You may want to subscribe to my RSS feed if you're new here. Thanks for visiting!

Sometimes it’s a good thing not to believe the hype in headlines and web copy because often they’re full of false promises, exaggerated claims of riches and way too many emotionally charged benefits to count. (I say sometimes because hype in the right places can actually help, but you need to know how to use it).

It’s when you go overboard that the picture changes.

Terry Dean (a great copywriter and and internet marketer of the highest order) wrote this brilliant post on his blog today you really MUST read if you write your own web copy.

Do You Have HyperCopyitis?

 He’s got 3 precautions you need to pay close attention to because they lead to a lasting cure

Popularity: 34% [?]

How do you know if your marketing works if you’re not testing?

Do you casually glance at your website traffic stats, hold a finger in the air and say …yes that headline increased our website sales? Or do you scientifically test one headline against another and synchronize this with the number of orders you get?

To help make sure you’re on the right track here are 6 “hot” tips for successful split testing…

1. Test at least two versions of whatever it is you’re testing, this would be the contol and the variation

The control version is the one that’s getting you the best results so far, the variation is the version you’ve created that you want to have beat the control.

2. Equally test one version against another

You’re looking for each version you’re testing to be exposed to the same environmental factors. In the case of your website this would be making sure each version gets the same amount of website traffic form the same source.

3. Measure the actions of each split test

Now you have equal amounts of traffic going to each version you’re testing how will you determine which is more effective? This is where you need to state clearly the objective you’re aiming for, it might be more subscribers or more sales. Then you need to measure this for each version you’re testing.

4. A big enough sample of results.

It’s no use testing 10 visitors to each versions of you’re testing, I promise this won’t tell you anything of any value. On the other hand if you looked at 300 visitors for each test variation you’ll begin to see a more representative picture as to which version is the winner (which then becomes your control in future tests).

5. You need patience

Testing takes time, if your website doesn’t get much traffic on a regular basis it’ll take longer for you to get the results you’re looking for. On the other hand a high traffic site will get your website testing moving along much quicker, leading you to a high converting website in a fraction of the time.

If traffic is something you need more of recently I launched a traffic course called “Flood Your Site With Traffic” if you don’t have this yet click here to get yourself a copy today.

6. You need to understand the results

This one needs more investigation because sometimes you’ll find yourself in a situation where one version A of a test out performs version B by 5%, yet version B communicates your websites values more effectively. So which version should you choose? Over time you’ll become more experienced at testing and your “gut feeling” will play a significant role in deciding the winners of split test where the results are close.

To get you started with your split testing I recommend you take a close look at using Google’s excellent website optimizer.

Get started with your split testing today:

Google Website Optimizer…
http://services.google.com/websiteoptimizer

Split testing doesn’t stop with regular websites either… you can also split test the headlines and the content of your blog posts using this special WordPress plug-in…
http://websiteoptimizer.contentrobot.com

Here’s a useful online tool that helps you to calculate the effectiveness of your testing…
http://www.splittester.com/index.php

There’s one last thing you’ll come to realize once you’ve been split testing your website for a while… even your best testing is uncertain at best.

Why? Because of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principal which states that we can’t be certain of anything because the very act of looking changes its nature. This is why as Mark Joyner says in his excellent book Mind Control Marketing… “Drawing broad conclusions from your testing can be hazardous to your financial health”.

Popularity: 74% [?]

Headline & Sub-Headline

1. Color your headline red.

The color “red” usually symbolizes urgency or importance. Alternatively, you can use “black” or text with “yellow highlight in the background” if “red” won’t suit your sales copy’s color theme.

However, it is advisable to use “red” as the color of your headline plus this color can be used with almost any theme color suitably.

2. Your headline font must be larger than the standard font used for your sales letter.

The purpose of your headline is to grab your prospect’s attention to read and qualify him or her. Thus it’s important for your headline to stand out from the rest of your standard font.

Usually, the headline font is 1 or 2 times larger than your standard font.

3. Imply a benefit or a summary of your offer in the headline.

And the benefit should often refer to your prospect, not YOU or someone else. Even if you are using another character in the headline, make absolutely sure that it ultimately has to do with your prospect and why or how it could benefit him or her.

Popularity: 13% [?]