Talk by Karl Blanks at SES Conference & Expo in London, February 2012, on Landing Page Optimisation

1. London | 20–24 Feb, 2012 | #seslondon
Copywriting for Conversion
Dr Karl Blanks
Chairman (and Resident Rocket Scientist)

2. What you’ll get from this talk
1 Proven strategies for increasing sales
2 A template for ensuring your writing is effective
3 How to get someone else to do it for you

16. Step 1: Become able to sell the
product face to face

17. Your robot salesperson will be no
better than its creator

25. Mental shopping list
 This site looks relevant—like it will provide what I’m looking for (i.e. will
satisfy my visitor intention).
 I believe that this is the best site of its type, so I won’t be considering the
competitors, (which include doing nothing and ordering offline).
 I can easily find what I’m looking for
 I understand which product is best for me, because the site makes clear
recommendations.
 I believe that this type of product is what I need.
 I believe that this particular product is what I need.
 I believe the claims that the site is making, about the company and about
the products, because they’re supported with proof.
 All of my miscellaneous product-specific objections have been
overcome
 I found the whole experience pleasurable, and I’d happily do it again.

26. Don’t start writing until..
 You know everything about the product
 You have bought and used the product with your own money
 You can understand why people buy it
 You could sell it to yourself or friends
 You know all the objections and have great counter-objections
 You have gathered proof to support all your claims

27. Step 2: Write it down

29. The act of writing
turns many a genius into a moron

30. Write like a human

32. Use at least as many words as you’d use
when selling face to face

33. Be concise

34. designsensory.com/pws/

40. Five most important aspects

41. 1. The “angle”

42. With your permission, I am going to make
an analysis of the soil of your lawn to
determine—at my own risk and expense—
what elements are lacking in it, what you
need for stronger, healthier, more closely
grown turf.

43. Angles
 Main benefits—and how they’ll be reached with certainty and ease
 For inevitable, high-risk sales: The perils of making a mistake
 Entering the conversation that’s already going on in the prospect’s mind
 How to buy X
 How to choose between vendors
 The guarantee
 The offer
 The proof
 The urgency
 Anything else from the mental shopping list

44. 2. The things that get looked at first

46. 3. The offer(s) and calls to action

47. 4. The weakest aspects

49. 5. The proof

51. Outsourcing or delegating your copywriting
 Someone with a track record of getting wins
 Ensure each change is split tested
 Ensure the person follows this process
 Need someone who can
 sell (would you buy from them?)
 write (can you understand what they write?)