Monday, May 29, 2006
[Internet Marketing Solutions] You're great: now tell the world
“James” called me right after he returned from a three-day weekend seminar that cost him three thousand dollars, plus transportation and lodging. “Terrific!” I said. “I’m impressed. You invested in yourself.” “Well,” he said, “I had to max out my Visa to pay for the seminar and the air fare – don’t ask. Based on what I learned, I need a whole new website. Do you know any web designers who might be willing to barter with me?” Stop! What 3 pieces of information does James need? (1) Always present yourself as a product that can be counted on to deliver top quality service. Whether writing or speaking about yourself, go for the gold. James didn’t have to share his source of funds – and he shouldn’t. Inevitably, someone will say, “If he’s so successful, why did he need a big loan?” He may have good reasons but we’re already in the realm of Too Much Information. A life coach once wrote in her ezine, “I’m going to a conference and yes, it’s a big expense. But it’s important.” Frankly, the expense didn’t seem so great to most of her readers. You could just feel her credibility evaporating into the ozone. (2) Investments rarely end with a one-time payment. When I first bought a house, I was warned, “Save money after the closing costs! You’ll need small repairs, security services and more.” This sage advice applies to business investments too. Just as a bigger house comes with larger insurance and maintenance bills, a live conference or a great consultant can lead to life-changing suggestions – new website, wardrobe, logo and more. If you can’t afford the follow-up, skip the big-time consultations. Work on the smaller chunks, like (you knew this was coming!) the copy. (3) Avoid barter and discounts. “James” works as a financial consultant to medium-sized and large companies. I doubt he has much to offer web designers, who typically work as solo-preneurs on shoestring budgets. Barter and discounts inevitably lead to hurt feelings, bitter breakups and poor quality work. I no longer offer these options to my own clients and I don’t ask for discounts for myself, even from friends. Generally you get what you pay for. Bargain basement services, such as eLance, can be surprisingly good. But you have to know what to ask for and how to evaluate your finished product. And getting that knowledge means signing up for classes in copywriting (which is why I support the Boot Camp), marketing and a whole lot more). Ready to turn your lazy, good-for-nothing website into a powerhouse profit center that works 24/7? Click here. Download your valuable 10-page fr*e Report: 7 Best-Kept Secrets of Client Attracting Websites. Sign up here. |
Friday, May 19, 2006
[Copywriting Tips] Do your headlines fight like cats and dogs?
Recently I was asked to critique “Marvin’s” sales letter for a coaching website. Each headline was okay but together they fought like cats and dogs (or 2 football teams in the playoffs) – lots of screaming and wrestling that accomplished little. The originals were much better than what you see here – I have to disguise the details by creating headlines for an imaginary service. Main headline: Who else wants to feel less stressed at the end of the day? Subheading 1: Are you leaving money on the table because of beliefs you created ten years ago? Subheading 2: Wouldn’t it be nice to say good-by to all those self-defeating beliefs and start moving at lightning speed to your new goals? Of course, the letter included more headings, and lots of bullets and text under each heading. But the sales letter didn’t hang together. In an ideal copy world, readers will skim through the headlines and bold type and they’ll realize what’s going on. The headlines tell a story even if you don’t have time to read the smaller print. To help “Marvin,” I’d first ask about his target market and his success stories. We’d figure out why his service uniquely delivers value to his own target market. A very rough first draft of Marvin’s new headlines: “Who else wants to feel less stressed and earn more money?” “How to stop your own ancient beliefs from creating more stress than traffic jams” “How beginners can compete with experts in the relaxation marathon” Okay...that one’s a little over the top. But you get the idea, right? We begin by holding out a benefit – less stress, higher earnings – We’d keep our headlines focused on that theme. And we’d also experiment with variations. After writing a first round of headlines, often we realize we need to refocus altogether. But most important, we won’t let our readers relax till they come to the very end of the sales letter. Copywriting maven, author and speaker, Cathy Goodwin, PhD., owns Copy-Cat-Copywriting. She works with self-employed professionals who want to turn their lazy, good-for-nothing websites into profit centers that work 24/7. Download your valuable 10-page fr*e Report: 7 Best-Kept Secrets of Client Attracting Websites. http://www.copy-cat-copywriting.com/subscribe.html |
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
[Internet Marketing Solutions] Proposals without Pain
Q. "My new client just asked me to draw up a detailed proposal for a big project. I’ll need at least a week to do the research – and then they could say no. How can I avoid losing lots of time to a lost cause?" A. Great question. Several years ago, my friend "Mike" was desperately trying to rescue his failing business, when a miracle seemed to land in his lap. "John," a Fortune 50 vice president, expressed interest in Mike’s system. Mike eagerly began developing a proposal, meeting John for lunch (we never asked who paid) and walking around with dollar signs dancing before his eyes. And we, his friends, were awed by the Big Name of his future client. One day Mike called John to schedule another lunch meeting. A stranger answered. "John? He just left. New job in another state. He liked you a lot but I’m afraid our needs have changed now." Mike’s heart sank to his knees. Then he called Sallie, a lawyer friend. "Charge the company for your R&D costs," she advised. "Bring over your memos and I’ll give you a hand." You probably guessed where this story is going. No memos. Not a trace of evidence that he and John had ever discussed a proposal. So you’re wise to assess your proposal before you begin, whether you’re getting ready to sell a big consulting project or take a new job. 1. Ask at the outset, "Who will be the decision-maker? Who will sign off on this project? Who has hiring authority?" "Harry" was reluctant to pose these questions. He was excited when a long job search seemed to be coming to a close. He had established terrific rapport with "Jed," who would be his boss after he got the job. A mere formality, he was assured. As always, I encouraged Harry to follow his instincts. No guideline works 100% of the time. So after a pleasant dinner meeting with Jed, Harry apologetically asked who had the power to say yes. It turned out Harry couldn’t be hired until Jed’s boss returned from an overseas trip – six weeks from now, maybe longer. Harry began to pursue competing options aggressively and landed a different position well before the traveling decision-maker returned stateside. 2. Before investing more than an hour or two (and sometimes a minute or two), establish that your target client has allocated funds for whatever project you’re proposing. "If we like your idea, we’ll find the money," might as well be, "We’re bored and we’re looking at a lot of ideas." Enough said. 3. Find ways to repackage your work product for future benefits. Before you create a sample or demo, make sure you will own the rights to any product you create, unless you are hired or your work product is purchased directly. There is no excuse for accepting any other option. Proposal rejected? You may have a product that you can sell on your own – or at least use to demonstrate your skills in future proposals. If you’re participating in a short-term project to showcase your abilities, make sure your work gets credited for your resume or portfolio. 4. Ask if you can submit samples of previous work rather than create new, customized proposals. After you’ve been in business awhile, you will probably work this way all the time. For my own editing and writing clients, I offer lots of online samples – everything from press releases to published articles. I encourage new clients to hire me for a very small, low-risk project. In my experience, successful businesses are comfortable working this way. They’ve budgeted funds for testing new resources and realize most will add some value. They’ve learned (through trial and error) how to reduce risk and anyway, they accept a reasonable cost of doing business. And it’s easy to give them a good product because they know how to ask for what they want. 5. Prepare for the best outcome – and be ready for surprises. When you’re new to a business venture or career change, learn how the game is played. Ask experienced players how you can protect yourself from wasted effort. For instance, in some environments it is appropriate to ask if you’re competing against an internal candidate – a sign that you may be a token interviewee. And you may create an elaborate consulting proposal, only to learn your client will choose only resources who operate from a certain geographic base. Finally, sometimes you have to set aside all these guidelines. Someone hands you the opportunity of a lifetime – if you’re willing to jump through some hoops and compete energetically against great odds. You may decide to limit your risk or skip the option altogether. Or you may decide to go for the gold now and live with the outcome. Here the only rule is information – then intuition. |
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
[Internet Marketing Strategy] “Splash Your Name All Over the Internet"
If you type my name into a search engine, you’ll get pages and pages of listings with links to articles, websites and more. (And yes, there are a few other people named Cathy Goodwin, but most of those listings are mine.) Magic? Search engine shuffling? No. I’ve just followed a simple, no-cost formula. Write articles. Send articles to directories. Go walk the dog. Come back and find your name splashed over the Internet. But the formula works only if your articles get “picked up” by article databases, ezines and blogs. Here are 3 tips that worked for me. 1. Begin with a killer headline. Web marketing gurus emphasize, “A mediocre article with a great headline will get picked up faster than a magnificent article with a so-so headline.” A few weeks ago, you probably read my article: “New website? Start with the Copywriter.” As a faithful, loyal reader, you ignored the title and moved directly to the feature. But when I modified the article for distribution, I changed the headline to “7 Most Serious Web Marketing Mistakes You Can Make.” That article has become one of the most popular I’ve ever written. I just gave permission for a Spanish translation. Nice! And it all started with Red Hot Copy Boot Camp . (2) Write short articles for your ezine and longer articles for distribution. Ezines are getting shorter, according to just about all the gurus I know. Filters tend to screen longer messages. And readers just don’t have time to ponder our wonderful insights. But I’ve found that 600-800-word articles seem most effective. So I share short articles (400 words or less) with my ezine readers, then expand them to suit the distributors. (3) Apply the Dear Abby principle. Readers like articles that begin with “How to” and “10 Tips to” solve a very specific, narrow problem. Even if they’re not experiencing the specific challenge you describe, they like following your logic. I believe it’s the same psychology that causes drivers to stop and gawk at an accident on the side of the road, even if they end up causing more wrecks. So an article on “seasons of a career” might be fun to write and add to my blog. But my article on “Five ways to resign from your job without killing your career” was reprinted all over the place. |
Thursday, May 04, 2006
[Internet Marketing Strategy] “Choose your passion: fish or fishing pole?”
When I talk to successful marketers, I find they share one quality in common. They’re absolutely passionate about what they do. But these successful marketers can be divided into two kinds of passion: market (“find the fish”) and method (“choose the fishing pole”). Find the fish: Some marketers hold a vision of clients they want to reach, services they want to offer, and products they want to sell. Typically they’re wildly enthused. They genuinely believe in what they offer and feel they’re meeting a need. Their commitment is to their vision – not a marketing method. So they may use the Internet, but they’ll also haunt trade shows and industry associations. They’ll go where the clients are. For example, Christine Schaap created www.pathpartners.com to serve midlife women. Choose the fishing pole: Other marketers decide they’ll accept whatever market can be reached through a favorite method. They’re passionate about the Internet, discovering all sorts of back-door approaches to reach niche customers. They spend hours learning new technologies. And if Market X doesn’t shop on the Internet, they try Market Y. Example: Tom Antion’s life is devoted to Internet marketing: Check out his superb products. When you recognize your passion, you’ll find the energy and inspiration to do the right things that lead to success. You’ll join professional organizations, write targeted articles and start speaking to groups in your target market...or you’ll lock the door to your home office and begin learning all the cool technologies. Neither path will be easy. But making a choice allows you to focus energy, efforts and resources, so you move like a laser to your own definition of success. Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., helps solo-preneurs, professionals and small businesses build Internet revenues -- without turning themselves into techies or high-powered pushy sales people. Want to discover 7 best-kept secrets of client-attracting websites? Download here. Email me! |
