You want to be a copywriter…
You are probably just starting out, and want to know how to write genuinely compelling and effective copy that actually does its job. (Whatever that job may be – copywriting isn’t just about selling.)
Before you jump in at the deep end and learn how to write the text, you need to be sure you have the attributes to become a top copywriter.
Writing Skills
Plain and obvious. Or so you might think…
The beauty of copywriting is you don’t need to be a literary genius. You don’t need to have an English degree.
Writing copy is all about engaging the reader, putting yourself in the readers’ shoes, and writing as the customers speak.
While you should be aware of correct grammar – it can sometimes be a sin to obey it in copywriting.
Imagination
You don’t need to be a literary genius and you don’t need to be a ‘creative writer’.
Long, waffling descriptions is an absolute no no for copywriters. Short, simple and concise is the key.
But you do need an active imagination. Think of breakfast cereals. Quite a mundane product to sell. But if you watch the TV, you’ll note that good copywriters are always coming up with new, inventive ways to advertise breakfast cereals.
A businesslike approach
Most, if not all, of your clients will be business people – often in senior positions. They want to know they can trust you with their business, and rely on you to generate sales.
The last thing they want from a copywriter is someone who is going to give them a headache. You must be professional at all times.
Attention to detail
Journalists have the pleasure of sub-editors. Freelance copywriters don’t. You are the producer, designer, writer and editor of your own work.
Self motivation
Especially important if you are freelance. Hard work and self motivation are inevitably rewarded.
Although you don't have a boss (as such) standing over you, telling you to work harder and work faster – you still need to put the hours in and stick to deadlines.
Easygoing temperament
Like ghostwriting, copywriting is all about suppressing your own ego.
The customer is always right – even when they are obviously wrong.
You client is your customer. Your client pays your wages. Don’t risk falling out or arguing with your wage-payer because you disagree with his/her approach.
Listening and questioning skills
On average, you’ll get around 15 minutes worth of brief from your client. You need to know exactly what is required of you. Do not be afraid to repeat questions and do not be afraid to ask as many questions as you like.
The more questions you ask, the more detailed your brief, the better your copy. The more questions you ask, the more enthusiasm this shows to your client. This can help towards gaining future work from them.
Adaptability
You need to be versatile. You need to be able to write about anything. If you narrow down your topics too much, you risk your copy becoming trite and predictable.
You also narrow down your chances of finding regular work.
Persuasiveness
Not just to convince potential clients that you are the copywriter they need, but if there is one key feature of copywriting it is this:
The goal of a copywriter is to influence a reader to change their attitude or behaviour.
Can you persuade someone to buy a product? Change political party? Apply for a job? Stop smoking?
People skills
You need to be sociable and a ‘people person’.
You may be working for a mechanic one week and the director of a multinational blue-chip organisation the next. You need to be able to talk with them in their language.
People buy from people they like. At any stage of the spectrum.
You need to be able to prove to potential clients that you understand them and understand what makes their business tick.
So there you have it; the skills to be a pro copywriter.
Do you have the necessary skills?
Well, that doesn’t really matter. The more important point – are you willing to work at these skills? If the answer is ‘yes’: enjoy your career as a successful freelance copywriter.
Writing For England
www.writing-for-england.co.uk
Showing posts with label copywriter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label copywriter. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
New Findings for Children with Reading Difficulties
A growing number of parents and teaching professionals are turning to eye practitioners when their children have difficulty reading.
Visual problems associated with reading difficulties are discussed in a new book which has been developed by three of the country’s leading eye experts.
Vision and Reading Difficulties has been written primarily for eye care professionals, to help them stay up to date with the new developments.
The book not only addresses the problems, but also comes up with a clinical protocol that can be used to identify and treat these conditions.
The findings have been of particular significance to Ulverston Optometrist Lyn Savage. Lyn Savage Opticians celebrated its 25th Anniversary last year, and Mrs Savage continues to develop her knowledge of the industry.
Mrs Savage, based on Market Street, prides on providing first-class vision care for the entire family. Mrs Savage is now keen to meet children with reading difficulties, to see if there is a visual problem that she can diagnose and treat.
She has recently visited Pennybridge, Leven Valley and Broughton Primary schools to talk with children about their eyesight.
The new findings focus on those people who have vision concerns with reading, though do not have eye diseases or low vision, the visual problems that are most often associated with reading difficulties.
Vision and Reading Difficulties points out early on: “There has been increasing evidence in recent years of visual factors contributing to reading difficulties…”
With a strong interest in these visual factors, Bruce Evans, Director of Research at the Institute of Optometry, said: “We felt there was a need for a book for eye care professionals that would give them the background on which visual problems may be contributing to reading difficulties, how they can detect those problems and what they can do about them when they find them.”
A discussion with Mr Evans and the authors is available to view on the Association of Optometrists website. Vision and Reading Difficulties is also available from the OT Bookshop.
Lyn Savage will be happy to speak to anyone who would like further information on the subject.
Visual problems associated with reading difficulties are discussed in a new book which has been developed by three of the country’s leading eye experts.
Vision and Reading Difficulties has been written primarily for eye care professionals, to help them stay up to date with the new developments.
The book not only addresses the problems, but also comes up with a clinical protocol that can be used to identify and treat these conditions.
The findings have been of particular significance to Ulverston Optometrist Lyn Savage. Lyn Savage Opticians celebrated its 25th Anniversary last year, and Mrs Savage continues to develop her knowledge of the industry.
Mrs Savage, based on Market Street, prides on providing first-class vision care for the entire family. Mrs Savage is now keen to meet children with reading difficulties, to see if there is a visual problem that she can diagnose and treat.
She has recently visited Pennybridge, Leven Valley and Broughton Primary schools to talk with children about their eyesight.
The new findings focus on those people who have vision concerns with reading, though do not have eye diseases or low vision, the visual problems that are most often associated with reading difficulties.
Vision and Reading Difficulties points out early on: “There has been increasing evidence in recent years of visual factors contributing to reading difficulties…”
With a strong interest in these visual factors, Bruce Evans, Director of Research at the Institute of Optometry, said: “We felt there was a need for a book for eye care professionals that would give them the background on which visual problems may be contributing to reading difficulties, how they can detect those problems and what they can do about them when they find them.”
A discussion with Mr Evans and the authors is available to view on the Association of Optometrists website. Vision and Reading Difficulties is also available from the OT Bookshop.
Lyn Savage will be happy to speak to anyone who would like further information on the subject.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Go Barrow website
Go Barrow is the ultimate Business Directory for Barrow-in-Furness!
Run by Paul Moore and Ben Tyson - Go Barrow is the 'go-to site' for ALL the information you could need about modern Barrow.
WE NEED BUSINESSES
Yes - we are in the process of a complete overhaul of the existing website. We want our local businesses to strengthen their customer bases, increase sales and make more money.
That’s our goal…how can you help us achieve this?
We need our pages BULGING with information on all of the Independent businesses in Barrow.
So if you are a local business owner in Barrow - get in touch with either Paul or Ben, and we'll feature you on Barrow's favourite website!
PEOPLE OF BARROW - WE NEED YOU!
Go Barrow isn't just for businesses. Oh, no...we want to hear from local bands, sports clubs and activity groups!
Barrow-in-Furness is a beautiful part of the world - the land that defines 'Hidden Gems'.
But what makes Barrow, Barrow, is the people! We're currently looking for local bands to interview and place on our upcoming Music Scene in Barrow page!
Barrow Sports Clubs - we want training times, contact details and all other information about you. We'll invite a whole new host of members to your club!
SOCIAL MEDIA
AND finally...we understand the VITAL importance of using Social Media in today’s modern world of Business and Marketing. In fact, we'd consider ourselves experts on the subject. We work alongside numerous local business owners, showing them how to use social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook to gain new customers.
If you'd like more info on this..please give Ben a call: 07920 409 158
We look forward to hearing from You!
Run by Paul Moore and Ben Tyson - Go Barrow is the 'go-to site' for ALL the information you could need about modern Barrow.
WE NEED BUSINESSES
Yes - we are in the process of a complete overhaul of the existing website. We want our local businesses to strengthen their customer bases, increase sales and make more money.
That’s our goal…how can you help us achieve this?
We need our pages BULGING with information on all of the Independent businesses in Barrow.
So if you are a local business owner in Barrow - get in touch with either Paul or Ben, and we'll feature you on Barrow's favourite website!
PEOPLE OF BARROW - WE NEED YOU!
Go Barrow isn't just for businesses. Oh, no...we want to hear from local bands, sports clubs and activity groups!
Barrow-in-Furness is a beautiful part of the world - the land that defines 'Hidden Gems'.
But what makes Barrow, Barrow, is the people! We're currently looking for local bands to interview and place on our upcoming Music Scene in Barrow page!
Barrow Sports Clubs - we want training times, contact details and all other information about you. We'll invite a whole new host of members to your club!
SOCIAL MEDIA
AND finally...we understand the VITAL importance of using Social Media in today’s modern world of Business and Marketing. In fact, we'd consider ourselves experts on the subject. We work alongside numerous local business owners, showing them how to use social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook to gain new customers.
If you'd like more info on this..please give Ben a call: 07920 409 158
We look forward to hearing from You!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
How to create a highly effective Advertising Flyer
Flyers are a great way to grab attention.
They are an inexpensive and effective way to advertise your business to a large selection of people.
But with so many companies using advertising flyers, how can you make your flyer design stand out and be noticed?
How can you produce a no frills flyer that will have people begging to buy from you?
First of all, like in any form of marketing – or business for that matter – you have to establish your audience. You cannot market to everybody all at once.
Know your audience and tailor your flyer to this group.
Before we go into the copywriting side, let’s take a quick look at the basic format of a killer flyer.
One focal image is better than lots of smaller images and logos. If you are producing a flyer to show-off a new toothbrush – use one large picture of a toothbrush. This shows people immediately what the flyer is all about before they have even read anything. There is no need to confuse them with lots of different images – it will simply put people off, and they won’t bother reading.
Black text on a bright (preferably white) background. Stick with it. It’s simple and easy to read. Don’t confuse people with fancy colour combinations – this will not increase your sales – quality copy will – but they have to be able to read it first.
Always leave lots of white space. Text-heavy flyers are suicide. They don't work. If you have long, complex sentences - break them up into bullet points. Less is more. A flyer has to be easy on the eye.
And finally, as far as general content goes – always offer something for Free. Never produce a flyer that doesn’t offer discounts.
Now for the copy
I read somewhere that the Greek philosopher Aristotle came up with this basic concept that still applies today:
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action
Attention
When designing a flyer, you should be spending at least 50% of your time on your headline. The headline grabs attention. This is the most important aspect of the flyer
Providing you have a great product and a great offer, that will sell itself. Putting yourself in the position to pitch your product to someone is what the headline is all about.
Your headline should have two components. It should create curiosity. Entice the reader to want to read more.
Perhaps most importantly, it should have people thinking that reading this flyer will be of benefit to them.
For example: “New Toothbrush from AquaClean fights tooth decay in adults”. Clearly a benefit is there for adults and people wary of tooth decay. This will encourage all concerned to read on.
Interest
Let the relevant people know that it is relevant to them. Address a common problem and state how you and your product will solve the problem.
For example: “Are you tired of having to clean your football boots?” Solve it: “This product cleans them for you”. This creates an interest for all the people who at any time have to clean their football boots. The more specific a demographic group you can reach – the better.
If the flyer speaks directly to them – so will the product.
Desire
This is where you state the benefits. You have told them what the problem you will solve is – now its time to say why they should take a strong interest in you and your product. Testimonials can do this well.
The features – benefits approach is the best method. This applies to any form of copywriting. The ‘Interest’ section states the main feature and attracts the right audience – ‘Desire’ tells them why they need to buy and what they will get out of buying. I.e. they’ll save time and money, and be happier in doing so.
Action
Call to action. Such a simplistic element but you cannot forget or overlook this.
Call Today!
Send us an email!
Visit us at…!
Tell them exactly what they need to do in order to get your wonderful product. Always provide a phone number, email address, web address and physical address where possible. Different people like to contact you in different ways. Give them every opportunity they could need to contact you.
Providing a physical address helps with credibility and is particularly useful if you are a local company attracting local customers – it shows you are nearby and have a common bond with them.
So there you have it, an excellent, simple, effective flyer in no time. For more information, and exercises to help with the content of your flyers, just drop me an email: info@bentyson.me
www.writing-for-england.co.uk
They are an inexpensive and effective way to advertise your business to a large selection of people.
But with so many companies using advertising flyers, how can you make your flyer design stand out and be noticed?
How can you produce a no frills flyer that will have people begging to buy from you?
First of all, like in any form of marketing – or business for that matter – you have to establish your audience. You cannot market to everybody all at once.
Know your audience and tailor your flyer to this group.
Before we go into the copywriting side, let’s take a quick look at the basic format of a killer flyer.
One focal image is better than lots of smaller images and logos. If you are producing a flyer to show-off a new toothbrush – use one large picture of a toothbrush. This shows people immediately what the flyer is all about before they have even read anything. There is no need to confuse them with lots of different images – it will simply put people off, and they won’t bother reading.
Black text on a bright (preferably white) background. Stick with it. It’s simple and easy to read. Don’t confuse people with fancy colour combinations – this will not increase your sales – quality copy will – but they have to be able to read it first.
Always leave lots of white space. Text-heavy flyers are suicide. They don't work. If you have long, complex sentences - break them up into bullet points. Less is more. A flyer has to be easy on the eye.
And finally, as far as general content goes – always offer something for Free. Never produce a flyer that doesn’t offer discounts.
Now for the copy
I read somewhere that the Greek philosopher Aristotle came up with this basic concept that still applies today:
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action
Attention
When designing a flyer, you should be spending at least 50% of your time on your headline. The headline grabs attention. This is the most important aspect of the flyer
Providing you have a great product and a great offer, that will sell itself. Putting yourself in the position to pitch your product to someone is what the headline is all about.
Your headline should have two components. It should create curiosity. Entice the reader to want to read more.
Perhaps most importantly, it should have people thinking that reading this flyer will be of benefit to them.
For example: “New Toothbrush from AquaClean fights tooth decay in adults”. Clearly a benefit is there for adults and people wary of tooth decay. This will encourage all concerned to read on.
Interest
Let the relevant people know that it is relevant to them. Address a common problem and state how you and your product will solve the problem.
For example: “Are you tired of having to clean your football boots?” Solve it: “This product cleans them for you”. This creates an interest for all the people who at any time have to clean their football boots. The more specific a demographic group you can reach – the better.
If the flyer speaks directly to them – so will the product.
Desire
This is where you state the benefits. You have told them what the problem you will solve is – now its time to say why they should take a strong interest in you and your product. Testimonials can do this well.
The features – benefits approach is the best method. This applies to any form of copywriting. The ‘Interest’ section states the main feature and attracts the right audience – ‘Desire’ tells them why they need to buy and what they will get out of buying. I.e. they’ll save time and money, and be happier in doing so.
Action
Call to action. Such a simplistic element but you cannot forget or overlook this.
Call Today!
Send us an email!
Visit us at…!
Tell them exactly what they need to do in order to get your wonderful product. Always provide a phone number, email address, web address and physical address where possible. Different people like to contact you in different ways. Give them every opportunity they could need to contact you.
Providing a physical address helps with credibility and is particularly useful if you are a local company attracting local customers – it shows you are nearby and have a common bond with them.
So there you have it, an excellent, simple, effective flyer in no time. For more information, and exercises to help with the content of your flyers, just drop me an email: info@bentyson.me
www.writing-for-england.co.uk
Saturday, February 20, 2010
How to Choose Your Customers
Which generation do you fall under?
• Traditionalists
- 1900 - 1945
• Baby Boomers
- 1946 - 1960
• Generation X
- 1961 - 1981
• Generation Y (Millennial)
- 1982 - 2000
There have been hugely significant cultural differences during the lives of these generations.
This has lead to variations of views on life. How people live, work, act, walk and talk is characteristically defined by the generation into which they were born.
How can two people from completely separate generations work side-by-side to create a new-wave multimedia magnum opus?
For some (guess the generation), Facebook has been the answer to all of life’s prayers.
Facebook allows you to access personal information on its 400 million users. That’s right, from the comfort of your armchair (guess the generation), you can see what Joe Bloggs in Australia had for his breakfast, what he is doing after lunch and what his favourite movie is.
But how can this information be used – across generations – to build businesses and profit?
Well, with Facebook ads, unlike Google ads, you can select the exact demographic group that you want to target.
Knowing your audience is imperative to your business. How could you possibly come up with a business plan, design a website, or advertise your business if you don’t know who you are targeting?
Learning the characteristics of your target audience is crucial to the success of your business.
So, Facebook.
Helps with keeping up with trends, for a start. Say you are an internet marketer, trying to sell your training services. What makes you different from anybody else? Why should anybody pay their money to hire you and your services?
What is your unique selling proposition?
Let’s say, for example, you want to attract Generation X females. You will teach them how to effectively market their new companies.
Facebook provides a very exciting tool:
With Facebook ads, you can select each individual characteristic of your direct target audience.
For example:
“My business target audience is:”
• Who live in one of the countries: United States, UK, Australia
• Between the ages of 40 and 49 inclusive
• Who are female
• Who like change, goals, positive affirmations, positive thinking, secret or women
• Who are single, in a relationship, engaged or married
• Who are interested in men or women
• Who speak English (UK) or English (US)
Therefore, using Facebook ads, I will only supply my advert on pages viewed by people…:
• Who live in one of the countries: United States, UK, Australia
• Between the ages of 40 and 49 inclusive
• Who are female
• Who like change, goals, positive affirmations, positive thinking, secret or women
• Who are single, in a relationship, engaged or married
• Who are interested in men or women
• Who speak English (UK) or English (US)
Handy tool, yeah?
Generations and Business
Entrepreneurship generations are equally fascinating. And this brings me nicely back to one of my original points:
How can two people from completely separate generations work side-by-side to create a new-wave multimedia magnum opus?
Studies show that entrepreneurship in men is most apparent with Generation Y, while with women, Generation X is the primary group.
Are you a woman in Generation X?
I strongly advise that you Get in touch with Kay Hebbourn; she’ll take you on a whirlwind tour on the life of an entrepreneur, and she will give you plenty of useful advice.
Do you want to make an exciting step forward in your personal and professional life?
Yes? Wonderful!
www.train-and-earn.com
Give Kay a shout, and have a friendly chat about your new life as a Generation X entrepreneur.
I am a Generation Y male. Together, Kay and I have formed a great partnership, helping each other, trading ideas and playing to each others strengths.
Our generations have combined by bringing together a variety of different ideas seen through different mind-sets.
The important element is to understand different generations and their differing views on work, culture and life. You cannot simply go out and target everybody. Narrow down your audience and make your service imperative to the group that you choose.
If you could choose your customers, who would they be?
This is your target group.
• Traditionalists
- 1900 - 1945
• Baby Boomers
- 1946 - 1960
• Generation X
- 1961 - 1981
• Generation Y (Millennial)
- 1982 - 2000
There have been hugely significant cultural differences during the lives of these generations.
This has lead to variations of views on life. How people live, work, act, walk and talk is characteristically defined by the generation into which they were born.
How can two people from completely separate generations work side-by-side to create a new-wave multimedia magnum opus?
For some (guess the generation), Facebook has been the answer to all of life’s prayers.
Facebook allows you to access personal information on its 400 million users. That’s right, from the comfort of your armchair (guess the generation), you can see what Joe Bloggs in Australia had for his breakfast, what he is doing after lunch and what his favourite movie is.
But how can this information be used – across generations – to build businesses and profit?
Well, with Facebook ads, unlike Google ads, you can select the exact demographic group that you want to target.
Knowing your audience is imperative to your business. How could you possibly come up with a business plan, design a website, or advertise your business if you don’t know who you are targeting?
Learning the characteristics of your target audience is crucial to the success of your business.
So, Facebook.
Helps with keeping up with trends, for a start. Say you are an internet marketer, trying to sell your training services. What makes you different from anybody else? Why should anybody pay their money to hire you and your services?
What is your unique selling proposition?
Let’s say, for example, you want to attract Generation X females. You will teach them how to effectively market their new companies.
Facebook provides a very exciting tool:
With Facebook ads, you can select each individual characteristic of your direct target audience.
For example:
“My business target audience is:”
• Who live in one of the countries: United States, UK, Australia
• Between the ages of 40 and 49 inclusive
• Who are female
• Who like change, goals, positive affirmations, positive thinking, secret or women
• Who are single, in a relationship, engaged or married
• Who are interested in men or women
• Who speak English (UK) or English (US)
Therefore, using Facebook ads, I will only supply my advert on pages viewed by people…:
• Who live in one of the countries: United States, UK, Australia
• Between the ages of 40 and 49 inclusive
• Who are female
• Who like change, goals, positive affirmations, positive thinking, secret or women
• Who are single, in a relationship, engaged or married
• Who are interested in men or women
• Who speak English (UK) or English (US)
Handy tool, yeah?
Generations and Business
Entrepreneurship generations are equally fascinating. And this brings me nicely back to one of my original points:
How can two people from completely separate generations work side-by-side to create a new-wave multimedia magnum opus?
Studies show that entrepreneurship in men is most apparent with Generation Y, while with women, Generation X is the primary group.
Are you a woman in Generation X?
I strongly advise that you Get in touch with Kay Hebbourn; she’ll take you on a whirlwind tour on the life of an entrepreneur, and she will give you plenty of useful advice.
Do you want to make an exciting step forward in your personal and professional life?
Yes? Wonderful!
www.train-and-earn.com
Give Kay a shout, and have a friendly chat about your new life as a Generation X entrepreneur.
I am a Generation Y male. Together, Kay and I have formed a great partnership, helping each other, trading ideas and playing to each others strengths.
Our generations have combined by bringing together a variety of different ideas seen through different mind-sets.
The important element is to understand different generations and their differing views on work, culture and life. You cannot simply go out and target everybody. Narrow down your audience and make your service imperative to the group that you choose.
If you could choose your customers, who would they be?
This is your target group.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Customer Service Enters the 21st Century
How can you use Facebook and Twitter to substantially boost your business?
The extent to which Social Networking and Social Media websites are used is spiralling almost out of control. Hundreds of millions of people from all over the world are now logged on to these interactive websites. That’s a lot of potential customers, right?
There are still some very stern and astute marketers out there who believe you cannot make profit from the use of Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. I for one, am pretty pleased to be in competition with them.
With consummate ease you can find masses of people who are interested in the services you have to offer.
People buy from people.
It is so easy to interact with and meet new people.
‘People’ means ‘Customers’!
Establishing relationships with contacts on Twitter and Facebook is the equivalent of providing great customer service in your business place. The whole point in providing great customer service is to establish a relationship with the potential customer.
The first thing that crosses the mind of a customer in a purchasing situation is: “Do I want to do business with this person?” If the sales person is stroppy, has a bad manner, or has no time for the customer’s individual needs – then the answer will be a firm “No”.
By being polite, friendly, helpful and informative, the salesperson develops a relationship with the customer. They are more likely to want to do business with this person than they are with anybody else.
The same rule applies online. However, online, it is much, much easier.
Social Media is all based on relationships. There is no point in being on Facebook if you have nobody to interact with.
Social marketing is based on the relationship you have with your followers, prospects and customers. You cannot create a website and create a Twitter account and then expect for sales to shoot up. You have to work at it over a period of time – gaining followers and gaining trust.
People love to feel connected. It is part of human nature to feel like you want to be part of a group and have connections with like-minded people. Therefore most people will be responsive to your outreach of wanting to make a connection with them. Obviously you can’t just bombard them with “buy my product buy my product buy my product” – you have to work at building a relationship and building that level of trust.
Comment on what they are tweeting, help them when they ask questions and ask them plenty in return; let them know that you need their help and encouragement. Let them know that you trust them; this will make it an easier decision for them to trust you in return.
In addition to the theory that you cannot constantly be “throwing” your products in the faces of customers (“buy my product buy my product”), it is important to remember the one basic rule.
The number one rule:
People buy from people.
Do I want to do business with this person?
Relationship is key. You must build a relationship with customers first. And during. And after.
Generally, about 80% of your tweets, messages and interactions must be social. These are social networking sites after all. Don’t barrage potential customers with products. It will scare them away.
You need to show them that you are human. You are normal. You are just like them. You can help them. How? “Oh, I notice you need some help with your business…I think I may be able to help you there.”
Only 20% of your outgoings on social networking websites should be marketing based. It’s all about who you are, and not what you are offering. People go on these websites to connect and form relationships. Let them do this with you, and they will be much more likely to trust you when they have a business requirement.
As an extension to online relationships, Tweet Ups have formed all over the world, giving the chance for users of social networking websites to meet up and get to know each other in person. This forms a great opportunity to gain real trust with your contacts.
If you get a chance to attend a Tweet Up in your area, this is a perfect way to introduce yourself to the people you have been making friends with online.
People buy from people, remember.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Donating to Haiti, via Effective Copywriting
We have all been deeply saddened by the horrifying events in Haiti. A series of massive earthquakes has taken the lives of thousands of Haitians. It has devastated and destroyed the lives of millions more.
Families being torn apart by disaster is something we see unfold on the News all too often. The Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, earthquakes in Pakistan and Italy, and now it’s Haiti’s turn to suffer and endure the wrath of mother nature.
All of these events have led to hugely generous donations from people all over the world. Appeals are made in newspapers, on television and by charities, all urging You to give generously to people in desperate need. While these have been successful campaigns to help raise funds for victims, there are still far too many people who are not actively lending their support.
This is not necessarily people who are unwilling to donate, but more likely people who are unaware of how they can donate. In today’s modern society of mobile phones and social media, the internet has become an increasingly popular way to appeal directly to everyone who has the ability to donate.
Many of the most popular websites on the internet have launched their own appeals for the cause. Facebook, Google and eBay, to name but a few, have all added ‘donation links’ to their Home Pages – making it easy to find, somewhat unavoidable in some cases.
A similar theme has been set up by the American Red Cross – donators simply text ‘HAITI’ to 20222 – and $10 is automatically added to their phone bill, going directly to the relief fund.
Adding donation links to popular websites is one thing, but how exactly does this make donating appealable to as many people as possible. Are the general rules of copywriting obeyed in the same format to a piece of sales copy? After all, it is the same basic concept – persuading a reader to part with their cash. Is the language different? How are key words and emotive words used to attract the attention of the wider audience?
Facebook
The most popular social networking site on the web, with around 321 million people registered worldwide. Their Haiti appeal is very open, thoughtful and most notable for me, personifying.
General emails and contact from Facebook are very generic, obviously sent out in bulk, with little emotion or personifying key words. This is of no detriment to Facebook – the whole point in the website is for its users to interact with each other, Facebook merely acts as the host.
The devastation in Haiti, however, has given Facebook reason to speak directly to each and every user. The appeal is not aimed to be a generic email which will blend in with all the others. It serves a different purpose, an important purpose, and it has to come across as speaking directly from the heart and to each user personally.
This is achieved by using power words such as: ‘destruction’, ‘death’, ‘outpouring’ and ‘thousands’. These words are unusual for Facebook, so stand out in peoples minds – it proves the sheer scale of the atrocity. It is basically saying: ‘something has to be done, and this is Your chance to help’.
Google
In the early days of Google, there were very few words on the home Page: ‘Google’, ‘Search’ and ‘I feel lucky’. With the immense popularity of Google, this has inevitably changed. There is now Google mail, Google Ads, blogging options and a range of other services displayed on the Home Page.
However, there are still very few words, and the page is dominantly filled with white space, making any new or additional text stand out. There is currently a link under the main search box which states:
‘Information, resources, and ways you can help survivors of the Haiti earthquake.’
By clicking on this link you are taken to a donation page which is titled: ‘Crisis Response’.
While the actual copy is not as personable or emotive as the Facebook page, it is still very effective. There is a brief description reminding of the magnitude of the earthquake, and also a line in bold which reads:
‘Google will also donate $1 million’.
This being highlighted shows the enormity of what has happened, and the importance to give whatever you can to the relief funds.
The main selling point of the page is the two links where you can donate. There are two options to choose from: Oxfam or Unicef. You simply enter the amount in £’s that you want to donate, and click ‘donate’. Very simple, very effective and very clever.
The point in providing two charities to choose from is a clever tool in itself. Obviously, both will use your money to help in Haiti, but they will both be doing different things. A brief description of what the charities will be using your money for is supplied under the logo. Oxfam will be concentrating on providing shelter and clean water – Unicef will be concentrating on food and medical supplies, with particular emphasis on children.
The work being carried out by both charities is essential to the people of Haiti. While one is providing water, the other is providing food – people will realise that they must contribute to both charities to give the best support possible.
The charities are not working against each other – they are working with each other to do the best for the people of Haiti.
Clever marketing technique? Effective copywriting? Yes and yes.
Who benefits? The people of Haiti.
EBay
EBay takes quite a different approach. Whereas Google is very plain, simple and generous, eBay, in my opinion, attempts to use the donation link as a way to boost its own profits.
Is this unethical? Or is it just clever business?
EBay is encouraging people to donate up to 100% of their Sale profits to the Haiti fund. This encourages people to place products on eBay to raise funds for donation. It also persuades people to buy products so that their money can be donated, whilst getting something in return for themselves (the product purchased).
While this is great for the relief effort in Haiti – what it’s all about – for every item placed onto eBay, eBay makes a profit. Insertion fee, and then a final value fee.
There is the encouragement for people to use eBay more (as it helps people in Haiti), and at the same time, eBay itself is making a profit from the additional auctions.
I must stress, though, that eBay does supply a ‘Donate via PayPal’ link. EBay is also the only site out of the three to include emotive images. Images of the devastation – people can see what they are donating for. They do not have to read, actions often do speak louder than words.
The text they use, although shorter in length, is very similar to that of Facebook: ‘destruction’, ‘critical’ and ‘mass devastation’ are strong attempts to tug on the heartstrings of potential donators.
Conclusion
So, has clever copywriting been involved in the making of the various donation links? Each has clearly been well thought through. How they layout the page, how they format their sentences and how they use emotive language has all been done carefully.
Each has applied a different technique to really draw in the donator. Facebook concentrated on appearing personal to the user through terms such as: ‘Dear friends’ and pronouns such as ‘we’ and ‘you’. The main invigorator, however, is the use of terms to describe what is going on in Haiti: ‘death’ and ‘destruction’.
Google appears very simple and easy to use and understand. This will have broader appeal to a wider, larger audience. In showing that Google themselves are donating $1 million, it shows just how important it is to give as much as you can, as the people of Haiti are in desperate need.
EBay uses a mixture of emotive language and images, and also has various options on how you can donate. This is an attempt to attract a wider audience – donate through buying, selling or directly through PayPal – but also sees a good marketing opportunity.
All have used proven copywriting techniques, however, the focus is much more on what they are donating for, as oppose to the benefits that the donator will get in return. While this goes against the number one rule of sales copy – people only want to know what is in it for them – it has undoubtedly proved a successful way of obtaining donations to the people of Haiti.
Families being torn apart by disaster is something we see unfold on the News all too often. The Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, earthquakes in Pakistan and Italy, and now it’s Haiti’s turn to suffer and endure the wrath of mother nature.
All of these events have led to hugely generous donations from people all over the world. Appeals are made in newspapers, on television and by charities, all urging You to give generously to people in desperate need. While these have been successful campaigns to help raise funds for victims, there are still far too many people who are not actively lending their support.
This is not necessarily people who are unwilling to donate, but more likely people who are unaware of how they can donate. In today’s modern society of mobile phones and social media, the internet has become an increasingly popular way to appeal directly to everyone who has the ability to donate.
Many of the most popular websites on the internet have launched their own appeals for the cause. Facebook, Google and eBay, to name but a few, have all added ‘donation links’ to their Home Pages – making it easy to find, somewhat unavoidable in some cases.
A similar theme has been set up by the American Red Cross – donators simply text ‘HAITI’ to 20222 – and $10 is automatically added to their phone bill, going directly to the relief fund.
Adding donation links to popular websites is one thing, but how exactly does this make donating appealable to as many people as possible. Are the general rules of copywriting obeyed in the same format to a piece of sales copy? After all, it is the same basic concept – persuading a reader to part with their cash. Is the language different? How are key words and emotive words used to attract the attention of the wider audience?
The most popular social networking site on the web, with around 321 million people registered worldwide. Their Haiti appeal is very open, thoughtful and most notable for me, personifying.
General emails and contact from Facebook are very generic, obviously sent out in bulk, with little emotion or personifying key words. This is of no detriment to Facebook – the whole point in the website is for its users to interact with each other, Facebook merely acts as the host.
The devastation in Haiti, however, has given Facebook reason to speak directly to each and every user. The appeal is not aimed to be a generic email which will blend in with all the others. It serves a different purpose, an important purpose, and it has to come across as speaking directly from the heart and to each user personally.
This is achieved by using power words such as: ‘destruction’, ‘death’, ‘outpouring’ and ‘thousands’. These words are unusual for Facebook, so stand out in peoples minds – it proves the sheer scale of the atrocity. It is basically saying: ‘something has to be done, and this is Your chance to help’.
In the early days of Google, there were very few words on the home Page: ‘Google’, ‘Search’ and ‘I feel lucky’. With the immense popularity of Google, this has inevitably changed. There is now Google mail, Google Ads, blogging options and a range of other services displayed on the Home Page.
However, there are still very few words, and the page is dominantly filled with white space, making any new or additional text stand out. There is currently a link under the main search box which states:
‘Information, resources, and ways you can help survivors of the Haiti earthquake.’
By clicking on this link you are taken to a donation page which is titled: ‘Crisis Response’.
While the actual copy is not as personable or emotive as the Facebook page, it is still very effective. There is a brief description reminding of the magnitude of the earthquake, and also a line in bold which reads:
‘Google will also donate $1 million’.
This being highlighted shows the enormity of what has happened, and the importance to give whatever you can to the relief funds.
The main selling point of the page is the two links where you can donate. There are two options to choose from: Oxfam or Unicef. You simply enter the amount in £’s that you want to donate, and click ‘donate’. Very simple, very effective and very clever.
The point in providing two charities to choose from is a clever tool in itself. Obviously, both will use your money to help in Haiti, but they will both be doing different things. A brief description of what the charities will be using your money for is supplied under the logo. Oxfam will be concentrating on providing shelter and clean water – Unicef will be concentrating on food and medical supplies, with particular emphasis on children.
The work being carried out by both charities is essential to the people of Haiti. While one is providing water, the other is providing food – people will realise that they must contribute to both charities to give the best support possible.
The charities are not working against each other – they are working with each other to do the best for the people of Haiti.
Clever marketing technique? Effective copywriting? Yes and yes.
Who benefits? The people of Haiti.
EBay
EBay takes quite a different approach. Whereas Google is very plain, simple and generous, eBay, in my opinion, attempts to use the donation link as a way to boost its own profits.
Is this unethical? Or is it just clever business?
EBay is encouraging people to donate up to 100% of their Sale profits to the Haiti fund. This encourages people to place products on eBay to raise funds for donation. It also persuades people to buy products so that their money can be donated, whilst getting something in return for themselves (the product purchased).
While this is great for the relief effort in Haiti – what it’s all about – for every item placed onto eBay, eBay makes a profit. Insertion fee, and then a final value fee.
There is the encouragement for people to use eBay more (as it helps people in Haiti), and at the same time, eBay itself is making a profit from the additional auctions.
I must stress, though, that eBay does supply a ‘Donate via PayPal’ link. EBay is also the only site out of the three to include emotive images. Images of the devastation – people can see what they are donating for. They do not have to read, actions often do speak louder than words.
The text they use, although shorter in length, is very similar to that of Facebook: ‘destruction’, ‘critical’ and ‘mass devastation’ are strong attempts to tug on the heartstrings of potential donators.
Conclusion
So, has clever copywriting been involved in the making of the various donation links? Each has clearly been well thought through. How they layout the page, how they format their sentences and how they use emotive language has all been done carefully.
Each has applied a different technique to really draw in the donator. Facebook concentrated on appearing personal to the user through terms such as: ‘Dear friends’ and pronouns such as ‘we’ and ‘you’. The main invigorator, however, is the use of terms to describe what is going on in Haiti: ‘death’ and ‘destruction’.
Google appears very simple and easy to use and understand. This will have broader appeal to a wider, larger audience. In showing that Google themselves are donating $1 million, it shows just how important it is to give as much as you can, as the people of Haiti are in desperate need.
EBay uses a mixture of emotive language and images, and also has various options on how you can donate. This is an attempt to attract a wider audience – donate through buying, selling or directly through PayPal – but also sees a good marketing opportunity.
All have used proven copywriting techniques, however, the focus is much more on what they are donating for, as oppose to the benefits that the donator will get in return. While this goes against the number one rule of sales copy – people only want to know what is in it for them – it has undoubtedly proved a successful way of obtaining donations to the people of Haiti.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
How to squeeze the most out of Squeeze Pages
Earn loads of easy cash now; simply enter your First Name and Email below!
Well, there’s no box here – but would you be tempted? I bet you were a little interested. And I bet you read the whole message.
This is the power of the squeeze page. It is a fact that squeeze pages are a phenomenal way of offering your products online.
But what is are squeeze pages?
A squeeze page is a small sales page. Every so often, you visit a website where a small box appears, urging you to enter your email address, with the guarantee of joy, happiness or prosperity. These boxes are designed to entice you to enter a website, or give your contact details.
With the proliferation of spam, internet users are often wary of where and to whom they give out their contact details. Therefore, as a simple point of contact, internet marketers use squeeze pages to gain your email address, so that they can send you emails over a period of time, offering their products.
Successful squeeze pages are created using a combination of catchy sales copy, colour psychology and keyword rich text. Advanced internet marketers will use video or audio in their squeeze pages to draw instant attention to the box.
There are many advantages of using squeeze pages. As a box that pops up on your screen, you cannot help but view it – reaching out to an unlimited number of potential customers.
The greatest advantage of all is the incredible increase in visitor-to-buyer conversion rates.
This is because, although you are making the first point of contact with the customer – it is the customer who is approaching you and your sales page. If people are interested enough in your initial squeeze page to enter their email address, they clearly have an interest in buying your product.
The point in the squeeze page isn’t to make a sale – it is to engage the interest of the customer. Like any copywriter, salesman, businessman or journalist will tell you – engaging the customer into wanting to know more is half the battle. A squeeze page – with very little space for content, is a simple way to engage the customer.
A squeeze page can also create a sense of trust with the customer, as they are not put-off by a pushy sales pitch, or feel as though they are being forced into anything.
When designing a squeeze page, you have very limited space; therefore you have to be clever, and utilise the small space you have. Being smart with limited space is the key to a successful squeeze page.
Hiring a professional copywriter to write your content is the best way to attract as large a crowd of customers as possible. Copywriters will include as many search engine friendly keywords as possible in the limited space available.
A problem with squeeze pages is that with so little text, search engine spiders often don’t find them relative enough to the original search. Therefore, great quality copy is absolutely vital to achieving a highly successful squeeze page.
Remember, people are only interested in one thing – what’s in it for them. Don’t waste time and space trying to explain things – just get straight to the point, i.e. “Earn loads of cash now!”
Well, there’s no box here – but would you be tempted? I bet you were a little interested. And I bet you read the whole message.
This is the power of the squeeze page. It is a fact that squeeze pages are a phenomenal way of offering your products online.
But what is are squeeze pages?
A squeeze page is a small sales page. Every so often, you visit a website where a small box appears, urging you to enter your email address, with the guarantee of joy, happiness or prosperity. These boxes are designed to entice you to enter a website, or give your contact details.
With the proliferation of spam, internet users are often wary of where and to whom they give out their contact details. Therefore, as a simple point of contact, internet marketers use squeeze pages to gain your email address, so that they can send you emails over a period of time, offering their products.
Successful squeeze pages are created using a combination of catchy sales copy, colour psychology and keyword rich text. Advanced internet marketers will use video or audio in their squeeze pages to draw instant attention to the box.
There are many advantages of using squeeze pages. As a box that pops up on your screen, you cannot help but view it – reaching out to an unlimited number of potential customers.
The greatest advantage of all is the incredible increase in visitor-to-buyer conversion rates.
This is because, although you are making the first point of contact with the customer – it is the customer who is approaching you and your sales page. If people are interested enough in your initial squeeze page to enter their email address, they clearly have an interest in buying your product.
The point in the squeeze page isn’t to make a sale – it is to engage the interest of the customer. Like any copywriter, salesman, businessman or journalist will tell you – engaging the customer into wanting to know more is half the battle. A squeeze page – with very little space for content, is a simple way to engage the customer.
A squeeze page can also create a sense of trust with the customer, as they are not put-off by a pushy sales pitch, or feel as though they are being forced into anything.
When designing a squeeze page, you have very limited space; therefore you have to be clever, and utilise the small space you have. Being smart with limited space is the key to a successful squeeze page.
Hiring a professional copywriter to write your content is the best way to attract as large a crowd of customers as possible. Copywriters will include as many search engine friendly keywords as possible in the limited space available.
A problem with squeeze pages is that with so little text, search engine spiders often don’t find them relative enough to the original search. Therefore, great quality copy is absolutely vital to achieving a highly successful squeeze page.
Remember, people are only interested in one thing – what’s in it for them. Don’t waste time and space trying to explain things – just get straight to the point, i.e. “Earn loads of cash now!”
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