Entries categorized as ‘useful tips’
Newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your customers and stay “top-of-mind”.
All savvy marketers use newsletters. Why? Because they can help to build relationships with customers and potential customers. A regular newsletter from you will keep your business in the mind of the customer so that when they come to the part of the buying cycle where they’re ready to buy, they’ll think of you.
What’s more, because all newsletter lists have to be “opt-in” lists, all of your subscribers are qualified leads so you can target your message more easily.
The down side
There is a down side to sending regular newsletters. In fact there are two. The first is that they are labour intensive. Someone has to spend the time thinking of something to write and then they have to write it.
The second is that if the content is not relevant, clearly written and interesting, it won’t get read. It’s a real challenge to send a regular newsletter with fresh, interesting content.
The solution
The solution is to engage a professional copywriter to write the copy and to advise on new and interesting topics to include in the newsletter. Newsletters are wonderful marketing tools so don’t throw away your investment in managing your list by sending out a humdrum publication that no one is going to read. Make the most of this opportunity to speak to your target audience. Contact The Copywriter Online to talk about your newsletter today.
Paper vs email newsletters
There are pros and cons to both. On the pro side, e-newsletters are cheap to send and cheap to put together; the major con being that they won’t reach customers who don’t have email.
The pro side of paper newsletters is that you can reach people who don’t use the internet and paper is easier to read than a computer screen. The major con here is cost. They can be very costly to produce and also to send.
A few e-newsletter tips
Make sure you have a great phrase for the subject line. “My company newsletter Issue No 4” just won’t cut it. Take the lead story and use that in your subject line. If you don’t, your newsletter may just go straight to the recycle bin!
Don’t make your newsletter too long. People don’t mind scrolling a bit but don’t make it longer than a full screen page and a half and don’t send it too often. We’ve received many interesting newsletters. Some which we really like to read but they come everyday or every week and we don’t have the time. In our view once every 3-4 weeks is an ideal frequency.
A few paper newsletter tips
Don’t make it too thick. People don’t have time to read another magazine. Many businesses think they are “adding value” by putting irrelevant, general interest items in their newsletters. They’re not. What are they are doing is making the relevant information harder to find and increasing the likelihood that it won’t be read.
Put an easy-to-follow table of contents on the right of the first page. Put some advertisements in for your own products or services as well as the articles and include response devices in them.
Take the pain out of your next newsletter and improve its response rate by letting The Copywriter Online write it for you. Contact us today!
Categories: The Copywriter Online Blog · copywriting · useful tips
Tagged: copywriting, guides, marketing, useful tips
January 18, 2010 · 1 Comment
Everyone knows that speaking in public is challenging…
Some people find it exhilarating and others just want to curl up and die. Either way, it is easier to do if you have a well-written, well-rehearsed speech.
As a past president of a Toastmaster’s International branch, I am well-placed to help you, not only with your speech but also with a few tips and tricks to overcome nerves and increase your confidence.
The audience wants to hear what you have to say
Unless you’re on the hustings or you’re a PR Manager in damage control then it is important to realise that most of the audience starts off by wanting to hear what you have to say.
Engage their interest
If you can engage their interest and a build a rapport with them in the first few minutes then the rest should be plain sailing. This is where a good speech writer can be invaluable. A strong opening to your speech will set the tone for the rest of the delivery.
What makes a good speech?
Good speeches have several features in common. These are:
- They are not overlong
- They establish a rapport with the audience quickly
- They are not read
- They have been well-rehearsed
- They are interesting
- They use language the audience can understand – this means that for a generalist audience you would not use jargon or technical terms without explanation.
- They have a beginning, a middle, and an end
- They leave the audience with something to ponder – it could be a challenge, a joke or a new way of looking at something.
Make a memorable speech
Whatever the occasion, make your next speech memorable and ask The Copywriter Online to write it for you. We can help you with Business Presentations, Luncheon or After Dinner Speeches and Information Events. Contact The Copywriter Online to talk about your next speech.
Categories: copywriting · useful tips
Tagged: copywriting, speechwriting, useful tips
or you can choose one that ranks well with search engines…
or one that sells…
If you want all three we can help you, but it’s your choice.
There are several factors that decide how well your site ranks with the search engines. One of them is search engine optimised (seo) copy. So, if you’re looking for well-written copy that assists with search engine ranking AND that sells, then we can help.
1. Don’t sacrifice effective selling copy in order to rank well – you need both!
Some seo copywriters sacrifice the selling effectiveness and communication component of their copy just to get a good search engine ranking. Don’t do it! It’s a waste of time and money. There’s no point having thousands of visitors to your site if you can’t convert any of them into customers. Make sure you hire an seo copywriter who can write to sell as well.
2. Get ahead of your competition
With professional seo copywriting your website can be an effective tool for gaining more business; for communicating with your existing and potential customers; and for selling more of your products and services.
3. Ask us about other seo strategies…
At The Copywriter Online we can advise you on other techniques and strategies that you can employ to legitimately raise your search engine profile. Contact us today and ask us for a quote to write seo copy and web content for your website. Read our testimonials to see what our customers think of us.
Categories: The Copywriter Online Blog · copywriting · seo copywriting · useful tips
Tagged: copywriting, seo copywriting, useful tips
The content of your website is more important than the way it looks!
Don’t get me wrong! It is important that your website looks professional and attracts your target audience. However, it’s even more important that your message is clear, interesting and persuasive. The New Year is a great time to take a look at your site and see if it’s really performing the way you would like it to.
Many businesses spend thousands of dollars on fancy looking sites that don’t sell well. Why? Because the content is poor. It doesn’t engage with the website visitor. It doesn’t interest them, it doesn’t tell them what they want to know and it doesn’t encourage them to stay.
Amateur vs Professional
No company would pay thousands of dollars for a double page spread in a glossy magazine and then let an amateur come up with the concept, the copy and the design. So why do they do that very same thing with their websites? Writing copy for the web is an art and a science. I have done a lot of research into what works and what doesn’t and I can help you to make the most of your investment in your site.
Your website is a promotional tool
A website is a promotional tool. It shouldn’t just be a “presence”. Most businesses invest large sums of money in their sites and they don’t see a return on that investment. Let me help you to communicate with your customers by writing web content that is clear, easy-to-read and relevant.
Don’t throw thousands of dollars of web investment away for the want of a few hundred dollars worth of professionally written content.
Know when and where to spend your business dollars
There are places where you can save money by doing things yourself and there are others where you need to call in the professionals. Make sure you know which is which. If dollars are tight but you know that you need professional copywriting then do some of the legwork yourself to reduce your costs. If the copywriter has to do a lot of research then the job is obviously going to be more expensive than if you give them a full, properly written brief. (If you don’t know how to brief a copywriter click here for details.)
Happy New Year! Make it prosperous with a website that really works!
Categories: The Copywriter Online Blog · copywriting · useful tips
Tagged: blogs, copywriting, marketing, useful tips, web culture
Despite what some people will tell you, marketing isn’t rocket science! If you use commonsense, perseverance and diligence then you can implement a marketing system that will work for your business.
Target, measure, evaluate and refine. The four most important words in marketing!
Do you know which of your marketing initiatives work and which don’t? Do you know how well they work and do you know how to capitalise on them?
Too much to do, too little time!
This is the problem most businesses face these days. They are so busy running their businesses that they don’t have the time to market their businesses well or consistently. That’s why it’s often useful to employ a professional marketing communications consultant to do the work for you.
Targeting
Many small businesses have a hit and miss approach to marketing. They spend time, money and effort on direct mail and other marketing campaigns yet they don’t put enough care into targeting them properly. Consequently they experience poor to indifferent results.
Measuring
There are several ways of measuring the success of a marketing or advertising campaign but they should all involve the dollar value received vs the dollars outlaid. Many businesses will just note how many enquiries they got from a particular campaign rather than how much revenue the campaign generated. This information is vital because it tells you how accurately you are targeting your communications.
Evaluating and refining
Evaluating a campaign is important to allow for fine tuning. It is important to refine either the message, the medium or the offer in light of what your evaluation reveals.
Follow up
This is an area where many businesses fall down. They go to a lot of expense and effort and then they don’t follow up their leads properly or enough. There are lots of examples where companies have run campaigns, people have responded asking for sales information and yet they never receive it!
Marketing system
This marketing system is based on the perpetual feedback loop of target, measure, evaluate and refine. At The Copywriter Online we can help you to implement it, or we can implement it for you. You are in control at all times.
Categories: copywriting · useful tips
Tagged: guides, marketing, useful tips
This is another of my articles that I used to offer free on my website but I think its message needs emphasising so here it is.
The content of your website is more important than the way it looks!
Don’t get me wrong! It is important that your website looks professional and attracts your target audience. However, it’s even more important that your message is clear, interesting and persuasive.
Don’t waste thousands of dollars on a pretty website that doesn’t do its job!
Many businesses spend thousands of dollars on fancy looking sites that don’t sell well. Why? Because the content is poor. It doesn’t engage with the website visitor. It doesn’t interest them, it doesn’t tell them what they want to know and it doesn’t encourage them to stay.
Amateur vs Professional
No company would pay thousands of dollars for a double page spread in a glossy magazine and then let an amateur come up with the concept, the copy and the design. So why do they do that very same thing with their websites? Writing copy for the web is an art and a science.
Can’t afford a professional web copywriter?
If you can’t afford a professional web copywriter to do your whole site, I have some suggestions to help you make the most of your website until you can raise your promotional budget. First, if at all possible, at least pay for your homepage to be professionally written and search engine optimised. Second follow the simple rules in my article Tips for writing for the web.
Your website is a promotional tool
A website is a promotional tool. It shouldn’t just be a “presence”. Most businesses invest large sums of money in their sites and they don’t see a return on that investment. So take the time to refine your message; write it – or get it written for you – in a way that really resonates with target audience, and then monitor it’s success.
Categories: copywriting · useful tips
Tagged: copywriting, marketing, useful tips, web culture
If you export or import into English speaking countries and the written material supporting your product or services is written by non-native English speakers, then chances are that you are not realising the full potential of your business. If the quality of the written English is poor then your products or services are perceived as being inferior even though they may not be.
Increase the price potential of your product
If you want to increase your sales and the price you can ask for your products then you need good quality, English written materials. A good quality product with a poorly written English manual will never achieve its price potential.
Cost/benefit analysis
It’s tempting to say that price is king and that by employing a copywriter you’ll be increasing your overheads. That’s not the whole truth though. A poorly written manual can result in many more support calls and product returns than a clearly written one with easy-to-follow instructions. A copywriting fee is a one-off investment; support calls and product returns are ongoing burdens on your business.
This article was written by Munaiba Khan of The Copywriter Online, an online business that offers professional copywriting by native English speakers.
Categories: The Copywriter Online Blog · copywriting · useful tips
Tagged: copywriting, guides, marketing, useful tips
Product creators love features – consumers buy benefits!
How many times have you heard or read an ad that was a list of features? Heaps of times probably, especially in the car industry. You know the stuff… ABS, dual airbags, leading edge technology, multiplex electrics and the like.
So why are benefits better selling points that features?
Benefits tell the potential customer the answer to the question that all consumers want answered – “What’s in it for me?”. So instead of listing features a better advertisement would translate those features into benefits. For example: … comes with the protection of dual air bags and an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) that improves road holding and steering by regulating the braking pressure to avoid wheel lock.
How to turn a feature into a benefit
The clue was in the last paragraph. We need to answer the question “What’s in it for me?”. So next time you’re trying to work out what benefits your product offers you can use the following formula - this feature means that… = benefit
I’ll give you some examples:
- multiplex electrics means that there are fewer wires and connections so it’s easier to service and maintain
- leading edge technology means the best, most up-to-date, most efficient technology
- 6 bedroom house means this is a family home with plenty of room for all the kids and then some
- dual processor means it will process information faster allowing you to work more efficiently
Do you get the picture?
So next time you hire an ad writer, or write one yourself, make sure talk about benefits not features.
Categories: The Copywriter Online Blog · copywriting · useful tips
Tagged: advertising, copywriting, marketing, useful tips
This is a perennial question and one I wrote one of my free articles on. I think it ‘s a message that bears repeating so here goes…
Do “clever” advertisements really sell? Can you remember what the ad was for, or which brand? The answer is often “No!”.
Don’t sacrifice clarity for cleverness
It’s good if an advertisement can make you laugh but that shouldn’t be it’s main purpose. Certainly ads that make people laugh have engaged their audience but if they don’t follow through strongly enough then people don’t remember which brand or, sometimes, even what type of product the ad was selling!
So whether you’re engaging a copywriter or an ad agency, or you’re going to write your ads yourself don’t be tricked into thinking that “clever is best”; it isn’t, “clear is best”.
Cleverness wins awards for agencies
Ad agencies love “clever”, quirky ads because they are good contenders for creative awards but how successfully do they sell? Sometimes, spectacularly well, but many times poorly. Make sure your promotional dollars are targeted at selling your product or service and not at enhancing your agency’s PR efforts.
What makes a successful campaign?
We have more than 20 years experience in the advertising, marketing and PR business and can write clear, attractive copy that will sell your product or service. But if you want to do it yourself then you need some rules to follow:
- Know who your audience is
- Understand what pushes their buttons
- See your product or service through their eyes
- List the features and turn them into benefits (for more on this look out for my next post)
- Write clear copy that catches their interest and explains the benefits
Ads are just one step in the selling process
A successful ad campaign is the result of preparation, research and testing and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Contact The Copywriter Online to discuss your advertising needs or read our article “How to improve your advertising, save money and get better results”.
Categories: The Copywriter Online Blog · copywriting · useful tips
Tagged: advertising, copywriting, marketing, useful tips
Are you a small business with limited funds? Yet you need a website that has static pages and a blog? Then I’d really recommend WordPress.com. I got sick of shelling out fees for hosting and was finding it difficult to change things on my site easily so I took a look around at what was on offer. That’s when I found WordPress.
Free hosting and great features
It’s an impressive platform, that’s easy to use, easy to modify and best of all it’s FREE! They have numerous themes which you can make your own by adding photos etc. For a small fee there are upgrades you can have like pointing your own domain to your blog, or adding mp3 and video files.
All in all I found the the experience pleasantly straight forward. Once you’ve mapped your domain to your blog you can use a free Google service that allows you to have your own email addresses like me@mydomain.com etc. This too was easy and the Google instructions were great as were the WordPress ones.
Support
WordPress support is really fantastic, heaps of easy-to-read articles and very responsive, actually helpful (I know this is sort of unheard of these days but it’s true) email support.
Need a website?
If you need a website with some static pages and a blog then I’d recommend you checkout WordPress. (And no they didn’t pay me to say that.) If you find even that too daunting then contact me and, for a surprisingly low fee, I can set it all up for you and write your pages too if you need copywriting help. Contact me today.
Categories: The Copywriter Online Blog · copywriting · useful tips
Tagged: copywriting, great ideas, useful tips, web culture
