It is a debatable point, but I know many online marketers who believe that of all the skills that are required for success on the net, the hardest to acquire is the ability to write powerful, effective sales copy from scratch.
Indeed, if this were not the case, then the stories of marketers who have paid five figure sums for one single sales page would not be quite so widely accepted as they are. However, the fact that the top people in online marketing are willing to spend this kind of money indicates how important it is to have a sales page that converts visitors into customers.
Of course, sales copywriting, creating promotional and advertising messages that sell, is nothing new.
Since mankind first stopped bartering and started using money so that sales became a part of everyday life for the very first time, there have always been people who have worked hard to improve their written marketing materials to increase their sales and therefore the revenues that those sales brought in.
And in many cases, what worked in copywriting terms all of those years ago is still remarkably relevant and effective today. Even though many online marketers seem to believe that conducting business on the net is completely different to business in the real world of ‘bricks and mortar’ based commerce in some way, the basic principles of writing powerful sales copy that were around 100 years ago still apply.
Creating effective sales copy is likely to be one of the key factors that dictates how successful your sales campaign will be.
At the same time, being aware that writing successful copy is not at all easy can make the whole idea of creating your own sales page appear extremely daunting.
Fortunately however, it does not have to be this way. Although starting from scratch with a blank monitor in front of you can be nerve racking, there are certain shortcuts that you can use to help you write effective sales copy quickly and efficiently, and you’re going to discover three such shortcuts in this manual.
I make no great claim for originality with these three ideas, because I have little doubt that they are ideas I have picked up from other people over the years. Nevertheless, they all work and especially if you have little experience of copywriting, they will give you a significant push in the right direction.
Posts Tagged ‘money’
3 Simple Copywriting secrets – Intro…
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010What happens in an economic depression – part 2
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009In the first part of ‘what happens in an economic depression’, I tried to suggest that in these extremely difficult times, many people are going to start trying to earn a living from the internet, primarily because there is less work and therefore less money flying around.
Hence, the first question that people who are thinking of earning a living online are going to ask is, ‘how do I do so?’. The simple answer is, by blogging.
Traditionally, if you want to generate an income from a blog, you would do so in one of two different ways.
Either you would feature paid advertising on your site (generally using Google AdSense) or by promoting someone else’s products as an affiliate.
However, I would suggest that neither of these solutions is going to be effective or profitable in the future, for several reasons.
Firstly, there is less money available to the businesses who were previously spending lots of money with Google, and it therefore stands to reason that there are going to be less companies advertising with the ‘big G’ in the future. Furthermore, one of the big bugbears of anyone who has ever used AdSense is that Google has steadfastly refused to tell you how much you will get paid for featuring their advertising on the site, or indeed, what percentage of the money they are paid ends up in your bank account.
Am I wrong in thinking that the percentage is likely to come down when Google see less and less people advertising? And when that happens, will you be any the wiser?
I believe that the answer to these questions is ‘yes’ and ‘no’, in this order.
Thus, if you are going to feature advertising on your blog as a way of making money, you really need to look at other advertising companies apart from Google, companies who offer paid advertising that is an awful lot more transparent than AdSense.
But, why depend on advertising in the first place? After all, by doing so, you are relying on other people (Google et al) to place advertising materials on your website, and then you are relying on your visitors to click on those ads. Granted, that is the very basis of PPC advertising, but it is a fact that the average net user is becoming increasingly ‘ad blind’. AdSense is almost everywhere nowadays, even featuring on the websites of the quality broadsheet newspapers so the average net user is nowadays bombarded with online advertising. Thus, they are becoming increasingly adept at ignoring it.
Then, you have the affiliate product option.
In this situation, you find a product or service created by an individual or company which you promote in exchange for a commission. The problem here is that the product or service you are promoting does not belong to you and you did not create it, so you have no guarantee of the quality of the product unless you buy it yourself.
As 99.9% of affiliate marketers don’t do so (if you bought every product you are thinking of promoting, you would probably spend more money than you generate from sales), there could plenty of refund requests, and again, you are relying on other people for the success of your business.
Add this to the fact that you only ever going to earn a percentage of the overall customer spend as your commission, and you again have to ask is this the best way of earning money online?
As far as I can see, neither of these traditional solutions is going to be the answer for how to make money through your own blog site in the future.
So, is there a better option?
The answer is, of course there is.
More on this next time…
Platinum Content Creation
Sunday, February 1st, 2009Prices…How About Yours?
achieving quality is never easy.
| Testimonial…
Hey Steve, Great job on the e-book! Your research is first class, and you really listened to what I wanted. You delivered it on schedule, and your writing is excellent too. I highly recommend your services for anyone needing a writer or researcher for their project. Warm regards- Eric Holmlund |
| Testimonial…
I originally met Steve on the Warrior Forum, when I posted a request asking for anyone who did technical writing. I’ve had very mixed results with hiring people I’ve met via forums but his samples were great and references checked out so I thought I’d give him a shot.. Boy, am I glad I did! He’s just finished writing the installation guide and user manual for a WordPress plugin I created and I’m absolutely blown away by the amount of effort he’s put in. He really took the time to understand the plugin, what it did, how people used it and the problems they were having. What’s more, he did this almost entirely on his own with only the bare minimum of input from myself. No Skype message every 5 minutes needing help and clarification just a couple of brief chats and he produced some of the best quality work I’ve seen. I highly recommend him, Andy Fletcher |
| Testimonial…
Hey Steve, I just wanted to drop you a quick testimonial to let you know I’m very impressed with the eBook you wrote for me. I first got a shock when you delivered the entire package (10,000 word ebook, short report and 2 emailers) in UNDER 48 hours. The second shock came when I saw the high quality of your work. As much as I want to ensure you’re available to write for me all the time, I would highly recommend your writing services to others.. Best, Calvin Woon |
| Testimonial…
I just got my report / ebook back from Steve, and I am most impressed. The document is very well written and researched. Any changes were made without fuss, and Steve did not stop until it was 100% to my liking. Trust is a huge factor with me at the moment, and I have been burnt a few times recently with vendors promising everything and delivering squat. But I have to say that Steve was always available and kept me in the loop every step of the way. Rating: Sal |
Here’s the idea…
Let me and my team create your product for you!
I don’t want to waste your time, so let me give you the lowdown.
If you need someone to create a top-quality, laser targeted product, be it an e-book, special report, training course, white paper or even a screenshot video series, we are the people to turn to!
I’ve personally been a full-time product creation specialist for the past five years and I’ve created more than 1200 products. Most I’ve written, but over the past year, I’ve been doing screenshot videos for customers and I’ve brought in a few top people to help me too!
My team and I are…
Professional;
Experienced;
Genuine native English speakers;
Marketers who understand and meet deadlines;
Good at what we do;
Honest;
Client focused;
Responsive;
Flexible;
Adaptable.
And here are some things that we’re not…
Willing to accept second best;
Happy until you are;
Rip-off merchants;
Oh, and we’re not the cheapest either!
You want samples?
You got it…
3 Simple Copywriting Shortcuts
And an (old) sample screenshot video (ignore the link at the end!)
Over the years, half our products have focused on marketing, covering every aspect of the business including:
• Traffic generation;
• Marketing with Facebook;
• Keyword research;
• Backlinking;
• Offline marketing;
• Marketing with videos;
• Affiliate marketing;
• Website copywriting;
• Membership sites;
• Using PLR materials;
• Setting up joint ventures;
• Making money from forums;
• Outsourcing guides;
• AdWords and AdSense;
• SEO…etc.
The list goes on and on…but suffice to say that if it’s marketing content you want, we most definitely have you covered.
| Testimonial…
This is the first time I have used Steve and his services. I picked him mainly because of his reputation and feedback on the Warrior Forum and I wasn’t disappointed. The first draft he sent me was spot on there was nothing I needed changing. I was a bit apprehensive in using someone else for this work as you wonder whether he understands what you need. Before he started he sent me a couple of points to clarify then a few days later he delivers just what I want. I can’t praise him highly enough. Thanks Steve for the quick turnaround and ideal product creation. |
But online business materials are just a part of the portfolio…
I’ve also created many products in the natural health market on dozens of topics including everything from snoring to acne, influenza to diabetes. Then there have been projects in niches as diverse as:
• Organizing Weddings Overseas;
• Dinghy Sailing;
• Making Stained Glass;
• Bass Fishing;
• Astral Projection;
• Learning Soccer;
• Mental health;
• IQ Testing;
• Creating Killer Resumes;
• Growing Bonsai;
• Divorcing Dads;
• Debt Control;
• Weight Management;
• Real Estate…etc.
And many, many more…
The truth is, satisfied customers are the best proof, right? So, let’s hear from a couple more…
| Testimonial…
I have used Steve’s services and I must say I’m impressed. He delivers on time, listen’s and is always ready to go the extra mile. I’ll definitely use his services again.” Amaechi Ekufu. |
| Testimonial…
I haven’t done a lot of testimonials, but in this case I feel it would be unfair not to provide some feedback with my experience in having hired Steve to write some reports for me. In a word…Outstanding! The reports were right on topic, accompanied with images to further illustrate pertinent examples, were delivered in the time specified, & the cost was more reasonable than I had even anticipated. This was a first rate job all-round! Steve then followed through with something that is a bit of a rarity online. Amazing after-sales service. I was having an issue (at my end) with a part of transferring some data from a report to my site. In his own time, Steve created a no-cost (to me) video showing the way around the problem. Seriously…who does that? They say that when you find a good writer, stick with them. Don’t go anywhere Steve. More projects coming your way mate. Steve Daley |
Okay, so let’s cut to the chase…I’m not going to try to kid you. You’re thinking ‘Premium quality must mean premium prices, right?’
Agreed…but only if we’re talking about the price that you can charge!
Look, here is the real secret of online success that no-one ever talks about.
I have seen my products sold for $97, $197, even $297 each. That only happens when you’re dealing with quality materials.
But if you pay peanuts for barrel scrapings, well, guess how valuable your product is going to be?
You get what you pay for in life. Online marketing is no different.
Every project is different and price largely depends on what you want. But as examples, here’s a couple of ‘standard’ prices for written reports or white papers (or whatever you prefer to call them)…
Unlike most product creation deals, this one is not a ‘pay everything in advance and hope the creator comes through’ deal.
I know too many who have been burned by upfront scammers who never intended to deliver on their ‘promise’. I don’t want this to prevent you getting a product that will set your online marketing efforts on fire.
So I ask for a 50% deposit with the balance to be paid on successful completion and delivery.
| Testimonial…
I hired Steve to write an ebook for me. Communication was excellent via email. Okd him to write the book on Saturday and he delivered it on Tuesday night (10000 word package). The book is just what I wanted. I will be making a few changes but this is just because of my preferences not something he did. He saved me hours of my own time coming up with the ebook. The writing is great and flows smoothly. If you are considering him I would jump on a spot without hesitation. I hope to use him in the future. I would highly recommend Steve if you need an ebook written. Scott |
| Testimonial…
Hello from another very satisfied customer. Steve has just finished a business report for me – it really is top quality. And the service was just as good: no fuss, quick turnaround, great value for money. Hope to use your services again Steve I highly recommend him, EM |
To discuss your ideas, e-mail me at infoman[at]yesdeal[dot]net
No matter what you have in mind, we can do it…
Incidentally, we do everything in terms of topic and keyword research as well as the product creation itself. You leave it all to me…
The finished product is 100% yours with an absolute guarantee that the materials are never used for or even shown to anyone else.
Complete satisfaction with your product is categorically guaranteed too!
All products are illustrated with screenshots when appropriate.
Oh, I nearly forgot. In-house e-book cover design and creation is now offered too.
All products are created on a first come, first served basis.
That’s it.
You now know who I am and what I do.
Thanks for getting this far, and I look forward to hearing your ideas.
Cheers,
Steve.
| Testimonial…
Wow! After using Steve’s services I will be back for more. If you need content created then look no further. John Thornhill (planetSMS) |
P.S. You want to take your business to the next level with your own high-ticket product, don’t you? Well, you’ll never have a better chance…
P.P.S. I can only take a small number of additional customers, so don’t delay.. reserve your spot now by PM or e-mail to infoman[at]yesdeal[dot]net