Copy-Cat-Copywriting

I keep hearing this over and over. The single most important skill you need to succeed on the Internet is (drumroll, please!) copywriting.

I have been amazed at the power of copywriting to transform lookers to buyers. Visitors often come to my site and buy ebooks on their first visit. Clients rarely buy on a first visit, of course, but they do return to my site.

The best place to learn copywriting is Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero's Live Online Bootcamp.

I know because that's how I learned. I've taken other courses and bought other manuals. But to be honest, 90% of what I've seen elsewhere is ... here.

It's not for sissies. She demands lots of work and it's pretty intense. But you'll walk away with copy you can use and you'll pay for the course with just a few sales.

If you are reading this post and it's too late to sign up for boot camp, join one of Lorrie's forums and consider her workbooks.

Labels: copywriting, morgan-ferrero bootcamp

If you're like me, you go to those networking luncheons. And you get advised to follow up. Set one-to-one coffee dates. Lunches. And more.

Some organizations allow you to send post cards to their membership once a year. They freely give out phone numbers.

In the last year, here's a sample of what I got from my fellow members of one organization:

• A badly typed, photocopied letter introducing me to a financial services company. The letter emphasized the benefit of working with women after the writer's negative experiences with "chauvinistic" males.



• An attractive post card introducing me to a consulting firm that targets small to medium-sized firms with employees. "We're here if you need us," said the message.



• A phone call at 11:30 AM on a Tuesday. The caller plunged right in with, "I want to introduce myself. I have a service to help with aging parents..."

I interrupted. I have no aging parents. I have an aging tabby cat who's spoiled rotten. No problem: she wanted to "introduce herself" just so we'd know who we are. She chose the phone instead of those time-consuming coffee dates.

What was wrong?

(1) Connect to invite your target audience to a special event. You can do the "get to know you" thing at lunches and happy hours.

(2) Focus your mail on the target audience's problems, not your own agenda. If you have no training in copywriting, break open the piggy bank and hire a copywriter...or invest in an hour or two of copy coaching.

(3) Respect time - yours and everybody else's. Set up coffee dates only if you have a genuine mutual interest. At the very least, ask, "Is this a convenient time to call?"

As it happens, I go to noon workout classes at my gym almost every day. That caller couldn't have picked a worse time.

Follow-ups are magical when you set them up as marketing activities. They're deadly when you don't.

Labels: bragging101, groups, internet marketing, networking

One of my all-time favorite Internet marketing gurus is (drumroll, please)
Perry Marshall. He's one of the least pretentious and most knowledgeable experts out there. And he delivers enormous value through his Renaissance Club and his emails.

Last week Perry suggested, "Your copy works if you can recite it in a singsong rhythm. Try singing your copy to yourself."

Hmm...I'll have to try it. Here's what I wrote for my time management ebook:

Give Me 21 Days and Get a Life-Changing Time Management System (Not a Handful of Band-Aid Quick Fixes)

Doesn't really sing, does it?

"Give me 21 Days and Get More Time." On the right track.

This stuff is harder than it looks! I'll be experimenting with my own ebooks and maybe some clients, too.

And check out Perry Marshall.

I actually met him at a Live Event hosted by
Lorrie Morgan Ferrero.

Labels: copywriting, lorrie morgan-ferrero, perry marshall, sing your copy

A few days ago I picked up a fascinating book, The Brazen Careerist, by Penelope Trunk. (Isn't that a great name for a writer?)

Trunk herself is the brazen one. She's been writing an online column and blog for a long time and she's not afraid to be controversial. If you look up her posts (her name yields results in any search engine), she suggests that it's okay to date your colleagues at work, tell your boss you're taking time off and treat the HR department as your enemy.

Each of these suggestions brings horrified gasps from her reader. She gets hundreds of comments on every post - and at least half seem to be negative.

But let's rewind -- hundreds of comments on every post! Thousands of people read her blog and react.

That's better than a polite little blog that get no response. I for one plan to turn up the heat on mine and suggest you do the same.

When you're doing something right, somebody will hate you. Every time I run a strong article or promotional piece in my ezine, I get a few unsubscribes. And inevitably I also get orders and comments.

Your comments can be edgy, to. Just click on the word "comment." If you're not a spammer, you're in.

Labels: blogging, edgy

Recently I ran across some beautiful websites. The copy wasn't bad...but I didn't get too far when I tried to read it. For some reason, the website owners chose light blue.

A client once showed me tan copy on a beige background. Everything ran together in a blur of brown shades.

I'm not exactly a colorist, but I recommend keeping your copy easy to read. Black on white or black on a very pale background...with lots of white space.

"Your prices are too low," she sniffed. "She" was someone I just met at a conference.

"How on earth do you know?" I wanted to ask. I've learned to distrust anyone who (a) gives unsolicited advice and (b) gives any advice (solicited or otherwise) based on a 1-minute discussion.

Truth:

Some people make a very good living selling ebooks for $7 and $10. It's not easy: they understand testing, analytics, copywriting, and traffic building. And they found huge niche markets who respond enthusiastically.

In other markets, you sell more if you become the premium player.

To find the right level, test (and test again). Offering a sale will only tell you if your market responds to discounts and specials.

One marketer tested $37, $49 and $67, only to find that $49 brought in the most revenue for an information product.

Recently I came across a forum post where a reader asked about the benefits of joining a Toastmasters group. Frankly, I've never seen this topic discussed anywhere so I jumped right in.

When I moved to Seattle, some professional speakers said, "The best way to get started in speaking is to join Toastmasters."

As it happened, a very nice chapter was meeting just a few blocks away, on Wednesday noon. I went for about a year. During that time I earned a CTM (ie., made 10 speeches) and won 2d place at the region for a humor talk ("Fashion-Challenged in Seattle") based on my personal experiences.

Suggestions for anyone who considers joining:

(1) Choose your chapter carefully. My chapter had several professional speakers including a professional radio announcer and a woman who did stand-up comedy for a few paid gigs, plus others. We were a small chapter so everyone got to speak often.

(2) If you are shy or unsure about speaking, Toastmasters *is* a great vehicle. I saw several people blossom after just a few talks. Again, be sure you've got a good chapter: our people made faster progress because we had so many pros.

(3) I am a very experienced speaker. After all, I taught college for over 20 years. I *love* to give talks. So to be honest, the benefit I got in terms of speaking were not huge. I learned some tips about humor just because we had some pros in my group.

Occasionally Toastmasters will give you exposure for paid and platform speaking. If that's your goal, talk to someone who's done it (not me!) and create a strategy.

(4) Toastmasters takes time. When you're giving a speech, you have to prepare a 7-minute talk. You're penalized for going over or under certain times so you *must* practice.

Besides speaking, you have other assignments in meetings. Smaller chapters mean you get more practice but also more work. When you're in certain roles you have to email others and get responses. Being Toastmaster of the week is HUGE.

(5) Toastmasters has all sorts of rituals and rules and they will either be fun or drive you crazy. New members often say, "It's like Rotary...or Kiwanis...or even Alcoholics Anonymous."

(6) Choose a chapter with people who follow your rhythms. Self-employed people, and those still climbing a ladder somewhere, will have a different time perspective than people who are retired, stay-at-home parents, or long-term corporate employees who are not striving for advancement.

(7) Your chapter will change. My chapter changed completely within a year as some members left town or dropped out. Some members felt more comfortable with the newer version of the chapter; others didn't.

So I recommend reviewing your membership in *any* group, but especially in Toastmasters, on a regular basis. If you're self-employed, you can't afford to invest time unless the activity benefits your business and/or personal goals.

Labels: business development, networking, speaking, toastmasters

Clients often ask for help with tag lines. There's not much out there but finally I came across this post:

http://themarketingguy.wordpress.com/2007/07/31/writing-a-slogan-or-tag-line/

His own slogan is awesome. Wish I'd thought of it myself!

And here's a list of the 10 worst tag lines:

http://www.getitinwriting.biz/blog/2007/04/1.html

Labels: tag lines

As you charge more, clients expect more service. After all, you'll forgive more at the No-Name Motel than the Hyatt Regency.

I don't know about you, but if I were paying premium prices, I would not want calls interrupted for UPS packages or last-minute schedule changes.

One talented design professional cannot offer premium service levels due to personal commitments. But she attracts clients because she prices her work appropriately. When her life changes, so will her fees.

Occasionally, no matter how carefully you plan, you will be challenged. Your delivery service ignores your "Do Not Disturb" sign, your dog begins to chew something dangerous, or you suddenly feel sick. Nearly everyone forgets an appointment at least once in a lifetime.

Even if your clients love you, I recommend planning ahead for compensation: extra calls, ebooks, or even gifts, depending on the level of your client's investment and the disruption of service.

This blog entry is based on my ebook, Lifetime Streams of Income with Heart, Soul and Chocolates on the Pillow. Still discounted because I keep forgetting to change the Order here.

Labels: client management, client relationships, practicalities, pricing

We all know about testing with survey monkey (www.surveymonkey.com) and other services. But we also know that what people say can be very different from what they do.

In one famous experiment, students listened to music. Some listed to the score from Grease. Others listened to East Indian music, which was not familiar to them. As they listened, some saw a slide with a picture of a blue pen. Others saw a beige pen.

The researchers wanted to see if the music influenced the way students saw the object. After all, ads use background music: does it matter?

But they didn't ask students, "Would you choose a blue pen or a beige pen?"

Instead, as they left the room, students actually were invited to choose a pen as a thank you.

Some chose blue and some beige. I believe color choice was associated with music...but other studies have questioned this conclusion.

Recently I did something similar. I invited readers to take a survey of my ezine. Those who completed the survey chose 2 out of 5 mini-ebooks as a thank you.

The results were surprising, at least to me.
#1: How to Create a Platform and Sell Your Book on the Internet
#2: How to Win Lifetime Income Streams with Heart,Soul and Chocolates on the Pillow

"Bragging 101" and "How to choose your guru" were less popular...possibly because I need to change the titles, possibly because my readers care less about those topics.

Labels: ebooks, testing, tracking

Recently a website owner asked me, "Do people really read those About pages? I don't."

A good question. My own visitors read my home page first and my "about" page second, in terms of frequency, on both my websites. Your own clients may differ.

But if even one person turns to the "About" page, you need a really good story. If they turn to this page, they're *really* interested.

I find clients often have superb credentials and compelling stories -- scattered all over the website. When we collect their stories on one page, the result can be very powerful.

Labels: about, internet marketing, page, website marketing

Yesterday I sent out a solo mailing to promote a product I really believe in -- a collection of information products by Kathleen Gage plus bonuses totalling over $1000. The price? $49. A good deal. Amazing, in fact. One bonus was my very own guide to boosting business through book reviews!

If you click this link on or before August 12, you'll be eligible for the special. The 13th is iffy...I don't know exactly when the sale will end and she doesn't either. It's one of those, "Well, if I feel I've sold enough, time to make room for a new promotion!"

So...why do I do this and why should you actually look forward to them?

Occasionally I send out solos to promote products and services I really like. Some readers sign off immediately. Some buy. Some just ignore them, saying, "It's the price of getting the articles and regular messages."

But I am here to share something I just figured out myself. Even if you never buy from me, you can learn from solo mailings. And if you have an Internet-based business, consider sending oout a solo mailing of your own.

A "solo mailing" is a sales letter sent to a mailing list. Typically everyone on the list gets a regular ezine. The solos are extra.

And typically the solos aim to sell. Most of us send out a regular ezine with an occasional solo mailing. A few marketers, such as
Perry Marshall , send out articles without a single word of sales copy, along with the usual ezine and sales letters. Others never send articles or information - just sales announcements.

So why should you care?

(1) Get ready to discover new products you'd never find otherwise.

There's absolutely no way any one person can find every product. Ezines serve as information channels. Each ezine publisher has her own world of connections and now they become yours.

If you've studied theories of social networks, you're getting access to what weak ties (more strangers) to supplement strong ties (people you see all the time). Weak ties tend to be more powerful when you need to make connections. (References available on request, if you're academically minded.)

Here's a $7 ebook on traffic building. I would never have found this one on my own:
Traffic Building

(2) Learn about a consultant before you invest big bucks.

Before hiring consultants or investing in their big manuals, read their ezines and pay attention to solo mailings.

Solos offer great clues because the decision to send out a solo mailing is tougher than you might think. We can't send messages every day (or sometimes every week): we'd lose our lists! So we have to be selective.

And as a reader, you'll get a sense for what the ezine publisher cares about. Does she seem to send everything but the kitchen sink, as long as the price tag is four figures or more? Does he send offers that seem to be targeted to a niche audience?

Do they promote only big ticket items? Or do they have a knack for finding low-cost, high value products and services?

Do they promote products and services with values, such as Law of Attraction or Wealth Creation products? Or do they focus on nuts and bolts "how to do it" products and services?

Special Tip: Be curious an Internet marketer who never promotes anyone else's products or services. Good consultants are eager to seize on new products and new ideas. Many are junkies who have to restrain themselves from trying everything.

One very successful marketing guru never, ever sends a solo mailing. Her own ezine rarely (if ever) includes links to other products. When I foolishly hired her for a consulting project, I discovered she wasn't trying to save her list from excess sales pitches. She was clueless about what was out there. She knew her own system -- not a bad system, but sadly dated and limited.

(3) Discover the ethics of the consultant who's sending out messages.

Let's face it: very few ezine publishers will promote anything unless they're members of an affiliate program. In other words, when you buy, they get commission. It's a fact of Internet life.

Most of us cloak our affiliate links because those links tend to be extremely long and complicated - and they're subject to fraud and abuse. So you'll see "tinyurl," "snipurl" and links to redirect pages.

For example, here's the "tinyurl" for the link to the special sale above:
http://tinyurl.com/2uw5mb

and here's a redirected link to a very good program for newbies:

www.makewritingpay.com/crashcourse.html

So what's wrong?

I had always admired "Horatio," a savvy and sophisticated marketing consultant. But one day I got a solo message from Horatio promising, "I recommend Oxana's ezine. I don't get a dime from this referral - I just think it's great."

Uh oh. Here's the bitter truth. When I click through to Oxana's ezine, I get into her database. If Oxana sells me a product later, Horatio will get a commission (unless I've clicked through from another site...too complex to get into).

For example: Click on
http://tinyurl.com/3ytqbx
and you can sign up for Perry Marshall's free e-course.

I hope you do. Perry Marshall shares some of the best business information anywhere, even if you never use his pay-per-click system.

But after you read his e-course, you may decide to buy his adwords manual. (I did.) And yes...I'll get a commission.

So I *could* say I won't make a dime if you sign up for Perry's free e-course. But it's not full self-disclosure.

Incidentally, you don't pay more when you click on an affiliate link. And you probably can't become an affiliate yourself and click on your own link for a discount. Just about everybody disallows commissions for self-referrals.

When I get a big commission (a subjective decision), I typically offer buyers at least one consultation as a thank you. Look for those offers from me and from others. In effect, you jut got a bonus gift along with your purchase.

And when you become an affiliate...

Once you buy, go ahead and become an affiliate in your own right. Some programs will allow you to become an affiliate only if you buy first. At first I resented this idea, but then I realized it's almost impossible to sell a product you haven't tried yourself.

And here's a bonus tip. If you go to
my page of recommended services you'll see a long list.

But I find readers consistently click on just a few. I pay attention. It's another way for me to learn about my target market, so I can create my own products and services to meet their needs.

You can do the same!

Labels: affiliate programs, ezines, kathleen gage, perry marshall, promotion, solo mailings

You get dozens of emails each week. "Secrets of Internet Success." "You can't miss this opportunity."

Some cost as much as a small car. Others seem like no-brainers -till you add them up.

Here are 5 ways to sort through the clutter.

(1) Before spending a dime, create your own business model.

Here are 2 simplified examples:

Model 1: Sell information products through the internet. Profits come from attracting visitors from all over the world. Little or no consulting.

Model 2: Sell coaching services to clients in one or two geographic regions. Profits come from one-to-one meetings.

(2) Decide what resources you need for each model.

Model 1 might require you to learn PPC (pay per click). You'd use analytical programs to monitor web traffic and conversion rates. You also need strong copywriting talent -- your own or hired.

Model 2 might require face-to-face networking, supported by a website designed to build relationships rather than sell products.

Variations of Model 2 would include attracting clients via the site and Selling products.

(3) Compare resources before spending.

There is rarely just one source of information. If someone put together a $1500 package, chances are you can test the waters with a smaller sum.

(4) Buy bite-size chunks.

More and more, I like monthly memberships that cost $97 or less. The value tends to be incredible. Choose only those that allow you to leave anytime with no hassle.

It takes a while to figure out which membership groups are the Real Deal. After lots of trial and error, I now recommend these three:

Derek Gehl's membership group can seem to be delivering a hard sell, But they've got a staff of experts and a track record of delivering Solid information. A good start for almost anyone who's got a presence on the Internet.
Go here.

Perry Marshall focuses on Google adwords - and insights into business. I encourage all my clients to sign up for his ezine even if they never use pay per click. Go here.

Christina Hills, the Shopping Cart Queen, keeps finding new ways to profit from your shopping cart. She has special classes for newbies (and surprises for experienced users).
Go here.

Going one-to-one? Ask for at least one single paid session - not a complimentary "get-acquainted call." The dynamic shifts once money changes hands.

(5) Build a time delay into your purchase process.

Example: For purchases over $500, give yourself at least a day or a week. Depending on your budget, this number might be $50 or even $5.

If you realize you made a mistake, reliable merchants will give you a refund with no hassle. Be fair: go to the merchant first (not your credit card company) and allow up to 72 hours for a response.

More: Check out my ebook on
choosing a mentor.

Labels: business model, coaching, gurus, mentors, start-ups

A few days ago I received an email from a networking group: "We need a sales letter to increase our memberships. Have you ever written copy that resulted in a big increase in membership applications?"

I visited the group's site. The home page gave no hint of what benefits I might anticipate by joining the group, beyond the usual vague promises of "empowerment." The site invited women to sign up for membership, but provided no way to build relationships via newsletter.

I doubt that anyone will sign up for a monthly membership - even one as low as $17 - without knowing about the group. Yet we were not told about who belongs and why.

Copywriting can do a lot of good if your product appeals to a target market. This group needs to explore their target market and their positioning before moving ahead.

Labels: copywriting, internet marketing, target market