| Blitz
Ezine # 239 July 5, 2004
Increasing your Profits - 10 ways Increasing your average sale
The Blitz-Promotions News Letter
Issue no. 239, July 5th, 2004
***************************************************
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9-12
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Blitz Comments
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Make
sure to check out our blog during the month of July
we'll be talking about some things that we learned on
our vacation (plus some pictures as well). Here's the
link.
http://smallbizpromo.blogspot.com
+++
IMPORTANT
===
Microsoft will be releasing
a Service Pack for XP sometime later this year or next.
Find out if your website will still work properly using
the link below.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/security/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnwxp/html/xpsp2websites.asp
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In this Issue
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-
Increasing your average sale.
- Improving your copywriting.
- Some useful (and fun links).
- We review our vacation destination.
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Food for thought
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"There is a great
difference between knowing and understanding: you can
know a lot about something and not really understand
it." --Charles F. Kettering
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Increasing your Profits
Increase your Average Sale
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10
ways to increase your average sale.
-
Test your pricing / prices. Many times the lowest
price isn't the best.
- Offer
complimentary items when your customer is on the site.
Example: If they're shopping for a tent, make sure
to offer them a sleeping bag as well.
- Consider
offering sets or combinations.
- Offer
gift certificates.
- Offer
discounts when someone buys more (buy 2 get the third
one free).
- Think
about gift bags / gift baskets which include some
of your most popular products.
- Offer
free shipping when someone buys at least x.xx amount
of product.
- Is
one of your products something that "runs"
out (like shampoo, soap, cleaners, candles etc). Think
customer convenience and give them the option of having
the product autoshipped when it runs out.
- Start
a buyers club. Buy ten candles in a year, get the
eleventh candle free.
- During
the holidays offer to let them ship individual gifts
to different destinations.
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Guest Articles
'How to Write the Web Site That Sells'
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Your
Web site has a single motive:
To
'ignite' your visitors to take action.
This
prime motive is behind every element of your Web site
design and content. Start with the idea that you have
one chance to reach your customers. They will never
return to your site unless you make it worth their while,
and they will not buy unless you encourage/force/ask
them to.
This
will impact the 5 prime elements working together in
any excellent Web site — the mechanics,
content, interactivity, design and optimization. Right
now, let's focus on the mechanics of writing content
that sells.
Here
is a simple template for a Web site that sells which
you can readily adapt to meet your needs. Use it as
a jumping-off point for your income-generating Web presence.
You'll
find it goes against the current vogue online for the
single-page, long-scrolling salesletter on the home
page leading to an order form. But think of it this
way:
Your
home page can be like an interesting magazine index,
or magazine cover listing provocative headlines. You
should offer enough compelling information here so that
any visitor is forced to go deeper into your site. They've
got to click through. They just can't hold themselves
back.
A
good home page should be a clear call to action. But
it also can't go on for too long or you will put your
visitors off. Go ahead and use different benefit subheadlines
and link phrases that pull readers to your sales page.
Start with...
I. The Benefit-Rich Headline
A
strong, enticing headline is the single most important
element of your Web marketing copy. It is the opening
statement and first impression you make.
Because
Web pages load from the top down, place your headline
right at the top of the page so it can be read while
the rest of the elements fall into place. If you have
a lot of graphics that need to load, your headline should
give your site visitors enough reason to wait.
Imagine
your Web page is a blind date for every first-time visitor
who comes to your site. Your headline MUST make the
right first impression immediately, or new visitors
will want nothing more than to click away as fast as
they can.
Obviously
your headline cannot be all things to all people (and
you wouldn't want to date everyone either...), but it
can and should speak directly to those people you most
want to reach.
Your
headline has these tasks: to ARREST the attention of
your target market. To GRAB your reader by the collar
so they have no choice but to read on.
If
your target market is 'doctors', then use the word 'doctors'
in your headline. There's a funny saying:
"Enough
about you... let's hear about me."
That's
your site visitor talking. These words tell you everything
about how to craft your headline, and the more specific
and targeted you make it, the better.
Your
headline should serve as an ad for the rest of your
Web copy, clearly delivering a 'distilled' version of
what they are about to discover in the body of your
text.
Did
you know?
o
Only one out of five people get beyond the headline
to read the rest of the Web page
o
You have 30 seconds or less to make a positive impression,
or your site visitor will click away
o
The right wording in your headline can increase your
sales conversion rate by 1700%
It's
true! Studies show the right headline can increase response
to an offer exponentially, which is a good reason to
test different headlines until you find your 'killer'.
Once you've got it, it's the key to your success. So
spend the time to make your headline work. Here's how
to find the right headline:
Tell
your target audience the single most important benefit
you are offering them.
That's
it.
State
a powerful benefit in your headline that clearly enhances
THEIR LIVES, using power words such as: 'Discover';
'Announcing'; 'Breakthrough'; 'Facts'; 'New'; 'Now';
'Yes'; 'Sale' - all words that are active, grab the
attention of prospects, and promise them something (the
two words of most value to your customers are 'You',
and 'Free').
Finally,
keep in mind that your customer is never buying a product
or service. They are actually buying a key benefit that
will make their life better.
II. The Value Proposition for Your Customer
Immediately
after your headline comes the opening salvo of text
on the page - the value proposition. This 1-3 paragraph
section is all about your target customer. Either it
states their current situation, and 'ain't it awful',
or it reveals a dream they have about what their life
could become: 'If only...'
To
write it, go back to the roots of the product or service
you are offering. Why does it exist in today's world,
and what good does it do your target customer? Ask yourself
why you sell it, and perhaps why you got involved with
it in the first place. Be idealistic. The proposition
section of your home page sets up a kind of vacuum,
which you are about to fill with..
III. The Benefits You Deliver
A
benefit is anything that will make your customer's life
better by using your product or service. This is the
payoff, and the crucial section of your home page where
you must deliver the goods. Take a good look at what
you are promoting, and then...
Write
down each and every benefit you can, with no thought
about which is the most important. You'll order them
later. Write down everything that can possibly do your
customer some good. Everything.
After
finishing this 'brain dump', go back and prioritize.
Don't prioritize as you go, because that will inhibit
you. List first, order second. (NOTE: consider using
a powerful benefit as a text link leading to your sales
letter.)
On
your home page you will clearly state the top benefits
you deliver, but you'll expand upon them in...
IV. Your Benefit-Rich Sales Letter
The
benefit-rich sales letter always closes the sale. It
builds upon what you have promised to deliver on your
home page, answers any objections or questions your
readers may have and fully justifies the price you ask.
On this page longer copy will outsell shorter copy,
so make a complete sales pitch from start to finish.
Here
are 10 key formatting tips that will keep your prospects
reading so you can close the sale.
1.
Break the copy of your sales letter up into short copy
paragraphs. A single-sentence paragraph can make a striking
point.
2.
Use headlines and sub-headlines.
3.
Use bullets, numbers, and dashes to further break up
copy, allowing plenty of white space to make reading
your offer even easier on the eye.
4.
Use arrows , boxes, color or shading, graphics, indentations,
bold lettering, CAPITAL LETTERS, italics, and punctuation!!
Note: use a light touch here, rather than the 'HIT them
over and over 'til they beg for mercy!' approach.
5.
Give customers premiums. Over-deliver on the offer that
first interested your prospective customer any way you
can. The goal is to give your customers far more perceived
value than they actually pay for. Premiums can add tremendous
value to your offer without substantially increasing
your cost of delivery.
6.
Emphasize the word FREE wherever it applies.
7.
Use fast-loading graphics that actively support your
message. Avoid generic clip-art 'success' graphics if
you can.
8.
Provide testimonials. If you don't have them, give your
product or service away and gather some immediately.
It's a suspicious world, and you need other people to
validate your offer.
9.
Urge 'Immediate Action'. State a time limit to your
offer (note: many marketers offer their premiums only
if prospective customers buy within a window of 3-14
days).
10.
Make an iron-clad guarantee. Do what you can to over-deliver
in this area, too - a guarantee that is better than
your competitors offer is a powerful selling point.
Finally,
here is the progression people actually follow when
they read:
a.
The Headline
b. Any Captions for Photos or Drawings
c. Any Large Text Subheads
d. The PS
e. Ordering Information and Price
f. (Finally!), the Actual Text itself
Which
means, spend the time to buff and polish each of these
elements for your target audience. The better you know
these people and 'how badly they hurt', the more sales
you will make.
o article by Scott T. Smith of Copywriting.Net. Scott
partners with Web developers and business professionals
to generate MORE Web sales. For a free writing consultation
visit http://www.copywriting.net, or call Scott at 1.406.586.4112.
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Links you can use -
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Saving
Gas
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/autos/gasave.htm
Great
site for history buffs or for the kids when they're
taking American History.
http://www.firstworldwar.com/
A
great place to find web design information. Tons of
free tutorials, and snippets.
http://www.w3schools.com/
Learn
a bit about more about your web stats.
http://www.thinkhost.com/services/kb/interpreting-statistics.shtml
A
Good look at where the traffic comes from.
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3368371
Free
photographic images for your website.
http://www.imageafter.com/
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Fun and Games
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Free
oldie style arcade games.
http://www.play.vg/
If
you have kids or a bunch of kids (like a Sunday School
class etc.)then you want to be sure and check out How
Toons. Cartoons that explain in detail how to do something
(like create a marshmellow shooter).
http://www.howtoons.net/
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Reviews
+++++++++++++++++
Vacation
spots -
Myrtle
Beach - we took a trip to the beach a couple of weeks
ago. It had been about ten years or so since we went
to the beach and we had a wonderful time. We rented
a fairly nice condo - the reason we rented it was to
save a few bucks on the meal bill. We ate breakfast
and lunch there (about 12 meals - average meal cost
for 5 folks say $25.00 ( $300.00). We spent $200.00
on groceries so we did save a little... and of course
we could have the midnight snack.
The
beach was great, the surf was a little rough especially
on the first three days. Souvenir prices ranged from
cheap to silly. One thing I noticed was that almost
every attraction had some kind of coupon. So check the
coupon books and plan your adventure accordingly. We
probably saved several hundred dollars, got some nice
free stuff just by planning ahead a little.
Sunscreen
was about double what we would pay here so make sure
you take along some extra. All in all we had a wonderful
time. Make sure to check out our blog this month and
we'll talk some about things we learned while on our
trip.
Next
month Xbox Games -
Crimson
Skys and D
and D
Open Range
Coming
Soon -
Secret Window
Scooby Doo (Nintendo system).
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Useful links to our site
+++++++++++++++++
Find
more useful promotion and design articles here -
http://www.blitzpromotions.com/articleindex.htm
Check
out our archives for issues you may have missed.
http://www.blitzpromotions.com/ezinearchives.htm
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Next Issues
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August - Getting ready for the holidays.
Sept. - Revisiting Froogle
Oct. - Optimizing Froogle
Nov. - Thanking your customers.
Dec. - Holiday Issue
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Final Thoughts
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Till
next time we hope that everyone is enjoying their Summer.
Tim
and Lisa Hamblin
Tisa Enterprises
PO Box 221
Hazard KY 41702
http://www.blitzpromotions.com
http://www.crochetnmore.com
http://www.webpageplanner.com
http://www.ineedlinks.com
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