Posted on August 20th, 2008 in copywriting and marketing with no comments
Test results prove that single column websites win more customers
Use a single column of text and you’re in control the path your readers’ eyes follow. One block of copy encourages visitors to read in a logical sequence - from top to bottom - in the right order. They get what you’re saying, which makes them more likely buy.
Multiple columns distract people. Readers unconsciously flit around the columns and absorb less of your message, missing vital bits. Which can be disastrous if they’re just about to buy… a proven cause of conversionus interruptus!
It is best to make exciting supporting information integral to your sales message instead of putting it to one side. If it’s worth saying, it’s worth weaving it into the story. If it isn’t, leave it out. If it is useful but not key to your sales message, put it on another page.
Posted on August 14th, 2008 in copywriting and marketing with no comments
… but don’t take the mickey!
One good way to make your website visible to search engines is to get links from other sites back to your site. Search engine crawlers love them. Quality ‘back-links’ make you look important, and search engines will prioritise your website as a result.
Like all marketing, back-linking only has long term benefits if you do a quality job. Here’s how to get good back links easily, quickly and honourably:
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Sign up to a maximum of three relevant forums covering your business sector
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Include the url of your site in your signature. This will appear automatically whenever you make a post
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Write something every day even if it is just a comment on someone else’s post, a reply or a one-line question
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Avoid selling your products or services in forums. It is simply not cricket!
Every time you write something, you’ll generate a highly relevant new back-link to your website.
Stay relevant, don’t overcook it and you’ll slowly build up a strong, worthwhile presence. If you already participate in forums regularly, you’ll be doing a great job without realising it… just make sure you’ve included a link in your signature.
Post like a person possessed across all sorts of irrelevant forums, advertising and link-busting shamelessly, and you risk being penalised by search engines. As well as becoming forum non grata.
Posted on August 7th, 2008 in copywriting and marketing with no comments
Working freelance B2B?
Here’s a ‘bare bones’ plan to help you get your wares in front of target audiences quickly and effectively.
Week 1. Turn up wherever your target market congregates.
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Where does your target market hang out? That’s where you need to be. Get your business listed with free online business sites like freeindex. Take advantage of powerful free website directories like DMOZ. Register with relevant online business, trade-specific and networking communities. Use free local classifieds and advertising websites like Gumtree to promote your services.
Week 2. Let the media know you’ve arrived.
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It is surprisingly easy to get media coverage when you’ve got a good story. Send out a strong press release by email to local / national press, trade press, radio & TV stations and online magazines/guides/forums - wherever’s relevant. For extra oomph use a good quality distribution service like PressReleasePoint to get your message in front of a massive spread of media
Week 3. Introduce yourself to your prospects.
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If you haven’t already got a database together, buy or build your own list of prospects (contact name, company name, address, email address). Then send out a snail mail direct marketing campaign - say a postcard or letter - introducing your services to them. Why traditional direct mail? Because it is performing much better than many online media at the moment.
Week 4. Drive your message home.
Week 5. Plan ongoing activity.
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revisit what you’ve aready done. If something has worked well, do it again.
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keep an eye open for new places to promote your freelance business online.
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send out a press release every 4 weeks.
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send out a short email news flash every 4 weeks.
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send a direct mail campaign every 3 months.
Posted on July 30th, 2008 in copywriting and marketing with no comments
Should copywriters avoid cliches like the plague?!
There are two sides to most stories. This one’s no different.
You could view cliches as the lazy way out. The opposite of creative. Boring and done to death. If I was a creative writer - an author - I’d agree.
On the other hand, cliches have commercial power because practically everyone understands exactly what you mean when you use one. You get your message across instantly. Which is pretty important given that most people merely skim websites, scan direct mail letters and give marketing stuff a cursory glance.
Here’s an example.
1. It’s a real life rags-to-riches story of love, betrayal and - ultimately - triumph over adversity.
2. It’s the story of an epic journey from desperate poverty to astonishing wealth: a tale of love, betrayal and - ultimately - triumph.
And another.
1. He was determined to keep his nose to the grindstone. They didn’t tolerate slackers.
2. He was determined to keep on working this hard. For long hours at a stretch, without a break. They didn’t tolerate slackers.
If your audience is likely to take the time to read your stuff carefully, you can afford to avoid cliches. If your reader has the attention span of a gnat, think twice before discounting them altogether… a classic case of horses for courses!
Posted on July 28th, 2008 in copywriting and marketing with no comments
A wobbly economy isn’t totally bad news. The strong always survive.
So prepare yourself. If things are slowing down a bit, review your marketing to gain a good, muscular competitive edge.
Are you:
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doing enough marketing? A slow-down means you might have to work harder to get new customers and keep existing ones
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spending money in the right places? Test new media to establish response & conversion rates
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stuck in a rut? Review your existing media and campaigns, check ROI then act on your findings
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spending more than necessary on print? Check in case you can buy it for less
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posting profligately?! An A5 brochure, newsletter or catalogue can cost much less to post than A4
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sending out stuff by snail mail when you could easily email it?
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thinking creatively: reacting to current affairs swiftly and eloquently to raise your profile?
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up to date with your market: who they are and what they want from you?
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maximising the marketing potential of new products or services?
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releasing regular press releases to beef up your visibility?
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making the most of up to date SEO techniques?
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integrating your campaigns intelligently across multiple media?
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happy with your pre-sales, sales and post-sales materials? Could they work harder for you?
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grabbing every opportunity along the customer journey to communicate positively with people?
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updating your website often enough to keep search engines and repeat visitors keen?
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certain your website content is doing the best possible job of attracting, keeping and persuading visitors to buy?
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comfortable with your brand and what it projects to your target market?
- satisfied that your marketing plans still accurately reflect what your business is trying to achieve?
Get this lot right and you’ll be fit enough to fight a blip, a slow down or even a full blown recession.
Posted on July 16th, 2008 in copywriting and marketing with no comments
Grab the tail of a current event and hang on
Occasionally, a news story will resonate with your business. So grasp the opportunity and tell people about it!
Putting your slant on a local, national or international news story will bring readers, responders, visitors and customers.
Here’s an example.
You are a building firm. A local scandal has just surfaced. A rash of cowboy builders, insisting on cash up front, have disappeared leaving customers’ jobs unfinished. You write letters to your local papers, send out a press release, email your local radio station and write a blog post on your website: Top ten tips to avoid the cowboys.
The result? You get a letter printed. Another local paper prints your press release and uploads it to their website at the same time. And people searching for details about the story online run across your blog post.
