I do a lot of sales copywriting for coaches who are developing messaging platforms for their business. I love working with them, because I love working with clients who have a positive message that can help a lot of people.
When creating a Core Message Platform™ for the coaches and speakers with whom I work, I always review any website landing pages they have in place currently that are intended to sell their information products and books.
Having reviewed dozens of sales landing pages over the years, I tend to find similar mistakes when auditing marketing copy for coaches and speakers.
Here are three big mistakes I’ve seen more than others that I urge every coach and speaker to avoid when creating direct response marketing copy.
Mistake #1 –Creating sales landing pages that are too brief
Hold on a second. “Aren’t today’s website pages supposed to be brief, copy light, and to the point?” you may be asking. 
In a lot of instances the answer is, “yes.” BUT, when you are crafting sales landing page copy where your objective is to motivate people to buy your book or information product—a meaty landing page gives you definite advantages.
The main one being it allows you to convey all the information your prospects need to make a buying decision. In the future, I’ll bring you entire posts that detail proven blueprints for writing winning sales pages for books and information products. But for now, here is one key point I want to drive home:
Place at least four Add to Cart buttons on your sales landing page.
- One at the beginning of your page
- One in the middle of your page
- One at the end of your page
- One after your P.S. line
This simple technique turns your “long” sales landing page into series of short pages that are interconnected.
By placing an Add to Cart button at the beginning of your page, prospects who are ready to buy can act immediately.
However, some of your prospects will need more convincing, which means they’ll require more benefit-driven information before they buy.
If this is what they need, give it to them.
Continue your sales page with additional benefit-driven selling statements, value demonstrations, testimonials, and other social proof.
Follow this with your second Add to Cart button, and prospects who needed a little more convincing will be able to click through to your order page, without having to scroll up or down your landing page to find an order button.
More Benefits, Offers, and Proof
However, some prospects may still need even MORE wooing before they buy – so keep bringing it!
Continue your copy with additional benefit-driven headlines and body copy, bonus offers, endorsements, and a confident call to action to those who still need convincing. This can be followed by your third Add to Cart button.
Next, I always recommend coaches and speakers add a P.S. line to their sales pages. This is a great way to reiterate your product’s main benefits, and/or offer a free bonus gift.
When you add a P.S. line, always follow it with another Add to Cart button, so prospects can take immediate action.
There’s no getting around it. Some prospects will want more detailed information before they reach for their credit card and buy.
So, creating a longer page with multiple Add to Cart buttons along the way will help you sell more books and information products.
Remember, those who need more detail to make a buying decision will not perceive your landing page as being too long. They’ll perceive it as being thorough, detailed, and complete – giving them all the information they need to make an informed buying decision.
Mistake #2 – Using big blocks of dark chunky text
Here is an absolute truth: website landing pages CANNOT look like the inside of a book. Large chunks of lengthy paragraph text followed by more dark chunky paragraphs look boring, and they look like they’d be slow and painful to read.
To engage prospects instantly, you need to make your sales landing page copy, “at-a-glance friendly.” You can do this by employing:
- A liberal use of headlines and subheads
- Paragraphs that are no longer than two or three lines each
- Sharp, concise benefit-driven bullet points
- Short and punchy endorsement quotes
This technique gives your copy a more open, airy look with a lot of white space around it. This is very appealing to the eye (and the brain) because your sales copy will look fast and easy to read.
Need a visual example of this writing style? Just re-read this section!
Mistake #3 – A lack of confident special offer lines
Your “special offer” is the heart and soul of every sales landing page you create. Always write special offer call-to-action lines in a voice and style that is self-assured and confident. You don’t have to be pushy or salesy, but you do have to be confident and certain.
Whenever you can, build your call-to-action line around a limited-time special offer—and throw in cool free stuff that has a dollar value applied to it. This does two things. It…
- Motivates people to buy your book or product NOW instead of later or never
- Demonstrates your prospects are receiving over-the-top value for their money
Here is an EXAMPLE of a limited-time special offer that includes a value-added free bonus.
Purchase How to Double Your Sales Leads in 2 Short Months by March 1, 2017, and receive a 20% discount off the standard program price. That’s an immediate SAVINGS of $15!
P.S. Order RIGHT NOW and you’ll also receive instant access to our 15-page FREE BONUS
REPORT, 9 Secrets to Converting Demanding Prospects into Your Most Loyal Clients (a $24 value!)
Notice this example avoids using passive terms such as, “If you’re interested…,” or “If you order…” When you’re confident, certain, and you offer great value when writing call-to-action lines—you’ll sell more books and products.
That’s it! Are you ready to energize your book and information product landing pages so you can drive greater sales? Did this post provide you with insights that will help you do this?
Please leave me a comment and let me know!
If you got a knowledge boost from this post I encourage you to share it with your crowd!
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