OK folks. Here’s another quick marketing lesson for you.
I wanted to touch on something I talked about a few weeks ago.
Its on the topic of headlines, but goes a bit deeper.
And its about how to get the maximum impact from your sales message.
So, I’m only talking about the first screen of your website or your first page of a sales letter. Because if people aren’t interested in this, then everything that follows is a complete waste of time.
You see, the importance of a strong, attention grabbing attention is well known. But there are often other things you can do on your front page which will make or break your sales message.
You see, you’ve usually only got 3 seconds to get peoples attention.
So you have to do everything you can to make sure you get it!
Of course, that means a really strong headline to grab the reader by the eyeballs and pull them into your sales message.
But there are other things too.
A photo, for example also gets instant credibility and curiosity.
And no photo is complete without a caption. And your caption needs to give people a reason to read your sales message too!
For example, if you’re a physiotherapist, then under your photo, you wouldn’t just say “John Smith, Physiotherapist”.
Its far better to say “John Smith, Eliminating Pain for 25 Years” or “John Smith, Fast, PROVEN Techniques For Getting Rid Of Your Pain…FAST”
Do you have any other photos on your front page?
If you do, here’s a critical question for you.
“Do they grab people’s attention, in relation to your product?”
You don’t want to send out mixed messages. So while your photos should grab attention, they should also grab the attention of the right people.
So, getting back to our physiotherapist example, a photo of somebody happily running through a field might be seen as somebody who’s finally pain free and happy, but it could be somebody who’s just generally happy. Or someone’s who’s made a lot of money, and no longer has to work.
See what I mean? You don’t want people to look at that front page and wonder “What the hell is this all about?”.
Because if they do, you’ve lost them.
A photo of a smiling patient with the physiotherapist would be far better.
Something else that can grab attention is testimonials. A prominent, powerful testimonial is fantastic on a front page.
Why?
Because nothing is more powerful than somebody else’s recommendation.
So try to get at least one powerful testimonial in on your front page, if you can. Depending on the flow of your sales message, it may be too early to introduce testimonials, but do it every time you get the chance!
OK, I’ll wrap this up.
In order to get your readers attention get as many of these elements in as
possible:
• Powerful headline (compulsory)
• Photo with a powerful headline
• Other relevant photographs
• Testimonials
These things will make sure your message packs a powerful punch which gets noticed in that first crucial 3 seconds.
After all, people see hundreds of sales messages a day.
The question is, have you done enough to make sure they’ll read yours?
Now, since I mentioned testimonials, I might talk about that in coming weeks.
But not next week! Next week, I’m going to discuss how to create an irresistible offer so damned powerful, your prospects would be mad NOT doing business with you.
As always, I appreciate your feedback. If there’s anything YOU’D like to know more about, please feel free to add it as a comment, or email me personally.
All the best
Hugh Thyer
www.salescomefirst.com
