Like most things in life, writing good sales copy takes practice and a little bit of talent. Good sales copy is important because it can convince visitors to make a purchase, which is your main goal when you write sales copy in the first place. So, you need to convince customers that your product is something they need. There are several ways to do this and the following steps will guide you through the process of writing good sales copy.

Knowledgeable Information
First of all you need to be passionate about the product you are trying to sell because this will come through in your writing. Next, you need to believe in your product and believe what you are writing. This will make your product easier to sell and you will feel better about selling it, too.

Benefits
Compelling sales copy answers customers’ questions about the product. Things like what the product can do for them and why they need it. What makes your product the best should be the first thing you promote on your website or in any sales copy. You want to draw visitors in immediately and the only way to do that is show them what they are missing without your product or service. You only have a few seconds to grab their attention before they click off your page. You should make sure the benefits are in bold and big so they stand out. People aren’t going to read all of your copy; they are going to scan it. Make the important aspects stick out.

Headlines
This goes along with the bolding of benefits. You want to have big, bold headlines that jump out at the reader. This will allow them to read the important aspects of your product if they choose not to read every word on the site. This is really important for killer sales copy.

Trust
You must build trust with your customers. It’s easy to build trust when you are face to face with someone. However, when you are trying to build trust from a webpage when there is a lot of fraud going on all over the web it is considerably more difficult. Fortunately, there are ways to help build trust that are effective and work. If you are not willing to incorporate these trust building techniques then your product is probably not worth selling. These include a free trial as well as a money back guarantee. Both of these show customers you are serious about your product and that you stand behind it. This will help build trust. Customer testimonials also help build trust, too.

Final Thoughts
There really are limitless ways to write good sales copy, but these suggestions are universal and will work with whatever product you are trying to sell. Give them a shot and you will see that your website really does have a chance at being successful. You simply need to incorporate these suggestions into your writing and edit your writing until you have the perfect sales copy. Good luck!

Product shots are really important when it comes to selling an item over the Internet. This is especially so because many online retailers sell the same products. However, the problem is that many of them choose to use stock photos. But, when stock photos are used it does not give the consumer a good idea of the detail of the item for sale. As a result, product shots are really important and they may very well be the difference of selling an item and losing a customer.

Product shots are not that difficult to achieve, even if you have never taken any. You just need to understand the basics of a great product shot and you will be able to take them.

Quality
Using a digital camera to take product shots is important. However, you will need to use the highest resolution settings the camera has. You want to use a camera with high megapixels but with a minimum of three megapixels to ensure quality. So, you don’t need a top of the line digital camera. An average camera will do.

Lighting
You want to ensure your original photo is as good as possible so editing will make it better. If the photo has poor lighting or is overexposed then there is no saving it. A plain background with front lighting that is natural is usually the best way to get a good product shot. Choose a contrasting background to the product you are selling. The contrasting color will make the product sot pop.

Backgrounds
Use a plain background. The reason why plain backgrounds are important is because they are not distracting. You want the product shots to focus entirely on the product, not something in the background. When only the product is in the photo then buyers will only see that and focus on it, rather than something else. This is exactly what you want.

Details
Many times individuals choose to purchase an item in a brick and mortar store, even if it is more expensive, simply because they can see the product in detail. So, when it comes to product shots you will want to show as many details as possible. Close up bubbles are very helpful in this situation and will allow customers to check out the details without having to load multiple photos.

Coloration
Use Photoshop after you have your photo so you can enhance colors and make the photo pop. Focus on using real colors and just making them more vibrant rather than completely changing colors simply because you can.

Finishing Touches
You can really enhance your photos, especially if you are an amateur, with toolbars like brightness and contrast and auto levels. This makes the photos look better, which is what you are going for.

These are just some suggestions to help you take better product shots with a digital camera. If you use detailed product shots then you will see that you will have more customers and make more sales. Go ahead and give it a shot and you will see that it is not that difficult

From the downright hilarious to the utterly painful this collection of ‘taken just at the right time’ pics will have you cringing or laughing out loud (depending on how you view the world). The following are our most favourite ‘caught just at the right time’ pics. If you have seen better we’d love to hear from you.

#1: Cheers

#2: I *Can* Fly.. I’m Superman I Tell You

#3: And I’m Supermum But I Still Don’t Like This

#4: Not This Time Big Guy

#5: Hello Mr. Chin, I’m Mr. Bat

#6: He’s Behind You!

#7: Hey Wise Guy…Next Time I’ll Open The Champagne…D’ya Hear?

#8: On Your Head Son

#9: The End Of The Road

#10: Lightening Works

#11: The Water’s Just Too Cold

#12: What’s Under Here Then?

#13: Stone Cold Mugger

#14: Three Points!

#15: Are They Looking?

#16: Which Way Is Up?

#17: Hmmm Hot Dogs… My Favorite

#18: The Saint – photograph© Richard Bram – www.richardbram.com

#19: Hey! It Wasn’t Me OK?!

#20: Whats His Problem?

#21: I Wonder If I Can Belly Skip?

#22: What Are You Talking About?.. There’s Nothing Down Here…

#23: I’m Not Coming Down Until You Put Your Leg Down

#24: The Grounds Too Hot Sir!

#25: ……..

#26: Hug A Tree

#27: This Is Gonna Hurt

#28: ……………………………….

#29: No, No. No… You Can’t Fly…Now Again…This Time With Feeling!!

#30: Show Off

#31: Scorched

#32: Ouch, Ouch, Ouch

#33: What A Rip Curl Dude

#34: Junior Blow Chunks

#35: Eh?…You Talking To Me?

#36: Faster Than A Speeding Bullet

#37: Mum…Told You I’d Get On TV!

#38: Oophff!

#39: Happy Days

#40: I Think Thats Mine

#41: Look Everyone Now Im A Condor!…Hmmm, Where Am I Going To Land?

#42: Don’t Just Sit There…Help Me! I’m Stuck!!

#43: Ooh, ohh…Will It Hurt?!

#44: Hey Big Guy…This Camera Has A Zoom Lens!

#45: I Think You’ll Find This Is My Puddle…Get Out!…

#46: Zombie Boy Enjoying A Family Day Out To The Park

#47: Hey Dude! Cut It Out…I haven’t Sprayed!!

#48: What Do You Mean There’s a Storm Coming?

Credit: Jean Guichard http://www.alphapix.com/animvague.shtml#jument

We wanted to make sure you had a chance to see this article discussing a recent study by statisticians at the University of Maryland in which they estimate that eBay sellers missed out on $19 billion in potential revenues by simply undervaluing products or underestimating what buyers were willing to pay for the product.

Imagine that!… 19 billion missed opportunities but on the other hand smart online business people recognize news like this as a golden opportunity. What if you could tap into some of this lost revenue? What if you could improve your chances of creating uplift in your own auction listings?

Well, we’re not saying we’ll make you billionaires but we are saying professional online product shots generate higher click through rates (from gallery listings to your online store), 20% increased sales and shifts dead stock.

In fact we’re not even claiming this! YOU are telling us of these success stories; a scan of our testimonials will soon tell you that.

Claim some of that $19 billion missed opportunity, download Bling! It today and see if we can help you shift your stock for more.

To read the full article go to www.news.com

Greetz,
Steve0

A Hitchhiking Carrot
Sold for – $3.25

For your consideration, is a totally bizarre looking, Michigan grown carrot. The carrot looks like a hand with it’s thumb sticking out hitchhiking. It is looking for a new home. So please help it find one. The carrot measures approximately 5 1/2″ long x 3″ wide and 1 1/2″ thick. I dug this carrot out this morning,but it will not last forever. Ask questions if you have them.

The Holiest… and Most Expensive… Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Sold for – $28,000

It is hard to believe someone paid thousands of dollars for this sandwich… but someone did!

A woman who said her 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich bore the image of the Virgin Mary will be getting a lot more bread after the item sold for $28,000 on eBay.

GoldenPalace.com, an online casino, confirmed that it placed the winning bid, and company executives said they were willing to spend “as much as it took” to own the 10-year-old half-sandwich with a bite out of it.

Holy Towel
Sold for – $66.00

Some people have pointed out that this imprint seems more demonic than angelic. I think its subject to interpretation. I think its an angel, albeit a dark one. It does look a little like bat girl or a kitten dominatrix but it also could be the black madonna and all three of the figures I have just mentioned are magical and cool. I still think this imprint is divine and I do think that it is a worthwhile towel to own.

Fly To Work
Sold for – $131,700

Well, you could fly to work if you perfected the commuter plane’s technology from the 1980s. It sold for close to $132,000 and disappointingly it doesn’t even fly.

Elvis’ Bottle of Water
Sold for – $455

You don’t have to go to eBay to buy a bottle of water. But you do have to if it ‘may possibley’ have a slight chance of belonging to Elvis, or he looked at it once – maybe! And at only $455, what a deal!

Checker Autobus
Sold for – $4,850

If you have 15 kids and are on a budget, which presumably you would be with that many kids to feed, this is the family vehicle for you.

Smiling French Fry
Sold for – $2.09

French fries are good and tasty and apparently happy… The winner of this happy fry paid around $2 for it. You could buy lots of non-smiling fries from McDonalds for that… it’s up to you though. Hot, fresh non-smiling fries or one cold, old, smiling fry.

Duck Shaped Peanut
Sold for – $0.99

Everyone wants a duck shaped peanut. Right?

Get Your Cornflakes on eBay…One at a Time
Sold for- £1.20

This eBay auction was for a single corn flake. Don’t let the photo mislead you because it was for a single flake, not an entire box.

The Giant Chee-toh
Sold for – $180 (But donated for free)

Believe it or not but this giant chee-toh was listed on eBay. It received many bids before it was eventually taken off and donated to a small farming town. They are using it as a tourist attraction. – You really couldn’t make this stuff up!

Foreheads… the Billboards of the Future?
Sold for – $322

A US man from Omaha, Nebraska, auctioned off 30 days of ad space on his forehead. Believe it or not, but he had plenty of interest and the “spot” was sold for $322 (£171).

My Spotted Dick in the Can
Sold for – $18.50

And it only sold for $18.50. What a deal! What is canned spotted dick anyway?

Is that a Dead Rat?
Sold for – $6.50

No, it’s just driftwood that looks like a dead rat. Everyone’s idea of a cool home accessory.

A Gold Dead Rat
Sold for – $42.95

And if you are really into dead rats you might as well have a gold charm, too…

A Real, Live Kidney
Sold for – $0

Ok, so this one didn’t sell. But, it could have! Lots of people need a kidney, but most of them probably don’t have $2.5 million to buy it. That’s probably the only reason it didn’t sell though!

The $3000 French Toast
Sold for – $3154.00

This is seriously ridiculous. Someone paid more than $3000 for a piece of French toast that Justin Timberlake took a bite out of.Imagine how much it would have been if he’d eaten it all!

Butter PDA
Sold for – $105

Seriously, it’s a 50-pound butter PDA. You could do a lot of bread buttering with that.

Breaking News!

It is with great pleasure and excitement that we have the opportunity to announce our coverage of Bling! It which appeared on the New York Times website (circ. 14.5 million). In a piece entitled, “Better Photos, Better Sales,” contributed by Jason DelRey of Inc.com, an outlet dedicated to new business entrepreneurs and start-ups, Bling! It is the lead feature in a wrap up of new technology products for businesses.

In discussing the availability of Bling! It for Mac operating systems, Jason highlights the need for high quality product images to enhance click-through from a thumbnail and presents Bling! It as a tool for just such a job. He further describes Bling! It as a tool for users with little or no proficiency in image editing and describes some of the features which users can easily add to the product shot. Additionally, he includes a quote from our CEO discussing the reported increase in achieved sales.

The full article can be found through the following address:
http://www.nytimes.com/inc_com/inc1200316006923.html?ref=smallbusiness.

Hopefully this gets you all as excited as it does us!

Happy days!
Steve0

bling! it NOW LETS mac users TRANSFORM product IMAGES and boost ebay SALES

See, Click and Transform: Latest Version of Bling! It Grants Individuals and Small Businesses Operating Mac Systems the Confidence and Credibility to Compete on the Global Market and Raise Sales, Click-Through-Rates and Sell Stagnant Inventory

Macworld Expo 2008, Booth #W-4231, SAN FRANCISCO – January 15, 2008 – Vertus, the graphics and imaging software division of Heligon, a technology business specializing in image data interpretation, today unveiled the Macintosh-compatible version of Bling! It, its recently released deep-graphic image-editing tool that quickly and easily transforms product shots to create maximum online sales impact. Since its initial launch, Bling! It users, even those without any prior image editing experience, have found that the software helps raise the achieved sales price of their products and increases the click-through-rate over standard thumbnail images. By giving product images a “shot-in-the-studio” look and feel, Bling! It creates images which attract more attention from buyers, helping sellers achieve higher prices for their products and move previously stagnant inventory. The software is available for live demonstrations throughout Macworld Expo 2008, January 15-18, in the Vertus booth #W-4231.

By combining complex technology with easy-to-use tools, Bling! It empowers any user to strengthen and embellish product images thanks to capabilities previously available only to seasoned image editing professionals. With Bling! It, Mac users can unlock their creative potential without having to master complex and intimidating image editing programs such as Photoshop. With just a few clicks and the guidance of Bling! It’s intuitive balloon tips, users can seamlessly replace a standard image background with a more appealing backdrop and add features such as drop shadowing, highlight effects and logos. The sheer speed realized with Bling! It enables even the novice user to produce product images up to four times faster than with any previously available solutions.

“Bling! It enables anyone to create high quality product shots capable of competing with studio-shot professional product images. We’ve received numerous comments from customers that have “Blinged” their product shots, that they have realized as much as a 20% increase in their achieved product price,” said James Carr-Jones, president and CEO of Vertus. “With businesses of all sizes and industries offering products through e-commerce outlets, the entrepreneur that makes the best impression online ultimately generates the most sales. Bling! It enables even the most casual seller to optimize potential revenue and increase profits by making products truly stand out from the ever-growing crowd without the need to master Photoshop or other complicated imaging programs.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Mac users have been waiting for this – Bling! It for Mac is now available! So if you didn’t have a chance to try it out yet give it a shot. Get your 14-day free trial at http://www.blingit.us/try-bling-it.html and get blinging! Bling! It for Mac will also be available in our online shop at http://www.blingit.us/buy-bling-it.html.

We have been overwhelmed with the response to our “You Gotta Bling! It to Win It” competition, it’s been absolutely fabulous! The Bling!s are amazing, and some are very funny (why are people Bling!-ing their cats!?).

But what is coming across to us from all your responses is that Bling! It:

So… a MASSIVE congratulations must go out to our 100+ winners! and we hope all you others continue to use Bling! It and boost your profits.

We will soon be posting the best of the best, up on our main site and blog, so please check out the website from time to time.

I would like to thank Janelle Elms from OSI Rock Stars and Chris Dawson from TameBay for doing so much in promoting the competition – thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Well, that’s about it from us for this year – and WOW! what a year it’s been!

We wish you and your families a very Happy Holiday Season and a super prosperous 2008!

From all of us here at Bling! It
All the best

Steve0
Marketing

Today we’re pleased to announce a review from Jennifer Farwell of The Official Yahoo! Store blog. Jennifer heads up the Yahoo! Small Business side of things.

Thank you Jennifer!, now over to you…

“It’s no secret that the quality of a store’s product images can have a significant impact on its sales. If you’ve invested time and effort to refine your product images, then you’ve likely found image editing can be a labor-intensive process, especially when removing and replacing backgrounds or improving the overall quality. So when I recently came across Vangie Beal’s ECommerce-Guide review of Bling! It, a new program Beal claimed could be used to easily accomplish these tasks in just a few minutes, I had to try it for myself…”

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