Are you making these mistakes on your sales page? Part 1 of 2 | Ep. 37 Content Magic with Lindsay Smith

Today on Content Magic I'm talking all about sales pages. I've written dozens of them, for myself and for clients, and probably reviewed and edited twice as many.

And, there are some important constants for a sales page to convert! Clarity is absolutely king. You have to know exactly what you offer, who it's for and the transformation it provides.

From a copywriter's perspective, I look at the flow of information, the mission statement and how clearly the transformation is communicated.

One of the biggest mistakes I see on sales pages is not getting to the point fast enough and the repetition of information.

Plus, I'm sharing more insights from my own experiences and best practices, including the crucial elements every sales page should contain.

Don't miss this one!

FREE: The Sales Page Blueprint

Lindsay [00:00:00]:
The reason I've done this complete 180 is because I've seen the conversion rates happen much better from a well crafted sales page than they ever did from my sad little checkout pages.

Lindsay [00:00:14]:
If you have an online business, you're creating content. And the way you create content is more important than ever. It's really noisy out there, and learning to stand out is the only way. Hey, I'm Lindsey, and I'm the host of the Content Magic podcast, all about being an entrepreneur and creating kick ass content to market yourself and your business. I have a not so secret superpower for copywriting, marketing and content, and I've helped hundreds of folks just like you show up with a ton of confidence in the online space. I've been doing this content thing for 20 years, and I believe the real magic is a combo of intuition, creativity, and strategy. You can create content for your business without losing your mind, I promise. So tune in every week for tangible content tips, inspiring guests, and some real spicy opinions.

Lindsay [00:01:06]:
Probably mine.

Lindsay [00:01:07]:
Ready to dive in? Let's go. Well, hello, friends, and welcome back to another episode of the podcast. So today I am going to chat with you all about sales pages. So here's the thing. There was a time when I was like, um, no, I don't need a sales page. I'm just gonna put a checkout page and put a bunch of bulletin points and just send people this checkout page, and that's going to be great. I've done a complete 180 since then, and I've seen people, and I even had somebody tell me, like, no, you don't even. You just want.

Lindsay [00:01:47]:
You just have, like, a Google Doc. Again, I feel very differently. And because here's the number one thing I will tell you, because I'm a copywriter, obviously. So when it comes to, like, actually writing a sales page, I have found that even the exercise of doing it forces you to get extremely clear on what you're offering and who you're talking to. So I was able to, like, skip over that process when I was just creating a checkout page. So for reference, I use kajabi. And so whatever website provider you have, it was just like the pay section. The pay page.

Lindsay [00:02:30]:
So I used to do that, and then. So I was always, like, sort of a mishmash of stuff that I would throw in there. Did it convert? I mean, sometimes, yeah. But I would argue writing a sales page is way better. Also, PS, I'm not feeling so great. So this is why I sound a bit like Fran Drescher. No offense to Fran okay, so I would say that is the main reason why. And so I've written probably dozens of sales pages and I have reviewed and edited probably at least the same, if not more.

Lindsay [00:03:09]:
And so one of the things I see when I'm mostly reviewing other people's sales pages is more often than not somebody is using like a template. So there's like a bunch of sections and usually, listen, I'm not going to knock templates because we all have to start somewhere. And usually that's just like the easiest way. Like just, it's a template. It's like a landing page inside your website provider and like, you just use it. So what I'm seeing is that a lot of people feel like, oh, there's all these sections, I have to fill them up. So you end up filling them with a bunch of stuff and then sometimes it's super repetitive or sometimes it just doesn't add any value. So usually if I'm editing someone's sales page or reviewing it, I'm usually looking at sort of like the flow of information, making sure that above the fold you've got like a mission statement.

Lindsay [00:04:09]:
And then it's very clear from the start what it is you're offering and why. And then usually, and then you go into some sort of like program promise or transformation more depending on what the course is or what the service is. Sometimes we have like a peek inside what the modules are like. You throw in a bio that has to do with whatever that offer is and then obviously we have a bunch of buttons and stuff. And then, then I put some frequently asked questions at the bottom. So actually, and I didn't used to do that. I didn't do that until I started working with my friend Jan. And now I never not do it.

Lindsay [00:04:52]:
So that's what I see when I'm reviewing other people's. So if that's what you're doing, like if you just have a template and you're like, oh, I have to fill it up. Don't do that and reach out to me and I'll help you. So I'm going to talk to you about sales pages from the perspective of a copywriter. So again, like, my role and my strengths are writing persuasive language. Yes. But also, you know, and the first part of this is always clarity. Everything always comes back to clarity.

Lindsay [00:05:26]:
You have to be super clear on what you're offering, why you're offering and who you're offering it to. And everything from there sort of trickles down. So the reason I've done. This complete 180 is because I've seen the conversion rates happen much better from a well crafted sales page than they ever did from my sad little checkout pages. This is the other thing, usually a sales page. I mean, yeah, there's some SEO and probably somebody can google it and it comes up. But mostly, I'm going to guess the people who are landing on your sales page are probably warm ish leads because you probably sent them there from something else. So the idea is that the visitors to this sales page, it turns them into customers because it handles like it.

Lindsay [00:06:21]:
This is true of any content. Like, and I talked about this in my email course last week. You want people sort of leaning in and being like. And nodding their head. I am also nodding my head, even though you can't see me nodding their head along with you. And the biggest compliment for your content and what will lead to the best conversions is somebody leaning in and nodding along and being like, this person totally gets me. And the other thing a really great sales page does is it handles all the objections for you. And this idea of handling objections, for the longest time, it gave me like, the ick because I always felt like, well, if somebody's objecting, then they're not the right client.

Lindsay [00:07:09]:
Or like handling objections in the DM's kind of right. Like, there was a time I was taught to just, it was kind of like a sales script or like, you know, back in the days of like telemarketing, you know, anytime you, well, it's not even like people still call me on my phone and try to sell me, you know, duct cleaning or whatever, and it was like a sales script. And if you say this, then the other person says this, and if you say this, the other person says this. So I always felt like that's what it was. But I've also changed my tune on that. And it's not something I do in the DM's, and it's not something that I like, look at a script and I'm like, oh, this person can afford it. And then I'd be like, well, how much? You know, like, how long have you been struggling with this problem? Right? Like, I'm not, that's not how I roll. And if you've been hanging around in my world a lot, you know, that's not how I roll, so.

Lindsay [00:08:02]:
And this is why I think a really good sales page can do that work for you. And probably most importantly, a really great sales page can also sort of paint this picture of your product and you, whatever it is, you're offering as a solution to someone else's problem. Because really, isn't that what all businesses, all of us are? We're just, we're problem solvers. Somebody has a problem and we're the solution. Everything. I would, I would wager everything, if you have an example that it's not true, I'd like to hear from you. Okay, so, and then, like I said, there's a couple of, like, I feel like there's a couple of basics to include on your sales page. I would say the most important is some sort of mission statement.

Lindsay [00:08:56]:
You need this big and bold at the, like above the fold on your website. And usually this is kind of like, learn to discover your, and then you always need, again, you always need some sort of program promise or transformation like you have to. And that's what paints the picture. And then, of course, like, you need a bunch of buttons all over, over your site. And also when part of a copywriter shop, like I said, is sort of examining this flow of information, I think those buttons need to be strategically placed and they need a certain kind of language on there. Yes, even buttons. There was a time when I worked full time in advertising and I would write like a page of button copy, just button copy. And depending on what the product or services that you're offering, you may need sort of like some module summaries, also very strategically written.

Lindsay [00:10:00]:
Yeah. Some other things thrown in there, but I would say that those are like kind of the major ones. So. And here's what you need, like from a copywriter's perspective. If I'm writing it for you, or if I'm like even writing my own, like you absolutely 100% need a very thorough understanding of the ideal client for this offer, program, service, whatever it is. And what I have found that has helped me a lot is also, here's another thing, market research. I feel like this is a very not talked about enough thing that people don't do enough in their business, because what has helped is if you write the sales page directed to, like one person. So I've been part of this group of these really incredible other women entrepreneurs with my friend Jan, and it's kind of like built in market research.

Lindsay [00:11:02]:
So every time we have a call, I can be like, hey, what is bugging you guys about email marketing? What do you find? You know, and you have to have some very specific questions, but I've gotten some incredible feedback from that group. So if you don't have a group like that, please dm me, because I also have my own. So. And the other thing is, like, when it comes to the frequently asked questions, you don't just make those up super randomly and you really have to know what people's questions are, like, actual questions. And finally, I feel like this is a tricky one. You have to have the confidence in why you are the solution. And I feel like something I've been thinking about a lot and talking about a lot is this, you know, my qualifications, I don't talk about them enough. And honestly, this is what sets me apart.

Lindsay [00:11:54]:
And so when it comes to, like. And I call it owning, you're weird. But other people call it like, a USP. And this is the other thing, the idea of confidence and belief, I feel like those two comp cents are kind of like, intermingled. And I feel like one is like, layered on top of the other, because we hear this all the time in online business, if you don't believe in what you're selling, nobody else is going to believe in you.

Lindsay [00:12:17]:
Okay. It's me, Lindsey. When you start an online business, everyone tells you you need an email list.

Lindsay [00:12:23]:
But nobody really tells you what to.

Lindsay [00:12:25]:
Put in those emails. We know we need a free thing, a couple of nurture sequences, and some.

Lindsay [00:12:30]:
Creative emails to keep your list engaged. Still, how do you write those? This is why I created the email lab.

Lindsay [00:12:37]:
It's a hybrid membership program that'll teach you how to write emails quickly. I'm talking like less than 20 minutes. How to know exactly what to write. So no more staring at that blank screen with anxiety and how to make money with your. Listen, even with a small audience, you can expect some expert training and super digestible takeaways and some mad lib style prompts to take all the guesswork out of email marketing. So go check it out at lindsaysmithcreative, CA email, and I'll see you in there.

Lindsay [00:13:13]:
And this is what was happening when I was just sending people, right, to a checkout page. Like, I'm not sure I believed in it because. In what I was selling, because I didn't, like, I didn't have anything to back it up. So again, just the process of writing a sales page, even when I do it for somebody else, like, I had a client recently, and the best clients, I mean, she's an awesome client. The best clients give me a ton of, like, background information so I'm able to write a sales page effectively. And we went back and forth and she ended up with something that she really liked and she changed a lot of the copy herself, which was awesome because it has to sound like you. And she decided to change the tone anyways. So if you're writing your own sales page, you have all the background information, and sometimes when we're too close to it, it's very hard to know what to put out into the world that is client facing and what is just sort of triple dribble in our head.

Lindsay [00:14:21]:
And this is the biggest thing I see when I'm editing other people's sales pages. Often it's a lot of fluff writing until you get to, like two thirds down the end of the sales page. And then it's finally, I see what the program actually is, because it's tough. It's really hard to write your own stuff. And so, oh, p's. This is why I've put together a template. So if you go to lindsaysmithcreative ca salespage, you'll find a sales page template that you can kind of follow along and sort of like, it's a bit like a, like you can just, it lays out everything I'm talking about today so that you know exactly what to do. So you can print that out, like, tape it on your wall, and then every time you write a sales page, just look at it and be like, oh, yeah, okay, this goes here, this goes here, this goes here.

Lindsay [00:15:17]:
So when I'm reviewing people's sales pages, that's often the problem, is that we're too close. So we just put a bunch of information out there and listen. I have done this too. I've been a copywriter. I've been doing this content thing for 20 years. And the last sales page I wrote, it was honestly like a university essay where I would just, like, bullshit my way through, and someone called me out on it. I was like, oh, dang it, you're right. So you always, even me, I always, I still need somebody looking over my stuff and being like, this is not clear.

Lindsay [00:15:48]:
This is not clear. This is not clear. Because the biggest compliment for anybody's content, sales pages included, is, you know, your ideal client sort of leaning in and nodding along with you because you want people to feel seen in your content. You want people leaning in and being like, oh, my God, this person totally gets me. So. And before we sign off here, there's one more thing I want to leave you with. And this is one of the things I see. This is one of the sales page mistakes I see the most often.

Lindsay [00:16:24]:
So people think that the most important part of your program or your offer is how many calls you get per month, how many hours it's going to take to complete the homework. So and so expert is coming in to talk to you about whatever. That's not important. That can come later. That can be at the very bottom of your sales page. What people want to know immediately is the benefits, the takeaway. So when it comes to benefits, you always want to ask like, be put your shoes in your client. Put your shoes.

Lindsay [00:17:03]:
Put your feet in your client's shoes. Oh my God, I don't feel well and the words are not coming out. So put your feet in your client's shoes. And like, from their perspective, just be like, why would I care about this? Why would I care about this? Why would I care about this? Continue to ask that for every part that you're writing on your sales page because you need somebody to care, right? So for example, learn to write emails ten times faster. And then I would put like as a subhead and focus your time on the parts of your business you really love or whatever. I just made that up in my head. So always ask yourself, who would care about this? And don't forget, grab that free template that I put together for you. Lindsaysmithcreative CA salespage and next episode, I'm going to be back with some live reviews with some sales pages that were submitted.

Lindsay [00:18:07]:
I have one that is a product based business and a couple other service based business. So I'm excited to do that. All right, my friends, I'll see you next time.

Lindsay [00:18:17]:
And toodaloo, thank you so much for listening.

Lindsay [00:18:20]:
If you loved what you heard, don't.

Lindsay [00:18:21]:
Forget to subscribe, leave a review or share this episode on social media. And don't forget to tag me on Instagram. Lindsaysmithcreative and if you do all three, I'll be your best friend forever and invite you to all my birthday parties. That's it for today, and I'll see you next time.

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