10 pillars for an effective sales page · Ghio Webservices

10 pillars for an effective sales page

Writing a sales page that converts. Ten practical pillars for your launch or funnel optimisation.

Are you planning to write a sales page for a launch, for example? Do you want to improve the existing structure and content in your funnel or website?

If so, learn from this article 10 things your sales page MUST contain if you want to ensure that the content of your sales page(s) builds trust, establishes authority and converts brilliantly.

Today you'll learn how to build / optimise your sales page(s) – from bottom to top.

This explanation is perfect for every coach or business owner with a service-oriented or coaching business. Think of things like 1:1 coaching or consulting, in-depth online programmes or other services.

Are you ready to dive right in?

All great sales pages must start with…

#1. The Headline

The headline is perhaps the shortest part of a sales page, but writing it certainly takes the longest. In fact, I usually write my headlines LAST.

But because it's the first thing a prospect sees on the page, it's the first conversion trigger we'll discuss here.

You want to make sure your headline is strategically written to:

That's quite a task for such a small piece of text.

Another thing to keep in mind when writing the headline is …

Speak directly to your target audience – and more importantly – to their specific level of customer awareness.

Moving on to the next conversion trigger you should have on your sales page…

#2. Indoctrination

Essentially, this is what comes directly after your headline. It's the introductory section of your sales page – the build-up before you actually start selling anything.

This copy is incredibly important, because this is when your reader decides for themselves whether you're actually talking to THEM! And yes, just like the headline, it can be very difficult and take the longest to write …

But it's worth taking the time to do it well, because when done properly, it can have a MASSIVE impact on your conversion rate.

Your indoctrination must "indoctrinate" your readers about who you are, why they should listen to you and why they should even care about what you have to say. This is where you empathise with your reader, educate them and validate them – you can do this by telling stories, sharing statistics and facts or painting a picture of what's to come …

And of course, the most important thing is to address the direct needs and fears of your prospects, which brings us to the next conversion trigger …

#3. Problem & Solution

The whole point of your sales page is, of course, to sell something that solves a problem for your audience. So you need to be crystal clear about what that is.

As humans, we are (unfortunately) wired to avoid pain over pursuing pleasure. This means that in our most natural state, we react faster to problems than to solutions.

That's why your sales page must address your prospect's problem early on…

Your copy must evoke an emotional response, but be careful not to rub salt in the wound.

You don't want them to feel alienated, misunderstood or attacked – you want them to feel safe, understood and heard.

That's why you must communicate ONE core problem in your copy effectively and accurately before you introduce your promising solution, or the "big promise" that your reader is looking for.

In this case, specificity will take you a long way. Nobody will believe you have a solution that does and solves EVERYTHING under the sun. Think about how your solution is the BIG easy button for what your customer is looking for.

A very important distinction that needs to be made is that the solution is not the product… at least not yet.

Instead, the solution at this point on the sales page should simply be the specialised method, approach, discovery or tool that can solve your prospects' problem.

Remember – they must FIRST believe in the solution before they buy your product – whether that's coaching, mentorship, guidance, expert services…

Now, once a credible solution has been presented, you'll want to dive into…

#4. The Offer

Here you introduce your specific version of that solution – also called a product – as the easiest, simplest, fastest or best way to achieve the big promise you just spoke about. Here you want to have a clear and concise USP – or Unique Selling Proposition.

This is also where you want to include the breakdown of the value and all those left-brain details that make up your product:

The most important thing to remember in this section is that the value of your offer must always be greater than the price.

The bigger the gap between value and price, the more irresistible your offer becomes.

That's why you often see campaigns that use bonuses, price comparison or discounts to increase the appeal of the offer and thereby boost the conversion rate. (Although I'm not a fan of promoting discount campaigns, but more on that another time…)

Right then. Now you've got all the left-brain stuff out of the way. It's time to tackle the next thing…

#5. Clear Benefits

This is where you stop talking about the what of your offer and start talking about the why. Or in other words… WHY your prospect would want to buy your product. I mean, what is the real benefit for them?

Here you can go deeper into all the brilliant things your product or service does, on top of the big promise you've already shared.

It's not enough to simply show them what they get. The game changes completely when a prospect thinks they need to have it.

You answer this question in sales copy by presenting the specific and recognisable benefits that the product can offer.

copy = persuasive text structured in a particular way.

And remember, features are NOT benefits.

Features are something a product HAS or IS, whilst benefits illustrate the desired results that solve REAL pain points.

A FEATURE would be for example "batteries included".

Whilst the corresponding BENEFIT would be "no disappointed child on Christmas morning".

Now it can be quite difficult to convert features into benefits, especially when you're writing for your own product or service. It takes practice!

Okay, now you'll want to make sure you have the following…

#6. Social Proof and Authority

A common objection in consumers' minds is whether a brand is the RIGHT business or the RIGHT person for them.

Trust is an enormous factor that determines a customer's decision to buy from you.

It is therefore important that a sales page communicates social proof and authority through testimonials, social media statistics, press coverage, references, experience and other credibility factors.

Authority, however, is not something you simply drop into a single section on the sales page – I prefer to see it communicated as much as possible throughout the entire copy.

Okay, on to #7…

#7. Scarcity

In marketing, scarcity refers to the idea of limiting products or services in some way, which makes people more inclined to take action because the supply is scarce or exclusive.

The 4 most common forms of scarcity are:

The most effective sales copy communicates scarcity that compels the prospect to take action whilst the offer is still available.

And – this is incredibly important – your copy must also clearly and effectively communicate an important reason WHY the offer is limited, without coming across as hype, pushy or misleading.

Is it because of a special event like an anniversary? A passionate mission to reach 1,000 lives by the end of the year? A global cause such as World Mental Health Day?

Having a reason increases trust and credibility enormously. And, this goes without saying… but always use REAL scarcity. Don't lie and never say an offer is limited if it isn't.

Before we move on to the next conversion trigger, I want to make clear that NOT ALL sales pages always need scarcity.

If you want your sales page to be 100% evergreen so anyone can buy at any time, scarcity can be left out. Instead, use urgency and give benefits for why someone would want to take action immediately.

Let's move straight on to #8…

#8. Risk Reversal
In other words, how does the copy make the purchasing process easy, safe and risk-free?

People like to hear exactly what they need to do and what will happen next, so the copy must reassure them that they're being looked after at every step…

From the moment they add the product to their basket, to when it's delivered, to how it can be returned if it doesn't work.

This is where you want to include the following:

In other words, this is where you want to dispel the fear of: "Am I going to get ripped off by this company/person?"

Now on to #9…

#9. Call-to-action

Whether it's a single button or a multi-level checkout section – the call-to-action or CTA must pack a serious punch.

It takes just a second for the prospect to understand exactly where to click and how to purchase the product.

Your CTA must be clear and direct. For example:

The golden rule of copywriting is to have one clear and concise call-to-action.

However, it can appear multiple times.

For example, if you have a longer sales page, you'll probably want to include the call-to-action button 2 to 3 times in the copy. And always make a CTA the very last thing someone would see as they scroll all the way to the bottom of your page.

And finally, number 10…

#10. Overall feel and flow

This is less about the copy itself and more about the readability of your sales page, which is an incredibly important factor to consider.

Once you've addressed the first 9 conversion and optimisation triggers, it's time to step back, look at the bigger picture and ask yourself:

Make sure the copy is simple and effective.

I've said this a few times before and I'll say it again – research has shown that the average reader reads at a Year 8 level. So there's no need to cram words, fancy explanations or long lists of adjectives into a single sentence.

Personally, I find that reading the entire sales page out loud helps me answer these questions.

Here's one more bonus tip for you…

Make sure you read the page on your mobile phone!

With well over half of online readers using sales pages on mobile devices, you want to be damn sure that your copy is easy to read and navigate on small screens…

And there you have it – an exclusive look at the 10 triggers – that make your sales pages conversion focused.

Until next time!