The 5 must-haves on your Sales Page
Ah, sales pages. If you're in the online business space, even just a little bit, you've probably heard of a sales page (it's pretty self-explanatory, right?).
Today, we're talking about 5 things you MUST include on a sales page, no matter which kind it is. If you're selling a product, service, event, course -- whatever, these elements are going to be the no-brainers that you have to have on your page.
When you think of the words "Sales Page", you might envision a long, detailed landing page for a high ticket course, or you might think of a simple product page on your fav online boutique. The fact is, if you're selling anything online, it has a sales page.
In general, the higher-priced or more involved your offering is, the more information you're going to need on your sales page and the more strategy you'll need to involve.
But if you're just getting started, make sure to include these 5 key elements on your sales page below!
What you're selling, and the key transformation your product provides
Ok, so this is a bit of 2-for-1, but it's so important to say this.
Seems obvious, right? Include information about what it is you're selling. It's weirdly obvious that a lot of people completely overlook this one.
What is it that you're actually selling? Basic, I know, but so so important! This is important no matter what you're selling. Products, courses, events, services.
The second part of this is, what does this product actually do for your audience?
If you're selling a simple, physical product, this part may not be as relevant to you, but it still might be! Basically, if you're selling any service, course, or even a product that provides some sort of transformation for your audience, then explain to them what that transformation is.
Are they going to save time? Are they going to learn skills? Are they going to make money? Are they going to impress all of their friends? Are they going to finally be proud of themselves?
Whatever it is that your audience will get from this product, make sure they know it! The combination of what your offer actually is and what it will do for them will meet your audience right where they're at and speak to exactly what they need (or, what they don't! See the notes below on who this is for / who this isn't for)
A breakdown of exactly what's included
So, what's actually included with their purchase? What are they really getting for their money?
Why this is necessary?
In my experience, there are people who will purchase based on minimal information, they see the key transformation they're going to get and that's all they need to hit the buy button.
On the other hand, there are people who like to know every single detail about what they're getting before they hand over their money.
It's good to find a balance to please both of these types of people. Sometimes, I see sales pages that have so much about the transformation but leave me wondering, "but what even is included in this? How does it work? What do I get?"
Alternatively, some sales pages I see lean too much into the exact details of what's included but miss the mark on what all of those things are actually going to help me achieve.
The strategy
So, get specific about what's included. As specific as you can without clogging up your page with too much text.
List out what your customer will tangibly get. Workbooks, Modules, Calls, Coaching, Tutorials. Then, what is included in those? Break it down as far as you can until there's nothing left to break down.
I've also found that the more specific you get on the sales page, the less you get emails with questions, so this is a win-win! (See the FAQ section below, too!)
Who this is and isn't for
I love this section of the sales page. Basically, this part is going to attract exactly who you want, and repel everyone else. Here, you get to essentially choose exactly who you want to purchase your offer, and who you don't want to purchase your offer.
It sounds kinda cut-throat. But there are two reasons that this is genius.
Why this is necessary
Firstly, this is your business. You should be able to do business with, or sell to, whoever you want to.
Secondly, if you are specific about the person you want to sell this product to, that means you are going to get the perfect person to buy the offer, which means that the product is going to be perfectly aligned for them, and they are going to see the best results. It's a win-win for your and your clients.
With that same thinking, we can assume that listing who this product isn't for will help us filter out people that this offer just really won't be able to help. Saving those people from investing (aka saving them money) in something that was never going to be right for them in the first place.
So, cut-throat? Or, just really considerate? I'd say the latter!
The strategy
Consider your offer and who exactly it was made for. If you don't have an ideal client mapped out yet, then I highly recommend figuring that out asap (really, this is something to focus on before you start a business and create an offer!).
If you know who your ideal client is then you should be able to list out key traits in them that make them perfect for your product. Then, think of the opposite person, and use that to help you write out the 'this isn't for you if....'.
For example, if your ideal client is a self-starter, driven and independent, they would be perfect for a course where there is a lot of DIY and self-directed learning. Eg
This course is for you if: You are motivated to learn and will hold yourself accountable to complete the course content in your own time.
A person who you don't want to be included in this course is someone who is the opposite of those traits or expecting something different:
This course isn't for you if: You are looking for lots of accountability, coaching, and 1:1 direction from us.
Aside from just personality traits that make people right for your offer, you can make a more tangible list of things if your product allows for it, too.
Take our Squarespace Sales Page Templates as a basic example:
This product is for you if: You already have a site on Squarespace, or you are planning to build your site on Squarespace.
This product isn't for you if: Your website is hosted on a platform that isn't Squarespace.
Simple, right?
A note of encouragement for this: Including an "is/isn't" list on your sales page may seem like it's going to alienate people, and decrease sales.
It will definitely alienate people. But, this is a good thing!
You only want people to purchase your offer who are the right people. Having the wrong people purchase your offer is only going to end up in disappointment, extra admin, refunds, bad reviews, and just all-around bad vibes.
Sure, if you write a long list of people who shouldn't purchase, you will lose those people and their potential money. But, if you get really specific about the people who you want to buy, you will attract more of these people to purchase.
Really, it evens itself out. You're making the same amount of sales, but the people are better suited for your offer.
Pricing + purchase options
Another no-brainer, right? You'd think so. But pricing + purchasing can be a bit of a conundrum...
Do I even give a price?
What if my prices vary depending on the service?
How should I display pricing?
Which pricing options should I offer?
Ok, so, maybe less of a no-brainer than you thought.
The strategy behind pricing does depend on the type of product you're selling and how expensive it is.
Do I display my pricing?
Always display pricing. Do not make people contact you for a price.
I go into detail on why you should display your pricing here, and why it is a bad move to display no pricing at all. Basically, my rule of thumb is, unless your clients are billionaires, then they likely want to see a price.
What if my prices vary depending on the service?
If you're selling a service that has tailored pricing, I recommend displaying a realistic "starting at" price and then prompt them to contact you for a detailed quote.
This still gives your customer a way to see if this is something that they can afford or not outright, even if it's just in the ballpark.
How should I display pricing?
Make sure your price is visible and clear, and if you're using a super long sales page design, I recommend making sure it's written in multiple areas.
If you're selling something that people can buy instantly off your sales page, make sure to include buy-now buttons alongside your pricing options. The key is to make purchasing your product easy and very accessible!
Which pricing options should I offer?
If your product is a high ticket item, including different pricing tiers or payment plans is a GREAT idea.
Including payment plans for high ticket products and offerings will no doubt increase your overall conversion rate. Lots of people are reluctant to make big purchases at one time, but if they see it broken down into smaller pieces, especially monthly to compare to their monthly income, it makes it much more achievable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Finally, good ole FAQs! ALWAYS include FAQs.
These are lifesavers on a sales page. I look at them as essential information that doesn't really "fit" anywhere else on the page. Often answering questions that customers didn't even know they had in the first place.
If your product is new, you may not even have actual questions being asked just yet, that's fine, make them up!
Consider the questions that might be asked or areas where your audience might get caught up or misunderstand something, and cover this in the FAQs. You can also take prompts from the stuff we covered above (pricing, who is this for, what's included etc) and elaborate on this if you think it will be helpful.
Of course, if you are already getting consistent questions from potential customers, then write these down!
I always keep a running list of questions that people ask. If they get asked more than a few times (aka frequently) or it's something I think is essential to understand the offer, then they get added to the sales page FAQs!
Bonus tip: Good design sells
All of this sales page strategy is incredibly important. You can't really sell anything online without a sales page, and you're going to sell a lot more if you include the simple elements listed above.
But as a designer, I can't skip over the importance of good, strategic design.
You could have all of the strategies in the world, but if you don't include design in that strategy, your sales page isn't going to perform well.
The opposite applies too, pretty design with no strategy will get you nowhere!
Strategic writing and strategic design go hand in hand, and together, they can create a beautiful, compelling, high-converting sales page.
If you are DIYing your sales page, read about why we recommend using Squarespace for your sales page.
And if you really want to make designing your sales page in Squarespace easier, make sure to check out our Squarespace Sales Page Templates. They're strategically designed and give you everything you need to create a sales page that actually sells!
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