As a business owner, one of the most important things you can do is to make sure that potential clients have all the information they need to make a decision about whether or not to opt in for your services. This means providing detailed information about the services you offer, including pricing, timelines, and any other relevant details.
One of the best ways to do this is by creating a sales page. A sales page is a dedicated page on your website that is designed specifically to showcase your services and persuade potential clients to take action. This could mean hiring you, signing up for a free consultation, or taking some other action that moves them closer to becoming paying clients.
What a Sales Page is Not!
A sales page is not your website. While your website might have information about your business and the services you offer, a sales page is a specific type of landing page that is designed to persuade potential clients to take action.
Now, what exactly is a landing page, you may ask? It’s a page where people land, which means that when you send someone an email or run an ad, the page they’re taken to is considered a landing page. A landing page typically has just one intent, whether it’s to get people to register for something, download a freebie, fill out a contact form, or sell a service. And that’s where the sales page comes in.
A sales page is a landing page that’s designed specifically to sell your service. It’s focused, streamlined, and removes any distractions so that potential clients can focus on the information you’re presenting. In fact, you’ll want to remove every other button except the one that takes people to check out.
Now, you might be thinking, “I’m not a website designer or a tech guru, how am I supposed to create a good-looking sales page?” Well, the good news is that there are plenty of tools available online that make it easy for anyone to create a sales page. These tools provide templates and allow you to fill in the text, change the colors, and create a beautiful page without any coding skills.
Some of these tools even double as email automation platforms, such as Convertkit or Flodesk, so you can create a sales page and automate your email marketing all in one place. And if you want to take it to the next level, you can use advanced funnel-building tools like Kartra or ClickFunnels to create high-converting sales pages that will help you grow your business.
Features of a High-Converting Sales Page
Have you ever visited a sales page that left you feeling confused and unsure about what the service or product was all about? It’s frustrating, right? As a business owner, you definitely don’t want your potential customers feeling that way about your sales page. That’s why we’re going to talk about the features of a high-converting sales page.
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Have a Target Audience
First and foremost, the messaging on your sales page needs to be targeted. Your message should be crystal clear and speak to a specific kind of person – your ideal customer. But how do you ensure that your message is targeted? Well, the key is to know your ideal customer inside and out.(blog link)
Ask them questions that they can relate to. Show them that you understand their pain points and struggles. Paint a picture of the ideal scenario where they want to be. When you do this, people will come to your sales page and feel like you truly understand them. You’ll build a connection with them because you’ve done your research and you’re speaking directly to them. And that’s the power of targeted messaging on a sales page.
Remember, the emphasis here is on a high-converting sales page. If your sales page isn’t converting, then it’s not doing its job. So, take the time to get to know your ideal customer and create a sales page that speaks directly to them.
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Use Catchy Headlines and Catchy Phrases
It’s not enough to just know your target audience. You also need to spice up your copywriting skills if you want to create a high-converting sales page. This brings us to the next tip: use catchy headlines and phrases throughout your sales pitch.
Now, here’s the thing. As business owners, we tend to get carried away with the technicalities of our product or service and end up using jargon that goes right over the heads of our prospects. They might nod along and pretend to understand, but deep down they’re thinking, “What’s in it for me?”
That’s why it’s crucial to focus on the benefits, not just the features. Take the example of an iPhone. Instead of saying, “This phone has a 13-megapixel camera,” you could say, “This phone will help you capture stunning photos that elevate your personal brand and attract high-end clientele.”
Or let’s say you’re a course creator. Instead of saying, “You’ll get access to an online community,” you could say, “You’ll join a supportive community of like-minded entrepreneurs who will hold you accountable and provide invaluable support as you navigate your entrepreneurial journey.
People want to know how your product or service will improve their lives. So even when you list the features, always accompany them with the corresponding benefits. This will make your sales page more compelling and increase your chances of conversion.
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Use Visuals
Visuals are crucial because they can take your brand from zero to a hundred. When people have a high perception of your brand, it gives off premium vibes, which some people call packaging. This can elevate trust instantly. You don’t want to be selling premium services while looking unprofessional. So, here are some ways to incorporate high-quality visuals.
First, use high-quality pictures. If you’re going to use pictures on your page, it’s recommended that you have a professional photoshoot done so that you look clean and crisp. If you don’t have high-quality photos, you may want to substitute them with stock photos. A great website to get stock photos from is www.pexels.com.
If you’re looking for pictures of dark-skinned people, there are many other websites to choose from, but Pixels.com is a great start. Additionally, you can use beautifully-designed graphics. Canva is a great platform to design graphics that look elevated. If you don’t know how to use Canva, you can hire a graphic designer to do that for you.
One last thing to take note of with your visuals is that they should be on-brand. It’s important to have a brand guideline that outlines your brand colors, brand font, and other key elements. Your visuals should be consistent with your brand image. So, if you’ve always been using neutral tones, stick with that on your sales page.
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Optimize Your Page Speed
Let’s talk about page speed now. Page speed is the time it takes for your page to load after someone clicks on the link. And let me tell you, it’s crucial. If your landing page takes more than six seconds to load, visitors are likely to bounce off and get distracted. In today’s world, people’s attention span is very short, and you want to make sure your page loads as quickly as possible.
So, how do you ensure that your page loads faster? Well, one way is by optimizing your visuals. Large files can really slow down your page speed. So, for every image or graphic you use, make sure you compress them before uploading them to your page. You can use tools like www.tinypng.com or reSmush (if your landing page is on WordPress) to compress your images and keep your page loading lightning-fast.
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Include Testimonials
The natural next step to consider for your sales page is the inclusion of testimonials. Remember, the ultimate goal is to create a high-converting sales page, and the best way to achieve this is through building trust. You can easily build trust by showcasing what you’ve accomplished in the past through social proof.
You can have testimonials where someone has sent you feedback, which you can type out or design beautifully and add to the page. However, raw screenshots of social proof can be even more effective. Don’t forget to include social proof on your sales page to increase conversions.
Objections to a Complete Sales Process
Objections are essentially the barriers that you need to overcome to successfully close a sale. The thing is, prospects may have objections in their minds that they don’t even communicate with you. One of the most common objections is pricing, but there are other factors such as urgency and competition that can also come into play.
You need to be proactive in addressing these objections in your sales copy before they even come up in your prospect’s mind. If you don’t address them, they may end up looking for someone else who can answer their questions. So, it’s important to think about objections and tackle them head-on in your sales copy.
How to Address Objections to a Sales Process
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Include an FAQ Section on Your Sales Page
You can address objections by including an FAQ section on your sales page. By answering common questions in a question-and-answer format, you can proactively address any doubts or concerns that potential clients may have. You’ve probably seen this done on many sales pages before, and that’s because it’s an essential component that you can’t afford to leave out.
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Risk Reversal
Another important strategy is risk reversal. This involves letting the client know that they have nothing to lose and that the risk is on you. Many businesses offer a guarantee as a form of risk reversal, such as a 7-day money-back guarantee or a no-questions-asked refund policy. Others may have terms and conditions that apply, such as requiring evidence that a course has been completed before issuing a refund.
There are many creative ways to offer risk reversal, and if you don’t have a way to do so, it’s better to be upfront and honest about it. Let your potential clients know that there’s no guarantee, but that putting in the work may lead to positive results.
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Pricing
Let’s now move on to the topic of pricing(blog link). I’m sure you’ve been anticipating this part of the sales page, as it’s a crucial aspect. After all the convincing and persuading, it’s time to reveal the price. One effective strategy that I recommend using is called anchoring. Allow me to explain what this means.
Let’s say I’m selling a program for $1,500, with an installment plan option of three payments of $500. Instead of immediately mentioning the installment plan, I first establish the program’s value as $1,500. Then, later on, I introduce the option of an installment plan. This technique anchors the program’s value in the buyer’s mind, making them more likely to find ways to make the $1,500 payment work. When they later discover the installment plan option, it becomes easier for them to commit.
Another way to be strategic with pricing is to offer time-based discounts or bonuses. For instance, you could offer a discount or bonus for those who purchase within the first 24 hours of landing on the page.
While it’s important to keep the focus on the buyer, don’t forget the power of storytelling. It’s a powerful tool that can help the buyer connect with you and understand why you’re qualified to meet their needs. However, it’s important to strike a balance and ensure that your story ties into why you’re qualified and how you can help the buyer. By finding those pieces that resonate with the buyer and bringing them to the forefront, your sales can soar. -
Use a Call to Action
Lastly, let’s talk about the call to action. I assume that this is something you already know. Throughout your sales page, at various points, make sure to include a call to action. A call to action is usually a strong verb that encourages people to take the next step.
For instance, if you’re selling a program, use phrases like “Join now,” “Get access now,” and other powerful words that express urgency. Place these words all over your sales page, above and below buttons, and don’t be afraid to ask people to take action. Remember, a strong call to action can make all the difference in converting visitors into paying customers.
To sum it up, the crucial best practices to keep in mind when it comes to your sales page are primarily centered on the language you use, comprising around 80% of what we’ve discussed thus far. The second most significant aspect is the design, and the third, is page load speed. These three elements can either make or break the effectiveness of your sales page.
Now, how can you determine if your sales page is truly effective? If you’re interested, please let me know in the comments below if you’d like me to write a separate article dedicated to this topic.
For now, here are three key indicators that can help you assess your page’s performance:
The first is Page Views, which provide a general sense of how well your page is doing, particularly when you’re running ads with a set target based on your ad budget.
The second is Bounce Rate, which refers to how quickly people leave your page once they land on it. This factor is closely linked to session duration, which measures how long a visitor stays on your page after arriving.
Finally, the third indicator is Conversion Rate, which is the most crucial metric as it shows how many people who land on your page move to the next stage of the process. This includes clicking on the checkout or payment page and ultimately paying for the service you offer.
Although these three elements offer a general sense of your page’s performance, please keep in mind that there are additional benchmarks to consider.