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Sales tactics for the 21st century?

by DavidO
3 replies
A good sales letter can be very effective... only an idiot would deny that. But they are increasingly incompatible with a content-based, authority website, especially in my niche which deals with a serious health issue.

I could write an essay answering why they're incompatible but here are just two reasons:

1. Search traffic: I've built excellent search results and therefore high traffic (free traffic!) with 4 years of building an authority website with valuable content, articles, blogging and more. Google rewards content and doesn't like sales letters. You won't find a single sales letter on its front page for any of the major keywords in my niche.

I can see the value of a sales letter as a PPC landing page but not as a part of my main website.

2. Credibility: Whether you like it or not, sales letters have an unavoidable "spammy" association. In certain markets that's fine, even expected, but not in my niche. Serious marketers have turned down my requests for JVs or mutual promotion and specifically pointed to my sales letter as the reason. Likewise, doctors and other health professionals whom I've asked for feedback or endorsement have run the other way after seeing my website.

I should note that my sales letters have always been honest and not overly hyped. It's just the format... certain people click away at first look without even reading.

Recently I've not used a sales letter, or let's say it's very toned down, more info-based than emotion-based. And - to be honest - I need my high traffic because conversion is low.

I now have a new sales letter that I'll use for PPC and other types of paid traffic.

But the question remains: what on earth can replace the sales letter? I'm thinking a combination of video and short copy. I've been hearing that this can work well.

Any other thoughts on this?
#21st #century #sales #tactics
  • Profile picture of the author Dean Jackson
    DavidO, I thin you've got copy all wrong. yes, the typical salesletter you see in the online marketplace can appear "spammy", however, the principles behind them are timeless...

    Its the same reason why copywriters pull millions of dollars for advertising.

    They are to persuade the customer into buying your product. It doesn't HAVE to have big red obnoxious headlines and have extremely hyped up claims.

    Different strokes for different folks

    - Dean
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Hancox
    Perhaps you just need to PRESELL more effectively. That, in my completely honest (but biased) opinion is THE sales tactic for the 21st century.

    If you presell effectively, you can make most of the sales points you want to make, and then send them over to a sales page that really just tackles any last minute resistance and clinches the sale.

    By the way, as Dean says, a sales letter doesn't have to look spammy. For example, if I were writing to professionals, I'd write in a more serious tone, and use less highlights and red colouring.
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    • Profile picture of the author DavidO
      Thanks, Dean and Paul. You both make good points. Yes, a sales letter doesn't have to look spammy. In fact, I'm still using a sales letter in effect, but very toned down to avoid that "look" I'm talking about. I wouldn't make any sales at all without some of the time-tested methods used by sales letters.

      But with a "serious" content website I cannot comply with many of the most basic sales letter tactics that other marketers constantly tell me to adopt. My sales page has extensive content and therefore navigation, a sales letter no-no.

      And it lacks many basic sales letter tactics like scarcity/urgency (most of which is usually fake) and an aggressive call to action (by which I mean scare tactics like "you're risking a heart attack without my product!").

      The point is that these things DO work. I've seen it. But these are the type of things I consider spammy. They're not right for my site and product but my sales do suffer without them.

      I think I could boost sales with more hardcore sales letter tactics but, as I've tried to point out, they're unsuitable for my website and my business model.

      There has to be effective alternatives.
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