You’ve created the product. You’ve sharpened your skills. Now it’s time to get your message out. How will you do that? The most effective way is through your Web site. How do you generate sales or land clients from your Web site? By writing winning sales copy that’s how. You have only a few seconds to grab the attention of your reader, regardless of whether they are looking for a product or a service.

When writing sales copy and designing your Web site, keep some of the basics principles of marketing in mind. I always think back to an acronym my marketing professor taught us in college – AIDA. It stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. If you keep this principle in mind while you’re writing, you’re sure to create compelling copy and move your reader to buy or ask for more information.

Attention – grab your reader’s attention right off the bat. Create a headline that pulls your reader in. Put it in big, bold, red letters. Draw their attention to it immediately.

Interest – once you’ve got their attention, you need to keep it. Make sure your copy holds their interest. Identify a problem they can relate to or an issue they have in their business that is common. The key to keeping their interest is to keep the focus on them. They don’t care about you – only what you can do for them.

Desire – ignite their need to have what you are offering. Make sure your sales copy reflects the benefits your customers will receive from buying your product or using your service. Tell them how they can make more money, have a better love life or learn something they’ve always wanted to and you’ll ignite that desire.

Action – move your reader to buy or to contact you for more information. Whatever your goal with your copy, be sure to make it clear to your reader. If you want them to buy your product – tell them to buy now; if you want them to contact you for more information – tell them to contact you now. Often readers want to be told what to do in order to reach their goals. So tell them – act now and you’ll be on the road to success!

Whatever it is that you sell – product or service – the principle is the same. You must grab your potential customer or client’s attention, pique their interest, ignite their desire and move them to action. The easiest most effective way to do that is by writing winning sales copy.

Keep these ideas in mind the next time you’re working on your Web site or product sales page and incorporate some of the ideas into your own material. I think you’ll find the effort will result in increased traffic, inquiries and sales. It all boils down to writing wisely.