Sunday, November 26, 2006

 

Copywriting for writing a newsletter




Q. My professional organization wants to send out a quarterly ezine and I’ve been asked to be editor. Yawn! Who reads these things?

A. That’s what I thought when I got asked to edit a newsletter for the very first time. My group consisted of consumer psychology professors and marketing managers.

“Just one thing,” I said to the group’s president. “Can I have a humor column?”

“You can have anything. We’ve had 3 editors in one year. We’re desperate.”

Six years later, I looked back on this experience as one of the most fun and most rewarding of my career. Ultimately a newsletter carriers the Bragging101 principles an extra step. You’re creating a vehicle for members to brag about themselves and each other.

Since then I’ve written newsletters and newsletter columns for others, including a neighborhood association and a gym. And I learned some tips and tricks along the way.

(1) Increase readership and membership loyalty by interviewing your members.

Don’t bother with the superstars (okay, maybe a couple to set the stage). Ordinary folks have to be coaxed into an interview, but once they’re featured, they’re loyal for life.

While living in New Mexico, I wrote a newsletter for the gym where I worked out. Nobody wanted to be interviewed but they always ended up asking for extra copies to take home. “Your name in print” still carries power even in a jaded society.

(2) Get edgy.

My humor column may not have done much for my academic career, but I honed my writing skills and got a lot of attention for t the group and the paper. We had a satiric view of academic life, featuring our brave heroine, Maybelle Marketing; her cat Fluffy whose claws were registered as lethal weapons; hints at links to the Mob; crimes and clashes...well you get the idea.

Seems a little tame these days, but I can refer you to some past columns if you are interested. You have to be more careful with a commercial enterprise but let’s face it: everybody likes to smile.

(3) Double your effectiveness by assigning interviews.

With a large group, you can invite members to interview one another.

Why would they bother? Our junior members wanted an opportunity to make connections. Senior “stars” felt more comfortable when interviewed by junior members.

I was a little surprised when a couple of “stars” in our group asked to interview other stars, but hey -- I never turn down offers of help.

(4) Offer recognition and awards.

Honor every member’s achievement you can find. People like to belong to groups of achievers so you’re helping everyone.

The gym newsletter was easy. Someone was always winning a race or getting elected Miss Something of New Mexico. Birthdays, new cars, new dogs and houses...readers love this stuff.

(5) Use your newsletter for networking.

Everybody knows the newsletter editor and everybody wants to talk to you. After a surprisingly short time, you realize you’re not spending huge amounts of time and you’re getting known faster than if you attended twenty-two networking luncheons.

Need help with your own? Ask me about a one-time consultation and we’ll have your newsletter launched in no time.

No need to be dull! As you brag about others, you display your own skills in a low-key, creative way.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

 

Hiring an article ghost writer



Some of our most respected Internet marketing gurus advise, "No time to write articles? Hire a low-cost resource from one of the online data banks."

If you follow that strategy, be aware that you have no protection against plagiarism. Your friendly ghost writer can just get on the Internet and help himself to whatever's there...and because your name goes on the final article, you are responsible.


Monday, November 20, 2006

 

"It's okay to use my service..."



A relationship coach says, "Couples think there's something wrong with them if they need help. But today's relationships are more complicated than they were ten, twenty and thirty years ago. We have dual careers, layoff pressures, gender role changes and more."

A lawn care specialist says, "My clients work sixty hour weeks and they earn big bucks but they feel guilty because they aren't pushing their own lawn mowers."

Sometimes the copy message has to overcome a hidden objection: "I should know how to do this myself." Bring it up early, from elevator speech to home page.


Friday, November 17, 2006

 

Copywriting means responding to 3 levels of pain


One of the first things a copywriter learns is, "Go for the pain." Good advice. And actually clients come with three levels of pain.

(1) Client at the Crossroads: Why now?

Clients rarely consider hiring a resource (or buying an information product) unless they're at some kind of a crossroads. Psychological research tells us that people don't change until they experience a defining moment. They often use the classic example of alcoholics who hit bottom.

So I get calls when a business owner says, "I don't have time to make sales calls and I need more sales -- soon. How can I make money when I sleep?"

Or Hal calls an accountant when he needs cash flow to finance an essential purchase. Mary starts looking for an organizer when she realizes she's buried her appointment book somewhere under a mountain of paper, just below a box of last year's holiday cookies.

(2) Client Feeling Emotion: Where does it hurt?

This is what most people think of when they identify their target market's pain.

Often needs can be related to the basics: finances, health, love, social status and time.  You can dig deeper. What will happen if you don't increase sales? What will you enjoy if you save time?

Here's where it's easy to confuse "our process" with "their pain." For example, I recently talked to a consultant who wanted to help  women achieve vision and purpose. But, I would ask, how do their lives feel without vision and purpose? What will be different afterward?

(3) Client Chooses Resource: Can you be trusted?

My clients worry, "Will my website make me sound like I'm selling used cars?"

An interior decorator may seem like a fairly benign presence. But her prospects are probably wondering, "What will she think of my home? And will she paint the walls pink with purple polka dots?"

Dentists have become fairly savvy about anticipating the number one question: "Is this going to hurt?" And I've seen billboards for medical clinics promising, "You won't wait more than ten minutes."

Bottom Line: "Go for the pain" is the best advice you can get when creating a marketing message. Recognizing all 3 levels will help you reach your own clients and, in the process, reduce your own marketing pain.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

 

Gift wrap your presents, not your web site


Recently I visited web sites of coaches, authors and speakers who invited me to just stop by and say hello. Most were still working with their very first web sites. Some were recovering from the experience, even 2 years afterward.

Some said, “Tell me why my website isn’t working.” They meant, “Give me the one minute quick fix.”

If you’ve been around my site or consulted with me, you know I don’t work that way. I ask a ton of questions and discuss strategy before writing copy.

But if I had just one minute, I would suggest 3 tips that will dramatically raise the value of your website. Get rid of the gift wrapping. Take your message out of the box and show us – no apologies.

(1) Hide the welcome mat.

Visitors know they’re welcome. You wouldn’t be hanging out in cyberspace, with a URL and a domain name, if you didn’t want them to come.

Occasionally successful consultants will break this rule, with a one-sentence welcome message in regular-size type. But I bet if they took away the “welcome” nobody would miss it.

(2) Quote yourself – not a famous hero..

The only reason to have a quote is to demonstrate your philosophy to visitors – after they’ve gotten to know you, and when your personal views are relevant to delivering the service. After all, if you’re a life coach, I might be curious to know if you’re closer to Deepak Chopra than John Denver.

Quotes might reinforce your message but they’ll rarely motivate visitors to keep reading.

(3) Use design to highlight copy.

Have you ever gotten a gift that’s so exquisitely decorated you say, “I don’t want to open the package – it’s too beautiful.”

Web design should motivate visitors to keep reading, not distract them with flash, stirring images and clever creativity.

We’re entering the gift season, big-time. My birthday comes right around Thanksgiving every year (and sometimes right on Thanksgiving) so I get into the holiday spirit early.

Unlike websites, gifts demand to be opened. Part of the fun is tearing off the paper and waiting to see what’s inside (if the dog hasn’t gotten there first).

Alas, most visitors won’t view websites as gifts. Faced with wrapping, they’ll just go off elsewhere. We won’t even get a thank you note.

To unwrap your own website, come to a complimentary teleclass! http://www.makewritingpay.com/classes.html

Thursday, November 02, 2006

 

Halloween: Case of the Haunted Copy



When I lived in a small New Mexico town, Halloween meant stocking up on treats for a parade of small visitors who would show up on my doorstep, dressed in costume.

Now I live in a well-guarded highrise in Seattle, a city with more dogs than children. The only costumes I see are worn by bank employees.

No haunted houses in my neighborhood. But prowling around the Internet I’ve seen some copy that I could swear was a haunted piece of virtual real estate.

Here are 5 tips to keep your own site warm and welcoming even on the coldest winter nights, which we are experiencing already.

(1) Create a comfortable space.

Haunted houses are famous for floorboards creaking and lights going out suddenly. In normal, happy houses, we don’t notice the floor or the lights. We just walk around comfortably.

And that’s what copy lets website visitors do, too.

Copy gets haunted when copywriters call attention to their own words. That’s why humor usually kills sales: prospects remember the joke but not the benefits, features or marketer’s name.

We’ve all done it at least once: we fall in love with an image and build copy around a metaphor. But readers will feel most comfortable with a conversational tone and familiar language. And they’ll actually enjoy an occasional cliche.

(2) Say good-by to the Ghost of Your English Teacher.

As you write a set of bullet points, do you find yourself thinking, “Mrs. Fussy told us never to begin a sentence with ‘and.’” Or “Sister Mary Aurelia would take a ruler to these phrases.”

They’re ghosts. Real English teachers don’t care about copywriting and they couldn’t care less what you’re doing these days.

Open the windows and watch them waft away into the dark damp winter nights.

(3) Clear the cobwebs.

Cobwebs brushing against your face? Not a great way to say “Come in! You’re going to love it here.”

Some openings rub their readers the same way: stiff, stilted, self-conscious and just plain creepy. Create an opening that’s fresh and inviting. Get visitors hooked, so they stay focused on what you’re selling.

(4) Leave the lights on.

Haunted houses tend to be dim. You’ll find weak light sources that create long, creepy shadows.

Good copy needs lots of white space, punctuated by bold and colored type. It’s easy to read. Crowded type makes your reader feel suffocated...wondering if they’re in a dark closet with no way out.

(5) Make sure everyone can find the way out – and the refreshments.

Every so often I see copy that appears to be created by demons. I want to buy...and I have no idea where to sign up. Sometimes I can’t even figure out what’s being offered for sale.

And these days, I believe good website copy begins with an irresistible freebie to motivate visitor sign-ups. Your freebie should be a tempting as a serving of strawberries with cream, a chocolate cupcake or a double shot latte with extra whipped cream.

Well, almost...”Ten secrets” or “5 critical steps” will drive away the most determined ghosts and make your visitors feel they’re on the way home.


Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D. offers strategic copywriting and communications consulting for small biz owners and solo professionals who want to sell themselves without sounding sales-y. Ask about her three-step Strategy-->Message-->Copy system. Begin with a visit to the Copy-Cat website.

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