18 Point Checklist To Improve Your Conversions

Ahhhh, the promise of a guaranteed winner.

Wouldn't it be nice to know with 100% certainty that your marketing would bring you maximum return every time you ran it?

While there is no guaranteed formula that ensures 100% success in your marketing efforts, there ARE simple steps you should follow.

Here is a simplified template you can use to evaluate your ads, sales letters, emails and web pages. This will at least tell you the areas you can improve on – from there - the testing of the right message to the right market will tell you everything else you need to know.

Rank each of the following on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being weak in this area – 10 being the strongest possible)

Headline

(Does your headline work to compel readership? Does it share a startling fact or claim? Does it intrigue you to read further? Is it newsworthy?)

Headline Design

(Reading it out loud, does it flow? Are the line breaks in the right places?)

Promise/Curiosity

(strong or weak? If you WERE your ideal buyer - which you usually aren't – would the promise force you to read every word of your ad? Would it make you get up off the couch to find your reading glasses to make sure you don't miss anything? Would you give up watching your favorite tv show to read the ad?)

Subhead

(Does it follow logically from the headline? Does it further the intrigue to continue reading? Do you use subheads throughout the body copy as well?)

Opening Paragraph

(Does it suck you in to read the first line? The second? Would it make for a good one-on-one sales script when standing toe to toe with a prospect?)

Offer

(Is it crystal clear what you are offering? Does it tell them what's in it for them to invest their time reading your ad or letter?)

Advantages

(Do you offer strong benefits? Are there a large number of them? Are they creative and not obvious to the majority?)

Positive, believable language

(Does it read enthusiastically? Is it believable and not promising something that no sane person who believe? Positive language?)

Your egometer

(Count the mention of ‘I' versus ‘You' – if there are more ‘I's than ‘You's then rework it. You should aim for 95% mention of ‘You')

Readability

(Do you use short, simple words and sentences? Are they easy to read? Could a grade 5 student read your ad without stumbling? Have you used the Readability score in Microsoft word to determine what grade level you have written to? Aim for grade 6 or 7 readability level)

Structure

(Is it pleasing to the eye? Lots of subheads used throughout the text to break it up?)

Personalized

(Could it easily pass for a personal letter from you to them? Would they believe it is a personal letter? Or does it look like the typical cold commercial ads you see everywhere?)

Complimentary grabbers

(Do you use photos with captions? Bizarre and unusual graphics or cartoons? Screen shots? Sidebars with testimonials or short stories?)

Proof

(Do you show ample amounts of proof that you deliver? Use testimonials with strong benefits they received from using your product or service? Use their full name with no initials?)

Close

(Do you ask for the order? Do you give them compelling reasons why they need to order now? Do you compare the difference you will make in their life if they DO order – compared to if they DON'T order and their life stays the same as it was before?)

PS

(Is your PS strong enough to compel them to read further if they scanned straight to the PS? Does it summarize the main offer and/or announce a surprising new bonus? Could the PS be used as the text in a small display or classified ad?)

Line length

(Doe you keep the number of lines per paragraph under 7? Or do your paragraphs read like a textbook? Keep them short. Do you mix in one line – even one word paragraphs?)

Your total score can be a maximum of 180 points. This is a guideline to show you simple things you may have missed – or that could be improved upon before testing your marketing materials. The higher the number, the more likely the ad will work.

That said, there is no fail-proof formula to an advertisement or sales page – it is completely up to your testing.

If they buy from your offer (assuming you are targeting the right people) – then you now have a control piece you can test against and try and improve. If they don't buy from it – back to the drawing board to find out why.

Hope this helps.