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Do people go to squeeze pages to be sold to?

by G12863
13 replies
Okay, okay, yes, I know one of the top rules in copywriting is to not sell to your prospects. But I mean, that's the main point of squeeze pages/landing pages. But when I click on something on a web site that says something like "find out how to ____", and it brings me to a squeeze page, I know they're trying to sell me something. And if I'm desperate enough, I'll read the entire page, but most of the time, I see that it's a landing page, I'll give it a quick glance and I leave. So my question is, since you don't want to sell to your prospects, then why are landing pages so "selly?" Unless the prospect is already ready to buy? I mean, good headlines work, and good personable content definitely works. I have read some landing pages that seemed promising, had a good money back guarantee, but I just didn't buy simply because I have bought from landing pages in the past, and then I felt I could have learned most of that information for free. I bought from those guys because I didn't have much experience buying online in the past and really felt they were able to help me. And I understand they were just doing business, but after paying for a product, I didn't feel they gave enough good information worth the money I paid them, and then they kept using the same trick of giving a little bit of free information and then trying to sell me into buying more things from them. And when I bought 2 products from them and wasn't that satisfied, and found out they kept trying to sell me, I stopped buying.

I am also asking this because as I was looking at the sticky for new copywriters, some of the landing pages for some of the courses seemed so "selly" I was wondering if it was even legit. It seemed kind of ironic, eh?
#pages #people #sold #squeeze
  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Direct response copywriting is about getting the targeted prospect to take an action...
    • enter your email address and click "Submit"
    • click on the "Continue Reading" link
    • click on the "Buy" button
    • etc
    There are numerous techniques copywriters use to compel action. Every action taken is a "sale".

    Some do it better than others.

    Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author contentedmal
    You may be over-thinking this.

    I think conversions are all about giving value to the customer. Give your customers the pearls of your wisdom, entertain them and make them want to know more. A great copywriter can sell to the reader without the reader ever realising it.

    Remember, if your content marketing strategy is working, the majority of visitors to your site will be wanting to buy. You need to give them a strong reason to buy from you and not your competitors. Give them value and usability, and you won't go far wrong.
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    • Profile picture of the author Hopeless Bromantic
      Originally Posted by contentedmal View Post

      You may be over-thinking this.

      I think conversions are all about giving value to the customer. Give your customers the pearls of your wisdom, entertain them and make them want to know more. A great copywriter can sell to the reader without the reader ever realising it.
      Exactly.

      The best squeeze pages don't look like "squeeze pages" at all. They pique your curiosity, and you enjoy looking through them. You might even be thinking, "What the heck?" when you decide to keep reading or hand over your email address.
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  • Profile picture of the author sidneyng
    Agreed with all the previous comments.

    Especially now, when we see squeeze pages mushrooming everywhere. LOL.
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    • Profile picture of the author GlenH
      I hear what you're saying....that's why I don't use the ' traditional' done-to-death squeeze page anymore,

      I've learnt how to get a prospects 'trust' first, and I'm building my lists faster than I ever have before.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
    You can go with a presell landing page (with opt-in,) rather than a straight up squeeze deal.

    It just depends on how you're driving traffic, what kind of relationships you want to create, how you want your brand to be perceived, etc., etc., etc.

    But squeeze pages DO work - just as well as they always did - when effective copy is being used.

    For instance...

    Back in '07 (I'm thinking,) I sold Global Resorts Network memberships. Don't judge ;-)

    I used a VERY simple squeeze page with a picture of a beautiful tropical ocean scene and the question, "Do You Want To Earn Thousands of Dollars a Month in the 7 Billion Dollar Travel Industry?"

    I had a few bullets about working from home, no selling, blah blah blah.

    It converted really, really well. (I don't remember exact numbers.)

    I see squeeze pages that look the same - with similar messages. I'm sure they still convert. Because you have to remember, there are always NEW people who have never been exposed to these pages and messages. So what once worked will still perform well. It's just a matter of positioning and getting in front of the right traffic.

    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author ronrule
    Originally Posted by G12863 View Post

    Okay, okay, yes, I know one of the top rules in copywriting is to not sell to your prospects.
    Where did you hear that nonsense?
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    Ron Rule
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    • Profile picture of the author G12863
      Originally Posted by GlenH View Post

      I hear what you're saying....that's why I don't use the ' traditional' done-to-death squeeze page anymore,

      I've learnt how to get a prospects 'trust' first, and I'm building my lists faster than I ever have before.
      Yeah, maybe it's because I've gone through so many of them, I'm a harder sell now, even if it's something as small as giving my email address (because I get way too many emails now). Do you mind sharing what this building trust first is? Or is it too top secret?

      Originally Posted by ronrule View Post

      Where did you hear that nonsense?
      Well, yeah, you need to sell to make a living, but I'm trying to drill in my newbie head that you can't sell to your prospects, you have to help them, because they're most concerned with what's in it for them. Except that I am sort of having a hard time after helping them to ask for the sale... :/
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      • Profile picture of the author TheInternet
        Originally Posted by G12863 View Post

        Yeah, maybe it's because I've gone through so many of them, I'm a harder sell now, even if it's something as small as giving my email address (because I get way too many emails now). Do you mind sharing what this building trust first is? Or is it too top secret?

        Well, yeah, you need to sell to make a living, but I'm trying to drill in my newbie head that you can't sell to your prospects, you have to help them, because they're most concerned with what's in it for them. Except that I am sort of having a hard time after helping them to ask for the sale... :/
        There's no Process or Magic Button to gaining trust. Be trustworthy -- worthy of trust -- and you probably won't have to do anything but write about what you're selling.

        I posted one of my books (nothing to do with IM) with a free offer code to a subreddit where people go to get free ebooks. 40% downloaded it. One person (.02%) called it spam because the page required an email address to download (I would have turned that off if it were possible).

        The "magic button" is that I was already a 5 year user of Reddit with a long post history for people to peruse if they doubted my intentions. That is "gaining trust." Trust is something you earn by having a good reputation.
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      • Profile picture of the author Steve Hill
        Originally Posted by G12863 View Post

        Well, yeah, you need to sell to make a living, but I'm trying to drill in my newbie head that you can't sell to your prospects, you have to help them, because they're most concerned with what's in it for them. Except that I am sort of having a hard time after helping them to ask for the sale... :/
        Here's a different way of looking at it:

        A man is late on his mortgage payments. Reminder letters from the lender have been arriving for weeks, each more threatening than the last. The lender is now talking about foreclosure.

        The man understandably has a sense of urgency since he doesn't want to lose his family's home. Further frustrating calls to the lender are pointless, because they don't seem willing to work with him. He is backed into a corner, and has to do something fast.

        He frantically looks for anything that might help. If he finds a product online that could help him save his house by showing how to negotiate with his lender, he's mostly sold already. He needs and wants that product right away.

        Of course, it's not the only product of its kind that is available, so he carefully reads each sales page.

        The sales page that convinces him to buy is probably the one that clearly understands his problem, agitates him a little bit, has the solution, and provides an explicit call to action leading to an easy order process.

        In other words, the page that converts is the page that has classic copywriting techniques and asks for the sale.

        Of course, this is just a simple direct sale example, using somebody with an overwhelming need and few options.

        Relationships can get much more complex, as Mark P. says, depending on overall objectives. When you have buyers that don't buy until much later (5-7 contacts, for example), then that's where developing a list, trust, and providing more value than selling pressure comes in.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
    Bob Proctors latest squeeze page just killed it in the past week.

    But the traffic sources were mostly well-known gurus (solo ads.)

    Mark

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  • Profile picture of the author tjtigers14
    No, they just want to get that high of ordering something without having to pay for it!
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  • Profile picture of the author Bill Jeffels
    It's all a process. If they've done there job right they have said something to spark your interest.

    Have made you curious and have promised a big benefit so you'll leave your info.

    Bill


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