Does Your Sales Page Smell Like Money Honey…or Does it Stink?

Headlines.

Openers.

Pain Points.

Benefits.

I could keep listing all the containers that make for a money-making sales page but I won’t because none of that matters (seriously) if your sales page is void of this one crucial thing…

STORY.

Most sales page outlines are marketer driven versus buyer driven.

Think about that for a minute…

Virtually every sales page outline is constructed to feature the offer, the company and/or the marketer.

The only real “appearance” the buyer makes is when discussing pain points and painting a future life picture. But once you’ve listed 1-3 points of pain, and featured 1-3 “imagine if” scenarios, where else does your buyer feel seen and heard on the page?

It’s why so many tiny businesses get hung up writing copy - no one is teaching you how to relate everything you write back to your buyer in a meaningful non-salesy way.

What if headlines were easier to generate when they’re framed in story?

What if benefit bullets were easier to write when they tell part of a longer tale?

What if instead of talking about pain points like a radio ad from the 50’s you wrote conversationally and went beyond pain and to the root of your peoples real problems?

And one more what if…

What if you designed your entire brand around story but not just your story, your buyers story?

You can you know.

It requires a shift in mindset from that of just another marketer to that of trusted ally.

Here’s how you do that:

1. Know your buyer well and I mean intimately. As in know, with 90% or greater certainty, what the perfect birthday gift is for them. The kind of gift a close friend would nail with no problem. Don’t know what that is yet? No worries, work to have that level of understanding because this is how your people will feel seen and heard.
2. Know what really keeps your people up at night. You might think its something like “not having enough traffic” but I assure you, that’s not it…not ever. What keeps people up at night is what not having enough traffic means to them. Dig for the significance of what most marketers label as pain because then you’ll be tapping into your peoples truth.
3. Know what personal stories to tell and when. Your buyer journey is filled with ups and downs, isn’t that the way of life? Your stories are like arrows in a quiver, each one aiming at a precise experience your buyer can relate to and be motivated by when they need it most - something a single signature story can’t do.
4. Know your process. Give your people the confidence they need to pursue their dreams by outlining a plan and a map to get them there. Winging it not only doesn’t sell, it doesn’t create confidence in you or in themselves. Every great brand positions itself with confidence and provides their people with opportunities to believe in themselves.
5. Know your BME’s. In other words, know the beginning middle and end of your buyers journey. Where should they start first? Where should they go after that? What obstacles will they face along the way? As their trusted ally, design an experience that prevents them from failing or at the very least, arms them for what comes next. The unknown prevents good people from realizing their dreams and potential. When you guide them along their path from beginning, middle and end you become a brand to trust, to champion and to believe in.

Every one of the steps I’ve outlined above is focused on the buyer, their story and their journey. And, it just so happens that each step is crucial to developing a brand and marketing (including sales pages) that is inclusive, empathetic and stands for something more than fanfare.

Develop your brand around these five principles and you’ll not only have a stand out brand, you’ll have a brand that gets inside people…inside their heads, inside their hearts - and because your sales pages will read like a personal letter from a trusted friend -  inside their wallets.