Author Archive
How Much Does Professional Copywriting Cost?
Posted by: | CommentsHow Much Does Professional Copywriting Cost?
It’s a question I often get asked. And my answer is always the same. If you hire a writer who doesn’t know how to sell – plenty!
But if you hire a copywriter who has a proven track record for generating sales leads and you know how to close sales, copywriting doesn’t cost you anything.
It’s a one-time investment that will put money in your jeans over and over again.
The real question is: How much is professional copywriting worth? Read More→
One Small Silent Step For This Copywriter
Posted by: | CommentsOne Small Silent Step For This Copywriter
A picture I took of Phil and Freddie on 7th tee at Augusta National
Does Your Marketing Suffer From Incomplete-itis?
Posted by: | CommentsDoes Your Online Marketing Suffer From Incomplete-itis?
My wife and I were watching TV a couple of months ago and came across a public broadcasting channel presenting a live concert from Ireland featuring Celtic Woman. The music and singing were so amazing I actually fished out a credit card and paid a hundred bucks for a DVD of the performance.
Fast forward to October and I find out they’re playing at a resort north of Toronto in December. I go to the resort’s site to see if tickets are available and what they cost. Bingo! Two tickets. Sign me up. The confirmation tells me to expect my tickets in 4-6 weeks.
Last week, my wife says “Hey, why don’t you check and see if we can stay at the resort that night?”.
Great idea. Back to the site where I search for room rates to see what the price range is and what’s available. After clicking on just about every link I could find related to their hotel rooms, I find nothing. I call the resort. Read More→
“Arm Around The Shoulder” Copy Will Boost Sales
Posted by: | Comments“Arm Around The Shoulder” Online Copy Will Boost Sales
Your prospect is terrified.
And overwhelmed. Jaded. Pressed for time. Confused. Skeptical. Distracted.
Mercifully, not all the time. But almost always when he has to make an important purchase or investment. Something that will grow his business. Help his family. Make him look younger. (note: using “he” here for simplicity)
Why?
Because he doesn’t exactly understand how things work. And many marketers force him to work too hard to make a buying decision.
They throw a bunch of features and benefits on a web page, pepper it with “we this” and “we that” and enter the “pick me” lottery.
Why not boost your odds by giving your prospect what he wants and helping him get it?
Your online copy can lead him straight to your solution if you follow some basic guidelines that lead him through your selling process. Read More→
4 Tips To Get More People Reading Your Copy
Posted by: | Comments4 Tips To Get More People Reading Your Online Copy
Reading on the internet can be hard work . And that’s a challenge especially if you rely on your online copy to generate sales prospects. Eye strain is a big issue for the online crowd with numerous studies finding that reading performance drops dramatically on the web.
It’s not hard to figure out why.
Many site owners (and web designers) seem obsessed with assaulting their readers with a dog’s breakfast of font colours, shapes and sizes that force the reader to struggle to take it all in. Big mistake. Many potential prospects will do what we all do when faced with this challenge - find something that’s easier on the eyes.
Here are several quick fixes that will make your site more reader friendly:
Tip#1: Don’t use small font sizes. This is the biggest eyestrain culprit. You can make your font size scalable but the simple fix is make it easy to read.
Tip#2: Break up your copy. Large oceans of text are overwhelming for your reader. And expensive for you. Break things up and make your copy more scannable. Use bullets and subheadings. Keep paragraphs short. Use bolding. Use columns or set margins so reader’s eyes doesn’t have too travel too far along the line.
Tip#3: Use contrasting font colours. The best is black font on a white background. That is easiest to read and is what people are used to. Newspapers and magazines don’t use this by accident.
Tip#4: Have a clean page. Avoid the cluttered, busy look. Only use content that will help you lead your prospect to take the next step in your selling process.
Your chances of achieving your sales objectives will increase if you avoid making your reader fight to understand your message.
Your Online Copy Must Deliver Proof of “Cred”
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Your Online Copy Must Deliver Proof of “Cred”
In the year 2000, there was a movie starring Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan called Proof of Life in which Ryan’s husband was kidnapped by guerilla rebels and held for ransom. The kidnappers called and demanded $50,000 as a show of good faith. Before she could pay, Russell Crowe stepped in as the hostage negotiator and said she wouldn’t pay without some sign the husband was still alive.
He demanded ”Proof of Life” from the kidnappers.
The selling equivalent of this is proof of credibility. Before a sales prospect will consider doing business with you, he will want to see clear signs that you are the real deal.
Here’s the path many of your sales prospects travel when they read your online copywriting:
When they arrive at your site, they have one question they are looking to answer - do you represent a possible solution to their problem or need? They will use emotion first and then logic to decide if you can help them. Read More→
Use Marketing Clarity To Increase Sales
Posted by: | CommentsUse Marketing Clarity To Increase Sales
Any effective client-attracting promotional material usually contains the following five elements:
- Clearly defined products or services
- Clearly targeted ideal buyers
- Clear, benefit-oriented messages
- Clearly written/designed marketing materials
- Clearly communicated offers
Without them, it’s difficult to make a connection with your prospects.
As straightforward as they seem, getting these “marketing ducks” in a row is a huge challenge for many business owners.
How about you? Are you attracting the right kind of clients? Where is your marketing falling short?
For many business owners, the mistake they make is chasing the “next shiny thing” before they get the basics in place. Read More→
The Primary Objective Of Your Website
Posted by: | CommentsThe Primary Objective Of Your Website
Many business owners don’t really have a clear understanding of what their website is supposed to do.
Some have lofty expectations. Some have very little. Some have never given it any thought.
Unless you’re selling a product directly from your site as your primary business, you may find it helpful to look at your website in the following way: Read More→
How to Triple Your Email “Open” Rates
Posted by: | CommentsHow to Triple Your Email “Open” Rates
Came across this the other day and thought I’d share it.
Do you find less people are opening your emails? If so, you’re not alone. “Open” rates are dropping to new lows of 10-15%.
Here’s a clever way to increase the number of people who open your email marketing messages:
Create your email promotion and write out 3 subject lines.
Take your best subject line and include it with your first email. Let’s say you email 1,000 people and 150 open it. Delete those names off your “send” list and re-send the email using a different subject line. Once your open results come back from the second email, delete those names and do your third email using your third subject line.
Here’s the exciting part: you could TRIPLE the amount of people who open your email by using this strategy.
Why not give it a try and triple your chances of making a sale?
Gerry Black is a Marketing Writer based in Toronto, Canada
and serving clients in the U.S. and Canada.
Is Your Marketing Penny-Wise Pound-Foolish?
Posted by: | CommentsIs Your Marketing Penny-Wise Pound-Foolish?
A colleague of mine and I were having a conversation the other day about a marketing mystery. Isn’t it odd that we spend so much time, money and energy trying to make a difference in the lives of our customers so we can earn a reasonable profit and yet, often, we’re our own worst enemies when it comes to doing the things that will help us achieve that objective?
Even though many of us become knowledgeable about effective marketing strategies, somehow, some of what we learn never makes it to the front line – the point where our sales proposition is laid bare in front of our prospect for consideration.
Here are three things that could be hurting your marketing results along with some suggestions on what you can do to correct them. Read More→
