7/31/2008
The Gift Of Mentoring Others In Our Field
| I don’t know about you, but the summer is flying by for me here in South Florida. My kids have already been out of school for about 8 weeks and the first day of school (in mid-August) is right around the corner. Before the summer, I set all kinds of goals for myself, from launching a copywriting site for VAs (which is done! VAs check it out: http://www.copywritingforvas.com/) to walking for an hour every summer morning (ummm….hasn’t happened yet). As I told you in a previous post, I count on the summer to be a time for new work, great projects and growth – I shun the summer slowdown and hope you do, too! Do you ever receive questions or requests for advice from others in your field or area of expertise? Do you take the time to answer them? I have been fortunate to learn and benefit from some amazing mentors in my business life. Early on in my career, I promised myself I would always reply to anyone who asked me just about anything business-related and that I would always try to help as I was (and still am being) helped by others. Below, I excerpted some advice I sent to a budding copywriter who wrote me and asked me a series of questions (many of which I also answered in detail in a past blog post here: Advice To A New Copywriter). I’m no sage, but I do know what I know. I think this is decent advice for anyone in any business….hope you do, too!  Here was the question I received: What is the most important thing a new copywriter should do to ensure success? Here is the answer I gave: Whether you are new or experienced, these will apply to you:
business advice copywriter copywriting business mentoring business writing Labels: answers, business advice, business building, business relationships, copywriting, mentoring, networking, questions |
7/29/2008
Is Your Marketing Copy Transparent?
I just came across a quote that I haven’t seen or heard in a while. It was said by the late copywriter, Gene Schwartz, who is remembered and regarded very highly in the writing community:  “You want the person to look through the copy like they’re looking through the glass in a showcase.” I wanted to share this with you because I believe quotes like this one keep me on target. They remind me of how effective marketing copy should be written. When writing for an ad, press release, brochure or even a website; we are not writing to sell our copy, we are writing to sell a product or service. We want our readers to see through the copy, as they would a showcase window, and envision the product or service working for them. The best way to achieve this is by keeping copy simple and to the point. Labels: ad copy, copywriting, creative writing, marketing, potential customers |
7/25/2008
The Almighty VERB
| I know….YAWN! Since when is the topic of verbs considered exciting? While it may not be exciting, verbs are key to your marketing success. REALLY! Action, action, we want action. Active beats passive – every single time. Always, always, always choose words – especially verbs – that are active, visual and powerful. Your writing will be far more vibrant and convincing if you use active rather than passive verbs and the active voice over the passive voice. Passive verbs tend to be wordy, unnatural and, frankly, downright dull. Consider these two sentences: Passive: The book proposal was given to the publisher by Lisa. Active: Lisa presented her book proposal to the publisher. Or these: Passive: The cake was eaten by the boys. Active: The boys devoured the cake. What is…isn’t. I once had a client who forbade me from using any form of the verb “to be.” This means I couldn’t use is, are, am, were, etc. At first I thought he was out of his mind, but you know what? The end product was all the more strong, forceful and effective. The verbs were impactful and had more meaning than those dreaded-but-necessary “to be” verbs. creative writing business writing small business marketing writing Labels: business writing, creative writing, marketing, small business marketing |
7/22/2008
What Summer Slowdown?
 It’s inevitable. Every year, around February or March, people start anticipating a business “summer slowdown.” They’re the same folks who talk about a “slow December” starting sometime in mid-October. Then they put off doing anything of substance until mid-January because, they reason, things are dead for a good few weeks from start of the slow December. You can certainly talk a slowdown or a slow period or a lull in business into being, but why would you want to? Just like those who refuse to operate under the shadow of a recession (or whatever word they put on it), I, too, am not interested in focusing on all the potential slowdowns and lulls that can come my way. (Not to downplay high gas prices, unemployment records and everything else that is making times tough for people.) BUT….to me, marketing, and success in general, is about focusing on what you want and on where you want to be – not on all of the potentially not-so-great things that can (and, yes, do) happen. I’m not saying you, or I or anyone else is immune to significant trends or to anything else that affects the masses. But why base your life (or your business) on a fear-based approach? Why not expect the best? I do…and I get it, too – no matter what the season. productivity in business marketing business advice Labels: business, business advice, marketing, productivity in business |
7/16/2008
Affirmations Sell More Then Possibilities
 With all the information available online, the Internet has changed the way consumers make purchases. Nothing new there, but because of this, business owners and entrepreneurs have had to change the way they market their products and services. Customers have direct access to press releases, product reviews and your website which is filled with your marketing copy. They have access to this all before they even leave their home or office to make a purchase (and in many cases they may be making the purchase right there in their home or office.) It is therefore essential to ensure that your marketing copy is written affirmatively. Avoiding words like may, maybe, hope, wish, try, could, perhaps and strive is the best rule of thumb when writing copy to sell a product or service. They tell your potential customer that there is a possibility that your product or service will help them. Using words like will and can give your reader the sense of what your product can and will do to help them and to solve their problem. business writing copywriting internet marketing Labels: business writing, copywriting, Internet Marketing, making mistakes |
7/12/2008
Establishing Credibility, A Must In On-line Marketing
Even with the best product, incredibly well written web copy and a killer position on the search engines, your competitors are still just one click away. If a website visitor isn’t convinced of credibility, they will undoubtedly move on to another site. The best ways to establish credibility and convince visitors, your potential customers, that your expertise is valuable: • Provide your credentials. This will establish you as an authority in the market. • Use testimonials. Testimonials that provide specifics of your product or service from happy customers are the invaluable. They show you as a known and well-liked industry expert. • Add a guarantee. If appropriate add a guarantee, it will show you stand behind your product or service and you are confident in what you are selling. • Tell a story. Explain the story behind your business, but be sure it is relevant to your potential customers. The story needs to include the benefits to your customers. Labels: business advice, potential customers, web content, web copy, web traffic |
7/07/2008
Is there a secret to online marketing?
 The answer is no. If you are looking for a secret or a “get it done quick” plan to a successful on-line marketing campaign, you won’t find one. Online marketing is marketing, and like all effective and successful marketing campaigns they have to be clearly defined and well thought out. Although online marketing can be less expensive and launched a bit quicker than a print campaign, it still requires the same time and efforts to be effective. A few factors to consider that are essential to every marketing campaign: 1. Relationship building and letting customers know you. Whether it is online or in print, customers need to know about your product or service. Make sure your descriptions are informative; to the point and that there is a sufficient amount of copy that answers the questions your potential customer might ask. Don't leave them wondering. 2. Offer value to your customer. You don’t have to be the least expensive, but you do have to offer the most value for their money. This needs to incorporated and translated into your marketing copy. 3. Use incentives in your marketing. Customers love to receive coupons, discounts and free gifts. Let them know what they will get. 4. Keep in touch. A successful marketing campaign has to have follow-up with past clients. It is always easier to get return business from happy customers than finding a new one. Not to mention the referrals that could come by reminding past clients how great of a product or service you have. Labels: Internet Marketing, low-budget marketing, marketing, online marketing, small business marketing |
7/01/2008
Same-old, same-old: Web writing mistakes we see over…and over…and over
| Mistake # 1: No-no Navigation Navigation, in fact, must be so easy that visitors to your site shouldn’t even have to think about it. Your website navigation should immediately let someone know:
Mistake # 2: Putting existing print on your website. No, no, no. Do not take your brochure, product catalog, employee manual, whatever and simply put it on-line. Printed materials don’t work on-line; they’re two totally different species. Wouldn’t you be annoyed if you read a brochure, had your interest piqued, logged on to the site and found the exact same copy there? I would…and am quite often! Mistake # 3: Believing people care about you personally and your website. In the final analysis, nobody truly cares about your site. That sounds horrible, but it’s true. What people want is a solution. They want their problems solved and they want to figure out in as few seconds as possible whether you’re the one to do it for them. Labels: business writing, seo copywriting, web content, writing for the web |
