Subscribe in a reader

FREE e-book

Learn to:
Build your business.
Attract new clients.
 Gain visibility.
 Sell more.


8 Copywriting Secrets Guaranteed To Grow Your Business
+ bonus e-newsletter
 

8 Copywriting Secrets Guaranteed To Grow Your Business

Name
Email


   Do-It-Yourself Copywriting e-Book

Do_It_Yourself Copywriting e-Book



52 Tips e-Book

52 Tips e-Book


Visit Us Here

VA Copywriting

DIY Copywriting

7/18/2006

e-Zines Not Ideal For All Clients Copywriting Guru Asks If e-Zines Are More Than Just ‘Inbox White Noise’

Whether or not you should be marketing your company with one of those helpful, tip-filled e-zines depends on the industry you’re in, says Get It In Writing, Inc.’s (GIIW) President, Allison Nazarian.

The South Florida-based marketing communications expert finds herself advising many clients lately on when e-zines (also known as ‘e-newsletters’) makes sense -- and when or if it just creates the dreaded disconnect by adding to Inbox clutter.

In an industry with a low-tech audience, e-zines will not make sense because of the readership’s limited e-mail access during business hours. Nazarian knows of a manufacturing company with 2,000 distributors, most of whom either don’t have e-mail accounts or share e-mail accounts with up to 10 others in a small office. On the flip side, these same distributors work with architects, who are tech-savvy and enjoy getting their information via the e-zine channel.

One New York Times best-selling author refuses to trade his paper-based, snail-mailed newsletters for e-Zines. He is reaching an audience that loves to read, and his fans feel special when they receive the quarterly printed paper newsletters. Even better, he can easily sort his database of zip codes and do postcard mailings to fans in a specific city where he’s doing a book publicity tour.

Assuming that your audience is appropriate for e-zines, how do you know if your readers are enjoying it? According to Nazarian, it’s fairly obvious once you ask yourself these questions:

  • Am I getting any reader feedback after my newsletter goes out?
  • Are my readers using or purchasing products or services that I recommend in my e-zine?
  • How does my “subscribe me” list stack up against my “unsubscribe me” list?
  • Am I getting any response to my surveys? (And by the way, Nazarian recommends that e-Zine editors should be doing contests and surveys to engage readers.)

In short, your e-zine does have the potential to deliver relevant information to a hungry audience – the quality of the copywriting will dictate whether it ultimately bores the audience with transparent self-promotion or incites it to buy, buy, buy. Either way, it’s sure to make a positive lasting impression.

About Get It In Writing, Inc: Since 2001, Get It In Writing, Inc. has been a leader in developing the messages, words and ideas of business communications. The firm, which has built a solid reputation as a trusted and indispensable resource for professionals in marketing, advertising, sales, graphic design, web development, public relations and branding, helps clients harness the power of words to communicate, sell, inform, educate and publicize. For information, free resources and/or to buy services online, visit www.GetItInWriting.biz.

posted by Get It In Writing, Inc. at Permanent Link 1 comments

7/16/2006

Marketing Expert Says ‘Small’ Writing Errors Can Cost Corporations ‘Big’

Up to 10% of a business’s annual sales are lost due to miscommunications from bad writing, says Allison Nazarian, President of Get It In Writing, Inc.

“At my company, our slogan is ‘Words mean business.’ It’s never been more profound. Bad writing is more than ugly; it’s so costly and bad for business,” Nazarian explains. In the public sector, as well, nearly a quarter of a billion dollars is spent annually on remedial writing instruction for employees, meaning that sloppy writing costs taxpayers as well.

According to Nazarian, most executives don’t stop to think about the many ways in which bad writing costs corporations and the public sector big dollars. She outlines some of them here:

  • Unclear instructional manuals create work interruptions, lengthy on-hold calls to Help Desks and costly delays in completing projects.
  • Executives being paid the “big bucks” may be reading and re-reading (and re-reading again) poor writing, losing their corporations countless money due to lack of clarity.
  • Poor copywriting in annual reports can alienate, lose and/or confuse stockholders.
  • Poorly written text can create a disconnect with customers; replacing customers can be extraordinarily costly.
  • Miscommunication from poor writing can hurt employee morale.
  • Unclear, unprofessional and/or confusing web copy can create a poor overall impression of a company, affecting search engine rankings and help the competition.

How does Nazarian recommend workers improve their writing? “When writing something, mentally give yourself the ‘elevator speech.’ In other words, practice what you want to say in 60 seconds or less, then write it down just as succinctly. In business communications, employees from all parts of a company need to create tighter copy. The business world doesn’t have time for unnecessarily bloated writing.”

Nazarian also recommends on-site training to improve employee writing. “There are many writing coaches out there who will spend a couple of hours training your employees the right way to communicate in writing. No matter what you’re spending on that training, it will be less than the impact on your company’s bottom line from writing errors.”


About Get It In Writing, Inc: Since 2001, Get It In Writing, Inc. has been a leader in developing the messages, words and ideas of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) communications. The firm, which has built a solid reputation as a trusted and indispensable resource for professionals in marketing, advertising, sales, graphic design, web development, public relations and branding, helps clients harness the power of words to communicate, sell, inform, educate and publicize. For information, free resources and/or to buy services online, visit www.GetItInWriting.biz.
posted by Get It In Writing, Inc. at Permanent Link 0 comments

7/13/2006

The Mini-Skirt Theory: CEO Offers Businesses, Marketing Pros Tips on Evaluating Copywriters

In today’s attention deficit society, catching a reader’s attention requires just the right touch.

Allison Nazarian, President of Get It In Writing, Inc., suggests that good copywriting should pass the Mini-Skirt Test: “It must be long enough to cover the subject, yet short enough to be interesting,” she explains.

Whether it’s Web content, a brochure or a monthly newsletter, hurried readers are scanning text faster than ever. Ideas need to be communicated quickly and succinctly. How does Nazarian evaluate the copywriters she hires at Get It In Writing? She offers these guidelines:

  • Are the copywriters you’re interviewing naturally curious people? Do they read voraciously? These are the kinds of writers you want—those who enjoy learning, researching and reading everything they can get their hands on. This not only improves the depth of their concepts but also the quality and style of their writing. Go ahead--ask them to share with you the books they’ve read recently. Ask them which magazines and newspapers they subscribe to. There is a direct correlation between what they’re exposing themselves to and the quality of their writing.
  • What did they study in college? “Those who studied journalism or communications are at the top on my list, as they are professionally trained in the nuances in news reporting, feature writing, public relations writing and advertising copywriting. Journalism students and those who have worked as journalists are also more inclined to care about deadlines,” Nazarian adds.
  • Do they work full time as copywriters? Are they paid well for their work? “These points are critical,” Nazarian explains. If someone is a novelist merely moonlighting as a copywriter, he or she won’t have the built-in knack for great headlines or benefits-driven copy. If they’re not being paid a minimum of $75 an hour for their work, keep looking. Your company cannot afford to hire a lowballing copywriter—it will reflect in the end result.
  • Do they really understand SEO-driven copywriting for the Web? If your copywriter isn’t familiar with Search Engine Optimization when writing Web copy, find someone who is. The end result in the Web content they create for you will make an enormous difference in how search engines find your Web site, and in your Web rankings.
  • Can they provide real samples? Many decision-makers evaluating copywriters are dazzled by the layout and design of the piece, rather than the actual copy. Ignore the pretty photography and graphics. “Ask the copywriter to give you a simple Microsoft Word document so you are not distracted by the presentation of the piece,” Nazarian advises. As you read their samples, ask yourself: Is the copy stripped of jargon? Is it succinct? Does the copywriter really speak to the audience for whom the copy is intended? Can the copywriter vary his or her style and voice? Can they write with pizzazz when necessary?

If the copywriters you interview can meet the criteria listed here, hire them. You’ll be amazed at the impact good copy will have on your bottom line.

About Get It In Writing, Inc: Since 2001, Get It In Writing, Inc. has been showing clients why “words mean business.” GIIW’s business-to-business and business-to-consumer clients nationwide are realizing that improved marketing communications minimize errors on many levels and, as significantly, ultimately have a positive impact on the bottom line.
posted by Get It In Writing, Inc. at Permanent Link 1 comments

7/11/2006

Web Has Permanently Changed Copywriting Copywriters and Marketing Consultants Retraining Selves, Clients

It’s a good thing Get It In Writing, Inc.’s (GIIW) team of copywriters aren’t getting paid by the word.

Thanks to the Web, they would be taking a 50% reduction in pay compared to what they made in the 1990s, according to Allison Nazarian, GIIW President. “The brochures we copywriters wrote a decade ago contain more than double the amount of words that’s appropriate for brochures by today’s standards. The way we write, present and read Web copy has changed how readers receive and absorb their printed information. Today, they’re really scanning rather than reading.”

Copywriters “Hitting the Reset Button” on Client Expectations. “Old school” clients who were disseminating their print collaterals before the Electronic Age still tend to expect copy-heavy brochures and sell sheets. “We have to retrain our clients on their own clients’ expectations. It would actually be a disservice not to do so,” explains Nazarian.

The most pervasive copy style trends she sees in today’s print collaterals include:
  • Straightforward headlines and sub-headings that don’t make readers guess;
  • Half—and sometimes less—of the amount of words traditionally found in pre-Web print collaterals;
  • Words that are emphasized by being italicized, bolded, colored or otherwise;
  • Graphics, like photography or charts, that underscore the copy and are understandable with a brief glance;
  • One idea per paragraph;
  • References to a client’s website, online portfolio, e-store, etc.

About Get It In Writing, Inc: Since 2001, Get It In Writing, Inc. has been a leader in developing the messages, words and ideas of business communications. The firm, which has built a solid reputation as a trusted and indispensable resource for professionals in marketing, advertising, sales, graphic design, web development, public relations and branding, helps clients harness the power of words to communicate, sell, inform, educate and publicize. For information, free resources and/or to buy services online, visit www.GetItInWriting.biz.
posted by Get It In Writing, Inc. at Permanent Link 0 comments