22 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
22 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Why Is Your Sales Page So Crappy?

by highrank
17 replies
Hey Warriors,

I have recently spend a lot of time, effort and money developing my new fancy pants sales page. It has a built in contact form, rotating jquery images, web 2.0 style graphics, social widgets... all that stuff.

However, I notice that practically all of the big players in the IM game have rather 'crappy' looking squeeze and sales pages, with none of the stuff I just mentioned above.

This is obviously not becuase they don't have the knowledge or resources available to make these pages extra fancy, they just choose not to.

To top it off, I would make a bet that these ugly sales pages convert twice as well as my fancy pants website.

Why is that!?

Is it just common knowledge in IM that ugly squeeze and sales pages will convert just as well (if not better) than an expensive fancy pants page?

I guess my ultimate question is, have I wasted my time and money developing something that didn't need to be developed?

Cheers.
#crappy #page #sales
  • Profile picture of the author SparringMind
    Depends on what your talking about by the "big marketers", as a lot of people here are full of ****, and like to pretend they make way more than they actually do.

    Generally speaking, good design adds trust, so I have no idea what you are talking about, a good design should generally result in an increase in sales if anything, just don't spend too much time/money on it in light of your expected returns.
    Signature
    Find yourself... or find yourself lacking.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4256047].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MissLauraCatella
    "Expensive fancy pants" may come with bells and whistles that will distract, and not hook, a potential customer.

    For example, your pretty social widgets could lead a visitor to Facebook, where a friend's status catches their eye, and you've lost them forever.

    If you're looking to deliver a clear, compelling message, a "plain" space will help your visitors keep focus... and flat out DENYING your visitors any means of exiting the page (aside from hitting the "x" or typing in a new url, of course) is your best possible chance to ensure that your visitors are either readin' & buyin' or readin' & leavin' (or watching your captivating sales video... and buying ;P )

    What's important to remember is that "simple" is not synonymous with "ugly."
    Signature
    7x WSO Of The Day Copywriter To The Stars Cuts Her Price 50% For You! Click here now. (1 left)
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4256051].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author highrank
      Originally Posted by MissLauraCatella View Post

      "Expensive fancy pants" may come with bells and whistles that will distract, and not hook, a potential customer.

      For example, your pretty social widgets could lead a visitor to Facebook, where a friend's status catches their eye, and you've lost them forever.

      If you're looking to deliver a clear, compelling message, a "plain" space will help your visitors keep focus... and flat out DENYING your visitors any means of exiting the page (aside from hitting the "x" or typing in a new url, of course) is your best possible chance to ensure that your visitors are either readin' & buyin' or readin' & leavin' (or watching your captivating sales video... and buying ;P )

      What's important to remember is that "simple" is not synonymous with "ugly."

      I hadn't actually thought of that. I seem to have too many 'exit' points. I might have to do a little work to make sure the payment page is the only place to go.
      Signature
      FUNNY FLAPPY BIRD FAILS!

      ---> Flappy Bird <---

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4256065].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
        Banned
        Originally Posted by highrank View Post

        I hadn't actually thought of that. I seem to have too many 'exit' points. I might have to do a little work to make sure the payment page is the only place to go.
        Consider every exit point a filter.

        The only exit point you want is the direct call to action.

        Anything else get rid of it.

        Grab a piece of paper and draw a funnel. Wide at the top, narrow at the bottom.

        This is your slippery sales funnel.

        Words used correctly to move a prospect away from emotional frustration and pain to emotional pleasure is often referred to as 'gravity pulling copy'.

        Anything which doesn't get your prospects to take the action you desire can be got rid of.

        You don't need unnecessary filters in your online sales copy.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4256146].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
    Banned
    You don't need gimmicks to sell others based on their emotional need.

    All you need are words which connect to their pain or frustration and then it's the job of your chosen words to move them away from frustration and pain to pleasure with the ideal solution they want right now.

    Chucking in every fancy graphic to tickle the designers ego doesn't convert prospects into buyers.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4256052].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by highrank View Post

    Why is that!?
    Because all that crap you put all over your sales page is more interesting than your buy button.

    This is precisely the opposite of what you want. The buy button should be the single most interesting and attractive thing on the page.
    Signature
    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4256082].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author christopher jon
    However, I notice that practically all of the big players in the IM game have rather 'crappy' looking squeeze and sales pages, with none of the stuff I just mentioned above.
    Who? And what are they selling?

    In the MMO niche, ugly sales pages are accepted but you don't see any major companies or large marketing campaigns using optimize press.

    Here is a national restaurant chains optin page Chili's Grill & Bar E-mail Club Simple, to the point and looks great.

    Let's check out their landing page. Chili's, again, simple, to the point and looks great. When I see a site like that my trust meter jumps up a couple of notches.

    When I see this Squeeze Page Demo, I don't know what kind of trouble I'm getting myself into and I certainly don't know if I want to hand over any personal information to these jokers.

    "Expensive fancy pants" may come with bells and whistles that will distract, and not hook, a potential customer.
    I've emphasized the key point.

    You don't want to distract your potential customers away from sealing the deal.

    A great looking site may help improve potential customer reactions and trust but you still need to keep them on track. Don't stuff your site with a bunch of distractions and traffic leaks 'cus once you lose 'em to facebook and farmville they ain't comin' back.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4256178].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author arthursaxon
      I think the paradigm is shifting here, more marketers are using video sales pages and "speaking" the sales pitch. All the black white and red never ending pages that take 45 minutes to read need to go!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4256212].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author christopher jon
    Long pages work well, which is why they've been used for so long. You can't forget about them in favor of flashy-wizbang stuff that won't convert
    Perhaps they were used for so long due to technical limitations and not the reasons copywriters go to bed and dream about.

    Up until a couple of years ago it was nearly impossible for the average IM Joe to setup a video sales page, now any monkey can do it.

    History gives pretty good evidence that people prefer flashy wizbang. Video will almost always trump written words, just ask newspaper companies.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4256286].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author celente
    Originally Posted by highrank View Post

    Hey Warriors,

    Is it just common knowledge in IM that ugly squeeze and sales pages will convert just as well (if not better) than an expensive fancy pants page?

    Cheers.
    This is nothing to do with common knowledge it comes down to testing, testing and then testing some more. That is what marketing is all about. Most people give up their first day of IM marketing. Dumb, cause some things you think will work well, DONT, and other things you think BOMB go bananas. SO that is why its important to test.

    Yes we do have crappy sales pages that convert, and ungly optin pages that convert well, but it has far more to do with the copy and language used, than the look and feel of teh page in my book!

    Just sayin.
    Signature
    Create a $5000 USD a month Business. 1-on-1 Coaching. By 6 figure marketer! - CLICK HERE
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4256432].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Lyanna
    It depends on your niche. In some, a crappy-looking sales page is a big turn off. Simplicity is still king though. Check this out:

    NimbleBit: Apps for you to play.

    Pretty, big, eye-catching graphics that are easy to understand and no external links.

    When you click on one of those graphical links you find yourself in a simple and clean information page that builds trust with 99% of the space devoted to the product. There are more links on the very small top navigation and footer but they do not distract.

    My next blog/website is going to be like that. WP but no sidebars and only very small footer/top navi.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4257204].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author christopher jon
    My next blog/website is going to be like that. WP but no sidebars and only very small footer/top navi.
    Single column is the way to go unless you really need a sidebar. For most marketing sites the sidebar just another distraction or wasted space.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4257255].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Lyanna
      Originally Posted by christopher jon View Post

      Single column is the way to go unless you really need a sidebar. For most marketing sites the sidebar just another distraction or wasted space.
      Yeah, I just figured that out. I'm a newbie when it comes to design. I've been picking up some good tips here and there.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4257365].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SEOBestTips
    For creating a landing page I would make sure to focus on having the only exit/use on the page, your purchasing button. Why give the user any other places to go? Your trying to make conversions aren't you?

    Use graphics to elaborate the ideas or concepts, but don't let them distract from the sales focus.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4257285].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Dannyboy12
    I think the paradigm is shifting here, more marketers are using video sales pages and "speaking" the sales pitch. All the black white and red never ending pages that take 45 minutes to read need to go!
    Thank you! I thought I was going crazy! As a "real world" copywriter I couldn't understand it. When I first started getting into the IM world, every sales page looked like what I thought was a scam and yet, nobody seems to notice. It's just the done thing. "Oh, you'll never sell your product, nowhere near enough exclamation points and capital letters" I've never done an online sales page but I'm sure that I could whip something out that would get more conversions than those pages ever would.
    /Rant
    Signature
    Content that converts
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4257656].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author hybrid43
    I think it's for the sake of efficiency. Good looking sales pages don't necessarily convert the best. Some people like clean and well organized themes. Some people like to read through lines and lines of text ads to find that one ad that is perfect. Ultimately, if it converts well, Test it, don't fix it.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4258141].message }}

Trending Topics