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25 Ways to Make Your Marketing Copy Bolder and More Intriguing

By Marcia Yudkin in Featured

Clients 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Pssst, Your Benchmarks Are Outdated.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.

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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

Small Business Owners: Are You Making These 3 Deadly Website Copywriting Mistakes?

By Karon Thackston in Featured

It’s a common question. “What copywriting mistakes should I avoid?” There are many, but the 3 I chose might surprise you. Why? Because while these can potentially cause the greatest amount of damage they are not ones most copywriters talk about.

Why? Because these aren’t the “sexy” copywriting mistakes. They aren’t the quick-fix aspects. They require thinking and judgment and work! However, they are the ones that – when implemented correctly – can drastically boost the performance of
your copy and content whether that be a blog post, article, web page, email or other forms of text.

Copywriting Mistake #1 – Writing Without a Plan

Regardless of what you write, you’ll get better results if you perform due diligence with a little prior planning. In fact, if you go through the planning phase of copywriting, chances are the copy will all but write itself. How so?

Because research allows you the opportunity to get to know your target customer, organize your thoughts, outline features, benefits and end results, get your creative juices flowing, and much more. It also allows you to overcome what might otherwise become copywriting mistakes.

Take this article, for instance. When I started, I didn’t just lay fingers to keyboard and begin rambling on. I thought about the topic I’d like to approach. I looked into keyphrases that might be a good fit. (For this piece, I chose “copywriting mistakes” and “copywriting mistake.”)

Then, I gave some thought about what – specifically – I’d like to accomplish in the article. What, precisely, did I want to communicate to you? Those became the “3 copywriting mistakes” mentioned in the headline as well as the outline for my writing.

All that was left to do was fill in the blanks.

The same applies to writing website copy. When you follow a process for outlining features, benefits and end results, researching keywords, and creating a skeleton of what the page should accomplish, it all falls into place much easier.

Copywriting Mistake #2 – Writing About Your Company/Product Instead of To Your Site Visitor

One of my biggest pet peeves – and one of the most common copywriting mistakes I see – is ignoring your site visitors. Indulge me for a minute as I climb on my soapbox.

If someone walked into your office, shook your hand and asked how you could help them, you would not immediately begin to rattle off everything you believed to be a strong point about your product or company. No. What would you do? You’d start getting to know the customer.

You would ask questions. You would find out what their problems/challenges are. You’d get details on specifically what they want to do/accomplish and then you would address their exact issues.

Instead of “we do this and we do that and our company, let us help, we, we, us, us, our, our, our, blah, blah, blah” you would speak to the customer who is seated in front of you. Instead of “we-ing all over yourself,” you’d say something like this:

“Mr. Smith, you can get to where you want to go. It’s not as hard as you think. You can improve the image others have of your company and help reinforce your brand with a system that offers 3 important advantages. First, you’ll find that ____________________________….” You get the idea.

Does that mean you can never use “us” or “we” or “our?” Certainly not! But keep it to a minimum. I’d venture to guess you should you those words less than 10% of the time. After all, it’s not about you. it’s about the ones who have the money: your customers.

Copywriting Mistake #3 – Thinking Copywriting Only Happens on Your Web Page

If you plan to write search engine optimized copy, you’ll have to understand that your copy actually begins in the search engine results pages (SERPs). The title tag and the META description tag create a little advertisement for you in Yahoo!, Google, Bing and the other engines.

Let’s say a surfer types in “black cowboy boots” (for example). The very first exposure that customer has to your web page is what they find in the SERPs. Which of these tag sets grabs your attention?

Black Cowboy Boots – Black Cowboy Boots
Black cowboy boots are manufactured by all of the major cowboy boot makers. This most popular boot comes in various styles depending on your needs.

Black Cowboy Boots – Free Shipping and Return Shipping
Buy cowboy boots with a price guarantee and top rated customer service. You can compare multiple … Dan Post Boots Eel Cowboy – Black (Men’s) $249.95 …

Western Spurs, Tshirts, Western Wear, Art, Posters Black Cowboy Boot with Spurs keychains . Black Cowboy Boot with Spurs Key Chain by White_Wedding. praying cowboy pet clothing praying cowboy dog shirt …

I don’t know about you, but I’d be clicking that free shipping one with the price guarantee!

You have to write your title tag and META description tag as an advertisement. Tell the surfer why they should click to your page as opposed to the other 10,000 in the SERPs. What’s in it for them if they click to you?

So, now you know. And now that you know, you can avoid making the 3 most deadly copywriting mistakes small business owners make.

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Are you looking to revamp or build a small business website but aren’t sure where to start? Karon’s book Effective Websites for Small Businesses helps you work with professional to make it happen. Learn more at www.effectiveWebsitesForSmallBusinesses.com.

How to Extract Doubt From Your Sales Copy

By Michel Fortin in Featured

A few years ago, something happened that provided incontrovertible proof of the importance of an infallible rule in copywriting. I knew it all along but never saw it proven to me in such a personal and direct way.

What am I talking about?

No, it’s not the headline. It’s not being emotional. It’s not benefits. And it’s not split-testing, either. In fact, my opening paragraph gave you a clue.

Sure, the headline, the benefits, and all those things are important. Very important. But the one element I’m referring to, the one element that can transform flimsy, “yeah-right” copy into a sales-inducing powerhouse, is…

The Seven Deadly Sins of Website Copy

By Michel Fortin in Featured

Throughout my research, I’m always surprised when I stumble onto websites that are professionally designed and seem to offer great products and services, but lack or fail in certain important elements.

Elements that, with just a few short changes, can help multiply the results almost instantaneously.

Generally, I have found that there are seven common mistakes. I call them the “Seven Deadly Sins.” Is your website committing any one of these?

Should You Change Your Copy When Rankings Fall?

By Karon Thackston in Featured

I’ve been on a seesaw for the last year. I have a client who, for almost 12 months, has been asking me to rewrite their home page copy because they dropped from the top 10 to position #11 (the dreaded second page!). My question to her was always, “Is your copy still converting the way you want it to?” She answered yes every time to which I advised, “Leave the copy alone.”

© Copyright 2012 All rights reserved. Jayde Online, Inc.

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