Are graphics REALLY necessary for the success of your infoproduct?

rodonet · 08-16-2010, 12:31 PM

If you've been in the internet marketing arena for as long as I've been, you certainly must have come across various articles, reports, ebooks and courses which advise you to incorporate professionally created graphics (headers, footers, ecovers/boxshots, payment buttons etc.) in your sales pages if you want your infoproducts to sell well.

But the zillion-dollar question is - are graphics REALLY necessary for the success of your infoproduct, membership site or whatever else you are trying to sell online? In my not-so-humble opinion (at the risk of antagonising website graphic designers and ecover creators), the answer is NO. While graphics may add aesthetic value to your sales page, what will ultimately decide the success (or failure) of your campaign is the sales copy. If your sales copy is well written and compelling, you'll make tons of sales. If your sales copy sucks, your campaign will flop big-time and you'll lose your blouse. As good old Confucius said, "A thousand turbocharged words are better than a pretty picture". Or words to that effect.

Two (actually three) real-world examples of successful marketers who are doing quite well in spite of the lack of graphics on their sales pages are Robert Plank and the Rhodes brothers. Look at their sales pages and you'll notice how engaging their sale copy is. No wonder they are making craploads of money.

So if you have a good infoproduct, membership site or service to sell, sack your graphic designer and give a raise to your copywriter.

dave · 08-16-2010, 04:31 PM

Based on what i've seen, graphics / layout / usability is 40% important and copy 60% important.

With good graphics and look/feel (ie. proper typography, layout, clean look) you can charge more for your products because they just 'feel' more expensive, although you will have to build yourself up as more of an authority figure to do this its better if you build that trust before they hit your sales letter anyway.

Jim Gillum · 08-19-2010, 04:21 AM

Visual stimulus play a part in most marketing.....

Multimillion dollar companies use graphics....

I think I will continue to do the same.....

dave · 09-07-2010, 01:10 PM

Perception is everything.

No graphics can look like a scam

Too much graphics, arrows etc. can look like a scam as well.

I like a minimal look, something that doesn't scream hype hype! in terms of design.

Most of the big sites have a clean look, like apple, facebook, twitter, ebay, etc.

Its all subjective, and how you feel about a site - whether you can trust it or not.

It also depends on what type of graphics, what about using photographs, pictures, diagrams or videos.

I would try and stick to what is necessary, and remove any elements that don't serve a purpose.

If the background looks too white maybe a very slight gradient is in order.

Or some rounded corners to make things look a bit more friendly.

TedPeterson · 09-11-2010, 01:00 AM

I agree that copy is king...Overall it will be your strongest tool in the box...

However you need to have some graphics...It looks completely unprofessional not to have graphics and that is a reflection on you and your business...

Another important factor is the before and after photos...I think these are an absolute must to enhance your copy...They are essential to proving what your product can do... (builds trust in you and your product)

For info products there are many ways you could do this...The most common is screen shots of clickbank accounts or actual checks...You get the idea...

You have to remember that everything you do is a reflection of you, your business and most importantly your professional reputation...

I would keep the graphics...I even use graphics in my sales letter (snail mail) and newsletters...

Ted

ankit.sawhney · 09-16-2010, 06:47 AM

the first thing that catches the eye of the customer are graphics. Graphics can be used in a very positive way to explain your concept. But, if not used in a proper manner it can cause various harms also as due to perception each person might be different for the same graphic. for ex. the logo for fragile is a broken glass, but if put on a box it can also be perceived as a box containing broken glasses

ceo-movement · 10-23-2010, 02:33 AM

I agree, of course you don't need them. If you sales letter is on point, then no. But if the sales letter is okay, then you should really be using graphics to your advantage. Another thing, sometime familiarity is important when selling. You don't want your copy to be so different that people run from because they are used to seeing a certain type of copy.

That is the case with clickbank. If you only had content on clickbank your copy might not work as well as it could. So if you are competing in a place like Clickbank, then you might really need those graphics to help boost sales. I would not over do it like some people have done over at Clickbank. This is a really great post by the way.
My thanks to the creator

Ryuren · 10-27-2010, 12:15 PM

There are some brilliant points regarding this area, I agree with what dave said, no visual influence will make the potential client less likely to be interested, as they can't see anything to back up the information they've been, no matter the quality of that infomation.
I also think you need the right amount of images and for them to be good dimensions and quality, having a small pixelated thumbnail will do nothing for your product.

faceifacts · 10-27-2010, 02:53 PM

Yeah you don't want to be to creative with the graphics, pictures can say a 1000 words, but if they say to many or to little they are genuinly pointless.

Copy on the otherhand helps a lot, as long as it's good and sticks to the point. I'd say copy is way more successful than graphics.

Some people only need bs and that it's and they make crap loads. But them some make up a good image that says everything and they make crap loads, guess it depends on the product more than anything.

Web Designers in Atlanta · 11-13-2010, 02:54 PM

for me valuable informative content is the most important but it really ads value if you add at least one graphic related to your content because it will helps to stimuli the mind of every readers, but make sure to put alt attributes to your graphics to make it more valuable and useful.