Brent Hodgson writes sales copy that converts. Seriously converts. In part 1 of a two-part interview we did with Brent (there was just so much to cover) we dig deep on how to write sales copy that actually gets your prospects to sit up and take action:

When we talk about "copy", what are we talking about, and why do business owners need it?

What are the big problems business owners face when writing copy?

So, where do you start? (Copy isn't hard - but there are 4 big mistakes business owners make in their copy).

3 Keys to Good Copy.

The first 3-steps of 7 to writing great sales copy.

Small Business Big Marketing – Links & Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Flying Solo - Australia's largest community of soloprenuers.

Zentester - Brent's website testing tool

Leave a review on Small Business Big Marketing in iTunes.

And here's Brent's 7-step process on how to write sales copy. Seriously good, high-converting sales copy.

Writing Sales Copy

This is the process Brent Hodgson from ZenTester uses to write sales and marketing copy.

It’s an effective step-by-step process for any type of copy - although you will need to cut down the end output to suit your needs.

1. Bullets

The best place to start writing copy is by working out what you’re selling.

Start by listing every feature about your product or service on 3x5 index cards. (You can buy index cards at most newsagencies.)

Example:

If you're selling golf clubs, a feature of one of your golf clubs might be the perfectly weighted alloy head.

By the time you’ve finished writing down the features of your product, you might find you have several hundred features. This is great! Perhaps for the first time, you can see a list of the “things” that people want to buy inside your product or service.

The next step is to work out what is special about each one of these “things” - or what the benefit is of each of these features.

Example:

Using the example feature of the perfectly weighted golf club head, the benefits for this feature might be more distance, more accuracy, more power and less strain in your swing.

If you're a financial planner, one of overlooked features of your service is that you are subject to Continuing Professional Development, that all financial planners must undertake. Some of the benefits of this might be that the customer can have confidence your skills are up to date, you are aware of the latest risks and opportunities in the market, and you will invest their money wisely.

When you’re done, you’ll have something that you can easily turn into a feature-benefit bullet point.

Example: All pastries are baked fresh on the premises daily - meaning they're even warmer and sweeter with the first bite. 24 hour monitoring of your alarm system - so your family, and belongings, are secure from intruders - even when you can't be there to protect them yourself

These bullet points will form the meat of your marketing sandwich.

2. Problems

This is where we put pen to paper and write the introduction to your sales copy.

Look over the list of bullet points you’ve created, and pick the BIG benefits - the big reasons why customers pick your product over alternatives.

Then flip that benefit into a pain point.

Example:

If people buy from you more often because you're more reputable than your competitors, it's because of fear, uncertainty and doubt about your competitors.

If people are buying your $1,000 coffee machine, instead of going to Starbucks, the local latte shop, or buying a $200 coffee machine, then it's likely that they want to avoid the pain of getting bad coffee, the cost of buying coffee from coffee shops, and the hassle of going out to get coffee (when some benefits of your coffee machine might be the convenience of getting high quality coffee at home).

Brent Hodgson writes sales copy that converts. Seriously converts. In part 1 of a two-part interview we did with Brent (there was just so much to cover) we dig deep on how to write sales copy that actually gets your prospects to sit up and take action:
When we talk about "copy", what are we talking about, and why do business owners need it? 
What are the big problems business owners face when writing copy? 
So, where do you start? (Copy isn't hard - but there are 4 big mistakes business owners make in their copy). 
3 Keys to Good Copy. 
The first 3-steps of 7 to writing great sales copy.
Small Business Big Marketing – Links & Resources Mentioned In This Episode 
Flying Solo - Australia's largest community of soloprenuers.
Zentester - Brent's website testing tool
Leave a review on Small Business Big Marketing in iTunes.
And here's Brent's 7-step process on how to write sales copy. Seriously good, high-converting sales copy. 
Writing Sales Copy 
This is the process Brent Hodgson from ZenTester uses to write sales and marketing copy.
It’s an effective step-by-step process for any type of copy - although you will need to cut down the end output to suit your needs. 
1. Bullets 
The best place to start writing copy is by working out what you’re selling.
Start by listing every feature about your product or service on 3x5 index cards. (You can buy index cards at most newsagencies.) 
Example:
If you're selling golf clubs, a feature of one of your golf clubs might be the perfectly weighted alloy head. 
By the time you’ve finished writing down the features of your product, you might find you have several hundred features. This is great! Perhaps for the first time, you can see a list of the “things” that people want to buy inside your product or service.
The next step is to work out what is special about each one of these “things” - or what the benefit is of each of these features. 
Example:
Using the example feature of the perfectly weighted golf club head, the benefits for this feature might be more distance, more accuracy, more power and less strain in your swing.
If you're a financial planner, one of overlooked features of your service is that you are subject to Continuing Professional Development, that all financial planners must undertake. Some of the benefits of this might be that the customer can have confidence your skills are up to date, you are aware of the latest risks and opportunities in the market, and you will invest their money wisely. 
When you’re done, you’ll have something that you can easily turn into a feature-benefit bullet point. 
Example: All pastries are baked fresh on the premises daily - meaning they're even warmer and sweeter with the first bite. 24 hour monitoring of your alarm system - so your family, and belongings, are secure from intruders - even when you can't be there to protect them yourself 
These bullet points will form the meat of your marketing sandwich. 
2. Problems 
This is where we put pen to paper and write the introduction to your sales copy.
Look over the list of bullet points you’ve created, and pick the BIG benefits - the big reasons why customers pick your product over alternatives.
Then flip that benefit into a pain point. 
Example:
If people buy from you more often because you're more reputable than your competitors, it's because of fear, uncertainty and doubt about your competitors.
If people are buying your $1,000 coffee machine, instead of going to Starbucks, the local latte shop, or buying a $200 coffee machine, then it's likely that they want to avoid the pain of getting bad coffee, the cost of buying coffee from coffee shops, and the hassle of going out to get coffee (when some benefits of your coffee machine might be the convenience of getting high quality coffee at home).

The most innovative people in the world of small business go one-on-one each week with marketing expert Tim Reid. In this award winning podcast; business owners share where their original business idea came from, how they got it to market and the strategies they used that led to their business’s unprecedented growth. Host Timbo Reid’s curiosity for what makes business owners tick and his passion for small business success means that every episode is chock full of marketing gold that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be. 

For more episodes download the free LiSTNR app

www.SmallBusinessBigMarketing.com | Tim Reid chats with amazing business owners and marketers.

The Small Business Big Marketing Podcast with Timbo Reid

The most innovative people in the world of small business go one-on-one each week with marketing expert Tim Reid. In this award winning podcast; business owners share where their original business idea came from, how they got it to market and the strategies they used that led to their business’s unprecedented growth. Host Timbo Reid’s curiosity for what makes business owners tick and his passion for small business success means that every episode is chock full of marketing gold that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be.

The most innovative people in the world of small business go one-on-one each week with marketing expert Tim Reid. In this award winning podcast; business owners share where their original business idea came from, how they got it to market and the strategies they used that led to their business’s unprecedented growth. Host Timbo Reid’s curiosity for what makes business owners tick and his passion for small business success means that every episode is chock full of marketing gold that will help you build that beautiful business of yours into the empire it deserves to be.

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