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By Cathy Goodwin in Featured

copywritingOnline marketing requires considerable planning, especially to those promoting a service. Service business owners and independent professionals face multiple challenges of promoting themselves as well as communicating the value of their services.

Therefore service business owners often question whether they are ready to launch a full-scale online marketing effort. Almost always, the question can best be answered by the copywriter – the resource charged with creating and implementing the business’s message strategy.

Copywriting as a Litmus Test

The Merriam Webster Online Dictionary defines a litmus test as, “a test in which a single factor (as an attitude, event, or fact) is decisive.” They give an example of a political party using gun control as a test for a candidate’s acceptability for office.

Over the years, I’ve become convinced that copywriting is the litmus test of an online service business owner’s marketing readiness. For example:

A few years ago I got a call from someone I’ll call Jeanne. She wanted me to write a sales letter for her new high-end coaching program. She had spent a few thousand dollars with a marketing coach who was helping her schedule the launch, with dates for preview calls, letters and joint venture partners. Now she wanted me to work on the copy for the sales letter.

“Terrific!” I said. “I’ll just need some information.”

Jeanne was scheduling a 6-month program. What topics would be covered each month? She didn’t know and she wasn’t planning to decide right away.

Now I was hearing alarm bells. I asked Jeanne for some testimonials from previous clients. She didn’t have any. She had just left her corporate job. She wanted to begin a high-end program, working with a 12-person group over 6 months.

“Okay,” I said. “Maybe your corporate background qualifies you for coaching. Let’s see how we can present your experience.”

Jeanne’s life history was extremely colorful. She had come through some challenges and overcome setbacks. She could have published a memoir. But, she warned me, “You can’t use this in the copy! It’s all private. I just wanted you to have some background.”

In the end, I couldn’t do anything for Jeanne. She just wasn’t ready for copywriting. But the truth is, she wasn’t ready to open the doors for her business. And, like many business owners, she didn’t realize I could have helped her develop a product strategy and brand so she could avoid arriving at a dead end in this way. Sadly, from what I can find online, she’s given up the business and returned to the corporate world.

Copywriting Creates Action

When we start to write copy, that’s where the rubber meets the road. The gaps show up immediately. Even if you’ve worked with half a dozen other consultants, you often won’t know what you need till you start to write. That’s because copywriting requires you to answer questions like

What are you offering?
Who is going to benefit?
Why will they benefit?
Why will they care?
Why are you qualified to deliver those benefits?
How can you make them believe you are qualified?

Once you answer these questions, you know you are ready to share your service with the world. You have a solid offering that prospects can evaluate. Now you can begin creating your actual sales letter – your online advertisement – and get ready to enjoy the rewards.

Are you getting the best possible results from your online marketing? Copywriter Cathy Goodwin creates compelling website content for business owners who are pressed for time. Discover how you can increase your online marketing revenue and attract more clients without killing your productivity or your bank account. Download your free 5-point checklist to assess your own website: http://www.CopywritingWithCathy.com

By Stephen Monday in Featured

copywritingWhen you get a visitor to land on your sales page, what should be the first thing they find? They should find beneficial, helpful content, which is most relevant to the keywords they entered into the search engine.

If they find otherwise; they feel like they have landed on the wrong page, and will not hesitate to click away. The sales copy should first address their needs and wants, as well as appeal to their core emotional values.

These “core emotional values,” are simply their natural appeal towards the product or service they are interested in. Say they are interested in planting a garden (or having one planted) they have entered keywords that will take them to a service page such as; “having a garden planted.” They expect to find sales copy, which targets that service. They expect direct benefit -oriented copy that advises them on the how much and the specific of the services.

Most people “scan copy,” without actually reading the whole page – unless it truly “strikes a chord,” with them.

To get the most from your sales copy; it should be easily scanned for benefits. Strong headlines, that convey obvious benefits are a must. Bullets, and sub-heads that are specific help them to know they are in the right place to “get” what they are looking for.

When they can quickly find the “what is in it for me,” about the subject of their interest, they feel compelled to “keep reading.” When their interest is really peaked – they will take in every word with enthusiasm.

“This is what most writers call the “hook.” It can be a whole short paragraph, or several sentences. Whichever works, it is essential to keep a high level of interest from your visitors.

If their level of interest drops off, it is because the copy starts to “ramble, get off subject, or stop making “good sense.”

What is it in the copy that is the real “selling point?” It is the “whole page” that does the collective work of “selling.”

It always starts with a great headline, a great lead, very quick and specific benefits that “speak to the reader’s interests.”

There is no such thing as a sales page that is “too good.” Every great sales page contains the same basic elements. There are a thousand different ways to make a great point.

Once the copy grabs the visitors interest, they will begin to seek every single benefit that appealed them to the subject in the first place.

When they find them in the order that “hits a nerve,” the copy evokes a positive response.

A great sales page should actually let the reader “sell themselves.: People do not like to get the feeling that they are “being sold.” Hyped-up sales copy that sounds like the average “used car sales man,” is a quick turn-off to buyers.

They want to make a solid connection, get specific information or results. People do not like to feel as though the writer has “wasted their time.”

They actually resent having “lost 30 seconds of their life” by reading poorly thought-out copy. Get their attention, get to the point they are looking for, appeal to their emotions, show them you have what they want or need (instead of “telling them”) and they will sell themselves.

This is a system that needs no “tweaking.” It works. Stick with this kind of sales copy, and watch your bottom-line dollar profits soar.

Do you need a better sales page for your Website?

You be the judge.

Professional Web Copywriter, Creative Writer, Saleswriter See Copywriting site: www.AAAWebcopyservices.com

By Marcia Yudkin in Featured

copywritingWhether you’re a business owner or nonprofit head who wants to promote your offerings with dignity or a copywriter troubled by the prevalence of exaggerated, over-the-top writing on the Web, you’re wondering whether it’s possible for marketing copy to nail the sale without a carnival-barker tone, without overheated language and without stretching of the truth.

The answer is yes.

When people talk critically about hype, or say they don’t want to use it, they are referring to techniques like these:

* An emotional pitch that tries to rev up the reader into a buying frenzy by appealing to greed, envy, scarcity, laziness or hatred.

* Strong, hard-to-believe claims without proof, such as “With a Flick of Your Pen, Get Tens of Thousands of Dollars From the Government, Tomorrow” or “You’ll Never Have to Pay the Asking Price For Groceries Again” or “Publish a Book Even if You Don’t Even Know How to Write Your Own Name”.

* Typography that’s heavy with bold colors, exclamation points, capital letters and underlining, making for a fast-talking pace and a breathless tone.

* Puffing up of the value of what’s being sold way beyond what’s reasonable.

* Vague references to “secrets”.

* Lots of fluffy, non-descriptive adjectives, such as “amazing,” “awesome” or “killer”.

* Outright or subtle lying.

If that style of writing turns your stomach or would make you ashamed to use it, do reject it. There are plenty of honest, effective copywriting techniques left over with which to stock up your promotional toolbox. Here are five no-hype techniques that perk up your marketing while keeping you out of the gutter.

1. Story Telling

A true tale with dramatic happenings attracts and holds a reader’s attention and can illustrate a general point vividly. For example, I might describe receiving tubs full of envelopes at the Back Bay post office in Boston and opening them with my husband on the floor of our apartment. Each envelope contained either a $2 check or two $1 bills, which we stacked in piles that got so high that they tipped over. (This happened in the early 1990s.)

Anecdotes with this kind of specific detail brings reality to life for readers, more so than an abstract summary like “It’s fun to make money” or ungrounded promises like “Your neighbors will gossip that you must have won the lottery.” A story can be about you, about someone who experienced what you’re selling or even about a historical figure.

2. Before and After

For greater impact, writing teachers have always advised, “Show, don’t tell.” Hardly anything convinces more than using words or pictures (or both) to show the situation prior to the application of the service or product you’re selling, then the situation afterwards. In using photos, realize that you may also need verbal description, because without commentary, the uneducated eye may not see the dramatic differences that a professional notices immediately.

3. Creative Touches

Whereas hypesters use outlandish and inflammatory metaphors, you can spice up your presentation with the same techniques, but used sparingly and gracefully as an aid to the imagination and understanding rather than as extreme promises. For instance, an executive coach pitched his services for corporate leaders as helping them “navigate the seas of change”: “organizations need leaders who know how to survive stormy seas and avoid hidden reefs and icebergs.” The design also accentuated the nautical theme with images of compasses, and the overall tone was restrained and professional.

4. Skillful Use of Language

Did you notice the wordplay above in “techniques that perk up your marketing while keeping you out of the gutter”? The words “perk” and “keep” contain the same pair of consonants, but in reverse order, which pleases the reader’s ear.

Another guideline: Never use an abstract expression when you can instead create an image in the reader’s mind. Reach especially for language that gives readers something to hear, see or touch in their mind. For instance, my bio doesn’t say I was published often in magazines but rather, “her bylines in national magazines on journalistic and opinion pieces began piling up.” Such concrete wording imparts vigor and energy to your marketing.

Orchestrating phrases the way expert speechwriters do (as in “of the people, by the people, for the people”) is one more way to give your presentation balance and finesse.

5. Proof

This element can set you most decisively apart from those relying on hype. Provide evidence that what you are selling does what it promises to do, and more. Your evidence might consist of client testimonials, third-party endorsements, media coverage, scientific research results, credentials, case studies, client surveys, referral statistics, descriptive details that only someone immersed in your work would have and why-it-works explanations. All of these persuade to the extent that they are firmly and frankly grounded in reality.

To avoid hype, be truthful and vivid. You’ll thereby keep the reader awake, connect with the reader’s imagination, quash skepticism and arouse the reader’s desire to buy.

Veteran copywriter and marketing consultant Marcia Yudkin is the author of Persuading on Paper, Meatier Marketing Copy and 13 other books. Besides writing for selected clients and mentoring marketing departments in copywriting skills, she runs a one-on-one mentoring program that trains copywriters and marketing consultants. In 10 weeks, participants learn no-hype marketing writing skills and business savvy. For more information, go to http://www.yudkin.com/become.htm

By Andrew Holtom in Featured

copywritingOne of the skills that successful affiliate marketing requires is the craft of copywriting. The most powerful copywriting doesn’t overtly sell, it captures attention and retains it. It weaves persuasion around the reader.

Here are 15 tips on how to make your copywriting a compelling read for your prospects:

Keep sentences short. The average sentence should be in the region of 16 words. Waffling will lose the attention of the reader.

Research, research, research. Know your topic – without doing research beforehand you will end up using dribble.

Benefit in the headline. Use the biggest benefit as the headline. You can always edit it later on.

Benefits will sell your product. Clearly spell out the benefits to the readers – don’t rely on their imagination. Give it all to them on the plate.

Believe in your product. You need to feel passionate about your product to sell it. This is why it’s best to stick to products that you know something about and have an interest in. Use common sense backed by enthusiasm. Explain features and what the benefits of those features are.

Vary your sentence length. Long and then short will keep the flow sweeter to read and will retain the attention of your reader.

Split long sentences. If they are getting too long, split them into two. The use of good copywriting can really boost your affiliate marketing revenue, so is well worth the extra effort.

Write for every level of reader. Remove unnecessary words and language that couldn’t be read by a young teenager. If you over complicate your writing, you will be excluding potential buyers. The goal is to write as though you are having a one to one conversation with your reader in the same room.

Brevity. Use every word and sentence to make your point. Readers won’t hang around all day waiting for you to get to your argument.

Short paragraphs. These are easier to read online and allows the reader to scan the information.

Use bullets. Again, these make the copy easy to read. Benefits of a product are ideal to list in a list with bullets.

Simple language. Don’t use jargon or technical words, you’ll lose readers this way.

Positive language. Inspire your readers by telling them what they can achieve and attain by using your products. Don’t dampen their mood with negativity.

Use bold text. Aid skimming over your text with the use of bold, sub headings and bullets.

Use power words. Words such as ‘Free’, ‘proven’ and ‘new’.

When I write my copy, I usually try to do it all in one sitting. I will then return to it several hours later to refine it. Before using the copy, I will read it aloud. If there is anything in it that makes me cringe or that I would be too embarrassed to read out to another, then I know there’s something to be fixed.

Learning how to do good copywriting takes an investment of effort. One of the best ways to learn is to study the copywriting of others and learn what you feel works well and not so well. Once you’ve nailed it, you’ll see that your profits will definitely benefit from the time spent.

Andrew Holtom is an experienced and accomplished online marketer. Andrew enjoys introducing newcomers to the profits and pleasures of internet marketing in addition to the skills required to successfully market affiliate products. To find out more about affiliate marketing and claim a free 94 page guide to starting your own online business visit www.webmarketinformation.com

By Marcia Yudkin in Featured

marketing3Clients have asked me for help because they feel stuck in a rut when it comes to getting the attention of their audience. Many feel they know only a limited number of techniques and seem to use the same strategies and angles over and over again. They’re bored and frustrated trying the same-old, same-old repeatedly and are pretty sure recipients on their lists feel the same way.

To the rescue is this list I created of bolder approaches you can try to freshen up emails, web pages, ads and other venues for promotional copy. Along with each idea, I’ve provided an example illustrating how you might put it to work.

I. In headlines, subject lines and elsewhere

1. Ask a weird or provocative question.
Whoever Heard of 77,000 Opt-ins From a Single Email?

2. Play up an emotion.
Take Command of Your Email Inbox.

3. Refer to current events.
Avoid Being Blindsided by a Blizzard.

4. Issue a challenge.
Can Your Widgywidget Pass the Steamroller Test?

5. Use a line of dialogue.
Pssst, Your Benchmarks Are Outdated.

6. Cite a specific number.
Here’s Why 45,682 Managers Trust Us.

7. Confess something.
We’re Embarrassed to Admit It, But…

8. Present a quiz.
Take the Readiness Roadmap Quiz.

9. Highlight case study results.
How Apoxya Achieved 458% ROI.

10. Quote a client.
“Helpful. Hard-nosed. Hassle-free.”

11. Say what the reader is probably thinking.
Why Can’t Metrics Be Simpler!

12. Guarantee something.
Quicker Payback – Guaranteed.

13. Connect to social trends.
Help Green Your Marketing Department.

14. Promise to get rid of an annoyance.
No More Compliance Hassles.

15. Compare before and after.
Before: 25½ Passwords. After: Just One.

16. Name the exact audience you’re targeting.
For the Manager Not Confident About Reaching This Year’s Targets.

17. Create suspense.
To Be Unveiled at the TTT Tradeshow…

18. Invoke imagination.
Imagine All Your Emails Effortlessly Organized.

II. Within your copy

19. Use un-businesslike language.
Time to cut the crap, wouldn’t you say?

20. Use vivid metaphors or similes.
When your to-do list feels like Grand Central Station.

21. Include surprising but true facts.
Only one government contractor in five knows that…

22. Compare costs/other factors to everyday items.
Solve your IT headaches for less than it costs to treat everyone on your team to a double latte.

23. Make predictions.
Prevent next year’s biggest risk now.

24. Tell a story.
When one of our clients took our new RXV234 back to the office, his IT manager at first refused to install it. Two days later he became an evangelist for it. Here’s why.

25. Write from an unexpected perspective – for example, from the night cleaning crew or the daughter of someone who now gets to go home from the office at a reasonable hour.

One fairly conservative corporate client surprised me at the number of items on this list he became excited about trying. Remember, the goal is to wake up the reader from their slumber of disinterest and to get them paying attention. Unexpected language, suspense, mysteries, relevance and promises are just a few of the techniques that belong in your expanded bag of tricks. Try being different, informing and entertaining without giving offense, and you’ll not only awaken your prospect, but also re-energize your own excitement about your product.

Veteran copywriter and marketing consultant Marcia Yudkin is the author of Persuading on Paper, Meatier Marketing Copy and 13 other books. Besides mentoring marketing departments in copywriting skills, she runs a one-on-one mentoring program that trains copywriters and marketing consultants in 10 weeks. Participants learn no-hype marketing writing skills and business savvy. For more information, go to www.yudkin.com/become.htm

By Ken Hoffman in Featured

copywritingWhat Type of Copywriting Are You Looking For?

What kind of copy are you looking for? There are many different kinds. First, there is copywriting by niche specialty. For example: copywriters who only write for alternative health, or financial, or self-help markets. Second, there are copywriters who specialize in the type of copy: landing pages, white papers, video scripts, etc. There is advertising copy. There’s corporate copy such as marketing collateral, newsletters, and product literature. There’s slick ad agency copy. There’s branding, direct response, and B2B. There’s web SEO content and web sales copy.

For the sake of this report I will divide copy into two primary types: copy designed to sell and copy designed for other reasons. Now there is some copy that is supposedly designed to sell, but has no way of measurement. The most powerful type of copy and the hardest one to find is the one that sells. If you just want content, you can find that cheap anywhere.

Think Marketing Strategy First, Copywriting Second

What will your marketing strategy be? Unless you yourself know and understand marketing strategy it’s important to get some feedback on this. Copy is one part of three things: Your message (the copy), your list (or target market), and your marketing strategy (the process of getting the prospect to your copy, through your copy and to your order page).

By Steve Richardson in Featured

copywritingThe right words in your sales message can quadruple the profits of any advert, web page, sales letter or email immediately.

You better believe that words are your most powerful and persuasive weapon in successfully making sales online.

When you learn the art of killer copywriting and produce a winning promotion you join a very exclusive club that have mastered the most sought after skill of all… you can have sales orders flying in from all directions… by email, your website, mail, fax, social media, etc

Just imagine the feeling of ecstasy when you release an offer and instantly get an avalanche of response. Think carefully now about the feeling of confidence you will have knowing how to create a money making offer from nowhere.

It bestows on you the power to make a personal fortune… by just using the right words. Mastery of using the right words is the utmost form of financial security and profit opportunity in these un-secure times.

Let’s run through a ‘quick sales copywriting workshop’ together:-

1. How do you get started?

Research:
You need to know about your customer before you can talk to them in a way that will get them to respond. Find out where your customers hang out by using forums, blogs and other social networks to enter into conversations to really understand what your customers’ want, what they need, how they talk and really get to know on a personal level, what your customers’ problems are. Run a survey and ask pertinent questions.

When you get to know your customers you can start to really engage with them. Remember the process is always people dealing with people.

2. How do you attract attention, what is your hook?

Play devil’s advocate and use the “so what?” test:
So now you’re ready to talk to your customers, you know where they are and you know the lingo they use. But how will you know if what you have to say is going to get the necessary response? What is going to grab your reader’s attention enough to compel them to actually do something? Because if you can’t persuade them to take an action how do you expect your customer to follow you… trust you… believe in you… buy from you?

Totally put yourself in your customer’s shoes and ask the question “so what?” to every comment and statement you put in your sales copy and if it doesn’t pass the “so what… who cares?” test remove it.

3. What is going to persuade your customer to take the action you want?

Compelling offers:
Everybody loves something for free, since the beginning of time sales have started with free information… a free report… a free trial… starter kit… free demonstration etc. A time limitation, a limited number available or an early bird bonus introduces urgency into the customer’s decision making process.

Other compelling offers include things like:
- Mystery
- Easy payment options
- Discount for more
- Money back guarantee
- Lower price based on customer’s promise of a referral or testimonial
- Deferred payment
- Introductory offer
- Product as an afterthought to the free gift

A compelling offer will only ever be compelling when it is laser targeted at your target customer who has clearly shown a real need for the solution to the problem that your offer provides. Doing that ensures what you are saying is 100% relevant to your reader. And also, you must clearly demonstrate that the cost to your customer is way less than the value they are going to receive from your offer. When you manage to do this your customer will see themselves as ‘the winner’ when they take the action you compel them to take.

4. What are the “right words” to use in order to maximize sales?

Use hidden psychological motivators:
*Stories - since ancient times we have always related to stories and we have been brought up that way. “Mommy tell me a bed-time story”, sound familiar? Take for example the single most successful sales letter, it is a story…

“On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. They were very much alike, these two young men. Both had been better than average students, both were personable and both – as young college graduates are – were filled with ambitious dreams for the future. Recently, these two men returned to college for their 25th reunion. They were still very much alike. Both were happily married. Both had three children. And both, it turned out, had gone to work for the same company Midwestern manufacturing company after graduation, and were still there. But there was a difference. One of the men was a manager in that company. The other was its president.”

A powerful message indeed, told as a story.

*The reason why – when you make a claim or special offer in your advert provide a genuine reason why the claim stands up or an honest reason why your offer is special. Don’t be mysterious; be genuine, open and honest so that your customers can trust you and believe you.

*Be specific – understand that readers of advertising are always skeptical. If you claim something that is specific – such as “58% of readers signed up for…” whatever, you are either lying or telling the truth. Make sure you do the research, tell the truth and be specific and you will stand out from the crowd.

“42 Year Old Seattle Man Reveals His Simple System For Making Immediate Online Profits From a 2 Page Website Template… Even If You Hate Computers”

There are 5 specifics in this headline; age, location, gender, number of pages and hate/dislike/fear of computers. It is more likely that this headline will be true in the mind of the reader and there are 5 different specific reasons for the reader to identify with the message.

9 more psychological motivators to include in your sales copy are:- * Truth * Curiosity * Authority * Scarcity * Social proof * Contrast * Reciprocation * Commitment * Consistency

These are all powerful psychological motivators, they are triggers that have to be included if sales copy is going to get action, a conversion.

This concludes the brief workshop.

This is only a tiny sample of what you need to learn and implement if you are going to write powerful sales copy, but it’s a start. Becoming a master of copywriting and having a powerful ability to turn words into a raging torrent of cash takes a commitment and dedication that you may not possess or you may be uninterested in acquiring the tools of the trade for the most valuable money making skill in the world.

On the other hand if you are serious about how to communicate with all of your customers in order to give them genuinely valuable help whilst at the same time maximizing your profit opportunities, then you have no choice but to become a master copywriter.

I wish you well and more power to your business, I look forward to any comments you may want to share…

Steve Richardson has been in business for over 25 years running small businesses, predominantly in asset leasing, vehicle leasing and marketing. Having seen the value of building an online presence he brought his offline businesses online. Steve has more recently launched an internet marketing business based on breaking down the most successful internet marketers’ strategies into simple to understand and use methods for those people who want to get started themselves running an online business, or are struggling to make a profitable income. You can visit Steve’s blog at http://makemoneyonlineforever.com

By Karon Thackston in Featured

website copyIt has become a fundamental principle of Internet marketing. When sending a prospect from some form of trigger (banner ad, pay-per-click ad, tweet, etc.) to the landing page, there must be continuity: the message must flow.

For example, when constructing pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, there has to be continuity between the ad and the landing page. The use of the same keyphrases, copy that flows seamlessly from ad to landing page and other factors, can make or break your campaign. If these elements aren’t in place the disconnect your visitors will suffer will confuse them and send them packing.

Why then do we rarely see any consistency in these areas when writing search engine optimized (SEO) copy?

Create Links in a Chain

On most web pages the tag sets are scattered. Take note the next time you’re surfing. You’ll see title tags that are unrelated to the description tag, both of which are distant from the headline of the copy on the actual page, etc., etc., etc. There is no flow. Nothing exists to usher the prospect from one step to the next.

It should work just like links in a chain. One is directly connected to the next and so forth. The basis of writing organic SEO copy is developing and following the same topic from your visitor’s first exposure to your site (the organic Google/Bing/Yahoo! listing title) to the call-to-action on the web page itself. It should – in essence – work exactly like the process when writing a paid ad/landing page combo.

Take it One Step at a Time

Create a plan before you write pages with optimized copy. Don’t view it with tunnel vision; strictly from the standpoint of what’s happening on the page. Take it one step at a time and walk the path your prospects will walk.

. Where will the site visitor come from? An organic search engine listing.
. What’s the first exposure to your site? The title tag of the organic listing.
. If the title tag captures their attention, where will they look for more information? The description tag underneath the title tag.
. When they click to your web page, how will they know they are in the right place? The message (copy) and keyphrases will be carried through from the search engine results page (SERP) to the web page.

See how it works? With each glance, with each click, the visitor takes a new step toward conversion. That’s because, just like with paid marketing campaigns, you’ve laid out a clear path for your prospects to follow rather than forcing them to navigate a rocky and confusing road.

When you’re ready to write expert-level copy that boosts rankings & converts more visitors get Karon’s Step-by-Step Copywriting Course (5th edition) and learn to do it right. http://www.CopywritingCourse.com

By Nikki Cripps in Featured

copywritingOf course I’m going to defend the importance of copywriters. It’s not just my job, but my passion. Ken’s article was enlightening because it forced me to think further about the role of copywriters and re-evaluate their contribution to the success or otherwise of commercial websites, and it’s always healthy to check out alternative views.

There was plenty to digest in both the article and in the heated comments that followed its publication. Copywriters were quick to jump on the anti-Ken bandwagon, criticize his spelling, and overall crucify him for his DIY/shortcut approach to preparing online content.

And while there were elements of truth in his article, and he picked up three new clients, imagine how many customers he might have attracted if he’d written about the positives a copywriter can add to a website.

There are so many appallingly written websites on the net that there’s plenty of work for us all. Here’s five ways a specialist online copywriter can make a difference:

1) Experience. Good copywriters not only know how to write in perfect English, they also know how the web works, how to prepare sales copy, the importance of keywords and how to use them. Choosing the right copywriter from the hundreds of “experts” on the internet depends entirely on the expectations you have for your site. Just as websites range from high-tech interactive, gaming and multimedia to simple information brochures and basic e-commerce sites, copywriters come in all shapes and sizes. Their skill set will vary according to their experience, background, personal education and knowledge, so do your research, ask to speak to recent clients and don’t rely on their online testimonials or Google reviews.

2) Eye for detail. When I started out as a website copywriter five years ago I deliberately typed misspelled words into Google. Phrases included: “Stationary and Website Design”, “Accomodation”, “Pubic Relations” and my favourite “Copywrite 2005”. Bingo, a business was born. No-one is perfect, myself included, and it seemed cruel to make money from people’s mistakes. But once I’d diplomatically pointed out the errors I picked up work. From there on in I had to rely purely on skill! A half decent copywriter can pick a typo a block away and want to do something about it. Don’t risk alienating potential clients and customers by leaving errors or incomprehensible copy on your website. While perfect spelling might not be high on your list of priorities for your website, poor grammar and spelling could be interfering with your messages.

3) Speed. Once you’ve decided to go online it’s likely you want it all done yesterday. Here’s where a professional copywriter can make a difference to the time it takes to get you up and running. A quick turnaround in content preparation will have you connecting with customers sooner than if you tried to do it yourself. Don’t waste time agonizing over sentence structure, checking the thesaurus and reworking copy.

4) Value for money. The price for copywriting varies wildly from the overpriced and overhyped writers to the bargain basement offerings from developing nations. There is a happy medium that doesn’t charge exorbitant rates for original and unique copy. The bulk of copywriters fall into this category. We just want to make a decent living doing what we do best. Overinflated prices for poor work won’t lead to word of mouth recommendations, repeat work or referrals. Going offshore might save a few dollars but it’s unlikely to be original, will need serious editing by a professional, and fail to resonate with your target market because it has not been written by a local.

5) It’s hard to promote yourself. Unless you’re Donald Trump then talking about yourself doesn’t come easy to most people. Writing about yourself is even more challenging. A professional copywriter can take an external view of your business, analyze your competition and then create copy that positions your online presence in a positive, objective way. They will write about aspects of your business that you take for granted, including points of difference, unique selling propositions, customer service and your personal commitment and passion. As a business owner you intuitively know it is all there, but a copywriter will expand upon it, highlight the good bits and minimize the negatives.

Taking shortcuts or a cheapskate approach to copywriting is akin to DIY graphic design and SEO. It shows. Getting it right the first time not only saves time and money but the end product will look polished and professional, and word perfect.

Nikki Cripps is a Sydney based copywriter who writes exclusively for small business websites. She’s been a journalist, public relations consultant and writer for almost 20 years. She is the owner and operator of www.wordsforwebsites.com.au.

By Ken Hoffman in Featured

articlewriting 2Most business owners now understand the importance of strong copy. What many business owners don’t realize is there are other alternatives to paying a fortune for great copy.

Most of these do require a nominal investment. But nothing compared to the huge fees for copywriting. A big part of the value a copywriter brings to the table (aside from marketing knowledge and being a wordsmith) is a fresh perspective. It’s that second set of eyes from a new perspective that can catch mistakes and provide more successful approaches.

Unfortunately, copywriting is deceptively simple. Almost anyone that can write to any degree thinks they can write great copy. Creating a piece of copy that causes the reader to take the action of spending money simply from reading words on a page is no easy task.

1) How A Simple Copy Critique Can Improve Your Copy

Perhaps the simplest way to improve your copy is getting a copy critique. In the direct marketing industry this is a common term. Professional copywriters use copy critiques to sharpen each other’s skills and copy. You can either hire someone to do this for a few hundred dollars typically, or you might be able to find someone to do it for free. Just be careful that you are getting someone who knows what they are talking about.

The biggest value here is having things pointed out to you that you missed. It could be a headline that’s unclear. Or a part of the copy that causes the reader to stop or bail out. Even your entire approach may be all wrong. These are all things you can find out with a simple copy critique.

If professional copywriters can improve from a copy critique, imagine what it can do for someone who’s not a copywriter.

2) How A Simple Rewrite Of Your Copy Can Help

The next step up from a copy critique would be a copy makeover. Not all copywriters offer this, because sometimes if the copy is way off track, it’s more work to rewrite it than just starting from scratch. The key to this is you are doing most of the legwork. Not recommended for rank beginners at copywriting. However, if you’ve got a sense of good copy and you can get something together in rough form, sometimes a simple rewrite of your rough draft can produce some great copy. And again, because it takes a lot less time than writing from scratch, you’ll save a bundle on copywriting fees.

Be careful because not everyone has the same definition or scope of what a rewrite entails. Some just fix the worst parts. Others do a complete rewrite and edit of what you’ve written. So read the fine print and find out exactly what you are getting before you commit.

A rewrite is more expensive, but still a fraction of hiring a freelance copywriter to create your copy from scratch.

3) Get A Free Consult From A Marketing Consultant Or A Professional Copywriter

Most copywriters and marketing consultants offer a free consult upfront. There’s nothing wrong with calling a few of them to get some contrasting opinions. In the process you’ll most likely pick up some great ideas that you can apply to your copy. Just having a short conversation with someone who knows marketing can give you some great insights.

You can generally tell pretty quickly whether you are dealing with an experienced copywriter verses a rookie. Be careful in putting too much stock in anything they say.

Test it out for yourself first. Make sure that it’s a direct response copywriter/marketing consultant. They are the only one’s who use methods proven to sell, as opposed to just creating general awareness of your business.

If you are speaking with a marketing consultant focus the conversation on the sales strategy and positioning of your product. If you are speaking with a copywriter focus more on the specific aspects of your copy. The most important parts of your copy are the headline/opening and your offer.

4) Model Your Copy After Proven Marketing Promotions

If you have to do the copywriting yourself without any help, be sure to have a successful model available. Avoid generic templates. Model your copy after an example that’s already proven to work. Only then will you be sure to at least have the structure in place that follows proven sales formulas.

What you want to do is copy the structure, not the content. Try to stay close to the structure because the further away you get from the original the less likely you’ll end up with a winner. For example, when modeling this classic headline, “They laughed when I set down at the piano, but when I played…” I’ve seen some people leave off the second half of the sentence. That destroys the curiosity building power of the headline.

Also changing it from “laughed” to some other emotion like cried can be risky. So be careful. Try to make a fill in the blank template out of it.

Here’s a simple example. “They laughed when I _______, but when I _____.” Do this with every sentence in the copy, not just the headline.

This is probably the single best way to write your copy if you aren’t a professional.

5) Record Your Best Sales Pitch And Then Have The Recording Transcribed And Edited

The other simple way to write copy yourself is to do this. You need someone that knows how to sell. If you aren’t good at sales then have someone else in your company or else have a friend help you.

The key to this working is to have a good sales person, record their best “pitch” live and uncensored. Then have it transcribed and edit it to take out the um, ah, etc. Do NOT edit into something that takes away the conversational tone. Be careful to maintain the essence of what they said.

That’s why you really don’t need to write copy. You can record it being spoken by a sales person. You end up with the same end result. Just make sure you have a good sales person and they know your product well so they can make the best pitch possible.

These are the five best ways I know to improve existing copy or create it from scratch. The power is in getting an outside perspective, using proven principles of selling, and using the time saving of rewriting rather than starting from scratch.

Ken Hoffman is a strategic business adviser and direct response copywriter. He is the author of “Scientific Advertising For The New Economy.” Download his free report, “17 Website Conversion Strategies To Boost Your Bottom Line.” Download it now from www.goodmarketingforbadtimes.com/ezine.html.

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