By Alli Ross StickyArticle.com
A recent study by Nielsen/NetRatings reported that Amazon.com converts 12.8% of its visitors into sales. Now, why does Amazon have such high conversion rates while the majority of sites on the internet are only obtaining about a 1% conversion rate? It's simple. Amazon invests lots of time and effort into improving their conversion rate. They know that small changes to a web site can make huge impacts to your bottom line. Below are some simple changes that can make a dramatic difference in your own profits.
Headline
A change in your headline alone can produce a 1,900% increase in your income. This is one of the most crucial parts of your sales page and can pull in 80% of the orders if done correctly. Your headline should concentrate on the biggest benefit of your product. In addition, it should create enough curiosity to compel the reader into the sales copy.
One of the most powerful words in sales copy is the word "you". This is also true for headlines. Using the word "you" or "your" in your headline and sales copy transfers ownership and makes your writing much more personal.
Color of Your Background
The color of your background is a very simple change that can raise your sales by up to 30%. The most effective color is dark blue, but grey, black, and white also work pretty well. All aspects of your sales letter must be tested because different market segments respond differently.
Audio Marketing
Adding audio to your order page could catapult your sales by 437%. Audio makes your message much more personal and adds to your credibility. People also like to associate a face with a voice. Place a small picture above your recording and see how this affects your sales conversions.
Pop-Ups
Pop-ups are a powerful tool for collecting the email addresses of potential customers. It is also a good way to catch your visitors by the tail before they leave your site. You don't want any of your web site visitors to go to waste. So, before they leave, grab them with a pop-up. With a pop up you can introduce them to your other products, subscribe them to your newsletter, or find out why they didn't buy your product. It is crucial to know exactly what your visitors are looking for. When you know what your targeted visitors want, you can target your marketing and catapult your conversion rates.
Font Colors
Colors play a big part in online marketing. You can crank up your conversion rate by using red font for your heading and subheadings. Yellow highlighting can also rev up your response rates. Make sure that your copy is fast and fun. Use yellow highlighting, underlining, and bolding for things that you want to emphasize. All readers on the internet are scanners. Your sales letter will not be read word for word. Because of this, you must make sure that your most important points stand out.
Number and Text of Your Order Buttons
Long sales letters have proven to be the best for online sales letters because they limit a visitor's navigation choices, they are focused on one product, and they provide potential customers with every bit of information they could want about a product. However, if you only have one order button at the very end of your sales page, you are probably losing out on a number of sales. The key is to place multiple button links that direct the user to the order page. Place a red border around your order buttons to increase your conversion rates, but remember to keep testing. You never know when you might hit upon something that doubles your profits.
Another important factor influencing click-through rate is what text you use for your order buttons. Some of the most effective text that have been used on the internet are below.
Click here to order
Click here to grab your copy of _____________
There are so many sites that still do not include a call to action. You must clearly explain to your visitors what you want them to do. Marketers have proven that you will increase your sales by at least 80% simply by asking for the order.
Newsletters / Autoresponders
Unfortunately, not everyone that comes to your site will be ready to buy. Actually, this is usually 90% or more of the visitors that arrive at your site. However, to be successful, you must be able to stay in contact with potential customers. In order to do this you must capture their email address by offering a newsletter or autoresponder. You can do this through a pop-up or subscription form. Some of the best places for a subscription form include the top-left hand of your sales page and the very bottom of your sales copy.
Limited Choices Limit your visitors to a single choice. Your sales page should have one main goal: to sell one, individual product. You may have a secondary purpose of subscribing visitors to your newsletter, but this is not the main point of the page. The more choices you give people to surf around your site, the more confused they become and many will often just click away to somewhere else. By focusing your potential customers, you can crank up your conversion rates.
Web Site Copy
* Strong testimonials can increase your sales by a phenomenal 250%. Gaining credibility is crucial on the internet where there are no sales reps on hand to talk to personally. When your visitors see that other people have risked doing business with you and have been pleased with the results, you gain trust that cannot be bought. However, when lost, it is nearly impossible to gain back.
For a testimonial to be effective, it must contain the following elements:
* A good testimonial is descriptive! Avoid using one and two word testimonials. People will be much more influenced by longer testimonials that contain solid numbers and facts about the benefits they experienced.
* List the customer's full name, business name, and URL.
* Do NOT edit your testimonials. This is an unethical practice. However, correcting the spelling would be acceptable.
So, how do you go about collecting these powerful testimonials? There are a couple of options. You may ask current customers for testimonials. Many times, you may have many very happy customers who just never really thought about sending in a testimonial. They are very likely to be responsive if you approach them and explain to them how both of you stand to benefit.
Another option is to give a couple of your products away for free in exchange for a testimonial. This has proven to be very effective in some cases. Nevertheless, be sure to incorporate testimonials into your overall marketing plan. Research has shown that they work best when placed right below the headline.
A strong guarantee helps alleviate any anxiety the customer may be feeling about ordering from you. Your guarantee shows that you have confidence in what you are selling.
Did you know that the longer your guarantee is for, the fewer returns you will receive? This is a simple solution that will increase your bottom line and reduce the headache of filing returns. So go ahead and give your customers a one year guarantee. If you want to gain their trust even further and lower your return rate, give them a lifetime guarantee. Remember, your first-time customer is often worth much more than just their initial purchase. Your current customers are the most valuable sources of repeat sales. Always keep this in mind when marketing to a lifetime customer.
No matter what you are selling online, you can increase your conversion rates by using pictures of your products. This is especially true for ebooks.
People are visual. A three-dimensional picture of your product can:
* Increase your pageviews by 300%
* Increase actions (clickthroughs, downloads, responses, signups, subscriptions, telephone calls, emails, and sales!) by 200%.
* Increase time spent at your site by 50%. Any time people stay longer at your site, your chances of making the sale are higher.
Another important feature of a good sales page are bonuses. A bonus that is related to your product increases the perceived value of your offering. People are always looking to get more bang for their buck. A bonus can be one of your best source for closing the sale.
By making the bonus a "limited time offer", you create a sense of urgency. Anticipation is one of the most powerful tools in online marketing. When used appropriately, it can drastically increase your response rate.
You are now coming near the end of your sales letter. Add some personalization with a handwritten P.S. Some online marketers even use a P.S.S. and a P.S.S.S. Test a combination to see what works best for you.
Now it's your turn to put these strategies to the test. If you decide not to, you will lose out on thousands of dollars. Think about it....
You make a few changes to your headline: 1,900% increase in income.
You use dark blue or black for your background: bump your sales by 30%.
You add audio to your order page: Your sales shoot up by 437%.
You ask for the order and place multiple links to your order page: boost your sales by 319%.
In that short list you've already multiplied your profits by over 2,500%
I challenge you to test and track to make it even better.
About The Author
Alli Ross is the marketing chick at StickyArticle.com, where you can submit your
articles for free exposure.
A recent study by Nielsen/NetRatings reported that Amazon.com converts 12.8% of its visitors into sales. Now, why does Amazon have such high conversion rates while the majority of sites on the internet are only obtaining about a 1% conversion rate? It's simple. Amazon invests lots of time and effort into improving their conversion rate. They know that small changes to a web site can make huge impacts to your bottom line. Below are some simple changes that can make a dramatic difference in your own profits.
Headline
A change in your headline alone can produce a 1,900% increase in your income. This is one of the most crucial parts of your sales page and can pull in 80% of the orders if done correctly. Your headline should concentrate on the biggest benefit of your product. In addition, it should create enough curiosity to compel the reader into the sales copy.
One of the most powerful words in sales copy is the word "you". This is also true for headlines. Using the word "you" or "your" in your headline and sales copy transfers ownership and makes your writing much more personal.
Color of Your Background
The color of your background is a very simple change that can raise your sales by up to 30%. The most effective color is dark blue, but grey, black, and white also work pretty well. All aspects of your sales letter must be tested because different market segments respond differently.
Audio Marketing
Adding audio to your order page could catapult your sales by 437%. Audio makes your message much more personal and adds to your credibility. People also like to associate a face with a voice. Place a small picture above your recording and see how this affects your sales conversions.
Pop-Ups
Pop-ups are a powerful tool for collecting the email addresses of potential customers. It is also a good way to catch your visitors by the tail before they leave your site. You don't want any of your web site visitors to go to waste. So, before they leave, grab them with a pop-up. With a pop up you can introduce them to your other products, subscribe them to your newsletter, or find out why they didn't buy your product. It is crucial to know exactly what your visitors are looking for. When you know what your targeted visitors want, you can target your marketing and catapult your conversion rates.
Font Colors
Colors play a big part in online marketing. You can crank up your conversion rate by using red font for your heading and subheadings. Yellow highlighting can also rev up your response rates. Make sure that your copy is fast and fun. Use yellow highlighting, underlining, and bolding for things that you want to emphasize. All readers on the internet are scanners. Your sales letter will not be read word for word. Because of this, you must make sure that your most important points stand out.
Number and Text of Your Order Buttons
Long sales letters have proven to be the best for online sales letters because they limit a visitor's navigation choices, they are focused on one product, and they provide potential customers with every bit of information they could want about a product. However, if you only have one order button at the very end of your sales page, you are probably losing out on a number of sales. The key is to place multiple button links that direct the user to the order page. Place a red border around your order buttons to increase your conversion rates, but remember to keep testing. You never know when you might hit upon something that doubles your profits.
Another important factor influencing click-through rate is what text you use for your order buttons. Some of the most effective text that have been used on the internet are below.
Click here to order
Click here to grab your copy of _____________
There are so many sites that still do not include a call to action. You must clearly explain to your visitors what you want them to do. Marketers have proven that you will increase your sales by at least 80% simply by asking for the order.
Newsletters / Autoresponders
Unfortunately, not everyone that comes to your site will be ready to buy. Actually, this is usually 90% or more of the visitors that arrive at your site. However, to be successful, you must be able to stay in contact with potential customers. In order to do this you must capture their email address by offering a newsletter or autoresponder. You can do this through a pop-up or subscription form. Some of the best places for a subscription form include the top-left hand of your sales page and the very bottom of your sales copy.
Limited Choices Limit your visitors to a single choice. Your sales page should have one main goal: to sell one, individual product. You may have a secondary purpose of subscribing visitors to your newsletter, but this is not the main point of the page. The more choices you give people to surf around your site, the more confused they become and many will often just click away to somewhere else. By focusing your potential customers, you can crank up your conversion rates.
Web Site Copy
* Strong testimonials can increase your sales by a phenomenal 250%. Gaining credibility is crucial on the internet where there are no sales reps on hand to talk to personally. When your visitors see that other people have risked doing business with you and have been pleased with the results, you gain trust that cannot be bought. However, when lost, it is nearly impossible to gain back.
For a testimonial to be effective, it must contain the following elements:
* A good testimonial is descriptive! Avoid using one and two word testimonials. People will be much more influenced by longer testimonials that contain solid numbers and facts about the benefits they experienced.
* List the customer's full name, business name, and URL.
* Do NOT edit your testimonials. This is an unethical practice. However, correcting the spelling would be acceptable.
So, how do you go about collecting these powerful testimonials? There are a couple of options. You may ask current customers for testimonials. Many times, you may have many very happy customers who just never really thought about sending in a testimonial. They are very likely to be responsive if you approach them and explain to them how both of you stand to benefit.
Another option is to give a couple of your products away for free in exchange for a testimonial. This has proven to be very effective in some cases. Nevertheless, be sure to incorporate testimonials into your overall marketing plan. Research has shown that they work best when placed right below the headline.
A strong guarantee helps alleviate any anxiety the customer may be feeling about ordering from you. Your guarantee shows that you have confidence in what you are selling.
No matter what you are selling online, you can increase your conversion rates by using pictures of your products. This is especially true for ebooks.
People are visual. A three-dimensional picture of your product can:
* Increase your pageviews by 300%
* Increase actions (clickthroughs, downloads, responses, signups, subscriptions, telephone calls, emails, and sales!) by 200%.
* Increase time spent at your site by 50%. Any time people stay longer at your site, your chances of making the sale are higher.
Another important feature of a good sales page are bonuses. A bonus that is related to your product increases the perceived value of your offering. People are always looking to get more bang for their buck. A bonus can be one of your best source for closing the sale.
By making the bonus a "limited time offer", you create a sense of urgency. Anticipation is one of the most powerful tools in online marketing. When used appropriately, it can drastically increase your response rate.
You are now coming near the end of your sales letter. Add some personalization with a handwritten P.S. Some online marketers even use a P.S.S. and a P.S.S.S. Test a combination to see what works best for you.
Now it's your turn to put these strategies to the test. If you decide not to, you will lose out on thousands of dollars. Think about it....
You make a few changes to your headline: 1,900% increase in income.
You use dark blue or black for your background: bump your sales by 30%.
You add audio to your order page: Your sales shoot up by 437%.
You ask for the order and place multiple links to your order page: boost your sales by 319%.
In that short list you've already multiplied your profits by over 2,500%
I challenge you to test and track to make it even better.
About The Author
Alli Ross is the marketing chick at StickyArticle.com, where you can submit your
articles for free exposure.
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