If you're a web marketer and you've done your homework, you've probably come across
Long Sales Letter in your internet travels. Top web marketing experts like Yanik Silver, "The Copy Doctor" Michel Fortin and countless others use it to pitch their comprehensive instructional kits. You may have even made a purchase based on what you read in one of these letters. Powerfully persuasive, Long Sales Letter employs carefully targeted copy to draw reader in, emotionally identify with them, create a need for product, and incite them to make an immediate purchase. The Long Sales letter, in all its verbosity and sensationalism, gleams with promise. It appears surefire way to make sales come pouring in.
But is it? Should you fork your hard-earned cash over to a copywriter who will create a hypnotic and riveting sales letter that goes on for pages and pages hyping your product? Should you grab for your credit card and buy one of those comprehensive teaching packets that tells you everything you ever wanted to know about writing a Long Sales Letter yourself?
Answers often come in form of questions. Here are some questions I typically ask my clients:
What are you selling, and how much does it cost?
Does product you offer on your website fulfill immediate short-term needs?
Or is it something that might help someone reach a long-term goal?
Items that satisfy immediate yearnings for a low price don't require a rousing speech to attract buyers. What these products do require is visibility. How funny would it be to receive a letter in mail from CEO of Bubble Yum, urging you to buy his product! Totally unnecessary; Bubble Yum does a fine job of selling itself on "impulse buy" rack by supermarket check-out. Music CDs and clothing are things that don't cost huge amounts of money, and virtually sell themselves. Your customer will know in a matter of seconds whether they want what you have. In such a case, skip letter. Instead, showcase these items in a high-traffic area where they will be seen.
Who are you marketing to?
I did some work recently for an e-greeting company who had me writing a long and persuasive letter. I posed question: "How much do we really need to convince people to buy these e-greetings? Either people will like them, or they won't." My client in turn made a good point: sales letter wasn't needed to toute actual product on site. But it would certainly come in handy for potential affiliates and promoters. The sales letter was a handy tool that depicted us an intelligent group of people with a knack for selling - and that could very well be driving decision for those who might want to represent us. So yes, a sales letter may actually work to your benefit, depending on audience you plan to address.
Would your product or service be considered 'an investment?'
An investment is a possession acquired for future return or benefit. Items that offer long-term benefits cost more money. They promise a brighter tomorrow; an investment for future. They also require more convincing to get people to buy them. I recently met a career coach who features a goal achievement system, in form of an e-book, for purchase on her website. Her e-book is moderately priced for its category, and well-written in my opinion. Would I advise her to use a sales letter to pitch e-book? Yes, but I'd make letter an overview of her entire service offering and not just about e-book.
The trick is to convince people that a career coach will help them reach their personal and professional goals, which in turn will do wonders for their career, bolster their confidence and improve their quality of life. If you can sell them on this broad concept, then they'd likely sign up for career coaching sessions, and at very least purchase a goal achievement system e-book. With your sales letter, you can build a case for maximum investment, and at very minumum, make a few supplemental bucks with a supporting product.
