powerful, and direct.
You are showing people that you know how they feel and that you've developed a product that can really help them.
You are simply getting to the point quickly and effectively so you don't lose people before they read about your offer later on.
Keep in mind, though, that while the headlines and first paragraph should identify the problem your product or service solves, they shouldn't go into too much detail yet.
Right now you are just trying to generate some excitement, identify a problem, and promise a solution to that problem-all the while making the reader more and more curious about that solution.
Making your reader visualize the problem your product or service is designed to solve is an important step in the sales process.
If you do it effectively, your readers will start to feel a need for what you have to offer and continue to read your salescopy, getting more and more eager to buy as they go on.
In the next installment of How To Write Perfect Salescopy, I'll discuss the next step in the salescopy process-establishing your credibility.