Tag: copywriting
How to get the best customer testimonials
As a freelance copywriter I’m very aware how little time – and inclination – most people have to write stuff for themselves.
So it’s no surprise that getting customers to provide testimonials, comments and case studies can be a challenge.
My tip? Write the testimonial or case study yourself. Then ask your customer to approve it.
Which sounds ridiculously simple. But it’s an incredibly effective way to get what you need within a reasonable timescale.
If you’re just as reluctant as your customers to put pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard - get in touch and I’ll write it for you! Just click through to helpinthecity.com and we’ll take it from there!
Do quick and dirty DIY marketing, Facebook style…
… and keep your home page fresh at the same time!
Add a ’status’ line to your home page – a bit like Facebook – and you can update your website in seconds every morning.
Just add a simple line of code, like I’ve done on my freelance copywriter website helpinthecity.com.
Why? From a SEO perspective updating your site regularly encourages extra visits by Google etc. It tells them you’re alive and kicking. But a status line can be a powerful little direct marketing tool too. It is a beautifully easy way to:
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tell visitors exactly what you’re doing every day – evidence that you’re present, correct and waiting for their custom!
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announce news via a prominent, powerful one liner
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inform people about new stock, new products, special offers…
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reinforce your brand by consolidating your website’s tone of voice – cheap, cheerful and effective brand building
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give visitors an extra insight into your business’s personality
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differentiate yourself from competitors
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encourage people to come back every day to see what you’re up to
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deliver cross-sell and up-sell messages
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let people know when you’re on holiday, useful if you’re a one man band!
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prompt response by asking a daily question
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make one off and time-limited offers – for one hour only etc… a great way to win repeat visits
That’s just a quick off the cuff list. Test drive a status line on your website’s home page, monitor your stats carefully and see what it does for your business.
Go Egyptian: write copy in inverted pyramid order
Like most copywriting and marketing devices the inverted pyramid – or inverted triangle – is common sense.
What is the inverted pyramid method? Ask any journalist. All it involves is putting your information in priority order. Putting crucial information at the top, less important material further down.
What’s ‘important’? It depends whether you want the reader to buy, make an offer, answer a question, join something, subscribe or respond in another way. For online work, you’ll probably want to use your keywords in order of importance.
Whatever you want from them, give readers and search engines key information in an order that will:
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let people know immediately that they’re in the right place
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inspire them to start reading
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keep them reading
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drive them towards your goal in a logical, methodical way
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let search engines know what keywords they should treat as priority when ranking the page
Here’s an example
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Strong header including core proposition: Buy the cheapest copralites on the internet here – limited offer!
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First priority: We supply the best quality, cheapest copralites available anywhere online
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Second: Buy before the year 3000 and we’ll give you a 1000% discount
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Third: Here’s our copralite range. Aren’t they gorgeous!
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Fourth: This is how you buy
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Fifth: Buy now… click here
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Sixth: Copralite safety issues
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Seventh: Ask us a copralite question and we’ll get right back to you
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Eighth: legal / regulatory stuff
Copywriting: What’s the single most important thing you want your reader to remember?
Most of us have the attention span of a gnat. Or a fish.
Unless we’re deep into a novel we tend to scan things rather than read every word. We might register basic concepts, propositions and ideas. But only if they stand out.
Which is why getting the core focus of a piece of written communication right is vital. Whether it’s a short product description or a blog post, an article or a web page.
If you’re having trouble establishing the focus of a piece of copy, it helps to take a step back. Ask yourself: What is the single most important thing that I want people to remember about this communication?
Once you’re crystal clear about exactly what you want people to take on board you can cut out all the fluff, make it integral to your proposition and focus your call to action firmly on it.
It also helps to put subsequent important points in priority order. Then you can give them the appropriate weight within the copy.
Kitten in loaf with cod….?!
Purina packaging causes amusement in corner shop
I popped to our local shop recently to pick up some cat food. And was surprised to find a clump of people clustered around the petfood section.
What was going on? They were having a laugh about the copy on a pack of Whiskas specialist kitten food. ‘Kitten in LOAF with Cod’ it announced, loud and proud.
A quick surf uncovered another delightfully silly piece of copywriting. Thank you Purina, for also giving us ‘Kitten mixed selection in jelly’. Urgh.
The down side? Very poor copywriting. There was plenty of space on the pack for clarity and there’s no excuse for forgetting punctuation. Something like ‘Kitten food: Tasty meat loaf with cod’ might be more like it.
The up side? None of the dozen or so complete strangers who laughed about it together are likely to forget the brand!
