Work on mastering these and watch your conversion rates improve. Use them like a pilot’s checklist for your copy.
1. Lack of Clarity (often due to #2)
You’re not talking in your market’s language. See Eugene Scwartz’ secret he didn’t mention in Breakthrough Advertising for more on how to write copy that will make your audience feel like you’re a mind reader.
Thus your words aren’t strongly taking root in their minds.
Use simple words and sentences.
Everyone understands them, unlike “$10” words.
3. No USP
How are you different from your competitors?
If your competitors can easily copy what you do…it’s not a “competitive advantage.” Capeesh?
Don’t know what a Unique Selling Proposition is?
Rosser Reeves is turning over in his grave. Put some respek on his name and gain an advantage over your competitors by learning how to implement it in your business. Weave it into every sales message you can, if possible.
from Perry Marshall’s Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords
You can be unique because of:
1. The buyer you serve
2. What you sell
3. An unusual angle
4. What your product or service does not do
5. The time frame around your offer
6. How you guarantee your product
Perry says, “Any time you’re communicating with a prospect you can appeal to any one of these, or all of them together”
See more of Perry’s Wisdom here
3. Flaccid headline
Usually because it:
1. Has no benefit to the user
2. Has nothing that grabs them by the eyeballs and makes it hard to not read what’s next
3. No curiosity, no drama
4. Weak offer (instead of a S.I.N. offer)
a few keys to a strong offer
- Risk reversal / power guarantee
- Make it hard for them to say no
- High quality product
Like the late great Rosser Reeves said, “A gifted product is more powerful than a gifted pen.”
Your guarantee should be so strong that it makes you a little scared to offer it.
Take a look at Adskills.com’s Triple Guarantee.
It increases their conversion rate while also making it hard for their competitors to compete.
Think about it, How many “online course gurus” and “experts” keep their courses fresh vs just selling the old version and taking people’s money?
What’s a S.I.N. offer?
S = Superior
How does what you’re selling compare to your marketplace? How does it compare to those in the same price bracket as you? You must be able to beat your competitors, else you’ll need to work at least 2X as hard to market your stuff.
I = Irresistible
(What do you include with your product? How do you frame/position your product?)
N = No-brainer
How easy does your guarantee or risk-reversal make it to do business with you? If you can honestly promise results are you doing so? In what time frame can your AVERAGE buyer expect those results?
If your product/service of higher quality than your competitors? Is your sales message clearly highlighting that?
#5 Listing only features instead of benefits
You’ve heard this before.
Features are good to add, but people BUY because of the benefit the product gives and the problem it solves. (Actually the “benefit of the benefit” but…)
More often than not, highlight those OVER features
Features are about the PRODUCT.
Benefits are about the PERSON.
Legendary copywriter Eugene Schwartz says to have your sales copy use “DOES”es to convey benefit instead of just “HAS”es (features).
Features are things the product/service HAS. Benefits are what it DOES for your prospect
If you were going on vacation, you don’t care about the vehicle, the material the building is you’re staying in is made of…you care about BEING on vacation and what you GET OUT OF IT.
2 easy ways to turn features into benefits
1. Ask:
What does this feature do to help my customer?”
How does this alleviate pain or frustration for my prospect?”
How does it change and improve my prospect’s life?”
2. Use the “so you can” or “what this means to you is…” formulas:
“Has [Features] SO YOU CAN [Benefit]”
“Has [Features] and what this means to you is [benefit]”
“Made from organic orange juice so you can avoid filling your body with toxic pesticides”
Conclusion
Run your ad, salesletter, cold email, or any other sales messages through these 5 checks every time and watch your response rate improve.