Owner: Free Tips for Successful Copywriting URL:http://free-copywriting-tips.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:45:24 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Advertising, Editing & Copywriting for Mass Appeal Site statistics:Click here
Is Your Web Copy "Plain Talk"? 2007-01-26 07:32:27 It's true, we were all taught in school to express ourselves differently on paper, than the way we speak. To follow rules of grammar, and inject an artificial air of formality.Forgetting about this training when you write web copy is one of the best thing you can possibly do, unless you're selling to the academic community. And forgetting about it may not be as easy as you think.Do you write like you're speaking to a friend across the table?Maybe even use a little slang, now & then?Or do you worry about your high school English teacher committing suicide, if he or she were to ever stumble across your stuff?If so, do yourself a favor. Get over it.Marketing Communications should never be about trying to impress. Prospects should never have to think about what the heck you're trying to say.So keep your sentences short.Avoid big words.Keep plenty of free space around your copy, so it looks easy.The mind can only really think of one thing at a time. If you want your prospect to conce Read more:Plain
Marketing Rapport - 3 Tips! 2007-01-12 09:35:24 Establishing & maintaining rapport with your online audience is perhaps the single most important ingredient in marketing online. Actually in marketing period, but even more so online because of the lack of personal contact. Rapport
is at the core of selling, always has been, always will be.Let me tell you a little story.Earlier this week, I got a call from a salesman after leaving a message about getting my stereo repaired. My expensive, but aging Nakamichi CD player is on the fritz, & I'm virtually tuneless. Not good.It was a notable conversation for anybody interested in the art & science of persuasion. And in particular, the role rapport plays in that process.My apprehension was this.I bought the unit about 8 years ago, & I'm thinking. OK, this is going to cost me some money. I could probably now go out & buy a new CD player for the same amount. Just getting an estimate is going to cost me.So the guy calls up, & immediately starts building rapport with me. How does he do it?Aft Read more:Marketing
Web 2.0, "Social Networking"? Share your thoughts ... 2006-12-01 02:31:30 There's a lot of talk about Web 2.0 and something called "social networking" these days. It's the idea of using the web to facilitate symbiotic relationships like Michel Fortin's new blog http://www.copywritersblog.com/.Michel's new site is a loose collective of writers who in exchange for publicity do a lot of the work that Michel would normally do to maintain the site. It's a win/win for all involved. Michel provides a targeted outlet for us to show off, and in exchange we provide content, and even traffic.Why do we do it? Simple. We gain exposure and notoriety and we all benefit from our combined ability to refer visitors to Michel's site. Michel benefits because he monetizes that traffic with Adsense and affiliate links. And of course, since it's a blog, everyone has a chance to discuss the various articles and express their opinions, which I think is great.Is it an idea whose time has come? What are your thoughts
?Did you find the site useful? Will you visit again Read more:Social
, Share
Ad Copy Inspection - Cover These 12 Points! 2006-11-30 09:21:15 You're ready to launch that new product or promotion, & you're really counting on a piece of advertising copy to come through for you.You're looking for stellar results! And, you're determined to do everything in your power to get them. Which means surveys, thorough testing, and ongoing refinement of your ad copy.Hold the phone!When you've got your draft, run it through this 12-point inspection. Cover
off these basics, and you can be sure you're off to a running start.1- Do You Have A Compelling Headline? Does it generate curiosity or envy? Does it promise a benefit that will compel someone with an interest in what you're selling to keep reading. Remember, your headline is the ad for the ad.When I am being paid to write direct response ad copy, or a sales letter, or have a very important sales objective of my own, I normally write 25 headlines before I begin the body of the piece.Then I'll pick half a dozen that I think will work & test them. The best of the rest, I use Read more:Inspection
, Points
WHY FACTS TELL, AND STORIES SELL! 2006-11-30 09:18:37 Since the first caveman figured out how to tie a sharp rock to the end of a sturdy stick with a piece of vine, and hack off slabs of mastodon meat with it for fire roasting, storytelling has been the way knowledge has been passed from one person to another.Around the campfire blaze, the tribal members would gather, the little children gazing cautiously out from behind their parents, their eyes shining wide like silver dollars, listening… The grizzled old witch Doctor—can you hear his crackling voice, as he spins a yarn of bygone days?There is learning in the story—how to surround and kill a wholly mammoth, the cunning exploits of the ancient clansman, how the old man survived a vicious storm. There are stories of love and war, of the discovery of magical potions and incantations, of the wicked cannibals to the east.Since the dawn of time, stories have been the conduit of learning… the sacred baton, passed from one generation to the next… without which, human development would
Words That Pull 2006-11-14 08:01:17 Words & phrases are psychological triggers. They are like Pavlov's bell. They create an auto response in the reader, based on his or her previous experience. The most powerful of words, are those we fist became familiar with in our childhood & adolescent years. They are anchored most deeply in our psyches & create the most universal & therefore predictable responses.Here is a short list of such words. They resonate very strongly with most people.These power words trigger curiosity, or thoughts that are tied to the esteem needs, or both. Think of the word secret. Think back to when you were a child, and there was a "secret" going around.How did you feel before one of your playmates finally whispered it in your ear? You were both curious & you felt left out, didn't you? And after you knew it? Didn't it feel good to be part of the "inside" group that knew the secret? Do you think you felt a sense of importance when other kids begged you to tell them the secret? No wonder nob Read more:Words
3 More Ways to Increase Your Copywriting Fluency! 2006-11-14 08:01:17 Recently I revealed 5 tips for FASTER copywriting. You can read them on this blog, a little further down. NOW, here are 3 killer exercises that will ratchet up your writing speed still further ...But be careful. These techniques are very powerful, and can be downright dangerous if you try them on anything but the very best copy you can find. I recommend only using them with "control" copy. Ads and sales letters that are proven winners.If you need a good swipe file, drop in here first and pick one up.Exercise #1 - Examine Controls with the Zeal of a Forensic ScientistRead at least one piece of world-beating copy from your swipe file daily, but don't just read it.Examine it. Put it under the microscope, asking yourself questions as you read each word, sentence, paragraph and section.What was this master direct response copywriter trying to achieve in each element of the copy? What was the logic behind the order of the various elements? How did he or she keep you engaged? What was it abo
Two Styles of Copy ... 2006-11-14 08:01:17 The legendary ad man David Ogilvy observed that the editorial material in newspapers and magazines received 5 times more readership than the ads... so what did he do?He made his ads look and read more like editorial ... (that's one of David's classic "advertorial" style ads for Ogilvy & Mather to the left, circa 1974). Ogilvy's ads did not look exactly like editorial, but they read very much that way.What worked for Ogilvy in '74 can work even better for you today online.Here's why ...We live in the age of information, and today people are bombarded with thousands of marketing messages daily... more than at any other time in history. In order to process this overload, we unconsciously do three things.We Delete - Deletion occurs when we selectively pay attention to certain aspects of our experience and not others. Deletion means we overlook or omit certain sensory information. Without deletion, we would be faced with far too much information to handle in our conscious minds.Our del Read more:Styles
Does Your Online Copy Talk? 2006-11-14 08:01:17 THE UNSPOKEN DIALOGUEWhen it comes to online copywriting, it's not the words you use that count. It's the reaction to those words in the mind of the reader, as he reads them on the screen…And it's your ability to anticipate and plan out those reactions that spells the difference between being able to get your web site visitors to opt-in or buy your product in sufficient numbers to make your business a success.It's like a dialogue between two people, divorced in time and space. You are feeding your reader images, ideas, and emotions across the continuum, in a carefully planned sequence... and he is feeding you back reactions.You plan for certain reactions, and do your best to make them come about. You hope your reader will understand and agree with the assertions you put forward, and that he will share in the emotions you are suggesting he feel.Included among these reactions are demands, questions, and anticipations, which must be answered, or your copy will fail...When you've su
5 Tips for Faster Copywriting ... 2006-11-14 08:01:17 What would it mean to you if you could double your output as a copywriter? I can tell you from first hand experience that it would more than double your income.And here are 5 simple yet very powerful tips to help you do just that ...1 - Use a timer when you write, and give yourself a specific goal. Right now I have my timer set for 1 hour, and I'm going to write this blog post, and an email endorsement for David Garfinkel's Breakthrough Copywriting course within that hour. The mind is a goal seeking device. Give it a specific goal, and you at least double your focus and attention.2 - Set daily goals as well. Most people make a to-do list in the morning when they wake up. Now I'm all for to-do lists, but I do mine at night, just before I go to sleep. Why? Because when you sleep, your subconscious mind is trying to solve problems. By bringing your copywriting goals for the following day into clear focus just before going to bed, often you'll wake up with creative ideas.3 - Give your
Future Pacing in Copy … 2006-11-14 08:01:17 Many people when they put together their marketing assume that qualified prospects already know certain things about their product. For example, if it's a software product, they assume that people know that they will have to install it.And that's generally true. Most people do. What these marketers don't realize however is that by leaving the "obvious" out of their copy, they're inviting their prospects to think, and that's a big mistake. One of the reasons long copy outsells short copy is because it "future paces" the prospect through the process of ownership. And that's very important. Here's why... Decision-making demands imagination. By using as much copy as necessary to spell out what happens when your prospect buys your product, you're taking control of that process. Your goal should be to flood your prospect's minds with all of the positive images that you want them to experience. And crowd out the negativity that's sure to arise if you don't.Let me ask you a questio Read more:Future
, Pacing
What Makes A Winning Online Ad? 2006-11-14 08:01:17 Most people who have been involved with sales & marketing for any length of time have heard the axiom, "Sell them what they want. Then sell them what they need". But what does it mean? It sounds a little odd doesn't it?Does it mean that people are frivolous & go around making irrational purchases that don't meet their needs, before more serious ones that sustain them? Should you try to sell trivial goods first, & then follow up with those that are more substantial? Should you put games & entertainment on your home page, and flour & salt in your follow up messages?No, that's not it.What it is trying to say is that people buy for emotional reasons. Does anybody buy a Mercedes Benz just because they NEED to get from point A to point B? Do they buy it because they NEED all of the amazing gizmos, the heated leather seats & hand polished wood trim?No, a person buys an expensive car that they don't need because it makes them feel important. You may be shocked when I say this, but Read more:Winning
Do You Market To These Emotions Online? 2006-11-14 08:01:17 What can Mother Theresa and Charles Schwab teach you about marketing online.Certainly these two historical figures saw two vastly different worlds in their lifetimes. Mother Theresa spent hers with the poorest of the poor, while Charles Schwab spent his with the richest of the rich.But look at these two famous quotes."There is more hunger in this world for love and appreciation than for bread" Mother Teresa"I have yet to find a man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism." Charles SchwabDo you see the underlying thread?Regardless of who you are selling to, from one end of the social spectrum to the other, and everywhere in between, human beings are looking for appreciation, and approval, above all else.Show your customers how the use of your product yields a sense of importance, and recognition, or how it helps them avoid embarrassment and indifference, and you will make many more Read more:Market
Online, The Mind Thinks in Pictures 2006-11-14 08:01:17 A website is one of the most powerful mediums of advertising expression. You have ultimate freedom and flexibility to create powerful sales messages using both words and pictures. But is a picture really worth a thousand words?Perhaps, but pictures built up in the mind of your prospect with words are even more important.If you want to captivate someone's imagination, paint a picture with your words. When the mind really thinks, it thinks in pictures. If you're not creating mental images to get your point across, you're missing out on a lot of potential. You're just not hitting the nail on the head.You're not scoring points.Involve your audience, by getting them visualizing. If they have a problem you can solve, they need to see themselves feeling the pain, and applying your solution in their mind's eye.Here's a formula to do just that.Describe a current action that you're prospect would rather not be doing, followed by an alternative action that is the result of you're soluti Read more:Pictures
What Great Online Advertising Really Is! 2006-11-14 08:01:17 This fortnight distinction between sales & marketing.Many business people have a distorted view about the distinction between sales & marketing. The common view looks something like this. "Market by advertising to get your name out there, so that people will be familiar with you. When they need what we're selling, they'll know who to call".And off they go, to promote their company with image advertising that shouts to the world how great they are.They hope, and they prey that some how, some way, the message about their brand will stick in people's minds. Never knowing if it does, or if it doesn't. Or whether their marketing dollars are paying them back in increased sales.Some even think a cool web site, or sexy flash demo is enough to get their phones to start ringing.This all too common approach is a huge waste of time, and money. Never let an advertising rep tell you any different.Sales and Marketing are far more alike than most people realize. The sole purpose of marketing, Read more:Great
, Advertising
, Online Advertising
Marketing Strategy 101 2006-11-14 08:01:17 When it comes to marketing strategy blunders, pretty much everybody remembers the nosedive failure of New Coke, right? But what most people don't know is the fascinating story behind the story, & the valuable lesson it reveals.In the early eighties, Coke was about to lose a marketing trump card to Pepsi. Coke's market share had been in free fall since the end of the war, declining from 60% at that time, to just 24% in 1983. Pepsi was about to be able to claim that not only did it taste better than Coke (as proven in blind taste tests), but that it was actually more popular. This would have added even more fuel to Pepsi's already significant marketing momentum.While Coke was also losing market share to other new market entries, and increasing consumer preference for diet, citrus, & caffeine-free beverages etc., Pepsi's marketing strategy was continuing to win new customers.Obviously, people preferred the taste of Pepsi! Better taste was the main thrust of their advertising. Why Read more:Strategy
, Marketing
Product Positioning - 4 Differentiation Tips 2006-11-14 08:01:17 Here are 4 product positioning tips to differentiate your business.Luckily, it's not all that hard to stand out from the crowd, as long you realize the importance of product positioning. Positioning
is the art of matching your marketing message, with the desires, feelings, & beliefs of the particular type of customer that you know you can service better than anybody else. You make yourself "visible" as the kind of business this individual would naturally be attracted to.Why would I say that it's not that hard?Well, you really don't have to look very far to see that effective product positioning is about as common as caviar at a McDonald's outlet. Just look in the yellow pages, look on the net, and you'll soon see what I mean.It's more of the same old same old, look at us were #1 for pricing, service & selection nonsense. It's just meaningless drivel. Anyone can say these things & everyone does, & I ask you this.Are you guilty of spouting these "buy from us for no apparent
3 Copywriting Tips - How To Edit For Mass Appeal!
... 2006-11-14 08:01:16 3 Copywriting Tips - How To Edit For Mass Appeal
!By Daniel LevisWeb copy that's intended to sell or generate leads needs to quickly reach out and grab attention and build rapport with a target audience. You can connect with your audience more effectively if you understand something about how people process information, and how they think.Every one of us is constantly sorting, distorting, and generalizing what we perceive, just to stay sane.As a result, different people see the world differently. You probably want to appeal to as many of them within your target market as possible. Here are three simple tips you can use when it comes to editing your web copy.1 - An idea can be made to appeal to more people if it is expressed in both a positive (moving toward), and a negative (moving away from) fashion.Look how it's done in this famous lead..."TWO YEARS FROM NOW, your business could easily be worth 2.5 to 25 times what it's worth today...Or you could fall into the list of business also
Do You Have What it Takes to Join the Underground? 2006-11-14 08:01:16 Every great copywriter I know has gone to enormous lengths to build a swipe file of ads and sales letters known to have pulled like gangbusters... spending decades and thousands of dollars to compile a precious stable of proven winners.A killer swipe file can spell tens of thousands... hundreds of thousands... perhaps millions of dollars in additional income and royalties for you, permeating you with priceless inspiration... saving you countless hours, and making your copy infinitely more productive.But how do you make the time to find, compile, store, and categorize the amount of material you need to keep up with guys and gals who've been doing it for years?Well you don't have to... In just a few clicks you can be mining an underground goldmine filled with thousands of amazing ads written by the world's most celebrated copywriters, without even getting out of your chair.And it gets even better ...Now you can pinpoint, and even verify the effectiveness of ads used to sell virtually
Is Your Website Direct Marketing? 2006-11-14 08:01:16 Here's one of your biggest opportunities to outflank the competition online. Use your website as a DirectMarketing
vehicle, in the classical sense. Have a very tightly defined action that you want people to take, and focus all of your efforts on getting people to take that action. Few websites operate under this cardinal rule of Direct Marketing
. As a result, all too many business people labor under the fatal assumption that their prospects will make buying decisions based on minimal information. They assume that if someone is interested, they will take the next logical step. Not so. Minimal information might work for ultra low-ticket items, but chances are, what you're selling takes more explaining than you think. Like any good Direct Marketing piece worth it's salt, your website should actively "anticipate" and address all of the questions your prospects are likely to have about your product or service. Questions like, How do I know your product or service does what you sa
How to Crack The Believability Barrier 2007-02-01 08:34:10 It's true, healthy skepticism is at an all time high online. Especially if you're slugging it out in hotly competitive markets. And God, who isn't these days?If you're wondering what you can do to keep your conversion shorts up, and your costs down, then pay close attention ...I'm going to reveal some little known "contrarian" headline writing tricks that will help you wrestle this problem to its knees.Let's dive in ...There comes a time in every product or category lifecycle, when a high number of potential prospects within the market no longer believe in the advertising, and therefore no longer wish to be aware of the products.Here's what happens, and what to do about it.In the beginning, when a product is fresh and new, the critical mass of constituents within your target market will have a level of awareness concerning their desire for it.Naturally the more aware they are of this desire, the easier it is to attract their attention and interest, and then intensify that desire Read more:Barrier
Is Your Web Site Direct Marketing? 2007-02-07 08:12:57 Here's one of your biggest opportunities to outflank the competition online. Use your website as a DirectMarketing
vehicle, in the classical sense. Have a very tightly defined action that you want people to take, and focus all of your efforts on getting people to take that action.Few websites operate under this cardinal rule of Direct Marketing.As a result, all too many business people labor under the fatal assumption that their prospects will make buying decisions based on minimal information. They assume that if someone is interested, they will take the next logical step.Not so.Minimal information might work for ultra low-ticket items, but chances are, what you're selling takes more explaining than you think.Like any good Direct Marketing piece worth it's salt, your website should actively "anticipate" and address all of the questions your prospects are likely to have about your product or service.Questions like,How do I know your product or service does what you say it do
3 Steps To Online Marketing Competence! 2007-02-14 05:43:02 Whoever said knowledge is power, was wrong.Way too many people read a few online marketing books, and then figure they know everything there is to know in those books just because they read them. And then at a certain point they stop buying any more books, because they know EVERYTHING. But guess what? They don't practice any of it. And then they wonder why they're not making any money marketing online.I'm going to let you in on a big secret. Until you actually do something with what you learn, you haven't really learnt ANYTHING. If that's you, you would do well to go out of your way to buy as many books, courses, tapes etc. as you possibly can until you feel so stupid for learning the same things over and over again…or you go so broke… you're finally forced to get off your duff and do something with all that "knowledge". Good grief!You would be amazed and stunned at the amount of money spent each year on marketing books, tapes, CDs, etc, that never get read, much le Read more:Marketing
, Competence
, Online Marketing
Inside the Labyrinth of Your Prospect’s Mind 2007-02-27 19:57:41 Last week we talked about the growing skepticism online, and how to challenge it with your headline. Also how to momentarily halt your web site visitors, and force them to focus on a single thought that opens their minds to reading your sales message. And as you'll remember, this can mean deliberately not mentioning your product (or service), or even the benefits your prospect will derive from it in your headline. You are simply flagging your prospects down, and enticing them to read your sales message. Now, it is your body copy that must do the selling. Realize that to do that, it must alter your reader’s vision of reality. You are an architect of dreams, a painter of a vivid new world, where your product or service emerges as the vehicle through which your prospects will satisfy the desire which caused them to stop and focus on your headline.To succeed, you must expand upon the dimensions of their thinking. You must take a desire that already exists, and strengthen it, building it Read more:Labyrinth
, Prospect
6 Quick Tips to Make Your Copy More Believable 2007-03-05 18:07:46 You’ve got targeted traffic coming to your site. You’ve made a big, passionate, and clear promise on your landing page. But you’re still not making the sales you’d like.It could be because your offer sounds too good to be true.Believability above a certain point makes sales; below that point it does not. Ad copy must make what lawyers call "a prima facie case" -- that is, a case that warrants a trial in court. Only the court is the consumer, and the trial is buying and using the goods.Here are 6 tips to help increase the believability of your copy ...Figures - Ivory Soap, as we all know is 99.44% pure. Would it seem as pure if it were advertised "almost absolutely pure"?When a quotation is made from a book or from the media, not one in a thousand will verify it, yet it is worth your while to cite the exact volume, chapter, and page when quoting.Figures are the height of exactness, and exactness is characteristic of truth. Vague generalities slip off the human psyche like water Read more:Quick
, Believable
Profitable Online Marketing - Guaranteed! 2007-03-15 06:01:42 When you boil it right down, there are really only three things that you need to do exceedingly well to market your business effectively online, and you should think of all three simultaneously with each new advertising campaign you entertain.And they are,Obtaining an Opportunity to Sell – Lead generation, driving traffic to your web site.Closing the Sale – The sales presentation, online sales copy & order page etc., to close the sale.Following Up on Your Maybes – Follow up call, opt-in email, offline newsletter, mailing list etc. Think of your market as an orchard, with some ripe & ready plums, and many more green ones. Pick the ripe ones yes, but be sure to irrigate & fertilize the soil, prune & bug spray the trees with care, and nurture the fruit along.Mastering all three of these activities is critically important to the profitability of your advertising campaigns, and online marketing in general.But when you’re starting a new venture, which one do you master first?In my ex Read more:Marketing
, Profitable
The Invisible Force That Makes Web Marketing Work! 2007-03-23 18:39:05 Ah the wants, needs, hopes, longings, yearnings, cravings, and urges of human kind. Let us corral them all up and call them "desire". The invisible force that makes web marketing, or any marketing for that matter, work.Be not misled. It is not your job to create desire, only to channel it. As a marketer or copywriter you need only direct it... like the judo master you are... onto the product or service you're selling. You cannot create it, but you can... and must... sharpen it, giving it form and substance, and a definite goal.Herein lies the incredible wealth building power of effective online marketing and advertising. When done with exceeding skill, it has the power to harness an economic force many times more powerful than the mere dollars spent on promotion. In the hands of a master, it can create fabulous returns of $50 or even $100 for every dollar spent.To aspire toward this level of excellence, you must harmonize your sales message with the dominant emotions and beliefs that Read more:Marketing
, Force
Email Follow Up Tips, 8 Of Them... 2007-04-02 08:49:32 The first thing you need to do is get your e-mails opened & read. Spend at least as much time worrying about the subject line of each e mail in your sequence as you do worrying about the body.Brainstorm at least five subject lines, pick the one most likely to stop your prospects dead in their tracks (tip, the only way to know for sure is to test), and use the rest of them in the body of the message. And ALWAYS begin your title with the person’s first name.Curiosity Killed The Cat - It's human nature to be curious. One of the most effective ways to get your message opened is to throw a little mystery into the heading. Mystery, mixed with relevant benefit, will get your message opened. But that's not all.It's still easy to bail after the first paragraph, so curiosity can also help to drive your prospect deeper into the body of the message. Remember, the deeper your readers go into your copy, the more difficult it will be for them to STOP reading it.It doesn’t hurt to tell a little Read more:Email
Whoever Said Long Copy Always Outsells Short Copy Was Wrong... 2007-04-06 08:11:42 I do a lot of critiques, and by far the most common criticism I have is directed at the sheer length of the copy people seem to be writing these days. It seems they think they need to write a book to sell a $39 ebook online, complete with a 74-word headline.There is a time and a place for long copy, and there is a time and a place for short copy. But there is never a place for copy that’s unnecessarily wordy like so much that I see these days. For copy to sell, every word must count.This is particularly true on the web. People do not have the same attention span online as they do offline. Most are juggling a never-ending stream of emails, chats, web pages, and internal documents simultaneously. They’re conditioned to flit from one document to another in a way they would never do offline.And I believe that calls for a whole new way of approaching your writing...Traditional direct response wisdom says you painstakingly explore every single feature, advantage and benefit of the produc Read more:Short
, Wrong
All the Web's a Stage! 2007-04-17 18:31:11 If you're like me, you're constantly on the look out for an edge. A new key that can ignite your online sales and profits, and take your business to new heights …
And one of those keys for sure, is the constant quest for vivid pictures of satisfaction that you can install in the minds of your prospects to magnify their desire to buy. Agreed?
In an earlier issue we talked about using mental
Read more:Stage
Recommend Site To A Friend
