Why Didn’t My Conversions Go Up After Hiring a Copywriter?

Well, you went and did it. You hired the big gun copywriter that you always wanted to get. You spent thousands of dollars on this top notch copy. Your product was converting at a lowly 1% with your old copy. You roll out this new gem and conversions go up to a stunning… 1.2%. Huh? What happened? Why didn’t this big name copywriter have your product selling through the roof? Well, I’m going to tell you some potential reasons why, but you may not like the answers. See, some things are out of the copywriter’s control. I’m going to cover them here.

The first thing is your price. I don’t know how some product owners come up with the prices that they do, but a price that is either too low or too high isn’t going to convert as well as a price that is just right. And this requires testing. However, the point is, your copywriter can only work with the price that you give him to work with. If you’re determined to sell your widget for $47 when all your direct competitors are selling theirs for $27, you’re probably not going to make as many sales.

After price, there is your guarantee. Now I realize that if you’re selling your product through Clickbank that you’re stuck with their fixed guarantee at a minimum. However, if possible, by increasing your guarantee length, you can, in many cases, increase your conversions. I sometimes offer 6 month or even 1 year guarantees on my products. This is another thing that is beyond the copywriter’s control. He can only work with the guarantee that you give him.

Then, of course, there are your bonuses, or lack thereof. Like it or not, most people expect to get bonuses when they buy something. That’s just the nature of the beast these days. I don’t like it but that’s the way it is. So if you don’t offer anything that’s going to hurt your conversions. But you can’t just offer any old bonuses. You have to offer bonuses that are really worth something. Again, this is something that is out of the control of your copywriter.

Finally, there are your testimonials. You need them! And even if you do have them, you want them to be the right kind. Some people just don’t know how to give them. They’ll send you something that is so lame, it’s not even worth putting in print. Well, guess what? Your copywriter can’t do anything about these. You can’t fudge testimonials. You have to print them just as you get them.

So before you start throwing stones at your copywriter, take a good look at these four items. They may be the REAL reason why your conversions are in the toilet.

Seriously, Don’t Be THIS Lazy! You Have to Do SOMETHING to Succeed!

Well, a rant is coming… a big one! So if you’re not in the mood to listen to me bitch and complain, you probably don’t want to read this one. I can assure you that it will be less than pleasant. Having said that, I will now begin my rant for the day…

Pure Laziness

Just recently, I released a product that I sold with private label rights (PLR). That means that the person can make any changes to the product, sell it as their own, or essentially do anything they want with it. PLR products can be an easy way to make money online. The grunt work is essentially done for you. All you have to do is make some changes and you’ve got your own product.

Well, today, I got a solo ezine email and it just happened to be for my PLR product. I thought, “Wow this is great!” Let me see how this guy is promoting it and what changes he made.

I started reading the ad and I recognized it immediately. It was the exact same ad that I used to sell the darn thing myself… word-for-word. I couldn’t believe it! The guy didn’t even bother to change one word of the ad. Then, I looked at the sales page. Again, it was exactly as I provided it. Not one change at all, oh except for the price, which was unbelievable to me. Seriously a total joke.

Okay, let me make this as clear as I possibly can. If you are going to buy PLR products to sell as your own, you MUST make some changes! If you just sell the product as is, you are nothing more than a glorified affiliate, and will be likely competing with other dummies that left it as is. Not a good way to do business! The product isn’t your own. It’s the same product that most of the other people are going to be selling. Why?

Because people are lazy… plain and simple! This is the norm. This is what you will find with anything in life, let alone online marketing. People will put in the least amount of effort that they can to get something done. I have my theories as to why, but I’ll leave those for another time.

It doesn’t even surprise me anymore when I see stuff like this. What WOULD surprise me is finding somebody actually putting some real effort into their business. That would shock the hell out of me! See, the few who do put in an effort are the ones who really get somewhere. I work 10-15 hours a day at least 6 days a week. I do it because I want to be better than everybody else.

I’m wondering how many more of these ads I’m going to find with the same wording, with the same sales page, with, most likely, the same product without one word being changed?

The only thing different is the price. And some of those aren’t even worth mentioning.

Don’t do this!

The Real Truth About The Clickbank Marketplace

Every once in a while, you write an article that you know is not only going to take people by surprise, but it’s also going to cause a bit of a ruckus besides. Well, that time has come again. I know a lot of people are unaware of what I am going to disclose today about the Clickbank Marketplace. So hang onto your hats. You’re gonna love this one.

If you check the Clickbank Marketplace on a regular basis, you’ll find that all of a sudden, a product that wasn’t there the day before is all of a sudden number 1 in the marketplace with a gravity of about 300. Gravity is the number of affiliates making money selling the product. Ever wonder how these products get gravities so high?

Well, here’s the deal…

The top products in the Clickbank Marketplace basically get there with this process:

– The product is handled by a network.
– One person in the network is responsible for creating the product.
– Another person is responsible for the sales process.
– Finally, and this is the critical part of the whole thing, another person is responsible for recruiting affiliates. And what this person does is he emails his list of thousands of marketers, tells them a new product is out, and tells them to go and promote it.

After that, it’s off to the races and suddenly you have hundreds of people making money promoting this product.

That is why, as a single marketer with a new product, you can’t possibly get your product up to the top of the marketplace unless you have a huge network like that. It’s almost certainly not going to happen.

Now, this isn’t a knock on the product. It could be a great product or it could be a crap product. That’s just it. You DON’T know. The product got to where it is simply because of the network.

So the next time you check out the Clickbank Marketplace and want to know how that XYZ product that wasn’t there the other day is all of a sudden number one… now you know!

You Don’t Always Have To Be A Salesperson

How many articles have you read, websites you’ve seen, videos you have watched, emails you’ve gotten, and posts on blogs that are purely sales pitches? To me, it seems like just about all of them these days. Is it always hype that makes the sale or has the time come when it’s more important to be a little more personal and give value? I personally think it’s the latter.

I don’t consider myself to necessarily be a great salesperson. As an internet marketer, I have found the most success by making a connection with people who read my blogs, articles, forum posts, social media updates, etc…

Don’t get me wrong, there is a sales component, but when you love what you do and love what you have the opportunity to share with others then people feel the connection. They do not feel they are being fed a sales pitch so they begin to feel a more trusting relationship with you. That is the key because now you are approachable.

I like to write in a manner as if I am speaking to a friend of mine who is looking for more information on a subject or my progress. I let people know all the time in my posts they can contact me by leaving a comment or emailing me, and they will definitely get a response and I will tell them all they want to know (within reason). I have had many people write comments asking for help, advice and want to learn more about my programs or training. My conversations with those people are even better.

I personally feel its important to be really honest. Honesty shows through and bullshit is easy to spot. People can feel honesty and are drawn towards you instead of the many people who are promoting exactly the same program you are promoting. People seeking home businesses or other online income opportunities are becoming more savvy and many have been burned before. They are wary, and rightfully so in many circumstances. If you give them the opportunity to connect with you then you potentially have a loyal downline member forever, or lifetime customer/client!

There are so many ways to make a home business work for you but I believe it’s key to show who you truly are, keep it real and be approachable. You’ll be receiving those emails, inquiries, sign ups, and sales in no time!

The Forced Continuity Debate – Which Side Are You On?

Everybody loves a good debate. It gets the juices flowing. Well, it seems that the latest hot topic is “forced continuity” around online marketing circles. For those of you who don’t know what that is, don’t worry, you will by the time you’re done reading this article. For those who do, you’ll get my opinion on it. Take them with a grain of salt because you know what they say about opinions. Lol

Okay, so what’s forced continuity? Well, the best way to describe it is with an example. Let’s say you go to a sales page and on it, it says, “Get FREE Report On Article Marketing”. You say, “Great, I think I’ll get that.” Then you get down to the part where you actually get this report and you read the following:

“This report will be sent to you via postal mail. You will be required to pay shipping and handling of $2.50. Also, you will be getting my monthly newsletter delivered to your door for an additional $10 a month unless you cancel within 30 days.”

Got it? That’s pretty much what forced continuity is. In order to get one thing, you have to agree to get something else that you have to pay for, and that something else is usually something that you will get month after month until you decide to cancel. In some cases, they’ll really make you jump through hoops to do just that.

Some people like forced continuity (mostly the merchants) and some don’t (mostly the customers) but for whatever reason, it does seem to work. If you believe some of the conversion figures being passed out by the big names who are using this tactic it can bring in crazy money.

What do I think about it? If it’s up front and out in the open, where there is no doubt as to what is being offered and required, and it is easy to cancel if you wish to do so, then I have no problem with it. Personally, I will never use it and I won’t ever fill out an offer with forced continuity because I don’t want the hassle of having to cancel something I didn’t really want in the first place.

What I do have a problem with is marketers who hide their forced continuity conditions or don’t even post them on the page, either of which can get you in trouble with the FTC. And that’s what I think most people are bitching about. And I can’t say I blame them. Just be open and honest about it and I think you’ll be fine.

Where do you fall on this debate? I can see both sides. I don’t think this is a black and white issue. Heck, Columbia House used it for years back when I was a kid and getting 12 CD’s for 1 cent. We all fell for that one. I personally didn’t mind having to buy 5 more over the next 2 years (or whatever it was). But some people have a problem with that stuff.

So if you’re going to use forced continuity, make sure it’s clear to the person on the other end. The last thing you want is the FTC on your case, or at the very least a bunch of angry customers.