"Using Images in Your Salesletter: Three Tips Guaranteed
Placing just one or two carefully selected images within your
salesletter can be worth thousands of dollars in sales. In fact,
just one image that brings your eBook, software, audio product,
or free bonus items to life can have a real impact on your
bottom line!
For consumers, there's no doubt that buying products online is a
whole different ball game compared to buying from a "bricks and
mortar" store. There's no face-to-face interaction, and they
can't touch and examine the product they are thinking of
purchasing.
So anything that you can do to make consumers more comfortable
buying a product online is well worth the effort. And adding a
few images to humanize your web site and show off your products
-- including digital products -- is one way you can do this.
Of course, any images in your sales copy should complement the
copy itself and add to your overall sales message. Remember,
they're not decoration.
In other words... no "stock" images of a man with a briefcase to
illustrate a business product, or of two people shaking hands to
promote a suite of training products!
Remember: Your sales page is valuable real estate, and every
pixel on that screen contributes to the overall impression
visitors will get of you and your products or services -- so you
have to be careful how you use that real estate.
THREE IMAGES YOU MUST HAVE WITHIN YOUR NEWSLETTER
There are three areas in your salesletter where using the right
image can make a HUGE difference to your sales:
1. RIGHT UP FRONT: A picture of you! You might think that
placing a picture of yourself in your copy is a bit big-headed.
Not at all... not only does this establish that there IS a real
person behind your web site, but it also makes your whole
salesletter that much more personal. Of course, you shouldn't go
overboard and scatter your holiday snaps throughout the copy --
that will just distract from your sales message. A friendly
portrait shot near the top will do the trick. Obviously, try to
choose a good picture, not just a grainy web cam shot. ;-)
2. WITHIN TESTIMONIALS: Images of satisfied customers. The key
thing with testimonials is to make them credible. Using pictures
of your satisfied customers alongside their testimonials puts a
face to the words, and makes it clear that these are real, and
not faked, testimonials.
So when you receive a good testimonial from a customer, always
ask for a picture. If they have one of themselves using your
product or service... all the better! Don't worry too much about
quality -- the most important thing is that they are genuine.
3. IN YOUR PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The product shot! This is the
MOST IMPORTANT of all the three images, and it can make all the
difference when it comes to closing a sale.
The thing is, people shopping online can't touch the product...
so they need to see as much detail as possible during the sales
process so they're comfortable with what they're buying.
If you sell a tangible product like jewelry or cameras, then
you should place a well-taken shot prominently within your
product copy, as well as next to the "call to action" when the
customer is finally deciding whether to buy.
And if you mention any cool features -- like a special lens for
a camera, for example -- provide an image of this too. If you
sell a software program or training course, you can also include
screenshots and samples.
The key is to make your product look as DESIRABLE as possible.
At The Internet Marketing Center, we've tested the impact of
images, product shots, and screen captures on sales... and they
really DO make a huge difference.
But what if you sell a digital product like an eBook or
downloadable software? Well, you can still create a desirable
image quickly and cheaply...
TIPS FOR CREATING HIGH-IMPACT EBOOK "COVERS" AND DIGITAL PRODUCT
"BOXES" THAT GENERATE MORE SALES
Of course, a digital eBook doesn't have a physical cover, and
software that customers can download doesn't come in a box!
But a product image -- even a digitally created one -- that's
placed within the product salescopy and next to the "call to
action" makes people feel like they're buying a "real"
product... and this gives it a lot more value in the eyes of
consumers.
The bottom line is that a good "cover" WILL help you maximize
sales. And a professional-looking "box" image for other digital
products does the same.
So what makes a great eBook cover or digital product box?
- It must look professional. A quick trip through web sites
selling digital products will reveal tons of different designs,
and you'll quickly see which ones work and which don't.
- It must be eye-catching. Make it something people would pick
up in an offline store. This helps if you want to use the image
to promote your product on other web sites.
- The cover or box must be suitable for the product's contents.
For example, if your product is an eBook on gardening tips, use
a gardening image. Check out the covers of books on your topic,
or the boxes of software, sold in offline stores to get some
ideas.
- Keep the writing on the cover or box to a minimum. Ideally,
you'll want to include just the product's name or title,
sub-title if applicable, and author if applicable (and only if
they are well known in their field). And remember that the final
image will be small, so only include written content that's
absolutely essential. - Don't go overboard with the colors. No
-- bright green and pink DON'T go together! Try this handy free
tool for seeing which web colors go well together:
http://www.colormatch.dk
- Stick to clear, legible fonts. Use fonts like Arial or
Verdana. Avoid "script" or unusual fonts that are hard to read.
And only use one font!
- Give it a 3D appearance with the title repeated on the spine,
and a shadow. This makes it more tangible in the eyes of the
customer.
If you have some design experience, you can take a shot at
creating your cover or package yourself using imaging software
like Photoshop or PhotoImpact.
A word of caution, though... if your design skills are not good,
go to a professional or use custom software. Bad design and
poor-quality images are worse than no images at all, and you
could actually end up losing sales!
Try finding a designer through Elance, or use one of the many
eBook cover design services or software providers available on
the Internet.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Images in your sales copy really can make a difference to your
sales, but only if you use them sparingly and strategically.
Well-positioned pictures of yourself -- and of your satisfied
customers -- make the customer feel like they are buying from a
real person with real customers -- not just some anonymous web
site.
And eye-catching product shots do a great job of supporting your
salescopy. Your customers won't judge your eBook or other
products on their "covers" or "packaging" alone, but product
images can provide credibility and make your products more
desirable and tangible in the eyes of your customers.
**************************************************************
*** BRAND-NEW Version 2004 JUST RELEASED! ***
JUST RELEASED: VERSION 2004 of Corey Rudl's best-selling
"Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet"!
... With 1,000+ pages of up-to-the-minute research, test
results, examples, case studies, and the newest and hottest
strategies for marketing your business on the Internet! In 10
easy-to-follow steps, with 61 comprehensive lessons, you get:
Step-by-step advice you can use to start your very own Internet
business in as little as 48 hours! How to build a top-selling
web site... for LESS than $100! Where to find hot products (in
20 minutes or less!) that you can start selling TODAY! 100s of
FREE and cheap online tools, resources, and software to automate
your site (and save at least 35 hours a week)! How to get #1
rankings in the search engines and get tons of FREE traffic from
the "Big Guys" like Google! Secrets to writing sales copy that
increases sales by 400% (or MORE) -- immediately! Get 1,000s of
NEW visitors to your web site... FREE!
... And this is just the tip of the iceberg! Check it out at
http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/826762 ... you'll be glad you
did!
**************************************************************
** Attn Ezine editors / Site owners / everyone ** Feel free to
reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your
site so long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the
content and include our resource box as listed above.