It’s probably safe to say a fair number of people do not enjoying writing. Whether it’s academic papers, emails to co-workers, or blog posts, it can feel like a daunting and tedious task. But if you are in business, writing (and knowing how to do it well) is essential. We dedicate a whole section of our blog to the art of blogging for SEO, which helps drive traffic and increase your rankings in the search results. In this post, though, we’ll focus specifically on the four essential things every sales letter should do. We’ll also give you some ideas for how you can use that letter once it’s done.
5 minutes
What is a sales letter?
A sales letter is basically a form of direct marketing designed to attract a customer to your product or service. Typically, a sales letter will reach out to potential leads. For example, if someone subscribed to your newsletter or filled out a form for more information, you would follow up with a sales letter to encourage them to take that next step and do business with you. There are other types of sales letters, but this is the type we will focus on today. Having a well-written sales letter in your back pocket will help you reel in some of those people sitting on the fence. All they need is a nudge, and that well-written sales letter can give it to them.
4 things you need to do in your sales letter
Before you just type up a quick draft and click send, you want to put some serious thought into the content of your sales letter. Remember: your potential customers probably receive dozens to hundreds of emails a day. You need to make them pause long enough, to hook them in and get them to take the two minutes out of their day to read your letter to the end. Every word should be chosen with care, every sentence crafted with precision. This can be difficult for many people. Sometimes we don’t know what to say. Or we know what we want to say, but can’t seem to put it into words. Understanding sales letter essentials can make all the difference.
So we will keep this template simple. There are four things an effective newsletter should do:
- Resonate
- Redefine
- Redirect
- Call to Action
1. Resonate
First, you need to resonate with your customer. How do you accomplish this? Begin with the problem your customers are facing (that your product or service can fix for them). Expand on that problem by diving into the emotional struggle your customers face because of this problem. Describe their frustration, fear, woe, etc. and let them know you empathize with them. That you understand!
This, along with a compelling subject line, is how you hook someone into reading the rest of the letter. Why? Because most other emails just jump straight to selling their product. While this might work for some of the bigger retailers with noticeable branding, it tends not to work for smaller businesses looking to expand their customer base. People don’t want to be bombarded with ads selling them things. They want solutions to their problems. When you resonate with the customer first, you show them that someone else gets it, and that this problem is fixable. Mastering sales letter essentials means mastering the art of resonating with your audience.
2. Redefine
The second thing your sales letter must do is differentiate your business from your competition. You need to illustrate how you solve your customer’s problem better than anyone else in your industry.
Have you been in business for a decade? Use that experience as a differentiator. Do you use superior technology? Have phenomenal customer service? Whatever it is, these things deserve a second in the limelight. They could tip the scales in your favor and lead to a sale!
3. Redirect
After resonating with your customer and differentiating yourself as the perfect solution to their problem, your next step is to anticipate some pushback and redirect. Your customer will likely have some objections that stand in the way of their doing business with you. For example, they might believe it’s too expensive, that they don’t really need it, that it won’t work for them.
Take some time to flesh out common objections to your product or service. Provide something of value to redirect them away from their objection and encourage them that doing business with you is in their best interest. Things like money-back guarantees, free upgrades, consultations, etc. can help ease them in.
4. Call to action
Your customers won’t do anything unless you ask them to! Make sure you always include a call to action in your sales letters. This could take any form, as long as it is actively calling your customer to do something. Buy now. Donate. Order today. Call us.
You could make your call to action a hyperlink, but the most effective option is to make it a colorful button. Make it hard to miss and even harder to ignore. This increases the likelihood of someone clicking through to your website.
Example of a great sales letter
Gina runs Gleam Genie, a small cleaning business that uses eco-friendly cleaners and specializes in luxury apartments and townhomes. She has some perk packages (laundry, furniture polishing, etc.) for an additional investment. Let’s take a look at one of her sales letters. (To read the full letter, click the image below.) This example showcases all the sales letter essentials in action.
Your turn to write!
Now fire up that Word document and get started on your own sales letters! No more excuses! Have any other sales letter writing tips? Share them in the comments below.
Keep Reading: 8 Things Every Good Website Should Have