MoreNiche Affiliate Tutorials

Welcome to the third tutorial in the series on taking your first step to becoming a MoreNiche affiliate! Our goal is to make you the most profitable you can be, starting with our tutorial.

We hope that you will find everything you need to get out there and start making money.

The following tutorial will help you understand how to write effective sales copy and in turn how everything we teach you here can be utilised to your benefit.

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Writing Effective Sales Copy for the Web & General Tips for your Site

Discover how to write copy that sells.

When it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter how fancy or high tech your website is, or how good your graphics look. Without strong copy to back these up, none of them will make you sales.

But don’t worry; you are not the only one to be under this misconception. Many online marketers have too made the common mistake of putting too much into the design of their website; forgetting that it is down to your skills at writing effective sales copy, that will be the real decider on whether they choose your product or not.

Producing a site in general that is both professional, authoritative and credible is a major factor for all companies wishing to pursue online marketing. But if your sales copy is not working; if it is not appealing to the surfer’s inner self then you will not make money. So if, for example, you are unable to convince them, that you are at the top for weight loss supplements; if they do not believe your copy, then once again they will continue surfing.

Writing effective sales copy is an art. Knowing how to tempt and persuade using language alone, takes time. This is not to say, you cannot achieve the same results. You just really need to understand your customers’ needs.

Good copy writers have learned this simple skill. They know how to produce persuasive text, targeted towards their particular audience, that embodies the emotion, passion, excitement and benefit within one snappy, short and emotive piece of text.

Selling is also about enthusiasm, and projecting that onto your target audience. Take your favourite book. The best ones know how to capture your imagination and connect with you on a personal level. You and the author alike are kindred in your excitement about the topic/theme of the novel. Both in the characters and the way events play out.

This is the same for copy. Being excited about the product, ecstatic and confident, will all shine through, through your language. So avoid dry, over formal copy that is layered with fact upon fact, and let your passion for the subject show.

We guarantee that if you are passionate, so will they.

AIDA

For each of us, finding our niche within writing is different. We have all got our own strengths and weaknesses. Our own flare and writing voice. For some, writing comes more natural. For others we need suggestion. Either way, whatever niche you fall into, at MoreNiche we can help.

A- Attention - Use a powerful headline that demands attention.

I- Interest - Intrigue interest and create curiosity

D- Detail - Provide details about your product or service

A- Action - Call for action

When you first start writing your copy use a black easily readable font with a light background. This will help you to focus on the content, and see your progression.

Similarly, avoid using fancy fonts or backgrounds. They are distracting and remove the goal of your page – of making surfers want to buy.

Instead write just small blocks of text with equal spacing between each block.

There is nothing that will make your visitor click away faster than a sea of text - so make sure you use plenty of white space (see the MN guide on formatting articles effectively)

Selling and Emotion

Understanding your surfers, their reasons and their feelings about searching out your product, is an important part of writing successful copy. It is a sales cliché when people say that customers buy products for the benefits and not the features.

This is only partly true.

In truth, people buy because of how those benefits will make them feel. Not so much the benefit itself, but how they will feel about that difference emotionally.

Emotion is the key; the key to writing effective copy that sells.

Consider the following quote from Hal Alpiar President/CEO of Business works:

“You may think (and have actually convinced yourself) that the SUV you purchased was a great investment because it allows you to sit high enough to see above traffic, it can provide more traction in bad weather, it can go off the road, it can tow trailers, it will take less of a hit in an accident than a sedan, it allows you to haul more firewood and home improvement stuff, Consumer Reports ranks it at the top of their Best Buy list, there's tons of room for the kids and the dogs, it can pull out tree stumps, you got zero down and zero percent, and the service warranty is spectacular. BUT if you think for one minute that you bought that gas guzzler for any of those reasons (or ones like them), you're BS'ing yourself! You bought the SUV because you think you look good driving it!”

So forget about all the fancy images and details, and home in on your customer. Sell what they really want, and present this offer to them by recognising their basic human needs.

Do that and they will see your site in a whole new light.

Human Motivators

So how do you connect with your surfer? How can you really tell what’s going on in their mind? Simple. By understanding basic human motivators.

Psychologist Abraham Maslow, bases human behaviour around at least one basic need. One deeply embedded desire that you cannot resist or ignore.

His theory is ‘that without you addressing a less important need, there won't be any desire to pursue a more important need.’

It is all based around "the hierarchy of human needs." Below we have started with the most basic, progressing to the most important of needs.

Physiological - Basics needs include hunger, thirst, shelter, clothing and sex.

Safety (Security) - The need for physical, emotional and financial security.

Social (Affiliation) - The human need for love, affection, companionship and acceptance by their peers.

Self Esteem - Human need for achievement, recognition, attention and respect.

Self-actualization - The need for people to reach their full potential.

You should try to incorporate each of these needs into your writing. By getting inside the head of your audience; by knowing and feeling their needs, wants and desires, you can catch their attention like you never thought possible. So include passion and emotion in your headlines and copy; sell the security (social and relationship), independence, self-confidence and achievement. Do not focus on what the product does:

• Extra strong Lock
• Reduces fat
• Improves appearance
• Contains Xeterma B1z.

These are all features. Features that are a by-product of your company.

Instead ask yourself - how will purchasing the products make the customer feel? Concentrate on this goal and avoid all the technical specifications.

Yes, they too are important, but use your features and technical data to back up your site’s claims – not as the key selling tool.

So what?

An excellent way to improve your sales copy is to introduce questions into your copy that you can instantly back up.

The best we have come across is: “So what?” It says exactly what they are probably thinking when you make a claim. Take this phrase for example:

“Guaranteed to help you lose weight” So What?

“…so you can invest in confidence” or “….so you can have peace of mind while achieving your goals of a better body”

By giving them a direct answer, and proving that your statement is correct. You can introduce authority into your text, whilst answering all their thoughts and queries.

Headline

Your opening headline is probably the first and most important factor in your sales copy, and is essentially the A part of the AIDA model. Here you need to grab the reader’s attention and compel them to read on. You need to make them want to know more with each passing paragraph.

And it’s important that you catch them here. Around 5 times as many people will read the headline than the body of the text.

So unless your headline has got the power to instantaneously sell your product within a few short words, the rest of your copy will be useless to capture their attention. Use your headline to first stimulate a specific emotion – after all emotion sells.

“Feel embarrassed about your weight?” “What would a slimmer body mean for you?”

Some tips for writing powerful headlines:

• Write 20-30 different headlines.
• Take a days break to give yourself a fresh perspective before reviewing them again. With new eyes you’ll be able to spot which headlines immediately catch your attention
• yourself how they can be improved - are they addressing your Objectives? Do they show how easily and accessible your product is, whilst also offering your surfer an irresistible benefit?

The best titles are usually short and snappy listing how easy the product is to use and a benefit.

Just remember: your benefit should have a direct link to the topic of the article, so that your surfer can experience a sense of summation from the headline alone.

Writing an Introduction

Okay, now that you have got the attention of your visitor, and they are 100% focussed on finding out more. You will need to continue this thread of interest and draw them in. Beginning with your introduction.

Keep it brief, short and to the point. Give no allusions to what you are offering; make it clear. You can even view it as though you are offering them a proposition. An incentive that will hold them fast to your article.

By doing this you will essentially be fulfilling the I part of our formula – creating interest and giving your reader even more reasons to read on.

Testimonials and how others who have invested in this product is one way you can achieve this. By witnessing the success of others, either in losing those excess lbs or investing in a property, this evidence will give them the confidence and desire to find out more.

Writing the bulk of your copy

Now here comes the interesting part… writing the main body of your copy.

To write successful copy, there are a few rules you should bear in mind:

• Avoid using jargon or technical words that will alienate your surfers. You need to approach them on the same level, and create understanding between the two of you.
• Remove any negative phrases from your text. Even such words as ‘Don’t worry’ - even though they have been written in a supportive role - the word ‘Don’t’ at a first glance come across as negative.
• Be careful not to not over hype your product or use buzzwords. Too much hype and they will wonder what you are hiding.

Instead keep it light and personal. At a level that they will be able to understand, but will know is more sophisticated beneath the surface.

For example try using prep positional phrases such as “As you know.., Naturally…., Everybody knows….” Whatever follows these opening phrases are more likely to be accepted by the reader.

The power of words

Look at the copy on any website, and you’ll soon spot what we call power words. Now although these words in themselves can be very effective, it is good within your copy to offer diversity within your language, so that your surfers will not be caught up on particular words. Here are some tips on how to incorporate alternative words which in may cases will create a better association within their mind.

These alternatives are not set in stone. So if you disagree with our choice, the decision on whether you use them is yours. They are completely open to debate. Though we do have to admit, they do provide an interesting insight into the power of words.

Just remember that every word counts – yes all of them – so just be careful to incorporate them as much as you can to ensure potency:

Buy — This is a concrete word that implies people ‘have’ to pay money — that there is an obligation. Of course this word is unavoidable in some cases, but the pressure to ‘buy now’ can bring out the rebellious side of surfers, and make them hesitant to go to the next stage. Try experimenting with phrases such as claim e.g. “click here to claim your membership to … ) or invest (Visit mywebsite.com to invest in a better future … )

These can act as subtle introductions to your more pungent call to actions that will come later in the text i.e. “buy now”. By creating this balance, you can keep in line with traditional online marketing of ‘buy now’, whilst reducing the overwhelming factor that could easily influence your surfer’s decision into going the opposite way.

So use these alternatives where applicable and build up towards your call to action.

Learn — Though in many cases this will be exactly what your surfer will be doing, the word itself implies there is work involved. Work that with no set time limit, can be off putting. Instead try using discover “discover the secrets behind… “

Tell — Similar to ‘buy’, tell can leave the impression of order and control, and nobody likes to be told what to do. It goes against their nature. More subtle words such as reveal: “This site will reveal the effectiveness of…” or ‘show’: “we will show you…” will evoke the curious side of their nature, whilst giving them the choice to come along and have revealed to them, the mystery of your product.

Now, you’ll probably be surprised by the next part, but there are such things as lazy words. Such as are the following:

Things— e.g. “Show you things” —your first question is ‘what things?’ It is too generic, and leaves no mental image. Just a vagueness and uncertainty. We know it is always good to keep your surfers on their toes. After all you don’t want to give too much away, but you need to give them a clearer incentive to click through and register/buy.

There are a few ways you can get around this. Say for example using this phrase: “discover tips, tricks & techniques that will… “ The tips and tricks say it all. That your company has got plenty more to offer, than what you are initially telling them. That to find out, they need to follow the links.

Stuff— e.g. “…show you stuff, tell you stuff” — Similar to ‘things’, this phrase has a similar vagueness, that does not inspire the senses to find out more. You need to make it juicier; more appealing to their imagination. Take this example – “We will reveal insider secrets that only the…” We all like hearing a secret. Especially if it feels as though we are the only ones in on it. So play with this suggestion; get their creative juices flowing.

In this one phrase it suggests that by you’ll be on the inside of something bigger, and more impressive. And we guarantee, they won’t be able to resist not hearing this little secret.

Creating effective web copy is not about winning prizes or awards for your journalistic skills. It is about what will make you money. Which when it comes to online marketing is a reward in itself.

So try to bear these tips in mind. They are open to debate after all, but in the long run can prove effective in persuading your surfer to pursue your product.

Use Plenty of Subheadings

Once your copy is in place, your next step will be to add subheadings to break it up and make it look less text heavy.

These are also a great way to create smaller headlines which shall highlight the important aspects of the following text. And it is important that you get these right.

Take for example this scenario. A surfer comes to your site that is already confident that he/she wants to lose weight using a supplement.

In this type of surfer, the desire is already there. They essentially already know what they want. So in their case it is all a matter of finding a product that is best for them. When they visit your website, they won’t be interested in an introduction; they will be looking for the medical backing and the key points that make your product stand out from the rest.

In other words, when they visit your site, they will more than likely skip over all the formalities and will be searching out those key sections we’ve just mentioned.

This is where your subheadings come in.

By using plenty of subheadings throughout your copy, when your visitors scan down your page, they will be able to find what they want straight away, and their decision will come that much faster. So give them a juicy subheading to contemplate, and a reason for them to keep on reading.

Create USP’s

Now you have got to the part that frames the D details of AIDA.

If you have chosen to promote a weight loss product X, it is important that you set your product a part from its competitors in a positive and thought provoking way.

Now the best way to achieve this is by incorporating a Unique Selling Proposition that will make your offering more valuable than other leading products and will stop your surfers in their tracks.

It has to be distinct. A key and important role within your product that no other product can match.

A strong USP is an absolute when it comes to online marketing. Otherwise your product will just blend into the background of that niche, and will become just another weight loss product or affiliate company. You need to provide your audience with a compelling reason to buy from your site.

One great way to develop a USP is by commencing with an opening such as: “Unlike the majority of its competitors…” Straight away you have formed a clear distinction between your product and all the rest. In fact, you are openly admitting here that this is exactly the case.

So once you have made this comment, you need to follow through and prove it:

“Unlike the majority of weight loss products “product Z” will help you lose up to 6 pounds of body fat per week - without the use of harmful synthetic appetite suppressants”

“Unlike other property investment companies, Property Mentor’s 2 day course is a nationally recognised NVQ qualification.”

In other words, you use your USP as the key to addressing a hole in the market that your product can easily fill. With this clear distinction in place, even if your visitor does look at some more companies after yours, this one key difference will stand out in their minds. It will be a point they won’t be able to forget.

One easy way to get your USP at the forefront of their minds is to introduce it into your headline or as a sub header within your copy. As a header, your USP will instantly stand out in their memories.

Limit the Risk

All visitors like a back up plan. The option to change their mind, if they find the product is not right for them. They want a guarantee.

This is why all our MoreNiche/Lativio products come with a rock solid money back guarantee of 6 months. Of course the last thing you want is for them to send your product back, but by hammering this guarantee home, it will one promote confidence in the quality of your product, but will two also make for a soft easier sell. Why? Because they will have a choice.

Simply display the guarantee in bold text, put in a graphic and make it clear that they have got 6 months to send it back. The offer itself will be appealing as 6 months is much longer than most products will offer in the online industry. It will come across as a benefit in itself, so use it as a unique selling point within your copy. Offer this differentiation. The more you can remove the risk for them, the more chance they will opt for a sale and will invest.

Another method to increase their confidence, is by offering your visitors information on your secure ordering processes, data protection and privacy, and discreet packaging. That a way, they will know exactly what they are getting.

Plus by pre-empting their objections to buy and addressing them in advance, you can build up their confidence and put them at ease.

All their answers offered on a silver platter. Perfect!

Use a Post Script

Most visitors who are on a mission to find a product fast, will opt to scan your copy on websites, reading your headline, sub-headlines and your PostScript message above the bulk of the copy.

This is why it is important to place your most important benefits within your P.S. message. Here your visitor can find out everything they need to know about your site in one quick summary. So make sure you try to summarise only your key main points; the main benefits of your product/service and keep the emotive purpose of your site, clearly represented within its benefits.

Call for Action (CTA)

Now here comes the most crucial part of the AIDA: asking for the business! We know this may sound obvious, but many online marketers make this mistake. They forget to ask for business at the end of the pitch. They don’t go for the hard sell.

You see you need to do more than hope that they will read your site and will buy. You need to prompt them with a clear CTA that will inspire them to pick up the phone or follow the link through to the order page. If you don’t ask you won’t get, and if you don’t get, you won’t get the conversions you desire!

So at the end of each review, article, or product feature remember to always – yes always - include a clear link (CTA) for them to click through to order. Here are some examples to get your creative juices on the go to winning that sell:

“Offer your family 100% financial freedom, book your FREE 2 hour Property Mentor course today”

“Discover how to lose weight easily, visit the X Product site today”

Some General Tips for a successful site

Speed of Loading

Okay this may sound as though we are stating the obvious, but when we say - You literally have seconds to grab your surfers’ attention – we mean it. On average a surfer will spend only 7 seconds on a site before making the decision to continue or return to their original search engine.

This is why it is very important to ensure that your website loads up as quickly as possible. If it takes too long to open, your surfer will have the time to think ‘ I’ll look elsewhere.’

Try to remember to incorporate these into your website:

• Optimise your image files for a faster download
• Don’t over complicate the site – this includes fancy flashes and graphics
• Choose a reliable host – one with the reputation for easy downloads
• Avoid heavy use of Flash – one is okay, but too many, and your site will take ages to download.

Target your market

Good online marketing takes more than promoting a great product. You need to prove it is a great product by homing in on surfers needs and catering specifically for those said desires. Make yourself the answer to their prayers – we know this may sound cheesy when we say it like that, but it’s true.

So make sure that when you are designing your website that you always keep your visitors needs in mind. By knowing your audience and getting inside their head – in other words by trying to think and feel like them – you can determine all their hopes, fears and desires and use them to your advantage in displaying the ideal product.

Next test your website. That’s right. Ask others to log in, test and survey your articles, content and most importantly your use of copy. They will be able to give you an insider’s perspective as to what is the right approach. You see, what you think is the right approach won’t necessarily be the same for everybody else. We all think differently, which means your interpretation of a scenario may differ from theirs.

Take for example this scenario. On your site you are targeting women and weight loss. This is a personal subject for many, so finding the right amount of empathy is important for increasing your products appeal. Try talking to women and finding out what’s important to them, what drives them emotionally to lose weight? With this insight, you can connect with them on a whole new level.

Focus

Now the main focus of all your websites is to inform and more importantly to sell your product. Yes it may feel tempting to try and sell lots of unrelated products on your site all at once, say in the form of ads, but breaking away from this focus will in turn affect their focus. You need to keep it targeted. So if you want to feature more than one product then build separate pages and areas for each. This will increase your traffic on all fronts.

• Avoid adding ad sense adverts to your site, MN commissions make these potential earnings look miniscule.
• Do not stick banners everywhere in random places. It will make the site look less professional, and will distract them from the main focus of your site.

Credibility

You’ve got the sell. You’ve got an unique product that should appeal. All you have got left to do is prove your credibility. And it is important that you do.

More money is being spent on the internet than ever before. But with so many products – all within the same niche – floating around, potential customers can still be apprehensive about investing. Especially when it comes to ordering online.

Your credibility as a professional and reliable source, needs to be clearly evident and strongly presented within the page, to give them that confidence to click through.

So try incorporating the below tips to improve the credibility of your website:

• Policies - Such as privacy, Spam
• Privacy Statement
• Procedures
• Real contact information and physical address.
• Where possible include testimonials from customers
• Research the products yourself with free samples from our selves. You can then say that your organisation has tested the products.

Some of these factors will also assist in your Google quality score and drive your Adwords PPC cost down.

Ease of Navigation

Okay this may all seem obvious too but the quickest way to halt a sale is by offering a confusing web site. Unable to navigate through to the right pages, and surfers will grow impatient and frustrated. And if they cannot get to the order page, they will quickly go elsewhere to get what they want. So keep your navigation:

• Simple
• Clean and easily readable
• Accessible from every page of the site.

They ask for apples give them apples.

The last thing you want to do is come across as though you are trying to con your surfer. If you offer within your site a link to “top reviewed weight loss pills” then don’t just link to a product site and leave them to find the answers. They have clicked this link looking for a comparison, so send them to a review page or feeder site that will give them that comparison. A site with the “top reviewed weight loss pills” on. By not giving your surfer what they are asking for, is a sure way to get them doubting your site and looking elsewhere.

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial and find it useful for your affiliate marketing stratergies. If you want more webmaster advice and want to promote an exclusive selection of products with great commission come in and join us today for free!