Even if this is your first time diving into the world of online marketing, you may have already discovered that there is a lot of information out there about how to do it right. You’ve probably also discovered that there is a lot of information that is either outdated or lacks credibility. If you’ve done your research about writing sales pages, you probably have loads of advice and tips stacked up that are inconsistent with one another. Amidst all of the how-tos and blog articles, it’s hard to sift through the soot for the gold.
If you’ve been selling online for some time, you may have a different problem: Your existing sales pages may not be converting leads into customers as well as you want them to. Low conversions might mean that it’s time for you to revamp your sales pages. If you’re already following sales page best practices, what else could you be doing to improve them?
Whether you’re working on your first sales page or your fiftieth, writing compelling and targeted marketing copy remains a perennial challenge for many business owners and marketers. Writing great copy is hard for most people. If you’re not a naturally gifted writer, this might even feel like the hardest part of the entire sales process. But you can use a few simple tools to organize your thoughts and make sure that you are speaking directly to the needs of your customers and offering the best solution possible — all by nailing your sales page copy.
Writing High-Converting Sales Pages Is Not a New Hurdle
Every day there are millions of online sales transactions happening. In fact, 40% of global internet users, more than one billion people, have bought products or goods online. You’d think, with so many people online, it would easy to sell. There is a lot of information online about how to write a winning sales page, but only 22% of all companies using sales pages are satisfied with their conversion rates. In fact, the average rate for conversion on sales pages industry wide is only 1% to 3%.
There are several reasons for this, but one of the main reasons, for small businesses in particular, is that they aren’t competing with only the local shops anymore. The market is now global. People see ads everywhere and are constantly given opportunities to buy, buy and buy. How are you supposed to stand out amidst all the noise to get their attention?
Content Quality and the Structure of Your Sales Page Determine Conversion Success
Your content is what is going to set you apart from the rest of your competitors. To be more specific, the way you speak to your audience and the degree to which you can convince them that your product or service has the ability to solve their problem is what will set you apart. Your voice, your knowledge of their problem, and your solution for them must be convincing and fresh. Focusing on the messaging and the structure of your sales page will make writing the entire page much easier, even if you aren’t a writer.
Once you know how you are going to tailor your message to your target audience, you will need to determine what is most important for your audience to know and precisely how to structure the delivery of that content so as to have the greatest effect. It’s not just about having quality content, but about structuring the content on your sales page in a way that guides your leads toward what should be an obvious decision by the time they reach the end of the page.
There Is a Proven Sales Page Formula That Works
Using this sales page formula, marketers have seen increases in conversions of up to 144%. Much of this formula relies on getting clear on what your target customers’ pain points are and accurately articulating them. For example, including a pain point in a headline can increase conversions by 31%. You might think that convincing people to buy your product by reminding them of their pain might not be the smartest idea, but new studies show this to have a positive effect.
A Properly Built Sales Page Has Many Benefits
The obvious benefit of a well-designed sales page is that you will convert more sales, but there is more to it than that. With a proper sales page you also stand to gain:
- Higher ranking on Google which can increase the traffic coming to your page, leading to more conversions and retargeting opportunities
- Increase in revenue due to more sales from leads who were captivated and won over by your sales page
- Fewer people leaving your page in the first few moments which leads to more conversions and higher revenue
- A more professional overall look for your business that will leave a lasting impression on your leads
- More word-of-mouth and referral sales as your professional online presence begins to build trust with customers who spread the word of your product or service
Over the past decade, we’ve supported many small business owners who have created sales pages that knocked it out of the park. Based on what we learned, we’ve compiled all the advice we could into one, comprehensive guide, Build a Better Sales Page that you can check out here.
Chantal is a content marketing specialist and journalist with over a decade of experience working with clients in a wide diversity of industries. As a long time solopreneur, she has grown a skill set that makes her particularly adaptable to client needs and agile when adopting a new brand voice.
She has helped many teams grow their businesses through strategic content marketing and social media campaigns, targeted web, blog and email copy and curated content experiences. A travel enthusiast with wanderlust running through her blood, she’s always anticipating the next adventure.
