Some people freeze when it comes to writing sales copy; but it doesn’t need to be a fearful process. It’s possible for anyone to create a great sales message by following some simple guidelines and, while it may take some practice and fine-tuning, it will come.

Following are nine steps for writing sales copy that should help your business sell more.

1. Headline

You need to “hook” your visitors, whether they have come to your webpage from organic search traffic or via an email or other online marketing campaign. Prepare a headline that engages your audience and gets them thinking they need to read the smaller print that follows. You only have a few seconds to capture their imagination.

2. Story-Telling

Create a headline that really grabs attention.

Being able to tell a short story in your sales copy achieves several purposes.

Story-telling is traditionally how knowledge has been passed on, because information “sticks” better when attached to a story. Also it engages the audience on an emotional level because you can use the story to show the audience that you understand their problems and, in fact, explain their issues better than they can themselves!

It doesn’t need to be War and Peace but creating a tale that “agitates” the problem allows you to generate interest in the solution that you will introduce afterwards.

3. Who Am I?

Introducing yourself as part of the solution goes a long way too…show them how you got to where you are by experiencing many of the same issues that they are going through. This shows not only that you empathise with their problems but that you are a real human being! It is especially important to demonstrate this on the internet as people want to buy from people in the often faceless online world.

This is why video sales pages work well – everything we are writing about sales copy can be equally applied to a sales letter template or a script for a sales video.

4. Offer A Clear Solution

You have built up the level of expectation to now show what you have as the solution. Present a clear offer that shows your service or product solving specific problems the visitor may have.

5. Features/Benefits

Many people start here with their sales copy; the features and benefits are important and of course they need to be included, but they are far more effective when presented as a solution to a problems; that’s why you shouldn’t jump in before “preparing the ground” as described above.

6. Testimonials

Again, these are hugely important for demonstrating credibility and proof that what you are saying is true and can be delivered.

Gather these as you go, preferably in video form (you can always make transcripts for text-based sales copy.) One testimonial of a few sentences can be worth a page of you rambling on about how great you are!

7. Promise And Guarantee

If you can make a bold promise and guarantee for your offer it may pay dividends. Guarantees may mean a few more people asking for their money back, but it should be more than covered by the extra sales you’ll make from people feeling comfortable buying from you.

8. Scarcity

Some sales pages overdo it with the “scarcity” element and end up sounding completely fake; you should aim at creating urgency to buy now, but without the use of ticking timers that tell you that the offer closes in 5 minutes or that there are only 3 left! Make it realistic or visitors will see through it and it will create doubts in their mind.

9. Call to Action

Tell the visitor what they should do next; this might be clicking the BUY NOW button, sending an email, opting in, picking up the phone – anything that moves the sales process along. Make it clear and make it only one thing.

Working all these messages in will create compelling sales copy that can revolutionise your online business. Whether you need sales text or video scripts the same basic rules apply. You can also discover more great sales tips for your business in the Competition Crusher workshop – available absolutely FREE here: www.crusherworkshop.com