Copywriting - So What?

If you're going to market something you're going to have to write about it (unless you've got the money to pay someone else to) and your writing is a skill that must be honed. (believe me, I'm still learning) Actually putting pen to paper is a good place to start your flow, but what will you write? Your writing can range from the brief 140 character messages on Twitter to 3 line sponsored ads to brief emails to multi-paragraph articles for ezines and a multi-page sales letter to your prospects.

And - the whole point is - someone else will read your copy, and from their perspective ultimately ask "So what?" or in other words - "What's in it for me?"  In a nutshell, what we have to communicate is what will be a benefit to the reader. It's not about "I" the writer - it's about "you" the reader.

My neighbor recently got started in a business that he wanted me to consider, and as he made his presentation, he pointed out feature after feature of the company and product line. Unfortunately, the age and size of the company, and prices of different packages just had me thinking - "Yeah, so - what does that mean for me?" 

For example - a huge number of product options is a fine feature, but on the other hand - letting me know that I or my prospective customers would be able to find a great fit for any personality, style, need or situation would have done much better at getting my interest - by letting me know how I would benefit.

When you're considering the benefit your reader will get, think about problems you will solve for them. Deal with the emotions of pain and pleasure they could avoid or feel, for example: reduced frustration because you're offering them a proven system; more pride because they will look better or be a leader;  the pleasure of the fine things money can buy, or; the little effort they'll have to put out because your product or system is so quick and easy.

What's a good way to get the information across? Tell a story. Give your reader something they can get involved in from real life. Or teach them something. As I mentioned in an early post, you want to not simply pitch, but give value. Here's a word to consider: "sellucation". Remember that people don't want to be sold, but they can enjoy buying when they're confident of their informed decision.

To close, I hope to have given some useful tips to consider and use. Again, writing good copy is an important learning process. Study those writers whom you respond to, and don't plagiarize, but do pick up tricks.  You can learn from some top pro's here:   http://vur.me/Sundance03/traffic   Write on!

Do You Tweet?

I guess if you understand the question, you're already answering "yes", but this is touching on the subject of "web 2.0" marketing via social media, and possibly the hottest thing now - twitter.

As you may know, twitter is a place where you post a profile/bio to introduce/define yourself and orient other people in the world to what you're about. Of course there are all kinds of folks with all kinds of interests ranging from business to cooking to music to simply socializing. But, what's of interest to us, internet marketers, is that there are thousands of us of various different stripes and experience levels in various locations all over the world who are looking around, touching base, and sharing inspiration and ideas.

So how do you develop communication with bunches of folks you don't otherwise know? Well, you can look for famous folks or your favorite business leaders and then follow them and their followers. You can then expect that a number of folks will "follow" you back, and as with facebook friends - you start sharing posts.

Yeah, in addition to news and commentary, there is also a lot of sharing of links to your favored business opportunities or affiliate programs, but again - go back to the basic marketing ideas I set out below - don't just shout and sell - show yourself as a person of integrity offering something of value. That'll get you better responses.

As for the details - the "tweets" sent or posted on twitter are limited to 140 characters, so you've got to not only be concise, but if you are sharing a link, you've got to use a shortening tool like bit.ly. Check it out - it's handy for making your links small & cloaking them, too.

If you want some help developing your "following" without spending hours of your own time clicking, you'll find numerous programs that do just that. Here's an example: http://bit.ly/rT9Ih

Until next time - share good things with good people, and happy tweeting!

Post a Press Release!

If you're excited about your internet business, as I am, make a point of announcing it! Sure, you're posting ads and sending emails, but have you done a press release?  I'm not talking about newspapers or the AP, but there are a number of sites which do this on the web, and you'll have choices ranging from free to $100+ depending upon the distribution service you want.

When would you post a press release? When you have an announcement that is "newsworthy" and is more than just a marketing ad, because the publishers will review your post and won't want it to just be a commercial. Your occasion could be the launch of your business or a new product line, or perhaps a benchmark you've reached or award you've received.

 Then, when you're drafting your release try to think in terms of a news story with facts and with quotes. What happened with or to whom? What comments did that elicit? What might this mean to someone - be it you or someone else?

I can give you an example of a post I recently did which survived the editorial scrutiny at PRWeb.com before they put it up.  This publisher does charge for their service, but their distribution and links are greater than a free publisher such as Free-Press-Release.com.

Also, I found it interesting that PRWeb automatically activated the link I noted in my release.  Check it out here:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/prweb2391584.htm

Other places to look into include: prleap.com, clickpress.com and express-press-release.com.  Note that you can post essentially the same release to the different sites, but if you want to go back with the same publisher, you've got to have something different.

For a look at my same release on FPR, see:  http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200905/1242100346.html

Anyway - if you've got something to talk about - shout it to the web community!

More on Attitude and Action

I've been, of course, spending time with mentors, books and fellow marketers, and I just have to go on a bit on this same subject. When you look at people who are really on top in marketing there's something to note - they're not blatantly trying to pitch you something for their benefit. What's their attitude? They are offering to SERVE YOU.

It makes sense, doesn't it - that what you may spend money on has got to be of benefit to you? And are you mindful of how you tend to turn away from someone who is obviously trying to sell? I see this a lot on Twitter (I'm there as JJFraser) and you can bet I respond to those who offer HELP as opposed to those who are obviously touting their opportunity or the latest system.

In a nutshell - to be successful, one has to offer VALUE that is going to lift others up, for example with inspiration or knowledge, and then rest assured that your rewards will follow. Whether you're dealing with your own personal team or with the marketing community in general, the focus should be on others, not on yourself. As Victor Frankl (Man's Search for Meaning) said: "Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued. It must ensue. And it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself."

So - you take the attitude of abundance, and of being a servant giving value to others, and put that into actions like teaching and sharing the knowledge gained from your experience and those who have preceded you. You know about duplication. There's wisdom in doing what's already proven to be effective. And you act, again and again, on different forums and through different media to share.

In the arena of social networking (and the marketing going on there) the old adages prove true - business is built upon relationships, and people buy from people they like. Be your best true you and give something away. It'll be worth your while.
Have a happy and successful day!