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Heck. Who’s denying that when you write a blog review about a certain product, you are not doing it for the money? Only financial cynics will deter you from generating income by turning your blog into a sales page. Nonetheless, it’s no reason why you shouldn’t hear them out. Some of them just wanted to bring back the good all days of blogging when information is still reliable. So even if you are blogging to sell out, don’t try to do so. Write a blog, not a sales letter.
So What’s the Big Difference?
When you come to think about it, a blog that sells a product is essentially a sales letter. But why make a blog to sell if you already have a sales page with your own domain name? That’s because blogging is a whole different strategy in all aspects compared to selling with a sales letter.
For one, sales letter is a long content with tons of highlighted text and exaggerated wordings. It is published in a single webpage with no page break, tabs or links whatsoever. I know you have already seen one of these badly written contents that online entrepreneurs are expecting to sell. In fact, they actually sell sometimes, but more often than not, readers are easily turned off by such a sloppy way of presenting a product.
Imagine this: humongous headings, bolded texts of varying degrees, eye-straining font color and exaggerated punctuation-all the works to grab the customer’s attention! This is what you are able to trim down when you write your sales copy in a blog. Instead of huge headings, you simply type them in boldface, instead of highlighting, you indent or increase the size by at most, two notches, instead of exaggerating claims, you explain further.
You can do all these with blogs because they are dynamic and yet easy to use. Most entrepreneurs who do their own sales page have barely gotten passed through basic HTML. With blogging, you don’t need to exert too much effort with layout.
Strategy
Now let’s talk about the distinction between the two in terms of strategy. Sales letter are published on a single page because it aims to get the customer buying immediately after reading a bunch of generic copy. Blogging, on the other hand, provides several counts of exposition regarding the product to guide potential customers into buying. It is safe to say that sales letter is a desperate attempt to get instant sale whereas blogging is doing it in a more subtle manner.
However, such an attempt made through a sales letter is becoming more and more obsolete nowadays. Consumers are becoming smarter than ever and that also means that they are more difficult to please. Many readers who are bombarded with an article that exposes a dire need to sell become skeptic about the legitimacy of the product. The initial impression is that this seller is just doing all these talk to get me into buying but he/she was not able to explain to me how exactly the product works. The conclusion? Most probably, it doesn’t.
A sales letter is full of claims that are too good to be true. A blog, on the other hand, is a space where you can talk directly to potential customers about what they can get from the product. This is because as a seller, you give your customer a leeway and a time to think things over before buying. This strategy is more credible compared to the abrupt moves that are common in sales letter.
It is not easy to get the trust of consumers and that’s exactly what you’re trying to build up in a blog. People listen more to ordinary people. If you project yourself as an entrepreneur selling a dishwasher, your target niche might think that you are telling them about all those features because you wanted to sell. It’s a totally different reaction if you have an actual work-at-home mom to tell them how the dishwasher helped her juggle between household chores and career. It’s true that most blog readers are aware that a blogger who blogs about a product might have been earning something from it. But still, when you have a housewife narrating real life experience, readers become more interested.
Feedback
Sales letter do have user testimonials written all over it but isn’t it too easy to fake them? With blogs you get to receive comments instantly. Users and potential customers can interact and discuss on the product right then and there. As an entrepreneur, you immediately get feedbacks and testimonials to help new customers decide on buying.
In the end, the sales strategy to use still depends on your desired outcome. If you want to risk with a sales letter that can possibly provide immediate sales, then do so. Opt for a blog if what you need is to develop trust between your company and the consumers so that every product that you sell will create a good reputation for you.
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Sales letters are funny to read sometimes. I agree that a blog is a much better way to build trust between you and your customers and provide a better format for feedback than a simple sales letter page could ever provide.
Keep the discussion open, and be transparent — and your customers will trust you, simple as that. If you come off as a car salesmen, you’re in big trouble.
Jeremiahs last blog post..Build Traffic For Your Blog by Commenting on Other Blogs
Exactly my point Jeremiah. Internet users are become more and more cleaver these days!
@ jeremiah You are right I am agree with you about this matter. Blog and tweeter are the best platform for discussion and feedback.
The difference between a sales page and a blog, is that the first one doesn’t have a face to look at. You can’t really know who’s behind it, what’s the background of this person like or what does he really think of the product he’s trying to sell.
Blogs, on the other hand, often give you the opportunity to get in touch with the guy who wrote the product review. You can get to know the guy and tell if he can be trusted or not. This simple little fact makes blogs more reliable than sales page.
Héctor | Blogging for Bloggerss last blog post..What Does It Takes To Be A Good Blogger?
Exactly Hector, and not to mention internet users now days are becoming more and more cleaver. To get them give you their money you first need to get their trust!
Thanks for clear this point. I will mind it in future.
Hey Salwa,
I agree with you on this. I’m so sick of the over-hyped sales letter format.
Blogs are a great way to connect with people. It generated “warm leads” which is a great way of saying they’re primed to buy because they already trust you a little.
It’s just a matter of time before consumers wise up to the long type sales letter and it dies.
The reasoning for the long sales letter page I hear all the time is “it just works”. Sure it’s good for conversions, but I don’t care if it “just works”. There are better, more genuine ways of promoting ones self and products IMHO.
Cheers,
Josh
Joshs last blog post..How To Promote Your Blog Using Twitter
Very true Josh. I suppose it all comes down to if you want to risk and get immediate sales or a blog if you want to develop trust between your company and the consumers.
Thanks for your rocking comment!
Well blogs for is just like a diary. Sharing something what you did and some crazy stuff that you want anybody to know.
About the sales letter, its much more about products, products, and products.
i don’t know much about those two…nice post, thanks.
Hi Mike,
You welcome, I will write more posts in the future about these two. Selling with a blog and selling with a sales letter so stay tuned!
Great rundown.
I liked how you distilled the two. There are good strategies to cannibalize from either of the approaches. Well said – it all depends on the outcome.
Good stuff.
Alik Levin | PracticeThis.coms last blog post..You Are 95 And You Are Dying
Alik Levin,
Welcome to blogriffic. Glad you liked my post and thanks for your comment, much appreciated!
Hi Salwa,
I think the long sales letter will continue to exists since statistics shows that they work well. But I have seen a decrease in effectiveness most due to what you said the prospects are getting more aware or maybe scare of scams and they do not buy so easily like in the past. That´s why blogs are great to compliment the sales letter by doing a pre-sell in the blog and allow prospects to trust you and ultimately “Buy You” before they are ready to open their beautiful wallets and help you with your personal problems (mean giving you money).
This way when they buy they trust they can find help with any issue of their purchase since you will be there to answer their questions and really help them.
Luis
Luiss last blog post..How To Do A Niche Research In 4 Quick Steps
Hi Luis,
Yeah we will still continue to see more sales letter but since consumers are becoming more cleaver in this all internet marketing hype and all types of scams that are out there, it won’t be so easy to sell with a sales letter and eventually even dies altogether. I guess only time will tell.
Thanks for your comment.
Great article. I personally think that you can get some honest reviews on a particular product through blogs. Furthermore, if other people have used that product before, I am sure they will put in a positive or negative comment about that product as well.
Lithiumminds last blog post..Turning Your Writing Gene Into Money
Lithiummind,
Yes and comments really help because it allows you to receive comments instantly. Users and potential customers can interact and discuss on the product.
Thanks for taking time to comment.
Yeah, you’re right, Salwa. Blog posts must be differ from sales letter. There are strategies if you want to promote any products through blog. Readers don’t want to read a sales promotion, they want to read your blog. So don’t make it directly.
Some blogs tend to tend put the sales letter for their posts. This will bring bad impact such as losing readers or traffic. Blog post must be simple and easy to understand and if you want to promote something through your blog, avoid the long sales letter and the complicated words.
Alone,
I personally hate blogs that all they do is throwing sales pitch, no real content no nothing! Not good!
Thanks for your comment.
I would say a sales letter is not updated. Once you set up a sales letter than you have nothing to update in it. But good thinking. Some of the things in the above post can be agreed
Harish | Blogging Kids last blog post..32 Things To Do For Bloggers
Harish,
Yeah no updates but just remember that today consumers are hard to please
Thanks for your comment.
Also all blog posts are archived; it’s not difficult to make sales months or years down the road from that one post…..plus it’s real easy to click delete on a post if said product is no longer for sale.
Dennis Edells last blog post..12 Tips To Increase Sales On Your E-commerce Website
Very true Dennis, another more reason why a blog is better
Your right.This is blog not a letter.
Bradley Nordstroms last blog post..A JAPANESE AWESOME RESTAURUNT
Thanks for your comment Bradley.
I would pick up a blog anyday because once you have the trust with the readers, half the work is done there.
fass last blog post..How To Advertize Your Business Online
My point exactly!
Well i think in this era blog are more pro than sales letters + there is the interaction session in blogs that we should not forget. Sales letters sorta of misuse of resources
Priscus,
Yup and true speaking, most sales letters are just annoying!
I totally agree with you. I usually not read blog that write sales letter. Just blog =)
blinkkys last blog post..Three Tools That I need For Blogging
Hi Blinkky, thanks for stopping by!
I guess any blog that’s interesting to read will keep me coming back whether its got sales pitches or not.
Jannie Funsters last blog post..“Sugar Lady” Video
Hi Jannie,
Yeah if a blogger provide great interesting content and other cool stuff and not just sales pitches than it’s alright.
Great post Salwa. Apparently most bloggers tend to be wrong in pitching too much about their product in their own blog. Really the strategies for a blog and a sales page is way way far from each other.
Melvins last blog post..How ‘Not’ to Have a Successful a Guest Post
Hi Melvin,
Yup, way way too far infact!
I think that, after a while, readers who visit lots of blogs can tell the difference between a site that is telling their honest opinion about a product vs. writing a sales letter just to promote a product. Telling the good and the bad sides honestly, like instead of saying that something will make things easier when in fact, they still require work, will gain a readers trust, as opposed to making it sound to good to be true, and then the reader being disappointed in the end.
~ Kristi
Sorry Salwa, but I disagree with you. I believe that sales letters are here to stay.
It does not manner whether we want to make immediate sales, or develop trust first then sell subtly. Blogs and Sales letters serve two different functions, though related. When we look at the whole sales process, a blog does the “pre-selling” to the prospect (providing facts, features and information), while the sales letter does the actual “conversion” from prospect to customer (by focusing on benefits, the offer and call-to-action).
Before blogs appeared, sales letters have to do the pre-selling AND the selling in one shot (that’s why you have ultra-long sales letters). Now, the blogs can take care of the pre-sell, but the actual sales “close” still has to be done by the sales letters. No sales “close”, no sales.
Just look at the promotions for the Social Media Success Summit. All the A-list bloggers who were speaking at the event promoted it at their blogs, but they did not sell the tickets directly at their blogs. They directed readers (after they had pre-sold them at their blogs) to the sales letter at http://www.socialmediasummit09.com for it to do the actual sales “close”.
If blogging can do the job of selling, then expert copyblogger Brian Clark himself would stop promoting the use of sales letters. Yaro Starak would have done the same. But both of them still stick with sales letters.
At the end of the day, blogs and sales letters work hand-in-hand. Neither one will replace the other.
Charless last blog post..How to Win Friends and Influence People through Disagreements
Sweet blog. I never know what I am going to come across next. I think you should do more posting as you have some pretty intelligent stuff to say.
I’ll be watching you .
This will bring bad impact such as losing readers or traffic. Blog post must be simple and easy to understand and if you want to promote something through your blog, avoid the long sales letter and the complicated words.
A sales letter is full of claims that are too good to be true. A blog, on the other hand, is a space where you can talk directly to potential customers about what they can get from the product.
I’ve seen a lot of sales letter and i find them pretty boring. I like blog better, specially you can be creative on it like those advertisements.
Yeah that true but Many people Use like a Money Bank or Sale Advertising
.-= Tej Kohli´s last blog ..mrtejkohli- Sri Lanka 425India 270-4 611 ovIndia trail by 155 runs with 6 wickets remaining in the 1st innings =-.
I think that, after a while, readers who visit lots of blogs can tell the difference between a site that is telling their honest opinion about a product vs. writing a sales letter just to promote a product.
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istanbul toursc´s last [type] ..Istanbul 2010 Tours
This is a great article. many people abuse their blog just to make money and maybe they do make some money, but the truth is if they made a blog that was interesting helpful and informative they would probably make more money. If your readers see integrity in you they are more likely to try your recommendations.