You have talent, you spent along time on it and you have experience in the field. I doubt getting all that into a concise package would be anything but worth it.

You have talent, you spent along time on it and you have experience in the field. I doubt getting all that into a concise package would be anything but worth it.

I teach college literature in my day job, so I'm not opposed to paying a premium for what I perceive as valuable–as someone mentioned on Brogan's blog, textbooks tend not be cheap.

All that to say, I may be comparing apples and oranges here, and if your marketing strategy is successful for your dominant audience, then obviously it works. As a teacher of writing, I pound my students about audience and the need to shape their work to the expectations of their readers–and that's what you've done with your marketing piece.

Having said that, I am also part of your target audience–though whether I'm in that dominant part or not remains to be seen. I'm a blogger who wants to grow his blog and “build an empire” of teaching, books, and other materials in which my blog plays a part.

To your questions: I understand what you are saying about whether changing the format of your materials would win more sales. I guess that's something you'll have to experiment with. I will say that had your sales material had a different format–i.e., one I was more familiar/comfortable with–I would have spent more time on the site without the draw of Brogan's endorsement.

I love the image at the top of the sales page–it starts off really slick and in a way that I could relate to–much like some of those book sites I mentioned. It's when I scrolled down and saw the blocks of text interrupted every so often by “add to cart” buttons (or whatever they said) that I thought, “Beware!” I wanted to see an image of the product (even if it is virtual), an overview, and the price prominently displayed, with links to more details, reviews, and the sample. The sample, btw, is very attractive and goes a long way toward making your sale–I would move that sample link up much higher. When I went back the second time to get the sample, it took me a while to find the link.

The other thing I would look for is more easily accessible info about you and your co-author. Yes, it's the bloggers you interviewed that are the (initial) draw, but I think most readers want to know about the people/personalities behind the project. I can't get to info about you until I go the very bottom of the sales pitch. And as I said in my previous comment, I'm glad I followed the link, because visiting your site and getting a sense of Nathan Hangen makes me much more comfortable with purchasing the product. Seeing your site and your face and reading your posts lets me know that this is a real deal and the guarantee will be honored (aside from any endorsement from CB or trust I have in him).

One of the things I've read a lot this year in many places is that social media needs to emphasize the “social”–the people/relational part–over the product, and I think that's very true. Your site here does a great job of doing that–I know that you have products to sell me, but I get the sense that you are interested in building a community as well. The sales page is missing the social/relational appeal–it's all about the product and the sale. Back to my friend with the sales pitch that I mentioned above: during that sales pitch, I wasn’t his friend; I was a prospect with money. I don't want to be a prospect. I want to be a person who is communicated with honestly and openly.

Thanks for stopping by and for commenting.

We used long copy because it's what I've been taught, it's what I know that works. I haven't experimented enough with what you're recommending, which is why we didn't go that route in this case.

However, we're looking into a new format…in fact we're looking into a lead in that allows people to pick a short or a long version.

Let me ask you, as someone that feels this way about the sales page, had you not purchased (or planned to purchase because of it), would you be willing to give it another shot if we made changes?

The reason I ask this is because there are some people, I suspect, that might simply find another reason not to buy, or might look down on us for changing. What does it take to earn a 2nd chance? We want to earn one.

Another reason we went that way is because most of our audience doesn't know us, and even though CB recommended us, many still don't trust us. I'm OK with that…I realize I have to earn trust…but if you don't trust me and you see a simple page for a $47 book, are you going to pull the trigger? What if there aren't any reviews yet?

These are all the things we struggled with, and are still struggling with. Just when you think you have everything figured out…you realize you don't at all

I'll start by moving the price up, but would love to hear back.

I'm with Jordan on the feel of the sales page–there's a WP plugin creator that requires a signup to use his plugins, and he markets various materials, and all his marketing materials take the same format: single, very long page, etc. It’s a huge turn-off to me.

I guess I'm wondering why something like Beyond Blogging can't be marketed like new print books. It's pretty common to see a web site for a new release that offers an overview on the home page, then links to pages with reviews, a sample chapter, etc. Those sites say “quality” to me in a way that your page does not (not to say your book isn't quality–just giving you my impression of the sales page).

In thinking some more about this, I realized what the difference is between the site for a print book and the typical marketing sales page. A book site as I described above typically lets the content speak for itself–there are very few promises about what the book will do for the reader, and there's no hard sell. I think what turns me (and others) off with the marketing pitch are promises and hype. I'm suspicious of anything or anyone that delays giving me the price; I once had a good friend pitch some financial services to me, and he refused to tell me the cost until he finished the pitch–I sat through it only because I valued his friendship; if it had been anyone else, I would have ended it right there with a “if you can't tell me the price up front, then this is over.” At least with the web page, as you said yourself, we can scroll to the bottom and get the price.

I will buy the book because it looks really useful, and the 30-day guarantee makes it more appealing. And again, I appreciate your honesty in your post here–it's insightful for me to read your thoughts and to think as well about how I respond to various types of marketing.