@Claude Whitacre : Reading Your Books and A Question...

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Claude, been reading through your 'The Unfair Advantage for Small Business Advertising' and it kind of struck me...

Why aren't most websites created in the same way as effective ads?

I design all my sites using a similar formula...a nice rotating image slider, a contact number, business name etc.

But I don't use big headlines that make a great offer.

I don't use effective ad copy.

And you know what, neither do 95% of competitors.

So the big question...do you think it would be worth going back and doing a complete makeover to these landing pages to fit these advertising parameters? I feel stupid for not doing it right in the first place.

Then again, maybe it's a different story for websites VS ads? I'm not sure...I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts.
#offline marketing #@claude #books #question #reading #whitacre
  • Some pages are.

    It depends on what the purpose of the page is. In fact many pages especially in the IM niche are just long form sales letters turned into web pages.

    Testing and more testing is always the best way to get the most conversions. So why not make a new version and do a split test for conversions?
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    • Aaron; You hit the nail on the head. It depends on the purpose of the website.

      Payoman;
      If the website is a one page sales letter, then, sure, treat it like an ad.

      Remember the difference between an ad in a magazine (newspaper, direct mail piece) and a website.

      People are already going to the website. The headline would more likely be your PPC ad or the headline of a blogpost/article driving traffic to the site.

      Ads have to grab the attention of the intended prospect. Nobody is looking for the ad, it has to change the reader's focus.

      There is nothing wrong with a headline on your website homepage. Just make sure it's consistent with the purpose of the website.

      Here's a good idea; My websites house lots of articles. The headlines of the articles are like advertising headlines. Online, I just make sure that the headlines include a couple of he best keywords. That the difference between a website article headline, and a print advertising headline. In print, you are going for attention, and keywords aren't important.

      What almost all websites are lacking is good copywriting. (I'm guilty of that myself sometimes). Advertising is copywriting.

      Hope that helps. And thanks for reading the book.
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  • Without doubt, the main problem with most websites is they are all about the business.

    The consumer is left to the task of figuring out how to find what they are looking for, so they get frustrated and leave or purchase a fraction of what they could have been sold.

    Most websites are like a nightmare store where you can't find anything you want, no one is around to help, and the shelves are filled with pictures of the business owner.

    Take the top 10-50 questions that prospects ask about your product and write one page for each question. Answer the question simply and completely. Finish with a call to action to order the product, get a quote, learn more, sign-up for the newsletter, or whatever call to action you want.

    Turn features into benefits. Spell it out so your dog can understand. Don't assume anything. Tell them exactly how they benefit from what you are demonstrating/explaining. Use the word "you" at least twice as much as "I" or "we."

    You are now ahead of most of your competitors by miles and miles, or kilometers and kilometers. Your conversions will increase, and your backend sales will be much more robust.
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