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Sales page to warm audience has a 1% conversion... how can I improve?

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StrikingViper69

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Hey Fastlane Forumers,
I was hoping that someone with a bit of online copywriting / sales experience could help me out with this.

I have a warm audience opting in to my email list, receiving a couple of free songs, and then receiving an offer to buy a CD and T Shirt. The sales page is here:

Only about 1% of the warm audience are buying. I get great feedback from people who receive the free songs, but getting people to take the step from enjoying the music to buying it is proving tricky.

I've tried to include a story, previews, social proof and a guarantee on the sales page.

Is there anything you think I've missed that I should be including, or that I could add to the page to improve it? Or is there something on the page that looks confusing?

Any help will be swiftly implemented!

Sam

(after reading the page I realise there are no photos of me.. so I should probably add that on).
 
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broswoodwork

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Can you slap another buy now button right under the first picture (or even higher up), and at a few other key points heading down the page?
 

Sheens

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You are likely to get some amazing answers from our wordsmithing and design experts here! I'm not one of them : )

My own brutal opinion is a lot fewer words.

If they only scan this site, does it intrigue and remain easy to understand?

A 'buy button' in the top right corner. We are programmed to watch for this and respond to it!
 

broswoodwork

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You are likely to get some amazing answers from our wordsmithing and design experts here! I'm not one of them : )

My own brutal opinion is a lot fewer words.

If they only scan this site, does it intrigue and remain easy to understand?

A 'buy button' in the top right corner. We are programmed to watch for this and respond to it!
I agree with the too many words part as well.

Music is emotional and visceral. A few exciting words, a video sample, and a buy now button. Punch them right in the face with how the offer improves their lives, and let the most motivated buy right away; then, let the copy keep rolling for those who need more info with strategic buy now's along the route.

Check out @Kung Fu Steve 's marketplace ad. The copy is like textbook perfect.
 
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StrikingViper69

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Thanks for the advice @broswoodwork and @Sheens - I added some more buttons so people can buy quicker.

I get what you're saying with there being a lot of text... I've had other people say that too. However, when testing my opt in page, I had a lot of text... and more text always beat less text... even for signing up to download a song. I know... it seems silly... but it seems to work - so I'm inclined to leave the long text on the page for now!

I'll checkout @Kung Fu Steve 's ad!

Edit: Have you guys run tests and found that shorter copy converts better than longer copy?
 
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Kybalion

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Have you tested putting a video sales letter on the top?

You could use the copy from ''Making The Album... Creating a Dream'' to tell your story on a video.

Here is why I am proposing this - some of your listeners might see a wall of text and would not bother to even read it. But if you tape yourself telling a short story about your stuff with a call-to-action at the end, then I believe you can greatly improve the conversions by capturing the leads who dislike reading.

The Clickfunnels guy Brussel Ranson (or whatever his name was) has published a test, which shows that VSL on top of copy outcompetes just text by more than 50-80% if done right. Long-form copy is awesome, but video beats text every time. The combination of both works best in most cases.

As others already mentioned make sure that ''buy now button'' is visible immediately as the prospect opens your page, otherwise, some of them might not even bother to scroll down, since there is a bunch of blank space below the text.
 

Kybalion

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People don’t buy CDs anymore. Why would you expect them to buy yours?
He has 1% conversion rate... if people don't buy CDs anymore...are you proposing that aliens are involved?
 

broswoodwork

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Edit: Have you guys run tests and found that shorter copy converts better than longer copy?
I sell furniture, so it's highly visual after the item title/ headline. I'm lucky if I can even get them to read the copy most times, before clicking the "ask a question" button.

I still throw everything and the kitchen sink into the copy for people who want the whole picture.

Disclosure: I'm not even remotely an expert on copy. Read a few books, and my stuff sells, but I'm very much a newbie.
 

broswoodwork

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People don’t buy CDs anymore. How can you expect them to buy yours?
This does raise an interesting point...

I don't even have a CD player anymore.

Clearly some people are still buying, but can you sell a digital download album (possibly alongside the option to buy a cd)?
 
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csalvato

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He has 1% conversion rate... if people don't buy CDs anymore...are you proposing that aliens are involved?

No I’m proposing only a Very small, niche subset Of his fan base can be a part of his customer army, even if they wanted to.

The trend is overwhelmingly anti-CD. I’m proposing the business model may be flawed unless I don’t understand his market and there’s a huge CD buying niche (in which case, he’s not selecting for them well in his marketing approach).

Nice straw man though :)
 

csalvato

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This does raise an interesting point...

I don't even have a CD player anymore.

Clearly some people are still buying, but can you sell a digital download album (possibly alongside the option to buy a cd)?

Yes I believe you’re right. The offer is likely not congruent with the market. There are probably other options, but since this is not my industry I can only guess/hypothesize on better working models..

Maybe driving traffic to a YouTube channel.

Maybe driving traffic to your Patreon page.

Maybe building your awareness via email and pushing people to Spotify to drive up your rankings on that platform

Maybe selling tickets to a tour (ie an experience), instead.

Maybe drive traffic to your iTunes page

There’s probably many more, but in 2019 I wouldn’t expect a high conversion rate on selling CDs. I certainly wouldn’t buy one.
 
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broswoodwork

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Album on an autographed vinyl or cassette PLUS DIGITAL DOWNLOAD and a t-shirt? That's 2 collectors items and the actual album. Maybe too gimmicky though...

Maybe a free finger tab how to play yourself booklet?

Ok... I'll shut up now. :D
 
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Kung Fu Steve

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I agree with the too many words part as well.

Music is emotional and visceral. A few exciting words, a video sample, and a buy now button. Punch them right in the face with how the offer improves their lives, and let the most motivated buy right away; then, let the copy keep rolling for those who need more info with strategic buy now's along the route.

Check out @Kung Fu Steve 's marketplace ad. The copy is like textbook perfect.

Thanks for the advice @broswoodwork and @Sheens - I added some more buttons so people can buy quicker.

I get what you're saying with there being a lot of text... I've had other people say that too. However, when testing my opt in page, I had a lot of text... and more text always beat less text... even for signing up to download a song. I know... it seems silly... but it seems to work - so I'm inclined to leave the long text on the page for now!

I'll checkout @Kung Fu Steve 's ad!

Edit: Have you guys run tests and found that shorter copy converts better than longer copy?

I appreciate the kind words.

What's still missing here, and what I mentioned to you before @SamRussell was that the medium needs to change.

A 1% conversion on a long-form sales letter is not uncommon. I'd argue I'm pretty good at writing copy (I've spent many years doing it), and the most I get is 3-4% (that's on the higher end and matches with some of the best copywriters on the planet)...

HOWEVER, compare that to my real strength -- which is speaking. From the stage I can close 30-80% of the room depending on how well I've pre-framed.

But the stage is a VERY different medium than a written letter...

I still think you need to go where your audience is ALREADY buying (spotify, tiktok, soundcloud, itunes) and make your case THERE.

To shift the market's current behavior -- or to be more accurate to shift buying behavior back several years (with your email followups and campaigns) is a hard game.

I know this is going to sound obnoxious but it's akin to asking me to cut out an ad in a newspaper, put that in an envelope along with cash and $2.50 shipping and handling, mail it to a specific address, and wait for the product to be shipped to me.

While you've been contemplating this -- that girl I told you about before that was hustling on instagram and tiktok? Well... one of her songs just went viral on the app... she hit #1 on spotify and #160 on itunes.

But she put in a STUPID amount of work to be able to do that.

And, if I can be so bold... you're still sitting here trying to get your 1% conversions up to 2%... it'll never get you to where you want to be my friend.

A new strategy is required!
 

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This does raise an interesting point...

I don't even have a CD player anymore.

Clearly some people are still buying, but can you sell a digital download album (possibly alongside the option to buy a cd)?

Recently thought that i had CD player in my Laptop.
I tried to listen to some disk and it turned out that its device is DVD/Blue Ray only.

So i'm for digital version too.
 

Bekit

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Hey Fastlane Forumers,
I was hoping that someone with a bit of online copywriting / sales experience could help me out with this.

I have a warm audience opting in to my email list, receiving a couple of free songs, and then receiving an offer to buy a CD and T Shirt. The sales page is here:

Only about 1% of the warm audience are buying. I get great feedback from people who receive the free songs, but getting people to take the step from enjoying the music to buying it is proving tricky.

I've tried to include a story, previews, social proof and a guarantee on the sales page.

Is there anything you think I've missed that I should be including, or that I could add to the page to improve it? Or is there something on the page that looks confusing?

Any help will be swiftly implemented!

Sam

(after reading the page I realise there are no photos of me.. so I should probably add that on).
In terms of copywriting, one of the biggest mistakes you're making is making the whole thing "me-focused" rather than "you-focused." It's all about Sam, and his dreams, and his goals. It needs to be all about the potential buyer, and their dreams, and their goals, and the type of community they want to being to.

"People like me buy stuff like this."

If you can implant that thought into your potential buyer's mind, it will go a long way toward boosting sales.

Right now, the copy is missing answers such as "who even IS the potential buyer? What do they care about? When they buy music, why do they do it? What kind of emotions are they looking for music to create in them? What kind of lifestyle is attached to or implied by the music they listen to? What are their fears? Their aspirations? Acknowledge those things in your copy and you will resonate with the people who are in your target audience.

Another big issue with your copy: it doesn't adhere to the tried-and-true structure of a high converting sales letter. The order of what you put first, second, third, etc matters. You are structuring a sales pitch that is supposed to move the prospect from inaction to action.

Another big point: your headline is weak, and then the subhead essentially repeats the headline in different words that say the same thing. The headline is one of the most important pieces of real estate in your sales letter. Your headline should make a huge promise while evoking curiosity. I would test a series of headlines in different categories to see which ones perform best. (Hat tip to Brian Kurtz for the following list:)
Curiosity
Call out pain point
Promise-Solution
Specificity
Simplicity
Credibility: Address the prospect’s skepticism
Time frame to achieve results of the promise

I would also agree wholeheartedly with putting a video on the page. Your typically see headline, subhead, video, button at the beginning of a sales page like this.


The good news is, you have a page that's covering at 1%! Congratulations! This means something is working. Now you have the opportunity to tweak, pivot, and adjust until you get this dialed in.
 
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csalvato

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In terms of copywriting, one of the biggest mistakes you're making is making the whole thing "me-focused" rather than "you-focused." It's all about Sam, and his dreams, and his goals. It needs to be all about the potential buyer, and their dreams, and their goals, and the type of community they want to being to.

"People like me buy stuff like this."

If you can implant that thought into your potential buyer's mind, it will go a long way toward boosting sales.

Right now, the copy is missing answers such as "who even IS the potential buyer? What do they care about? When they buy music, why do they do it? What kind of emotions are they looking for music to create in them? What kind of lifestyle is attached to or implied by the music they listen to? What are their fears? Their aspirations? Acknowledge those things in your copy and you will resonate with the people who are in your target audience.

Another big issue with your copy: it doesn't adhere to the tried-and-true structure of a high converting sales letter. The order of what you put first, second, third, etc matters. You are structuring a sales pitch that is supposed to move the prospect from inaction to action.

Another big point: your headline is weak, and then the subhead essentially repeats the headline in different words that say the same thing. The headline is one of the most important pieces of real estate in your sales letter. Your headline should make a huge promise while evoking curiosity. I would test a series of headlines in different categories to see which ones perform best. (Hat tip to Brian Kurtz for the following list:)
Curiosity
Call out pain point
Promise-Solution
Specificity
Simplicity
Credibility: Address the prospect’s skepticism
Time frame to achieve results of the promise

I would also agree wholeheartedly with putting a video on the page. Your typically see headline, subhead, video, button at the beginning of a sales page like this.


The good news is, you have a page that's covering at 1%! Congratulations! This means something is working. Now you have the opportunity to tweak, pivot, and adjust until you get this dialed in.

As a copywriter, when do you assess if the offer is even good? How do you make that assessment?

I imagine your job is 1000x easier if the product is great, so I assume there’s tools in your toolbox to determine product quality before you take a client.

My interpretation is that his conversion rate of 1% is stellar, because I believe the product offering is weak. I have sold products with about the same/slightly better conversion rate with great copy, but the product never took off and I determined the product to be subpar.

(Sincerely, No offense intended OP. The music clearly resonates with people based on your following, and the fact that you’re making sales. It’s just that selling CDs in 2019 seems very odd to me.)

I am curious if you disagree with my opinion from your experience in copywriting. Thanks!
 

Bekit

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As a copywriter, when do you assess if the offer is even good? How do you make that assessment?

I imagine your job is 1000x easier if the product is great, so I assume there’s tools in your toolbox to determine product quality before you take a client.

My interpretation is that his conversion rate of 1% is stellar, because I believe the product offering is weak. I have sold products with about the same/slightly better conversion rate with great copy, but the product never took off and I determined the product to be subpar.

(Sincerely, No offense intended OP. The music clearly resonates with people based on your following, and the fact that you’re making sales. It’s just that selling CDs in 2019 seems very odd to me.)

I am curious if you disagree with my opinion from your experience in copywriting. Thanks!
You know, that's a really good question. As a copywriter, I have the fundamental belief that better copy can make an offer convert better than it currently does. And the copy can ALWAYS be made better. It's a constant process of testing and refining.

But that's a totally different question from the business owner's question of, "is this product strong enough to merit my continued efforts in pushing it forward?"

In this particular case, I think @Kung Fu Steve's comment may be spot on that this channel won't get OP to where he wants to be.

And, if I can be so bold... you're still sitting here trying to get your 1% conversions up to 2%... it'll never get you to where you want to be my friend.

However, given that this will still likely be one channel among many, I think the copy deserves to become as strong and compelling as it is humanly possible to make it.

Just a personal note about my approach to assessing whether an offer is even good:

If it is a scam or a product that I can't personally endorse, I will politely decline the work and refer the potential client elsewhere.

However, most jobs do not fall in this category.

The next step is a standard audience research process, and this will often uncover serious problems with product market fit or glaring mismatches between what the business owner thinks can be achieved and what's realistic to expect. At this point, I will offer consultative guidance to the business owner. Some people want to listen, some don't. But at the end of the day, it's their product, not mine.

It's not my jurisdiction to pull the plug on someone else's offer. And it's often out of my control to make the product better, beyond making the recommendation.

This is both easy and hard. Easy, because I can walk away and at the end of the day, it's not my problem. Hard, because I've watched businesses fail that I cared deeply about, simply because they were unwilling to accept input about needed improvements to a product.
 

csalvato

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From a news source I follow:


The fact that CD sales are stagnant and digital camera shipments are declining illustrates another principle researchers found: although third-gen tech can be a boon to first-gen tech, it often cannibalizes second-gen tech -- in this case, CDs and digital cameras.

Timely
 
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Bekit

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There's a big benefit to selling a physical item like this, though, which shouldn't be overlooked:

OP gets the physical address of his most committed buyers.

This is the ultimate measure of control, as then he has the option to send them something in the mail.

A list of the mailing addresses of people who liked your stuff well enough to order an outdated piece of tech to get it... That's worth its weight in gold.

People who bought one thing are the best candidates to buy a second thing.

@SamRussell I'd say treat these buyers like the VIPs that they are. Send them something extra as a surprise a month after their purchase, even if it is just a bookmark and a handwritten note. (Or some cool swag, depending on your budget.) Give them a no-brained upsell if they buy a second cd to give away. Cultivate this group into becoming an ever increasing mass of super fans.

Used wisely, this list could generate a ton of momentum for you.
 

StrikingViper69

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Wow, amazing replies, thank you all!

I thought I'd address a couple of points in general and others posts specifically:

Do people buy CDs any more?
CD sales are declining, but they still happen. A friend of mine is signed to a small record label, the label sold 2000 copies of their last album over the course of a year or so. So people are still buying. Yes streaming is preferable for a lot of people, but I don't see a way to make that profitable. If you are a record label and you put 500 bands up for streaming... chaching. If you're a band producing an album every 1-3 years... the amount of streams you need to make that work is insane.

I've sold about 200 CDs (between that and another album) with my terrible marketing efforts, so I think there is still potential.

Is the offer good?
I'm not sure on this. My plan is to test a series of offers and "bonuses":
CD+t shirt
MP3 + T shirt
CD + T shirt + bonus CDs + MP3
Two t shirts (different designs) + MP3

Further, there could be problems with people not liking the album cover (I'm going to test this at some point) or t shirt design (will be bringing out 2-3 more designs over the next couple of months).

I'll test and see what people respond to. I realise that, at the moment, the CD + T shirt offer is not very strong... it could do with some bonuses. Adding an instant MP3 download should have been obvious... I'll add that in!


Have you tested putting a video sales letter on the top?

You could use the copy from ''Making The Album... Creating a Dream'' to tell your story on a video.


As others already mentioned make sure that ''buy now button'' is visible immediately as the prospect opens your page, otherwise, some of them might not even bother to scroll down, since there is a bunch of blank space below the text.

You're right... I'll add that to my schedule and get that fixed.

This does raise an interesting point...

I don't even have a CD player anymore.

Clearly some people are still buying, but can you sell a digital download album (possibly alongside the option to buy a cd)?

I have tried this before, some people bought it, most didn't. I suspect my sales page was just weak in general.

Album on an autographed vinyl or cassette PLUS DIGITAL DOWNLOAD and a t-shirt? That's 2 collectors items and the actual album. Maybe too gimmicky though...

Maybe a free finger tab how to play yourself booklet?

Ok... I'll shut up now. :D

I hadn't thought of adding the tabs - that's an easy bonus to throw in. No such thing as making it too gimmicky!

I appreciate the kind words.

What's still missing here, and what I mentioned to you before @SamRussell was that the medium needs to change.

A 1% conversion on a long-form sales letter is not uncommon. I'd argue I'm pretty good at writing copy (I've spent many years doing it), and the most I get is 3-4% (that's on the higher end and matches with some of the best copywriters on the planet)...

HOWEVER, compare that to my real strength -- which is speaking. From the stage I can close 30-80% of the room depending on how well I've pre-framed.

But the stage is a VERY different medium than a written letter...

I still think you need to go where your audience is ALREADY buying (spotify, tiktok, soundcloud, itunes) and make your case THERE.

To shift the market's current behavior -- or to be more accurate to shift buying behavior back several years (with your email followups and campaigns) is a hard game.

I know this is going to sound obnoxious but it's akin to asking me to cut out an ad in a newspaper, put that in an envelope along with cash and $2.50 shipping and handling, mail it to a specific address, and wait for the product to be shipped to me.

While you've been contemplating this -- that girl I told you about before that was hustling on instagram and tiktok? Well... one of her songs just went viral on the app... she hit #1 on spotify and #160 on itunes.

But she put in a STUPID amount of work to be able to do that.

And, if I can be so bold... you're still sitting here trying to get your 1% conversions up to 2%... it'll never get you to where you want to be my friend.

A new strategy is required!

That's awesome that you're friend hit those numbers! The problem I have with those platforms is there is no control, no way to test and no method of communicating with the fanbase, and the payouts are low. Record companies and Spotify make money from Spotify... the musicians on it get scraps. Your friend got great exposure from that... but has she made money, and will that exposure stick? It's like going on TV and getting a spike in sales... that's nice, but unless you can repeat it every 3-4 months, its worthless.

The market is still buying physical merch and CDs. These things are not as dead as people say they are.

Totally agreed on social media though - I've got work to do there.

In terms of copywriting, one of the biggest mistakes you're making is making the whole thing "me-focused" rather than "you-focused." It's all about Sam, and his dreams, and his goals. It needs to be all about the potential buyer, and their dreams, and their goals, and the type of community they want to being to.

"People like me buy stuff like this."

If you can implant that thought into your potential buyer's mind, it will go a long way toward boosting sales.

Right now, the copy is missing answers such as "who even IS the potential buyer? What do they care about? When they buy music, why do they do it? What kind of emotions are they looking for music to create in them? What kind of lifestyle is attached to or implied by the music they listen to? What are their fears? Their aspirations? Acknowledge those things in your copy and you will resonate with the people who are in your target audience.

Another big issue with your copy: it doesn't adhere to the tried-and-true structure of a high converting sales letter. The order of what you put first, second, third, etc matters. You are structuring a sales pitch that is supposed to move the prospect from inaction to action.

Another big point: your headline is weak, and then the subhead essentially repeats the headline in different words that say the same thing. The headline is one of the most important pieces of real estate in your sales letter. Your headline should make a huge promise while evoking curiosity. I would test a series of headlines in different categories to see which ones perform best. (Hat tip to Brian Kurtz for the following list:)
Curiosity
Call out pain point
Promise-Solution
Specificity
Simplicity
Credibility: Address the prospect’s skepticism
Time frame to achieve results of the promise

I would also agree wholeheartedly with putting a video on the page. Your typically see headline, subhead, video, button at the beginning of a sales page like this.


The good news is, you have a page that's covering at 1%! Congratulations! This means something is working. Now you have the opportunity to tweak, pivot, and adjust until you get this dialed in.

Thanks @Bekit, I was hoping you would weigh in! That's a great list of headline categories, I'll get on that this week.

I know a few demographics from my audience, from talking to them via email and also from my fb ads account and collecting some info via a survey. I'm going to go over this data and build a bit of a profile.

The type of person I get is around 50 years old. They loved the heavy metal music from the 80s, and do not like what modern bands sound like. My music has a bit of an 80s vibe to it which they like. My audience are facing issues such as getting old, divorces, loved ones in hospital. Music and listening to it is a huge part of their life, they're the sort of people that will sit and listen to some music, in addition to having it as background. The implied lifestyle is fast cars and girls in leather, but they're probably past that now, and that sort of lifestyle is more of a memory than an actuality. They dislike the negativity in modern music, and they do like the positive messages in my songs. Community wise, they're the type of person that views metal fans as being part of a community

You said I've not used the tried and true structure of a good sales letter - what is that structure? I have a copy of Dan Kennedy's "The Ultimate Sales Letter", so I'll recap that book and see what I can apply from there

---

thanks again for all the replies so far - lots for me to be getting on with!
 

StrikingViper69

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There's a big benefit to selling a physical item like this, though, which shouldn't be overlooked:

OP gets the physical address of his most committed buyers.

This is the ultimate measure of control, as then he has the option to send them something in the mail.

A list of the mailing addresses of people who liked your stuff well enough to order an outdated piece of tech to get it... That's worth its weight in gold.

People who bought one thing are the best candidates to buy a second thing.

@SamRussell I'd say treat these buyers like the VIPs that they are. Send them something extra as a surprise a month after their purchase, even if it is just a bookmark and a handwritten note. (Or some cool swag, depending on your budget.) Give them a no-brained upsell if they buy a second cd to give away. Cultivate this group into becoming an ever increasing mass of super fans.

Used wisely, this list could generate a ton of momentum for you.

You're right about this. I'm going to start a forum so I can deepen the communication. I've got people asking to be on my "street team" so I need to form one of those :happy:

After expanding my merchandise and recordings I thought it would be really cool to make a mail order style catalogue to post people (outdated... but the biggest merch sellers, record labels and clothing manufactures in my genre all do this).

You're totally right about posting some bonus. I should have been doing that... but haven't. It's on my schedule now. Thank you!
 
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G

Guest12120

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How do people sign up for your list?
What's the conversion on the list sign up page?
What's your offer there? They're getting a digital download, right?
What's the email stats (open rate, click-through)?
Do you send multiple emails or just one?

The copy and design need some work.

For example, your headline and subheadline are almost exactly the same:
Today: Get Your Copy of the Album "Impetuous Desire" and The T Shirt!
Today, you can get the album Impetuous Desire, and a great T Shirt - read on to find out how

Make Buy Now button above the fold. I can't see it even on desktop
Make the album art easier to see right away. You want to make sure people know what you're selling right away.
Generally, the page should be reformatted to make sure the content is easier to consume. Your font looks too small and there is a lot of white spaces.
 

csalvato

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Have you experimented with vinyl vs CD?

Also, just curious, what’s your goal? To make a few grand a month? Or to blow up into a worldwide sensation? Or something else?
 
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The-J

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Your music is right up my alley. I'm a bit of a metalhead myself, and I'm impressed you got Doro on your album!

Getting people to purchase a physical copy of a CD is not going to be easy, and you're charging over $40 for it. Wow! I assumed it was a free + SH offer with a T-shirt as an upsell. Casual music fans would never pay that much for some music; only the hardcore fans would. That's okay, but I don't know how 'warm' your list actually is. Is it a list of proven buyers who also interact with you on social media, or is it a list of people who have taken a free download of your music?

From a copy perspective, you're not really selling the purchase at all. Your story really isn't all that interesting. We're not buying the dream because buying your album is not going to help us identify with you or achieve what you've achieved. People buy into stories in order to identify with it somehow, and when you're selling a product, you need to either (1) sell becoming part of that story (think crowdfunding) (2) sell the story being the lead in to a solution to a problem (think selling a skin care product made by Cindy Joseph or something), or (3) sell having that story become the customer's story (think a 'get rich' product)

Why should I buy your music, even if I like it, when I can listen to it somewhere else for free?

@csalvato had a good idea: test vinyl vs. CD and sell it as a collector's edition with a very limited run. 100 available, 500 available, etc.

I assume you've read '1000 True Fans', if you haven't go read it.
 
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Tourmaline

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Colors dude. Why is this black and white???????

Use colors. Make me feel a lot more without having to read or do anything.

Some of this is closer to Hard Rock than Classic Heavy Metal. As your album progresses it seems to get more metal? It's the drumming. Perhaps that is what you desired. Your guitar work is excellent throughout, judging by the sample.

And lol track 8...I did not expect some melodic death metal in the middle of it. haha. Your growl is pretty great! But straight up I would imagine the majority of classic/speed/power lovers to not appreciate it. There is a serious divide in the metal world between clean/harsh singing and growlers/snarlers. Though I imagine you know this? Ballsy choice.


Now I'm going to rip up your page thoroughly. I hope it helps! I also know it's way easier to criticize than create.

Overall you do a lot of "This is the product" as opposed to "This is the benefit".

Today: Get Your Copy of the Album "Impetuous Desire" and The T Shirt!

My reaction is...No. Why? What does it do for me? You're selling me this hard out of the gate when I have zero feelings or care? Strong No reaction.

How about, "Enjoy furious riffs with a classical twist and passionate vocals to headbang in Sam Russell's latest album: Impetuous Desire"

Today, you can get the album Impetuous Desire, and a great T Shirt - read on to find out how

I don't care. Woopie F*ck. Why suggest I need to learn how to buy something? Is this something different or complicated?

How about, "Groundbreaking new album and official t-shirt available now!"

Hey there,

Sam Russell here. I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you for checking out my music over the last few days.

It's really cool to know that my music is getting out into the world to people, to you, and that you're enjoying it!

The feedback has been pretty good, and some people have been asking if there are any more songs... and I wanted to let you know that yes, there are more songs!

I'm a new potential fan. I haven't checked out your music over the last few days. So this is confusing.

I would address old fans and separately address new fans. But keep it short. 1-2 sentence max.

In fact, there is a whole album of songs!

Honestly, this is just dumb. You're telling me what an album is. I know what an album is. o_O

A great T Shirt, a great metal album; pants not included.

Odd comedy. Pointless stating facts. 'Great' is a bullshit qualifier I instantly dismiss.

How about, "Show off your love for Sam Russell by wearing the official shirt to your next concert".

Buy Your Album Now

I don't love this wording. I would include the name of the album. 'Buy Your Copy of Impetuous Desire Now'.

Making The Album... Creating a Dream

I get what you want to do here. But most people don't really care about your journey BEFORE they already like your music. Make maybe 1-2 sentences that describe the journey culminating into the album.

Let your riffs speak for itself. If anything I'd like to know what other bands are your influences.

And, if it's ok with you, I would like to share that album with you.

Don't ask for permission. Do metalheads expect niceness and passivity? I think not.

How about: "Here's a sample of the tracks to get a taste of what's in store for you"

Make me feel like you're doing me a favor by letting me listen to your tracks. Which you are.

Actually, I would put the entire section with your huge album cover and the samples to the first thing I see after the headline and subheadline.

At first I thought the woman holding the album was Sam Russell. You made me think unnecessarily.

Next what is going to make me buy more than anything, and I have bought over two dozen album in the last 10 years, is hearing your music. I don't really give a shit about your words and story first. This isn't singer songwriter world, this is metal.

Now your model is curious. Why are you using a woman? Is that your main audience? I think not. I want to see how it looks on a man, preferably one that looks metal as F*ck. And, this girl looks death metaly. Not heavy/classic metaly. It's the red hair. I'd rather see the t-shirt by itself not on anyone than a woman, and especially not a woman that doesn't make sense for the subgenre. I would never expect to see her at your concert.

The 'What Do Other People Think?' section is curious. I don't usually see this for metal albums. It doesn't compel me at all. What would possibly compel me is an endorsement from a metal magazine, from someone notable from the metal-archives, or from another musician. Random Facbeook people are not who I want to be like as a metalhead.

Here's The Deal

Wait. I'm paying for the album and the t-shirt? I didn't realize that until this far down?

What if I don't want the t-shirt?

State this way up at the top. Odd choice to force buying a t-shirt.

I only buy t-shirts from bands I already know I like, really that I know I love. Liking is not enough, for me. And typically I buy them at shows, not online. But that may just be me.

Why offer a money-back guarantee? That's super odd for music. I'd remove that entirely. It actually removes trust by making me think that you're not confident that I'm guaranteed to at least like it if not love it.

I'd move the billing section to another page. Strange to me to see it here on this page.

I also checked out your homepage.

Sam has released two albums: a baroque rendition of Bach’s 1st and 2nd cello suites on electric guitar

That sounds awesome haha, may have to check this out. I'd plug this at the bottom of your new album's page too.

Well goodluck to you. Hopefully something I said is useful.
 

Kung Fu Steve

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That's awesome that you're friend hit those numbers! The problem I have with those platforms is there is no control, no way to test and no method of communicating with the fanbase,

I mentioned before that just isn't true. You have instant feedback. If your music sucks, they'll tell you it sucks or they just won't listen to it at all!

You're in control of these platforms as much as you're in control of email. If you get enough spam complaints, you'll be blacklisted there, too. Your open rates are never going to be 100%. The control for anything online is pretty much an illusion.

We could argue that until the cows come home though!

and the payouts are low. Record companies and Spotify make money from Spotify... the musicians on it get scraps. Your friend got great exposure from that... but has she made money, and will that exposure stick?

A major label picked her up, she is receiving a few hundred thousand in royalties alone, her sales on iTunes are up, she's booked a US tour, she's got a contract for another album, she's wrote songs for another artist as well...

I mean... buddy, you're REALLY missing the boat here.

It's like going on TV and getting a spike in sales... that's nice, but unless you can repeat it every 3-4 months, its worthless.

Approximately a million dollars in sales, albums, tours booked is nothing to scoff at. Maybe you're doing more than that now but man -- once again -- you've got to open your eyes.

The market is still buying physical merch and CDs. These things are not as dead as people say they are.

Of course they are!


I've got work to do there.

Get to it!
 

GoodluckChuck

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So, you have their email but they aren't buying? Can you send the ones that open the sales page but don't buy an email asking why they didn't buy?

We can all speculate all day but the best answers will come from your customers.

I also don't own a cd player.
 
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csalvato

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The type of person I get is around 50 years old. They loved the heavy metal music from the 80s, and do not like what modern bands sound like. My music has a bit of an 80s vibe to it which they like. My audience are facing issues such as getting old, divorces, loved ones in hospital. Music and listening to it is a huge part of their life, they're the sort of people that will sit and listen to some music, in addition to having it as background. The implied lifestyle is fast cars and girls in leather, but they're probably past that now, and that sort of lifestyle is more of a memory than an actuality. They dislike the negativity in modern music, and they do like the positive messages in my songs. Community wise, they're the type of person that views metal fans as being part of a community

how do you know this? Did you talk to people who purchased? People who didn’t? Or inferring some marketing metrics based on Facebook audiences or something ...?
 

StrikingViper69

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How do people sign up for your list?
What's the conversion on the list sign up page?
What's your offer there? They're getting a digital download, right?
What's the email stats (open rate, click-through)?
Do you send multiple emails or just one?

The copy and design need some work.

For example, your headline and subheadline are almost exactly the same:
Today: Get Your Copy of the Album "Impetuous Desire" and The T Shirt!
Today, you can get the album Impetuous Desire, and a great T Shirt - read on to find out how

Make Buy Now button above the fold. I can't see it even on desktop
Make the album art easier to see right away. You want to make sure people know what you're selling right away.
Generally, the page should be reformatted to make sure the content is easier to consume. Your font looks too small and there is a lot of white spaces.

People see a text and picture ad on Facebook, click through to my squeeze page and sign up for the list.
Conversion on teh squeeze page is around 35%,
Offer: Download a free song
Email stats:
There are 8 emails in the series:
1. Song delivery (O: 48%, CTR 42%)
2. Blog post / relationship 1 (O: 34%, CTR 16%)
3. Blog post / relationship 2 + extra free song (O: 32%, CTR 7.6%)
4-7. Sales pitch (O: 27%, CTR 11%)
8. Survey for those that didn't buy (O: 23%, CTR 6%)

thanks for the tips - I'm adding them to the list to implement this afternoon
 

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