Do "Advertorials" Work? So Far, Yes...
While many of you may not know it, in addition to running The Shareware Junction Network and Liquid Mirror Software, I'm also a certified clinical hypnotherapist with a small practice and author of the best-selling book, Learn Hypnosis... Now!
After recently finishing the book, Web Copy That Sells: The Revolutionary Formula for Creating Killer Copy Every Time, I decided to experiment a little and revamp the website at www.learnhypnosisnow.com.
In the book, Maria Veloso's first rule is: Don't make your website look like an ad. She claims that by making your site look like an ad, billboard or brochure, you're simply blending in with the 5000+ advertising messages that the average person sees in one day. She stresses that people really go online for information - even if they're shopping - and that is what we should give them. She gives many examples of editorial-style headlines and teaches how to write body copy. I have to admit, I was skeptical, but the diversity of my product lines allows me to experiment pretty freely with any individual product, so I gave it a shot.
Essentially, what Maria teaches is:
- Identify the problem.
- Find out why it hasn't been solved.
- Determine what is possible.
- Give them some hope.
- Tell them what to do next.
In my case, the problem is, there are a lot of slimebags out there making wild claims about hypnosis and not delivering the facts. People don't know who to trust, and they don't know where to go to quench their curiosity. What is possible is that anybody can learn hypnosis. The hope I give them is in telling them that there are reputable resources that can teach them how to hypnotize themselves and others. Then, I tell them what to do (buy my book, because it solves all the problems described in the editorial)
Here is the original page:
http://www.learnhypnosisnow.com/default-newest.asp
Here is the new "advertorial" style page:
http://www.learnhypnosisnow.com/
One of her instructions is to remove every "buy now" link on the page, except the one at the end of the article. According to her book, if people smell an ad before it's time, your success rate goes right down the tubes.
The results? A solid, steady 420% increase in sales since May 1st. I was initially skeptical, but frankly, I'm blown away. I'll be trying this for one or two of my software titles, next and will report the results when I have them.
