Original Website Marketing Starts With a Swipe File
The first time I heard about swipe files I was shocked. I thought we would write copy. Swiping? Aren’t we supposed to be original?
But I’ve since learned that swipe files often help create some of the most original websites around the Internet.
A swipe file is a collection of examples of great copywriting. You might have a physical paper file or a list of bookmarks in your Internet browser.
A swipe file is not a license to plagiarize. You cannot copy someone else’s keywords or results (“earned $30K in one month”) unless they apply equally to you.
In fact, typically your best “swipes” come from copy targeted at a market that is totally different from your own, for products you would never dare to use. a If you do any writing — web content, books, sales letters– you can use swipe files 3 ways.
(1) Get ideas for headlines and bullets.
Remember the old line about “They laughed when I sat down at the piano…” You cannot swipe the line if you are selling piano lessons, like the original ad.
But let’s say you are selling fitness coaching or legitimate arthritis remedies targeted to people over 50. You might come up with a headline, “They laughed when I said, ‘I’ll walk up three flights of stairs. And then I scampered up like a teenager.’”
(2) Add spice to your style.
Nearly all copywriting masters advise their students, “Take a famous ad and copy it out, word for word.” Some say, “Don’t use a computer: write by hand.”
Of course you’ll never use the exact words you’re copying in your own work product. But you begin to appreciate how the words go together and you become unconsciously influenced by what you read.
Sometimes, when I’m getting ready to write, I’ll find samples from an over-the-top edgy copywriter. I’ll write a few paragraphs, daring to be outrageous.
Then I go back to my own copy, in my own style. The result? Just enough edge to be interesting, not enough to overpower my own writing.
(3) Get inspired.
Every so often you’re trying to write some copy…and you keep staring at a blank page. Now is a good time to read through the swipe file.
For example: Find a set of bullets in a successful ad. Now rewrite those bullets with your own product,target and benefits.
Here are 2 imaginary examples for a weight loss product:
“How to lose 20 pounds without feeling hungry,” and, “The one kind of chocolate that actually helps you lose wweight”
Now let’s say you are selling a time management product. You would modify these bullets:
“How to add 2 extra hours to your day without feeling pressured,” or, “The one kind of clock that actually helps you meet deadlines.”
Keep going with all the bullets you see, adapting them to your product or service. By the time you reach 6, you’re probably filled with inspiration.
And don’t be surprised if your copy looks nothing like the file you swiped from.
FREE 7 Best-Kept Secrets of Websites That Really Attract Clients: My Special Report gives you insider tips to convert tire-kickers to buyers and earn money while you sleep. From Cathy Goodwin, The Content Strategist, at http://www.copy-cat-copywriting.com.
Web Site Marketing Starts With The Right Kind Of Powerful Claim
Recently I was browsing through my emails when I ran across this comment:
“I want to make a really powerful claim — the kind that makes readers sit up and reach for their wallets. How about, ‘We have the secret formula to take your life to the next level.’ Or, “You’ll feel magically transformed after a single session.’”
I must admit I was not surprised. Clients often expect to see these kinds of statements in their copy, whether they write their own or ask me to do the job. But are these claims really powerful when it comes to converting lookers to buyers? Or will readers shrug off your message as pure hype?
To tell the difference, experienced copywriters will ask you for the story behind the claim. Readers will be convinced when they understand the “why” as well as the “what.” They want specifics, not generalities.
For example, a life coach can make extremely powerful claims when she refers to herself as a unique resource: someone who invested years and thousands of dollars to learn from experts and experience her own growth.
Or she could back up her claim with numbers. For example, she could point to a specific percentage of her own clients who experienced significant life changes within 90 days of starting her program.
Another powerful claim is, “You would have a hard time doing this yourself.” In a recent promotion, one marketer emphasized that she and her staff put dozens of hours into her newest information product.
Powerful copy doesn’t come from words like “magic,” “instant,” or “big.” It comes from a really compelling word: “because.”
Three takeaways on claims:
(1) Back up your claims with accurate, demonstrable facts.
If you say you’ve invested 6 months doing research, readers will expect to see results, such as dozens of links to websites, interviews with clients, and references to published articles. Proud of your training? Your bio should include names of mentors, programs and degrees.
Recently I was asked to review an ebook on (let’s say) financial success. The author claimed he had been researching the topic for 20 years, through his consulting and coaching practices. But his ebook did not make reference to a single outside source – not even via affiliate links. He reported just one interview with an “expert.”
As I advised the author, this claim will backfire. He would actually come across as more credible if he simply omitted mention of research. Alternatively, he could add some of the resources he uncovered while working with clients and researching his book.
(2) Decide what you can claim before promoting your product.
Before hiring a copywriter (or sitting down to write your own copy), submitting your book proposal, or announcing your next ebook, decide what makes your offering unique. What promises can you deliver? What evidence can you produce?
Readers can challenge your claims two ways. They shrug you off with a “been there, done that.” Or they can shake their heads in disbelief as they click away to another site.
(3) Go on a treasure hunt for truly powerful claims.
Focus on facts, outcomes, accomplishments and numbers. Wait a few days or even weeks and then review your notes with fresh eyes. You can also ask your clients how they benefited from your service. And, of course, your copywriter or marketing coach will help you discover what I call hidden treasure: powerful claims that reach your prospects’ minds and hearts.
FREE 7 Best-Kept Secrets of Websites That Really Attract Clients: My Special Report gives you insider tips to convert tire-kickers to buyers and earn money while you sleep. From Cathy Goodwin, The Content Strategist, at http://www.copy-cat-copywriting.com.
A Website Is Not Enough!
Many online entrepreneurs will tell you that traffic is the lifeblood of your online business. Whether your site is an affiliate marketing site that promotes another product, or it is actually an eCommerce site with it’s own products, if no one visits it, then you don’t sell anything!
Traffic is good, but conversion is better
While traffic is important, it’s not the complete story. If your site visitors don’t ever convert to paying customers, all the traffic in the world won’t do you any good. You can have have a retail store in a premier location in one of the top tourist destinations in the world, but if all the foot traffic walks on by without stopping, the location doesn’t help very much.
You need all the help you can get to convert your site visitors to paying customers. But is your website enough to ensure your online success? A website is not enough! You will need more than a nice banner and some great sales copy. There are some essential tools that you need to add to your website to fully leverage the your traffic and add to your profits.
Here are some key tools you need to augment your website:
Email List Management and Autoresponders
Many of your site’s visitors will not be ready to purchase when they visit your site. Marketing studies show that it can take five or more follow up messages to make a sale. With the impersonal nature of the internet, it helps to establish a relationship first. Giving away valuable content is a great way to build trust, a foundation of all relationships. How is this done? By asking them to sign up on your list you will have a way to follow up with them.
Email list management is a service or software you need to purchase in addition to web hosting. Make sure that your Email List Manager has autoresponders. Autoresponders are automated emails to your subscriber that are triggered by some event, such as a subscription to your list. They are critical to your success.
You can also cross promote other’s products to your lists. Your subscriber may have not been interested in the raincoats you were selling, but perhaps an umbrella is just what they needed.
Video and/or Audio
Adding video or audio is a great way to make a personal connection with your site visitor. The sound of your voice humanizes your site’s presence and adds another dimension to the experience of visiting your web site.
Additionally, adding audio or video helps reinforce your message with your visitor. As many studies have shown, people retain and learn information much better if they receive it in multiple different ways. Think about it, in school, did it help you learn the subject matter better, when you heard the teacher explain it in addition to reading the lesson in the textbook?
With so many websites competing for your visitor’s attention, adding a feature like audio that makes it stand out will help your sales.
Tracking and Testing Tools
How do you know that your sales copy is the best it can be? If you are selling golf clubs, what is the best header to engage your visitor’s interest? You need to tune your headers and your site so users are captivated by what you offer. A common way to do this, is called “split testing” (also known as “A/B testing”). Here is how it works, half of your site visitors see one version of your site, the other half sees another. You monitor the conversion rate of the two versions. The version that has the highest rate is what you use going forward. You can repeat the process until your conversion rate doesn’t improve any more.
If you are advertising your site using pay-per-click ads, another useful metric to track is which ad campaigns are bringing you the highest converting traffic.
If putting all these tools together for your website seems like more than you want to take on, then have someone else put them together for you. You can hire someone or find a vendor that offers these tools in an all in one package. The most successful internet marketers focus on their business, leaving the technical details to others. You would be wise to follow their lead.
Kathy Alice has been in the technology industry for 20 years. She helps business owners and marketers bridge the technical gap. She loves finding innovative solutions to achieve business success. http://www.websitesinminutes.com
How to Create a Successful Sales Path
To understand how to best promote your products to your prospects, you need to first grasp the basics of a customer path. Having a short path limits real estate, but a well-developed path takes full advantage of the virtual possibilities.
The first step is to invite prospects to travel your path by giving them something for free, like a report or a newsletter. The only price they pay to travel down the path with you is their name and email address. After they give you their contact information, you take them to a page that thanks them for joining you. This Thank You page is real estate, but it’s a DEAD END if all you do is thank your prospects.
What if your prospect wants more? What if he’s curious about who you are and what you have to offer? What if he’s hungry for information and ready to buy something from you right now?
He can’t. So he’ll go somewhere else to satisfy his appetite. Unless you extend your path by showing him a One Time Offer for, say, $97. This OTO is something he will only see once, then that product will never be available to him at that price again. Now he has two choices to make: buy or don’t buy. Which means you can use upsells and downsells to create a four-way path for him based on that one decision.
If he buys, you offer him an upsell. The upsell should be the original OTO plus a little extra value at a higher price. Generally, you want to add enough value to justify adding about half the cost of the original offer. If the OTO is $97, your upsell price would be $147.
Your prospect then has another decision to make: buy the upsell or not. Purchasing the upsell puts him on the path of your “elite” customers, and not purchasing it places him on your “gold” path. But what if he chose not to buy your OTO? Rather than creating another dead end, you offer him a downsell.
The downsell should be as close to the original offer as possible–minus a little value–at about half the cost of the original offer. You could take away some key bonuses or provide a digital download of the print workbook you were selling to justify the lower $47 price. Purchasing the downsell puts him on your “silver” path. Passing on the offer simply keeps him on your list as a targeted prospect.
Do you see how your Dead End became a four-pronged street? All those streets are prime marketing real estate. Marketing along each street keeps your customers in a constant state of motion on your various paths. Your offers and those of your JV partners help your prospects find their way to the silver paths, then the gold paths and eventually the elite streets.
Purchasing progressively higher ticket items is the link your customers use to get from path to path. And those high-ticket items are called your Back End and your secret to creating wealth.
Glen Hopkins is a Best-Selling Author, Speaker and Consultant. He teaches struggling entrepreneurs how to turn their Online businesses into thriving money machines. Get his List Building Report and Web Traffic CD for FREE at http://www.GlenHopkins.name