WARNING: This series of posts may be hazardous to your preconceived notions of how to make money online. Reading it may save you thousands of dollars in pipe dreams and cause you to focus on the single most important aspect of running an Internet business. If you suffer from A.D.S. (Acute Denial Syndrome) or insist on believing that buying another product or service is the magic bullet that will cure all your financial ills, these posts will not be of any use to you and may cause severe anxiety. Read at your own risk.
I didn\’t get into Internet marketing to become an Internet marketing \”guru.\”
I found a way to make money with Google AdSense and wrote an ebook to help others do likewise.
I never could have predicted what would result and still marvel at how many people I have been able to help over the years.
This path has led me to meet people from all over the world. Some of them are quality people who have done some very innovative things and some of them are nothing more than copycats who have never really succeeded on their own, but attempt to ride the waves created by others in order to make a name for themselves.
Frankly, there are a number of things in the Internet marketing space that I find appalling.
I want to share my thoughts on the current state of Internet marketing, not to name any names, but to point out where real opportunity exists and what you should watch out for. I\’ll be doing this over a number of posts.
There are some who will not be happy with me about this, but their disapproval only makes my point further.
With that said, it\’s time to reveal the hard truth about Internet marketing. Let\’s get started…
Why do marketers use those incredibly long sales letters with sensational headlines?
I know what you are thinking. What kind of people respond to those letters that go on forever and promise to be the answer to whatever ills you may have with those oversized headlines that scream for attention?
Here\’s the answer.
Regular people with a need and hope that the product or service in question will fill their need.
That doesn\’t mean that everyone responds to this format, but enough people do that it is a favorite for marketers to use again and again.
Before I offered products online, I didn\’t give long-form sales letters much credence. In fact, I often ran as fast as I could when I saw them. But when I had my own products to sell, I was easily persuaded to use the format.
Why?
Simple.
They work.
By combining urgency, scarcity, liking and a healthy helping of excitement in the presentation, it\’s been discovered that people are more likely to purchase.
The long-form sales letter is nothing new. They have been used as direct mail pieces for decades. The only difference now is people can read them online and the business can save on postage.
What is an infomercial but a long-form sales letter?
Think about why a company would prefer a 60-second commercial to a 30-second commercial.
It gives you more time to tell your story.
A long-form sales letter allows you to grab a prospect\’s attention, expose unmet needs, build credibility, demonstrate how the product meets a need and fulfill an urgency to have that need met right away.
It\’s marketing, plain and simple. And it\’s nothing new.
The problem comes when the headlines are more sensational than they can ever live up to. It\’s when the testimonials on the page are questionable and there is doubt about whether the product is really any good.
The problem is not the format. The problem lies in the marketers who use them.
Guns don\’t kill people… people do. Long copy is amoral. But the person or company behind the copy may be immoral.
It\’s never a good idea to throw away the baby with the bathwater or to lump all online marketers together. Some produce good products. Some do not. Some are ethical. Some are not.
I\’ve seen courses priced at $1997 that are worth every penny. After all, if you can spend two grand to get information that you can build a business on, it\’s a great deal.
But I\’ve also seen many courses priced at $1997 that provide little more information than may be found in a $30 book. Sometimes those products sell like crazy because the tactics create a feeding frenzy.
My parents spent tens of thousands of dollars so I could get a degree from the University of Illinois. While it was a great life experience, I can\’t really point to what I learned that has helped me with my business. I did get a nice piece of paper to put on my wall, but I couldn\’t even tell you where that piece of paper is.
I\’m not saying a college degree isn\’t valuable. It could be incredibly important for you.
My point is that there is nothing wrong with paying for an education provided you receive real value. Of course, it then comes down to whether or not you are willing to do the work.
Many marketers are now exploring the use of video sales letters. I like these because I believe I can communicate my message clearly and succinctly in video format.
Check out what Charles Trippy did in our Viral Video Fever joint venture.
However, using video as part of a long-form sales letter can also be very effective. When we launched The Secret Classroom, we used long-form copy. But the highlight was the 10-minute promotional video placed at the top of the page.
Master copywriters can spin a great story using long-form copy. The goal is to get you emotionally involved in the story-telling process so that you make a decision to buy. But isn\’t that the goal of any effective advertising and marketing?
With any sales pitch online, I prefer to maintain a skeptical eye.
I would ask the following questions when you are considering purchasing a product based on a persuasive sales letter.
1) What is the background and reputation of the person selling the product. Are they a known quantity or did they just come out of nowhere? Do your due diligence by checking in with the Better Business Bureau or other consumer sites. (We are pleased to maintain an A+ rating with the Colorado BBB.)
2) Are the testimonials legitimate? Are their names and website addresses that you can check into as references?
3) Does the product or service promise to solve problems in a way that sounds too good to be true? (Hint… it probably is…)
4) Has the marketer actually demonstrated that their product or service works or are they just attempting to capitalize on a fad? When I hit it big with my AdSense ebook, copycats came out of the woodwork positioning themselves as experts. Sadly, many of them never made $100 with AdSense.
5) Is the sales letter persuading you or manipulating you? Don\’t just check yourself emotionally, but step back long enough to engage your brain and make sure you are being led towards a decision that makes sense for you.
6) Is the guarantee and refund policy clear on the page. If so, make sure you can locate an email or support desk in case you decide you aren\’t happy with your purchase.
Remember, it\’s not the length of the sales letter that determines whether or not a product is worth purchasing. Just know that all marketing is designed to tell a story and persuade you to take action. Make sure that you really need or want what is being offered and carefully consider your purchase before pulling the trigger.
These are just my extemporaneous thoughts, so I\’d love to hear what you think.
Please leave your comments below.