What say You, Does Sales Page Hype Still Sell?

[DanoPano]

Hello Fellow Members,

I am going to put a subject out on this forum and ask you all to render an opinion on it. It is a subject that has often caused me to question "Why does the average person buy into sales page hype?"

So, I ask you,

"Is sales hype necessary to sell products and services today?"

Please answer with a "Yes" or "No" and then support it with your experience and if you have facts to back it up...that would be great.

Let me first list a few popular lines we all have read in a sales letter. Here they are:

1. Act now and don't wait, we only have XXX number of widgets available. A month later, you find out they still have the widget available for sale.
   
2. (Product or service) is sold out. Please enter your name and email to get notified once we reopen the program.
3. Special Offer Today Only! Buy now! Same as number one.
   
4. We could easily charge a Ton, as the value of this application is priceless. But we plan to charge just a couple hundred bucks, once we list (Product) on Clickbank, right after this Special Offer expires.
   
5. This is a limited time offer. I don't know how long I can leave the door open on this since we only have room for XXX number of people.

To be sure, there are some deals offered whereby the developer of the program or product or service is limited to the number of subscribers/users, members, he can service...however, most of these reopen after some attrition to the program.

Cheers,
-Dan

 

[Laura61]

My answer would be no, and I say that based on my own experience. Although many people are influenced by hype, there are also a lot of people turned off by it.

I like to think that my own sales page has no hype. The only one I'm "guilty" of from your list is the first part of #4 - I do indicate that my product is worth far more than I'm charging. I feel you don't need hype if the product is truly valuable, so I kept it real and honest.

I took a survey of those who purchased my course, asking them what it was about my sales page that convinced them to buy. Almost every one of them who responded said it was the lack of hype and exaggerated claims that convinced them it (and I) were for real.

So that's why I answer "no" to your question.

 

[Linda Buquet]

I say no. I think most people hate the hype style you see on the average Clickbank or eBook sales page for example.

The only place you can possibly get away with it is in the ebook or get rich quick markets which are not markets I personally would consider anyway. And there only because so many do it, it's sort of expected. Hated still, I think, but sort of the norm.

 

[jcorkern]

Yes, Absolutely, but what someone calls hype is in the eyes of the beholder, so let me explain and qualify my statement.

I am a huge fan of sociology and use it on each and every page that is posted to any site or blog that I have that is pushing any type of product. Humans have certain triggers that are scientifically proven to get a stronger response and major media and marketing programs are loaded with "Hype" but in a more subtle way than you listed, but still hype never the less. You can find the following on the best converting pages in some form or another.

1. Liking: In the auto industry the no 1 reason someone buys a car has nothing to do with the car or the dealership, it is because they "Like" the salesperson. People tend to "like" people who are like or similar to them. This is why demographics are critical. If you are selling menopause supplements, you need a pic of an average middle aged woman using the product and smiling. It's still hype, but just more relaxed.

2. Social Proof: This is just easier to show than explain.
[video=youtube_share;nSYUueIFMZE]http://youtu.be/nSYUueIFMZE[/video]

Showing a crowd of people using your product helps show that it is "Normal" to like, use or buy the product. It is a built in safety feature for humans to make decisions. One does it, then two, then the crowd comes running. So "everybody is doing it" is what makes more "Fads" popular.

3. Authority: See all the commercials with Doctors (or Doctor actors) endorsing products? May want to read up on the milgram experiment, it is a powerful hype, even though abused by many.

4. Social Conformity: Ever been to a concert that sucked, but a couple of people clapped, and kept clapping? Soon more and more join in until almost everyone was clapping and may have even led to a standing ovation? Why does game shows use canned laughter or applause lights for the studio audience? Because it works, that's why.

5. Scarcity: Yes, that limited time claim works, test have proven that it has in copywriting. The reason people still use it is because it works more then not. I have tested all of these "Hype" methods many times myself and without fail they beat the content without it.

6. Consistency: Consistency is a common trait among all men, women, and children across the world. They are based on our beliefs, which dictate our actions. The value of it to a marketer and writer is that it is easy to lock someone into consistency and push them towards the desired action if you have written your content to that demographic and it is hard to miss actually.

Salesmen and women use it on a daily basis by asking a series of loaded questions and is mostly used as a trap to close the deal. If you have already openly stated that you believe science is the future of the world and that technology is the vehicle that will propel that science to where it needs to go, then it is very easy to get you to donate to that cause. But, why?

No one likes to backtrack on our word and no one wants to be embarrassed in public or in person and look like a liar. In politics they call it "flip flopping". We are supposed to stand by our convictions.

Most studies show that between 30% and 70% depending on the methods used will stay consistent no matter what it cost them.

Yes, Hype works and you can see each of the "Hypes" on any infomercial you will see online or just about any pitch page in one form or another. I do it a lot softer than the blatant in your face stuff stuff so it doesn't look as gaudy, but I use each and every trick i can to get top conversion rates.

But yes, it absolutely works and is backed by science, it's not opinion, it is fact based.

One of the copywriters for home shopping network added one simple line to the script of tried and true and broke every sales record that the network ever had, it was the following line: "If the lines are busy, please keep calling". The power of that one line added to already powerful scripts made monumental jumps in sales. this is just one example from real life experiences.

If you look at the "Hype" that you are talking about, you can easily identify these 6 factors in each and every sales page in one form or another.

Ignore these and you are absolutely losing sales.

 

[djbaxter]

jcorkern makes some good points.

I do agree with Laura and Linda that my reaction to hype is to walk away. It turns me off and makes me feel that I'm being snowed.

But that reaction happens when it looks and feels like hype. Some of those same factors work frequently with me when I don't feel like I'm being hyped or snowed. This applies particularly to #1, #3, and #5. If it's something I need or really want and I'm faced with an apparent shortage or pending price increase, as long as it looks and feels honest, I'll bite.

This week that's happened to me twice.

 

[affHMA]

There is never one rule that applies to all in affiliate marketing.

It depends on your audience and product, in some cases i've seen the brash hype method work really well and in others it just hampers the brand more than anything.

 

[Disciple67]

Hell, you might as well ask why do people keep re-electing the same people back into political office?? (Um, no, I'm not saying anything about any particular candidates; really I'm not!)

There was an article in the news this past summer about researchers theorizing why Nigerian E-Mail Scammers use such obviously scammy methods -- or "hype," if you will, that scream "SCAM!!!!!" to the overwhelming vast majority of people...and you know what they figured?

The scammers were pre-selecting their targets. Only the most gullible would bother responding -- it was their equivalent of "honk if you're a moron" (only in their case it's "reply if you're a sucker") -- and that made their job easier; it made the follow-up pitch much easier...I think sales hype kind of copy to be just that, a pre-selection process whereby only the most likely buyers are targeted....

I used to think logical argument was the way to go, but now I know it's all about the sizzle, not the steak, as they say in advertising!