6 Ways to Optimize Your Sales Page to Increase Conversions (Using an Anti-Oppressive Approach)
If you’ve been here for a little while you’ll know I’m a big fan of writing sales pages.
Obviously, they are a pretty essential part of selling and as a business strategist and copywriter, I’ve helped a lot of people write them over the years!
I thought it was time I share how to improve the conversion rates of your sales pages if you’re writing them yourself.
So here are my top copywriting tips for beginners to increase conversion and make those sales!
1) Lead with your vision
The first thing I see a lot of people start with when they write their own sales page is the pain point they’re targeting. Now naturally, this makes a lot of sense. But when it comes to writing a sales page, I’ll always recommend shifting how you do this and approaching it as common ground between you and the person who’s going to be reading your page.
By switching up how you talk about the pain point and using it as something many people experience (so it’s not their pain point, it’s a common struggle), you instantly make them feel like they are part of a community.
Doing this creates a sense of togetherness and gives you a nice opening to start tying in your why and your mission so they can get to know the person behind the sales page and better relate to you.
This simple switch means we start to move away from the traditional marketing tactics that are often used and instead lean into movement marketing (if you’re wondering what on earth I’m talking about here, make sure to give my previous blog a read!).
This also gives you space to call out what's wrong … to acknowledge the systemic oppression that could have led to your reader feeling the way they do! And, highlight what your mission is and how you do things differently.
Just remember when you are writing a sales page, be careful how you phrase things as it can be easy to make it sound like the target audience is the problem and there is something about them that needs to be fixed when this isn’t the case!
2) Get researching
This point leads nicely on from the first as in the same way you have to be conscious of how you write about and pitch your services (so that you don't accidentally make your audience the problem) you need to do some research into your pain points and dig a little deeper.
Look into the history of the pain point and whether there is a particular culture it might affect before you start writing! Being aware of other cultures and potential challenges and systemic or generational oppressions people may have faced will ensure you aren’t using any words that are triggering to people.
Simply changing a few words can make all the difference and have the same effect!
If you’d like to read more on how you can start incorporating anti-oppressive practices into your business, you can check out my blog all about it here!
3) Talk about your mission
I think it’s really great to always include a couple of lines about your bigger mission within your sales page.
Tell us why it is you do what you do and let that passion flow through the page!
Not only does this lean further into movement marketing tactics, but it also helps set you apart from other people!
Often when we go to buy something, the question we ask ourselves is ‘Why should I buy from her?” or “What’s the difference between her and other people who are offering similar courses?”
Ultimately, what influences the final decision is your framework and approach to things.
So add in what you believe is possible and how this ties into your greater vision! Focus on that bigger level shift and creating a sense of community (like we did in the step above) that makes it a collective movement.
I promise this will help people better identify with what you’re doing and will encourage them to buy.
4) Ditch the rags to riches
Please, please, please, don’t fall into the trap of minimizing all the hard work you did to get where you are today!
I am of course talking about the basic (and slightly overused if you ask me) “I went from nothing to having this amazing business overnight and now I’m showing you how to as well” statements with no further detail.
Although this might appear inspirational, it doesn't leave much for people to connect with!
Instead, say this but follow it with some detail and dig into it a bit! Tell us about your journey, how you got from A to B or what you had to overcome!
This adds credibility and shows your potential clients that although it is hard work, it is possible!
5) Be loud and proud about your qualifications
As women, we tend to be prone to hiding our credentials. And I’m saying enough is enough!
I strongly urge you to stop doing that! Show off what qualifications you have and be proud to do so. It won’t make you seem like a show-off or a b*tch but it will help boost your credibility!
I’m not just talking about formal qualifications (although, if you’ve got it, flaunt it!). But just talking through the experiences you’ve had is important because THEY ARE VALUABLE.
Don’t be afraid to speak up, use your voice, claim your brilliance, and demonstrate your power.
6) The devils in the details
My final tip is sort of a two-in-one.
Firstly, make sure you are highlighting the benefits of whatever it is you’re offering, rather than the product or service itself. This might sound weird at first but this is how you can get people to start imagining their life with verses without your service. Using phrases like ‘By investing in XYZ it will…so you can…’ you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes!
Secondly, make sure to write in the third person when you’re talking about the negatives (such as the pain points) as this adds some distance. But when it comes to all of the positive points, write in the second person and speak directly to the audience by using words like ‘you’ (this is a great tip I learned from Kelly Diels).
So there you have it! My top tips for writing copy that sells whilst making sure you’re being mindful of how you write and your audience!
If you’ve found this helpful, don’t forget to share it with all your business pals! And if you want a little extra guidance when it comes to writing sales pages that convert, make sure to have a look at my Sales Page Sanity Saver!