Sales Letters :
3 Viable Alternatives to Sell More

SUMMARY: Online Sales Letters are growing less and less effective, even working against sales because they turn readers off. This article recommends three alternative approaches to selling online that - done effectively - can sell more than a traditional sales letter.

Sales Letters have lost their impact and effectiveness - at least online.

They're way overdone, for one thing. And they're usually done poorly. Amateur Marketers copy the bold graphic look and tons of text, but without understanding how persuasive copy is supposed to work.

But if you're a Internet Marketer or an online copy writer, don't waste your time trying to improve how you write old-style sales letters.

Instead, find better ways to market online.

Here are three alternatives that can improve sales results. The first one borrows a page from the direct mail book. The second just re-emphasizes the importance of applying what we already know that works online. And the third alternative could well make every other method obsolete.

Mag-a(log)-sites Multiply the Attractions

Just as traditional mailers discovered that magalogs helped penetration by looking more like a valuable publication than a sales letter, a similar approach can work well when applied to a web site. Instead of placing long form content on a one page mini-site, put a rich variety of attention getting headlines, sidebars and links to inner pages to draw visitors in. It's not true that visitors won't click links. They will when they're intrigued by a teaser or believe you're offering something they want.

You can use multiple appeals on the landing or home page just as a magazine cover does. Just be sure to make the layout effective so it's compelling, not confusing.

It's interesting that this was an early approach to web site design - the home page as magazine cover. I think a lot of marketers moved away not because it didn't work, but because sales letter sites were a whole lot easier. It's time to bring this approach back.

REAL Content Can Rocket Sales

The idea behind the magalog is to make it APPEAR to be content that's useful, like in a magazine. But there's something that works even better. It's content that IS REAL - information that site visitors actually want!

The better Affiliate and AdSense marketers know that it's real content that makes their sites a draw. By creating and regularly updating effective content, they get visitors who invest time in their sites and click through on the recommendations or ads.

Content based sites sell by building relationships and trust first - before they ask you to buy. The visitors value what they get for free - when it's good - and are then more inclined to buy what's being sold.

Real content also leads to top search engine positioning. It's a major factor in getting high organic rankings.

The problem for some, though, is that it's more work. Like for a mag-a-site, creating and maintaining a content site takes a lot more effort than knocking out an eight page sales letter. The work can be worth it though, when the difference is making sales or not.

Multimedia Will Change Everything

With more than forty percent of US households now using high speed Internet connections, online video is surging past the novelty stage. Welcome to the age of the Internet Infomercial. I believe video is on target to become the primary method of online marketing within the next couple of years. Google is already starting to place video ads on Adsense sites and in paid search results.

Not only will you need to write the copy for your sales promotion, now you'll need to produce the video and get it to your website too. A whole new skill set is required for marketers. (And copy writers!) Some may turn to professional production houses, but many will make their own videos, at least initially. Right now, the costs are still reasonable. As the competition heats up, though, the cost of staying competitive will increase just as they did with TV infomercials.

FINAL WORD

Internet Marketing is changing. The simple and cheap things that used to work don't work so well any more. If you're going to sell online, you're going to need to put more into it. Expect to put in more time, more effort, and ultimately, more money.

Know-how and creativity will still make a difference.

It's just that the ante required to get into the game is starting to go up - fast.

Sales Letters : 3 Viable Alternatives to Sell More

Sales Letters :
3 Viable Alternatives to Sell More