500 words of sales copy for only $249.00, payable through PayPal (you can use your credit card, too).
Click here or the button below, and bestow a gift on any small business owner or entrepreneur.
These 500 words can be used anywhere for any kind of promotion tool - a brochure, a Web site, a sales letter, a press release, even a script for a radio or TV ad!
I also can write a short article for a local business publication or trade magazine. 500 words can be transferred to 5 hours of concepting and ideas, too. Taglines, product names, mission statements, and more.
What a great way to help anyone starting a business!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all!
Readers and Clients, I sincerely hope your holiday season is filled with the blessings of peace and joy!
There will be plenty of exciting things happening around here in 2008. I recently published my year-end newsletter. If you'd like to subscribe, simply click the headline above!
If you need a gift for the business owner on your list, it's not too late. Just click the PayPal button below to buy 300 words of promotional copy - only $100!
300 words can make a brochure, a radio ad, a sales letter, or two to three Web pages! This special is through December only, so make their day now! I'll contact you about how to redeem.
Readers and Clients, I sincerely hope your holiday season is filled with the blessings of peace and joy!
There will be plenty of exciting things happening around here in 2008. I recently published my year-end newsletter. If you'd like to subscribe, simply click the headline above!
If you need a gift for the business owner on your list, it's not too late. Just click the PayPal button below to buy 300 words of promotional copy - only $100!
300 words can make a brochure, a radio ad, a sales letter, or two to three Web pages! This special is through December only, so make their day now! I'll contact you about how to redeem.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Guide to Writing Good SEO Copy
If you own or publish a Web site, especially an e-commerce Web site, you probably know about or at least heard of SEO.
Some might have seen the term, but don't know what it is. I had a photographer friend of mine recently ask me, and he was a big New York City honk.
SEO is search engine optimization - a way to write and organize the copy (and other elements) on your website to naturally gain higher page rank in search engines.
There are many ways to think about and execute SEO - some good, some bad.
Bad: Hidden text, keyword stuffing, dozens of links, cloaking information, creating pages to grab visitors searching for unrelated content, and of course, page redirects.
Good: Proper tab naming, well-written copy, use of subheads and bullets, and incorporating well-researched keywords.
Way back when, people thought that short copy was best for the Web. But it's been proven that longer copy builds page rank. Actually it's quite obvious, because longer copy lets you use more keywords.
Good SEO copy is akin to direct mail copy. It can (and should be) long, but it still should sell. Converting a viewer into a buyer should be your copy's number one duty. For it to do that, the copy should clearly express the benefits of what you're selling, and perhaps do it from a range of perspectives or with particular problems of your target in mind.
In light of this, think of your business uniquely solves your prospect's problems. Doing so will set your business apart from the rest. Of course, you want to be mindful of important keywords.
Keywords still need to be researched, but they can be prudently placed. The key is to write good, persuasive copy first, then think about keyword placement. A mistake marketers make is to write copy around the keywords. What should happen is that keywords should be placed AROUND the benefits you are trying to express.
The key principle to keep in mind here is that regardless of length, good copy reads short and bad copy reads long. So, the best SEO copy in the world is copy that sells.
Graphically, direct mail techniques should be used, too. Bold subheads, judicious use of bullets, and proper title tags should be employed. Most importantly, make sure benefits are stated in those subheads and bullets. This technique helps the search engines raise your page rank, helps guide your prospect through the copy, and communicates important aspects of your business to increase appeal.
Some might have seen the term, but don't know what it is. I had a photographer friend of mine recently ask me, and he was a big New York City honk.
SEO is search engine optimization - a way to write and organize the copy (and other elements) on your website to naturally gain higher page rank in search engines.
There are many ways to think about and execute SEO - some good, some bad.
Bad: Hidden text, keyword stuffing, dozens of links, cloaking information, creating pages to grab visitors searching for unrelated content, and of course, page redirects.
Good: Proper tab naming, well-written copy, use of subheads and bullets, and incorporating well-researched keywords.
Way back when, people thought that short copy was best for the Web. But it's been proven that longer copy builds page rank. Actually it's quite obvious, because longer copy lets you use more keywords.
Good SEO copy is akin to direct mail copy. It can (and should be) long, but it still should sell. Converting a viewer into a buyer should be your copy's number one duty. For it to do that, the copy should clearly express the benefits of what you're selling, and perhaps do it from a range of perspectives or with particular problems of your target in mind.
In light of this, think of your business uniquely solves your prospect's problems. Doing so will set your business apart from the rest. Of course, you want to be mindful of important keywords.
Keywords still need to be researched, but they can be prudently placed. The key is to write good, persuasive copy first, then think about keyword placement. A mistake marketers make is to write copy around the keywords. What should happen is that keywords should be placed AROUND the benefits you are trying to express.
The key principle to keep in mind here is that regardless of length, good copy reads short and bad copy reads long. So, the best SEO copy in the world is copy that sells.
Graphically, direct mail techniques should be used, too. Bold subheads, judicious use of bullets, and proper title tags should be employed. Most importantly, make sure benefits are stated in those subheads and bullets. This technique helps the search engines raise your page rank, helps guide your prospect through the copy, and communicates important aspects of your business to increase appeal.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
XM TV Ads: Simple, Brilliant
XM's TV ads over the last year have been nothing short of brilliant, leaving SIRIUS in the dust, creatively at least.
These ads are the perfect example of creating "brand love." And, they are a perfect example of "Occam's Razor" at work - the simplest idea wins.
These ads win big. They cleverly incoporate XM's logo - three arced lines, representing an ever-present and ever-clear signal- into creative suggestions of various music genres and programming formats. We are entertained with such simple illustration, one can't help but to salivate for the next execution.
And, this concept has legs, too.
These ads are the perfect example of creating "brand love." And, they are a perfect example of "Occam's Razor" at work - the simplest idea wins.
These ads win big. They cleverly incoporate XM's logo - three arced lines, representing an ever-present and ever-clear signal- into creative suggestions of various music genres and programming formats. We are entertained with such simple illustration, one can't help but to salivate for the next execution.
And, this concept has legs, too.
HotCopywriter's Refreshing Brain Candy
I came across this groovy little app a couple days ago - from Lemonade.com.
You create a store, filled with stuff you dig (or things you think will sell well), then put it here or on Facebook, or wherever. If any sales come about, you get a cut. I better add "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band" ASAP.
So far, mine's pretty long tail, though you can find a couple good marketing books and at least a cool CD or two...
Click here. Rock on.
You create a store, filled with stuff you dig (or things you think will sell well), then put it here or on Facebook, or wherever. If any sales come about, you get a cut. I better add "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band" ASAP.
So far, mine's pretty long tail, though you can find a couple good marketing books and at least a cool CD or two...
Click here. Rock on.
Monday, December 17, 2007
My Referral Rate Just Went Up to 15%!
Well, how about that? That's a bonus for you!
My referral commission rate just jumped from 10% to 15%.
If you refer me to somebody and they become a new client, you get 15% commission of the first job billed - typically between $30 to $300!
So when someone needs writing done for their business, you know who to refer 'em to...
Little ol' me.
My referral commission rate just jumped from 10% to 15%.
If you refer me to somebody and they become a new client, you get 15% commission of the first job billed - typically between $30 to $300!
So when someone needs writing done for their business, you know who to refer 'em to...
Little ol' me.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Absolut TV Advertising
Noticing that the big players in premium spirits are making big splashes on cable TV of late (Capt. Morgan, Tanqueray, a great Dewars campaign, and finally... Absolut) I got to thinking about their print ads versus their TV counterparts.
Ever since good ol' Dubya opened up the airwaves for booze advertising (perhaps to make up for putting the kabosh on outdoor tobacco ads?), most have, obviously, carried over their current print concepts into TV. The glaring exception is Absolut.
Absolut, if you've been under a rock the last 15 years, has run clever print concepts built around the iconic rounded-shoulder bottle shape, while containing only two words: "Absolute (insert flavor, city, occasion, adjective, noun
here)".
In 2006, they did attempt to explore it with TV and did a decent job, and it seemed to ask for a sequel. But the recent TV campaign, first launched in late spring of 2007, describes a "perfect world" as one where young European-looking people
and police clash via a pillow fight. An ad for the holiday season also uses the "Perfect World" theme. In it, a couple is seen walking from a party, the man clicks the alarm on his key fob and a taxi suddenly appears to cart them safely home.
"Perfect World" certainly has potential for staying power and may be better for TV. It'll be interesting to see if it ever morphs into the brand's well-worn and comfortable shoes.
Ever since good ol' Dubya opened up the airwaves for booze advertising (perhaps to make up for putting the kabosh on outdoor tobacco ads?), most have, obviously, carried over their current print concepts into TV. The glaring exception is Absolut.
Absolut, if you've been under a rock the last 15 years, has run clever print concepts built around the iconic rounded-shoulder bottle shape, while containing only two words: "Absolute (insert flavor, city, occasion, adjective, noun
here)".
In 2006, they did attempt to explore it with TV and did a decent job, and it seemed to ask for a sequel. But the recent TV campaign, first launched in late spring of 2007, describes a "perfect world" as one where young European-looking people
and police clash via a pillow fight. An ad for the holiday season also uses the "Perfect World" theme. In it, a couple is seen walking from a party, the man clicks the alarm on his key fob and a taxi suddenly appears to cart them safely home.
"Perfect World" certainly has potential for staying power and may be better for TV. It'll be interesting to see if it ever morphs into the brand's well-worn and comfortable shoes.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
My First Publsihed Squidoo Lens
How fun. This should be useful.
I signed up for the beta test, but am just now staring to use it.
Click the headline to learn some tips on writing good radio ads.
Then check out my site, too.
I signed up for the beta test, but am just now staring to use it.
Click the headline to learn some tips on writing good radio ads.
Then check out my site, too.
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